Category: Cinema

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Cinema Reviews Thoughts

Margin Call

J.C Chandor’s portrait of a modern Wall Street bank is a slow-burn acting master class.

With a narrative loosely modelled on the extraordinary events of September 2008, when the collapse of Lehman Brothers gored a huge hole in the global economy, it paints a bleak but compelling portrait of financial meltdown.

After a risk analyst (Stanley Tucci) at a large Wall Street bank is fired, his underling (Zachary Quinto) soon realises the entire company could go under within 36 hours.

We then see various managers struggle with the crisis: a salesman (Paul Bettany), the head of sales (Kevin Spacey), the head of securities (Simon Baker), the head of risk (Demi Moore) and finally the CEO (Jeremy Irons).

What is so impressive about the film is that it takes us right inside the den of greed and manages to convey the enormity of the crisis through acting and atmosphere.

It doesn’t ask us to sympathise with the various employees, but instead depicts a haunting, dread-filled portrait of a society crumbling from the top down.

In the quiet specifics of a bank, amidst humming computer screens and late night boardrooms, Chandor finds a wider cultural malaise.

That this is his debut film is remarkable – he not only shows a shrewd grasp of the Wall Street culture but shows a sure sense of atmosphere and tension.

Shot in just 17 days for around $3m and mostly set inside a single building, he has cannily used the limited time and resources to his advantage.

His screenplay thrives on disbelief and confusion – characters frequently express the desire to hear things in plain English – which mirrors society’s wider shock that Wall Street could be getting away with this for so long.

The wider point seems to be that successive governments and voters were only too happy because they too were part of the problem, happy to buy into what was essentially a giant Ponzi scheme.

What is brilliant about the narrative is that it continually takes us up the corporate ladder and depicts with startling eloquence how everyone is essentially powerless to stop what’s coming.

It was presumably this underlying intelligence that attracted actors like Tucci, Spacey and Irons, all of who give some of their best performances in years.

There are also small but perfectly formed turns from the likes of Quinto, Bettany, Baker and Moore who neatly round off one of the best ensemble casts of the year.

As any decent dramatist knows, silence can be as crucial as dialogue – in some cases the faces here depict more than words ever could – but where the film gets really fascinating is the exchanges towards the end as the higher ups debate the final course of action for their firms.

They may or may not be the kind of words that Richard Fuld used in the weeks after Lehman Brothers died but they give a plausible insight into the pathological nature of the state-subsidised capitalism of the past few years.

When Margin Call was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25th it coincided with an organised day of protest in Egypt, which formed a key part of the Arab Spring, and its US release in October neatly coincided with the Occupy Wall Street phenomenon.

There is a certain irony that Arab nations have influenced American protest, given that part of the reason the US economy is in trouble is the trillion dollars squandered on invading that region of the world.

But we live in strange times where there is a growing sense of despair and anger amongst a generation of people expected to suffer because of the poisonous actions of the actions of the Wall Street-Government nexus.

Part of what makes it so effective is that it doesn’t offer simplistic solutions and infects the audience with a sense of looming dread at what is still to come.

By the end it is hard not to feel like you’ve just spent time with criminals who will keep re-offending unless brought to justice.

Three years on there is still no solution to the overall crisis as the Obama administration still employs people who helped caused the crisis, whilst the Republicans seem to have descended into a state of collective insanity.

What makes the film so chilling and effective is that there appears to be no solution in sight.

Aside from Charles Ferguson’s documentary Inside Job the global financial crisis hasn’t really given us a good drama until now.

Part of the reason is the surface complexity of the related issues although the fundamental problem was simple: a lack of proper regulation led to Wall Street destroying the wider economy whilst avoiding suitable punishment or regulation.

The fact that banks like Goldman Sachs not only benefited from the demise of a major rival, but also got bailed out by the taxpayer was a perversion of capitalism that caused widespread anger across the political spectrum.

So seismic are the problems facing Western societies that it may take a new generation of political leaders to remedy the deep problems – and even then it could be too late.

The film industry has not been immune to these events, with the ‘independent’ market for films crashing in sync with the wider economy.

So it feels appropriate that the first serious drama to deal with the Wall Street meltdown is this reminder of what the US system can produce when it takes chances.

Margin Call is a daring film in many ways as it seeks to explore the mind-set of the very people who still inhabit the halls of finance and government.

This has been reflected in the funding (name actors attracted by a decent script), shooting (on a Red One digital camera) and distribution (a mixture of limited theatrical and VOD download in the US).

Here in the UK it is being released by Stealth Media (in the US it was distributed by Roadside Attractions after being acquired at Sundance) and is being given an encouragingly wide release.

The current harsh climate for independent movies may see distributors embrace innovative release strategies.

In the US Margin Call’s release raised a few eyebrows with its combination of VOD and theatrical, which goes against industry wisdom that one will cannibalise the other.

Cassian Elwes was the producer and agent heavily involved in the film and when I asked him on Twitter what the rough percentage of people who saw it at US cinemas versus those who downloaded it, he replied that it was probably one to one.

Indie films might need to embrace release strategies such as this if they are to survive.

Like the wider economy the future is still uncertain, but films like Margin Call can give us hope.

> Official site
> Reviews of the film at Metacritic
> Find out more about the Late-2000s financial crisis at Wikipedia
> Listen to our interview with Charles Ferguson about Inside Job

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 13th January 2012

NATIONAL RELEASES

War Horse (Walt Disney): The film adaptation of the book and later stage play which follows a young man named Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse, Joey on an odyssey through World War One. Directed by Steven Spielberg, it co-stars Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullen, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine and Benedict Cumberbatch. [Nationwide / 12A] [Read our full review]

Shame (Momentum Pictures): Steve McQueen’s second film is a stunning depiction of sexual compulsion set in contemporary New York, which explores the life of an advertising executive (Michael Fassbender) and his needy sister (Carey Mulligan). Co-starring James Badge Dale and Nicole Beharie it also features some stunning cinematography from Sean Bobbit. [Nationwide / 18] [Read our full review]

Margin Call (Stealth Media): Masterful slow-burn drama about the collapse of a New York investment bank from fist-time director J.C. Chandor. Following the various figures in the firm, it is an acting masterclass featuring Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Zachary Qunito, Paul Bettany, Stanley Tucci and Simon Baker. [Selected cinemas nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

The Darkest Hour (20th Century Fox): When aliens attack and swiftly conquer the earth by frying our electronic grid and systematically hunting down the disorganized, pathetically underdefended survivors, a small band of tourists in Moscow team up to find a way to destroy the aliens’ powerful defenses. Directed by Chris Gorak, it stars Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachael Taylor and Joel Kinnaman. [Key cities / 12A]

A Useful Life (Dogwoof): The story of a film programmer (Jorge Jellinek) at a Montevideo cinematheque who loses his position and has to survive in a rapidly changing new world. Directed by Federico Veiroj, it is part of the recent trend for movies about cinema. [Key cities]

Tatsumi (Soda Pictures): Singaporean animated film based on the manga memoir A Drifting Life and five short stories by the Japanese artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi. Directed by Eric Khoo, it the voices of Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Tetsuya Bessho. [Key Cities / 15]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> The Best Films of 2011
> The Best DVD & Blu-ray Releases of 2011
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

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Cinema Reviews Thoughts

War Horse

Steven Spielberg’s latest film is a simultaneous reminder of his undoubted filmmaking skills and weakness for old-fashioned sentimentality.

Adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s children’s novel – which later became a huge stage hit in London and New York – it follows a young horse named Joey as he gets caught up in World War I.

The resulting equine odyssey we explore his various owners: a Devon farm boy (Jeremy Irvine); an English soldier (Tom Hiddleston); two German troops (David Kross and Leonhard Carow); a French farmer (Niels Arestrup) and the effect he has on the them.

As you might expect from a filmmaker of Spielberg’s vast experience, there are sequences here which are staged with his customary taste and skill.

The rural English locations are beautifully realised through Rick Carter‘s production design and skilfully adapted for the wartime action, which is impressive in scope and detail.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the film is one which audiences may take for granted: the acting and handling of the horses used to represent the title character.

Although there are precedents for an animal as lead character – notably Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard, Balthazar (1966) – it is highly unusual to see a mainstream live-action film built around a horse.

The main trainer was Bobby Lovgren and several were used to create the central illusion, which Spielberg pulls off, especially in the latter stages of the film.

Unfortunately, the screenplay by Richard Curtis and Lee Hall appears to have been tailor made for a ‘Spielberg Production’, which means that stilted stereotypical characters and frequent doses of lachrymose sentimentality get in the way of the drama.

By trying to match the ideal of what they think are the directors strengths, the screenwriters have misunderstood that his best work (Jaws, Close Encounters, Schindler’s List and Minority Report) comes when he operates outside his usual comfort zones.

Thus we have an array of great acting talent (Mullan, Watson, Arestrup) along with current casting-director favourites (Hiddleston, Cumberbatch, Kebbell) forced to read awkward lines which undercut the dramatic impact of their scenes.

Visually the film is also mixed bag.

Spielberg and DP Janusz Kaminski are a formidable partnership but here their approach to lighting seems odd.

Filming in the ever-changing climate of England poses challenges for any production, but here the lighting choices are distracting – at times bordering on the avant-garde – with characters faces being lit up like they were on stage.

That being said, the battle scenes are composed with impressive precision and the use of wide-angles and Michael Kahn’s graceful cutting seems like a breath of fresh air in the current era of chaos cinema.

There is also a lot to be said for a film that tries to genuinely appeal to a wide family audience in an era where comic books and animated films rule the multiplexes.

For some – especially those who have had close connections with horses – there are moments that will be undeniably moving, but overall the material doesn’t naturally translate to screen in the manner the filmmakers presumably hoped.

Although the aim here has been to channel the visual style of John Ford on to the battlefields of Europe and to pepper the film with noble anti-war sentiments, the overall effect is underwhelming.

There are frequent touches of brilliance, such as a devastatingly simple shot to conclude a particular battle sequence, but there is little in the way of narrative urgency.

Another negative is the fact that French and German characters don’t speak in their native language – a commercial decision which undercuts the expensively assembled realism of the set-pieces.

The film reaches a nadir of sorts during the final battle when Spielberg reverts to his favoured ‘why can’t we all get along?’ position which feels as predictable as it is redundant, especially when delivered via clunky lines of dialogue.

This is accentuated by the John Williams score which contains all the soaring strings and melodies and beats you might expect – but like the film it is too much surface and not enough substance.

I suspect that there was part of Spielberg that couldn’t resist the lure of War Horse – after the enormous success of the stage production it seemed pre-packaged project for him, with its built-in family appeal and worthy subject matter.

But ever since the beginning of his astonishing career he has been a director who has achieved his very best work in adversity rather than the dangerous comfort zones he finds hard to turn down.

Whether it was the tortuous production of Jaws (1975), the desire for redemption with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) after the folly of 1941 (1979), or the compulsion to depict the brutality of the Holocaust in Schindler’s List (1993) after the misfire of Hook (1991) – all these triggered a kind of magic inside of his artistic soul.

For a director who achieved career and financial security so young, the greatest risks have always creative ones and he seems to thrive when making risky leaps of faith.

It was there during his innovative use of the Panaflex camera in The Sugarland Express (1974), his exhilarating framing and cutting during Jaws (1975) and the awesome sights and sounds in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

As his career progressed, he became so successful as both director and producer that he even reached the giddy heights of owning his own studio, even if it often had to partner with the majors on the big productions.

Yet despite all this ‘extracurricular activity’ he has maintained an impressive focus on his films, even if they have been of varying quality.

War Horse is ultimately not a film that stretched his creative muscles enough.

Perhaps the upcoming Lincoln – a project that he’s been circling for years – could prove to be more challenging?

> War Horse
> Reviews of the film at Metacritic
> Find out more about the book and stage play at Wikipedia

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Cinema Reviews Thoughts

The Iron Lady

Despite a masterful central performance this political biopic ends up caught between hagiography and melodrama.

Adopting a flashback structure, it sees the ageing politician (Meryl Streep) looking back on key episodes of her life: her humble origins in Leicestershire; her early years as an MP; her rise to power and the key episodes from her lengthy tenure as prime minister from 1979-1990.

The highlight here is a typically brilliant performance from Streep, who uses the full arsenal of her acting repertoire to create a striking portrait of Britain’s first female leader.

Her physical and vocal work is uncanny, which is no mean feat considering the years covered by the film, which sees   newcomer Alexandra Roach play the younger version with considerable poise and presence.

These early segments of the film depict the cosy, sexist world of both the Tory party and Britain during the late 1950s (she became an MP in 1959) which almost certainly fed into her later assault on various British institutions.

Director Phyllida Lloyd has an extensive background in musical theatre and it shows here in the heightened zig-zag sweep of the narrative, which is a curious mixture of feminist biopic and political opera (minus the music).

The central device is both a blessing and a curse – it captures the irony of a frail Thatcher needing help (when her whole philosophy was built on a ruthless self-reliance) but the clunky use of her late husband Denis (Jim Broadbent) gets ever more  comic as the story progresses.

At times it feels like that most curious of things: an interesting mess that is filled with fascinating contradictions.

Lloyd and her DP Elliot Davis frequently use distracting compositions and in some sequences Justine Wright’s editing is frenzied to the point of incoherence.

Yet there is also much technical work here to admire in bringing Thatcher to life: Marese Langan‘s hair and makeup design is the real standout, with Consolata Boyle‘s costumes not far behind.

In fact they are almost as impressive as the job Gordon Reece (played in the film by Roger Allam) did for Thatcher.

This duality feels weirdly appropriate for a film about a prime minister who was so hated that she ended up getting elected  three times.

It says a lot about the conflicted mental state of the United Kingdom that Thatcher is so loathed and revered, which is appropriate for a nation still thoroughly divided about its social and cultural identity.

(If you are in any doubt just ask yourself about the differences between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, England, Scotland, Wales and that’s before you even get to the long and complicated history with Ireland)

This film tries to have it both ways, by depicting the downward vulnerability of her old age whilst contrasting it with the ambitious vigour of her political career.

Whilst this could be seen as avoiding the thornier issues of her reign, the director, screenwriter and star are all women in an industry dominated by men – presumably they saw this as something of a feminist fable of a female leader taking on male institutions.

That Thatcher routinely preferred the company of men and barely promoted women seems only to have piqued their interest in exploring the personal motivations lay behind her political ideology.

It is surprising but appropriate that the most effective relationship in the film is between Margaret and her daughter Carol (a brilliant Olivia Colman who is almost unrecognisable) in contrast to her absent son Mark, whom she clearly favoured.

There are traces of sneaky subversion in Abi Morgan’s screenplay, which appear to draw from Carol Thatcher’s 2008 memoir, which offer some intriguing glimpses into the private person behind the political persona.

For a leader who had so little time for the poor and dispossessed during her time in office there is something dramatically effective in seeing her suffer the uncertainties of old age.

Tory supporters hoping to enjoy scenes of Thatcher at the Commons dispatch box will be given pause by the scenes between mother and daughter – no wonder current PM David Cameron sounded genuinely uneasy when asked about the film.

It will be interesting to see how audiences react in Britain as this is traditionally the kind of heritage filmmaking that conservative broadsheet newspapers lap up, whilst their liberal counterparts have commissioned endless think pieces on it too.

But when audiences get to see it, they may be surprised at what unfolds in front of them, which speaks to both the uneven qualities of the film and Thatcher’s legacy as leader.

She was the heartless destroyer of trade unions and the slightly saucy headmistress who bewitched a generation of voters to either buy their own council houses or shares in privatised industries.

There was also the lower middle class voting block – from the kind of towns where she herself came – who kept re-electing her.

Tellingly it took the public schoolboys like Geoffrey Howe (Anthony Head) and Michael Heseltine (Richard E. Grant) in her own party to bring her down.

One area the film fails to illuminate is her relationship with key media organisations: notably Rupert Murdoch (with whom she formed a lasting and mutually beneficial alliance) and the BBC (an organisation with who she has a complex and fascinating relationship) were key to her electoral success.

The late Christopher Hitchens once lovingly spoke of an encounter in the late 1970s where Thatcher smacked him on the bottom and called him a “naughty boy” with a twinkle in her eye.


Although sadly this episode isn’t in the film, there is a moment when the elderly Thatcher is asked about the current PM and describes him as a “smoothie”.

This is not only funny but also highlights the public school mind set of the British ruling elites and their unlikely infatuation with a woman who they’d previously dismissed as a grocer’s daughter.

Meryl Streep is perfect casting, as she is to modern Hollywood as Thatcher was to Parliament in the 1980s – although politically a liberal she has defied industry wisdom to maintain a healthy career as a female star.

Furthermore, Streep’s astonishing ability to do accents serves her well and her outsider status as an American in a very British cast also dovetails with the former PM’s outsider status.

Warren Beatty once said that her political soul mate Ronald Regan once told him:

‘I don’t know how anybody can serve in public office without being an actor.’

The Iron Lady reflects this idea of politician as performer – a great performance which nevertheless masks key deficiencies in other vital areas.

Given the recent implosion of the free market principles Reagan and Thatcher championed, the film functions as a curious epitaph for an era which there seems to be a strange nostalgia for.

> The Iron Lady at IMDb
> Find out more about Margaret Thatcher at Wikipedia
> Reviews of The Iron Lady at Metacritic
> Guardian data blog on how Britain changed under Thatcher

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: 2012

Here is the schedule for UK cinema releases in 2012.

The information is subject to change but hopefully this will be a useful guide to what’s out in the coming months.

Each film’s title in bold, followed by the certificate, distributor and the type of release it will be getting.

JANUARY 2012

Friday 6 January 2012

  • Despair (15) / Park Circus / Key cities
  • Goon (15) / Entertainment One UK / Saturation
  • The Iron Lady (12A) / Fox/Pathe / Saturation
  • Mother And Child / Verve Pictures / Key cities

Friday 13 January 2012

  • The Darkest Hour (3D) (12A) / 20th Century Fox / Key cities
  • Margin Call / Stealth Media / Saturation
  • Shame (18) / Momentum Pictures / Saturation
  • Tatsumi (15) / Soda Pictures / Key Cities
  • A Useful Life / Dogwoof / Key cities
  • War Horse (12A) / Walt Disney / Saturation
  • Vettai (D) / UTV Motion Pictures / Key Cities

Wednesday 18 January 2012

  • Haywire (15) / Paramount/Momentum / Saturation

Thursday 19 January 2012

  • In Search of Haydn / Seventh Art Productions / Key cities

Friday 20 January 2012

  • Coriolanus (15) / Lionsgate UK / Key cities
  • J. Edgar (15) / Warner Bros. / Saturation
  • L’Atalante (R/I) (PG) / bfi Distribution / Key cities
  • The Nine Muses (PG) / New Wave Films / Selected Key cities
  • Red Light Revolution (18) / Terracotta Distribution / Key Cities
  • The Sitter (15) / 20th Century Fox / Key cities
  • Underworld: Awakening (3D) (15) / Entertainment Film Distributors / Saturation
  • W.E (15) / STUDIOCANAL / Saturation
  • X:Night of Vengeance / Revolver Entertainment / Key Cities

Friday 27 January 2012

  • Acts Of Godfrey / Guerilla Films / Special
  • Agneepath / Eros International / Key cities
  • The Descendants (15) / 20th Century Fox / Saturation
  • The Grey / Entertainment Film Distributors / Saturation
  • House Of Tolerance (18) / The Works / Key cities
  • Intruders (15) / Universal Pictures / Key cities
  • Like Crazy (12A) / Paramount / Saturation
  • Mercenaries / Kaleidoscope Entertainment
  • A Monster In Paris (3D) / Entertainment One UK / Saturation
  • Patience (After Sebald) / Soda Pictures / Key cities

FEBRUARY 2012

Wednesday 1 February 2012

  • Chronicle / 20th Century Fox / Saturation

Friday 3 February 2012

  • Best Laid Plans / Vertigo Films / Key cities
  • Bombay Beach / Dogwoof
  • Carnage (15) / STUDIOCANAL
  • Jack And Jill (PG) / Sony Pictures / Saturation
  • Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (3D) / Warner Bros. / Saturation
  • Man On A Ledge (12A) / Entertainment One UK / Saturation
  • Martha Marcy May Marlene (15) / 20th Century Fox / Key cities
  • Young Adult (15) / Paramount / Saturation

Thursday 9 February 2012

  • Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (3D) / 20th Century Fox

Friday 10 February 2012

  • American Evil / Metrodome
  • Big Miracle / Universal Pictures
  • Casablanca (70th Anniversary) (R/I) (U) / Park Circus / Key cities
  • A Dangerous Method (15) / Lionsgate UK / Key cities
  • Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (D) / UTV Motion Pictures / Key Cities
  • Girl Model / Dogwoof
  • The Muppets (U) / Walt Disney
  • Rampart (15) / STUDIOCANAL
  • The Vow (12A) / Sony Pictures
  • The Woman In Black / Momentum Pictures

Friday 17 February 2012

  • Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (12A) / Warner Bros. / Saturation
  • Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance (3D) (12A) / Entertainment One UK
  • Hadewijch / New Wave Films
  • Position Among The Stars / Dogwoof
  • The Adopted / STUDIOCANAL
  • This Means War / 20th Century Fox
  • The Woman In The Fifth / Artificial Eye

Saturday 18 February 2012

  • Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls / November Films / Key cities

Thursday 23 February 2012

  • Blood Car (18) / Left Films / Key Cities

Friday 24 February 2012

  • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel / 20th Century Fox
  • Black Gold (12A) / Warner Bros.
  • Deviation / Revolver Entertainment / Key cities
  • Laura (R/I) (U) / bfi Distribution
  • One For The Money / Entertainment Film Distributors
  • Red Dog / G2 Pictures
  • Safe House / Universal Pictures

Friday 2 March 2012

  • Bel Ami / STUDIOCANAL
  • Carancho / Axiom Films / Key cities
  • The Devil Inside / Paramount
  • Gone / Entertainment Film Distributors
  • Hunky Dory / Entertainment One UK
  • If I Were You / Renaissance/Miracle
  • Khodorkovsky / Trinity Filmed Entertainment
  • Michael (18) / Artificial Eye / Key cities
  • Project X / Warner Bros.
  • A Thousand Kisses Deep / Tomori Films
  • Wanderlust / Universal Pictures

Friday 9 March 2012

  • A Man’s Story / Trinity Filmed Entertainment
  • Angel and Tony / Peccadillo Pictures
  • Bill Cunningham New York / Dogwoof
  • Cleanskin / Warner Bros.
  • The Decoy Bride / CinemaNX
  • John Carter (3D) / Walt Disney
  • Payback Season / Revolver Entertainment / Key cities
  • The Raven / Universal Pictures
  • Salmon Fishing In The Yemen / Lionsgate UK
  • Trishna / Artificial Eye

Friday 16 March 2012

  • 21 Jump Street / Sony Pictures
  • Buck / Revolver Entertainment / Key cities
  • Contraband (15) / Universal Pictures
  • In Darkness / Metrodome / Key cities
  • Mirror Mirror / STUDIOCANAL
  • Once Upon A Time In Anatolia / New Wave Films
  • We Bought A Zoo (PG) / 20th Century Fox

Friday 23 March 2012

  • Act Of Valor / Momentum Pictures
  • Agent Vinod / Eros International
  • The Hunger Games / Lionsgate UK
  • Into The Abyss: A Tale Of Death, A Tale Of Life / Revolver Entertainment
  • The Kid With A Bike / Artificial Eye

Wednesday 28 March 2012

  • The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists (3D) / Sony Pictures

Friday 30 March 2012

  • Babycall / Soda Pictures Key cities
  • Bonsai: A Story of Love, Books and Plants / Network Releasing / Key cities
  • Even In The Rain / 104 Films
  • Even the Rain / Dogwoof
  • Streetdance 2 (3D) / Vertigo Films
  • Tiny Furniture / Independent Distribution / Key Cities
  • Wild Bill / The Works
  • Wrath Of The Titans (3D) / Warner Bros.

Thursday 5 April 2012

  • Housefull / Eros International / Selected cinemas nationwide

Friday 6 April 2012

  • American Pie: Reunion / Universal Pictures
  • The Cold Light Of Day / Entertainment One UK
  • Headhunters / Momentum Pictures
  • La Grande Illusion (R/I) / STUDIOCANAL / Key cities
  • Tales of the Night (3D) / Soda Pictures / Key cities
  • This Must Be The Place / Trinity Filmed Entertainment
  • A Thousand Words / Paramount
  • Titanic 3D / 20th Century Fox

Friday 13 April 2012

  • Bullet To The Head / Entertainment One UK
  • The Cabin In The Woods (3D) / Lionsgate UK
  • Gospel of Us / Soda Pictures
  • The Harsh Light of Day / Left Films / Key cities
  • Lockout / Entertainment Film Distributors
  • Outside Bet / The Works
  • Untitled Farrelly Bros/Wessler Comedy / Momentum Pictures

Friday 20 April 2012

  • African Cats / Walt Disney
  • Battleship / Universal Pictures
  • The House At The End Of The Street / Momentum Pictures
  • Jeff Who Lives At Home / Paramount
  • Playing The Field / Lionsgate UK
  • Town Of Runners / Dogwoof

Friday 27 April 2012

  • The Avengers (3D) / Walt Disney
  • The Five Year Engagement / Universal Pictures
  • Mozart’s Sister / Palisades Tartan

Friday 4 May 2012

  • Ill Manors / Revolver Entertainment
  • The Lucky One / Warner Bros.
  • The Three Stooges / 20th Century Fox
  • Wettest County / Momentum Pictures

Friday 11 May 2012

  • Cafe de Flore / Momentum Pictures
  • Dark Shadows / Warner Bros.
  • Forgiveness of Blood / Soda Pictures / Key cities
  • Safe / Momentum Pictures

Friday 18 May 2012

  • The Dictator / Paramount
  • What To Expect When You’re Expecting / Lionsgate UK

Friday 25 May 2012

  • If Not Us, Who? / Soda Pictures / Key cities
  • Men In Black 3 (3D) / Sony Pictures
  • Now Is Good / Warner Bros.

Friday 1 June 2012

  • LOL / Lionsgate UK
  • Prometheus (3D) / 20th Century Fox
  • Snow White And The Huntsman / Universal Pictures
  • The Source / Picturehouse Entertainment

Friday 8 June 2012

  • A Fantastic Fear Of Everything / Universal Pictures
  • Rock Of Ages / Warner Bros.

Friday 15 June 2012

  • Jack The Giant Killer (3D) / Warner Bros.
  • Rowdy Rathore / UTV Motion Pictures / Key Cities

Friday 22 June 2012

  • Confession of a Child of the Century / Soda Pictures / Key cities
  • G.I Joe: Retaliation / Paramount
  • Think Like A Man / Sony Pictures

Friday 29 June 2012

  • Storage 24 / Universal Pictures

Wednesday 4 July 2012

  • The Amazing Spider Man (3D) / Sony Pictures

Friday 6 July 2012

  • Ice Age: Continental Drift (3D) / 20th Century Fox

Friday 20 July 2012

  • The Dark Knight Rises / Warner Bros.

Friday 27 July 2012

  • Dr Seuss’ The Lorax (3D) / Universal Pictures

Thursday 2 August 2012

  • Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (3D) / 20th Century Fox

Friday 3 August 2012

  • Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days / 20th Century Fox
  • Ted / Universal Pictures

Friday 10 August 2012

  • Petit Nicholas / Soda Pictures Key cities
  • Step Up 4 (3D) / Universal Pictures

Friday 17 August 2012

  • The Bourne Legacy / Universal Pictures
  • Brave (3D) / Walt Disney

Wednesday 22 August 2012

  • Neighbourhood Watch / 20th Century Fox
  • Total Recall / Sony Pictures

Friday 24 August 2012

  • Sinister / Momentum Pictures
  • Warm Bodies / Entertainment One UK

24 August 2012

29 August 2012

31 August 2012

7 September 2012

9 September 2012

  • Splash Area (2012) (Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival)

10 September 2012

12 September 2012

14 September 2012

17 September 2012

19 September 2012

20 September 2012

  • Wraith (2012) (Preston) (premiere)

21 September 2012

22 September 2012

24 September 2012

28 September 2012

29 September 2012

1 October 2012

2 October 2012

3 October 2012

4 October 2012

5 October 2012

8 October 2012

10 October 2012

12 October 2012

15 October 2012

17 October 2012

18 October 2012

  • Fabled (2012) (DVD premiere)

19 October 2012

20 October 2012

25 October 2012

  • Entity (2012) (Bram Stoker International Film Festival)

26 October 2012

28 October 2012

  • Soap (2012) (Bournemouth)

29 October 2012

30 October 2012

31 October 2012

1 November 2012

2 November 2012

7 November 2012

8 November 2012

9 November 2012

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25 November 2012

26 November 2012

  • First (2012 Documentary)

29 November 2012

30 November 2012

1 December 2012

3 December 2012

5 December 2012

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31 December 2012

Categories
Cinema Lists

The Best Films of 2011

Although it was a year with a record number of sequels, there was much to feast on if you really looked for something different.

The year will be remembered for momentous events which overshadowed anything Hollywood could come up with: the Arab Spring, the Japanese Earthquake, Hackgate, the death of Osama Bin Laden and the continuing meltdown of the global economy.

But cinema itself underwent some seismic changes: in April the thorny issue of the theatrical window raised its head, whilst James Cameron suggested films should be projected at 48 frames per second instead of the usual 24.

But by far the biggest story was the news that Panavision, Arri and Aaton were to stop making film cameras: although the celluloid projection will effectively be over by 2013, it seems the death of 35mm capture is only a few years away.

So the medium of film, will soon no longer involve celluloid. That’s a pretty big deal.

As for the releases this year, it seemed a lot worse than it actually was.

Look beyond the unimaginative sequels and you might be surprised to find that there are interesting films across a variety of genres.

Instead of artifically squeezing the standout films into a top ten, below are the films that really impressed me in alphabetical order, followed by honourable mentions that narrowly missed the cut but are worth seeking out.

THE BEST FILMS OF 2011

A Separation (Dir. Asghar Farhadi): This Iranian family drama explored emotional depths and layers that few Western films even began to reach this year.

Drive (Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn): Nicolas Winding Refn brought a European eye to this ultra-stylish LA noir with a killer soundtrack and performances.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World (Dir. Martin Scorsese): Scorsese’s in-depth examination of the late Beatle was a passionate and moving tribute to a kindred soul.

Hugo (Dir. Martin Scorsese): The high-priest of celluloid channelled his inner child to create a stunning digital tribute to one of the early pioneers of cinema.

Jane Eyre (Dir. Cary Fukunaga): An exquisite literary adaptation with genuine depth, feeling and two accomplished lead performers that fitted their roles like a glove.

Margin Call (Dir. J.C. Chandor): The best drama yet to come out the financial crisis is this slow-burn acting masterclass which manages to clarify the empty heart of Wall Street.

Melancholia (Dir. Lars von Trier): Despite the Cannes controversy, his stylish vision of an apocalyptic wedding was arguably his best film, filled with memorable images and music.

Moneyball (Dir. Bennett Miller): The philosophy that changed a sport was rendered into an impeccably crafted human drama by director Bennett Miller with the help of Brad Pitt.

Project Nim (Dir. James Marsh): A chimpanzee raised as a human was the extraordinary and haunting subject of this documentary from James Marsh.

Rango (Dir. Gore Verbinski): The best animated film of 2011 came from ILMs first foray into the medium as they cleverly riffed on classic westerns and Hollywood movies.

Senna (Dir. Asif Kapadia): A documentary about the F1 driver composed entirely from existing footage made for riveting viewing and a truly emotional ride.

Shame (Dir. Steve McQueen): The follow up to Hunger was a powerful depiction of sexual compulsion in New York, featuring powerhouse acting and pin-sharp cinematography.

Snowtown (Dir. Justin Kerzel): Gruelling but brilliant depiction of an Australian murder case, which exposed modern horror for the empty gorefest it has become.

Take Shelter (Dir. Jeff Nichols): Wonderfully atmospheric blend of family drama and Noah’s Ark which brilliantly played on very modern anxieties of looming apocalypse.

The Artist (Dir. Michel Hazanavicius): An ingenious love letter to the silent era of Hollywood is executed with an almost effortless brilliance.

The Descendants (Dir. Alexander Payne): Pitch-perfect comedy-drama which saw Alexander Payne return to give George Clooney his best ever role.

The Guard (Dir. John Michael McDonagh): Riotously funny Irish black comedy with Brendan Gleeson given the role of his career.

The Interrupters (Dir. Steve James): The documentary of the year was this powerful depiction of urban violence and those on the frontline trying to prevent it.

The Skin I Live In (Dir. Pedro Almodovar): The Spanish maestro returned with his best in years, as he skilfully channeled Hitchcock and Cronenberg.

The Tree of Life (Dir. Terrence Malick): Moving and mindblowing examination of childhood, death and the beginnings of life on earth.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Dir Tomas Alfredson): Wonderfully crafted John le Carre adaptation which resonates all too well in the current era of economic and social crisis.

Tyrannosaur (Dir. Paddy Considine): Searingly emotional drama with two dynamite lead performances and an unexpected Spielberg reference.

We Need To Talk About Kevin (Dir. Lynne Ramsey): Audio-visual masterclass from Ramsay with a now predictably great performance from Tilda Swinton.

Win Win (Dir. Thomas McCarthy): Quietly brilliant comedy-drama with Paul Giamatti seemingly born to act in this material.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

A Dangerous Method (Dir. David Cronenberg)
Anonymous (Dir. Roland Emmerich)
Another Earth (Dir. Mike Cahill)
Attack the Block (Dir. Joe Cornish)
Bobby Fischer Against The World (Dir. Liz Garbus)
Confessions (Dir. Tetsuya Nakashima)
Contagion (Dir. Steven Soderbergh)
Four Days Inside Guantanamo (Dir. Luc Cote, Patricio Henriquez)
I Saw the Devil (Dir. Kim Ji-woon)
Into the Abyss (Dir. Werner Herzog)
Life in a Day (Dir. Kevin MacDonald)
Martha Marcy May Marlene (Dir. Sean Durkin)
Midnight in Paris (Dir. Woody Allen)
Page One: Inside The New York Times (Dir. Andrew Rossi)
Super 8 (Dir. JJ Abrams)
The Adventures of Tintin (Dir. Steven Spielberg)
The Beaver (Dir. Jodie Foster)
The Deep Blue Sea (Dir. Terence Davies)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Dir. David Fincher)
The Ides of March (Dir. George Clooney)

2010 FILMS THAT CAME OUT IN 2011

Armadillo (Dir. Janus Metz)
Beginners (Dir. Mike Mills)
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Dir. Werner Herzog)
Submarine (Dir. Richard Ayoade)
Cold Weather (Dir. Aaron Katz)
Tabloid (Dir. Errol Morris)

> Find out more about the films of 2011 at Wikipedia
> End of year lists at Metacritic
> The Best Film Music of 2011
> The Best DVD and Blu-ray Releases of 2011

Categories
Cinema Reviews

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

David Fincher brings his full digital armoury to Stieg Larsson‘s bestseller and the result is a masterful adaptation hampered only by the limitations of the source material.

When journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is hired by the patriarch of a rich Swedish family (Christopher Plummer) to investigate the disappearance of a family member in the 1960s, he eventually crosses paths with computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) as they gradually uncover a web of intrigue in a society with many dark secrets.

Major Hollywood studios have shied away from making adult dramas in recent years, so Sony giving a director free reign on dark tale of conspiracy, rape and murder represented something of a risk.

But the original novel triggered one of publishing phenomenons of last decade, which spawned a Swedish produced trilogy of films and now the inevitable Hollywood remake.

Inevitable is perhaps a misleading word, because although it was highly likely they would produce a version, one might have expected that they would tone down the darker elements of the book to appeal to a wider audience.

But given that the mix of graphic sexual violence and conspiracy plays such a large part in their appeal, Sony and MGM faced a quandary.

Do they dilute them down to a PG-13 and risk a fan backlash?

Or create that rare thing in the modern era, a wide release for adult audience?

They opted for the latter and recruited none other than director David Fincher, who had just made The Social Network for the studio and has a track record of police procedural thrillers.

It just so happens that the end result contains elements of Seven (a serial killer movie with gothic elements), Zodiac (a slow burn drama that looks into the mystery of the past) and the aforementioned The Social Network (the story of an outsider who uses technology to outwit people).

From the startling opening credits, it is clear that we are in Fincher-land: the impeccable compositions, polished design, razor-sharp visuals and haunted protagonists all feel a natural part of his filmmaking landscape.

Ever since Zodiac, Fincher has been on the forefront of digital cinematography and Jeff Cronenweth’s visuals here are stunning, with the wintry terrain of Sweden providing a frequently beautiful counterpoint to the darker interior scenes.

The screenplay by Steven Zaillian does a highly effective job at compressing the sprawling strands of the novel into a coherent whole.

Those familiar with the book might know that Salander and Mikael are kept apart for a large part of the story and the resulting investigation involves a raft of supporting characters as the elusive history of the Vanger family slowly emerges.

Zaillian has largely stayed faithful to the book, but also added some welcome improvements – especially in the latter stages – whilst the editing by Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter is remarkably precise and efficient in keeping the story moving.

The wonderfully atmospheric score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross somehow manages to evoke the chilly physical and psychological terrains of the story, whilst also blending in with Ren Klyce’s immersive sound design.

Before filming began much attention was focused on who would get the coveted role of Lisbeth Salander and Rooney Mara delivers a powerful performance in what is a challenging role, both mentally and physically.

Daniel Craig conveys a certain rugged charm as Blomkvist and when they finally get together their unlikely chemistry clicks into place nicely, bridging the gender and generational divide which have been a large part of the book’s global appeal.

The illustrious supporting cast also do solid work: Plummer is wholly believable as the head of the Vanger clan; Stellan Skarsgard is sly and charming as his son; whilst actors like Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Joely Richardson and Geraldine James expertly fill out key smaller roles.

All of these elements are marshalled with military precision by Fincher, who has delivered a technically brilliant adaptation of the source material, which should satisfy the global fanbase.

There is a noble tradition of pulpy best sellers becoming classic movies (Psycho, The Godfather and Jaws) and this version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo represents an interesting example of transferring words to screen.

However, there remains a sense that this whole exercise is a bit like fitting a Ferrari engine into a Volvo: isn’t the army of A-list talent assembled here vastly superior to Larsson’s potboiler?

Although it deals with interesting issues which Hollywood rarely touches – violence towards women, the insidious nature of right-wing politics in supposedly liberal countries – it nevertheless follows the crime fiction template right down to the letter.

This is not to say that mainstream fiction cannot raise interesting issues as the book certainly tapped into the zeitgeist of corruption has pervaded the West in the last few years, whilst Larsson’s untimely death in 2004 helped fuel the mystique even further.

Recent events involving journalism scandals (Hackgate), computer hackers (recent Wikileaks revelations) and even far-right murder in Scandinavia (Norway attacks) seem only to have enhanced the potent brew of crime, violence and institutionalised corruption that lies at the heart of the Millennium trilogy.

But the material upon which this film is based feels like a series of plot points squeezed into a tight-fitting story, with hardly any breathing space left after the multiple revelations and plot twists.

Readers have been presumably drawn precisely because of this mix of page-turning intrigue but I suspect what really took it to another level of popularity was the central combination of regular male hero and strikingly unusual female anti-hero.

But after the books and Swedish produced film trilogy, how much appetite is there for this?

I suspect that a major global release like this will make significant money, although whether enough to justify further films remains to be seen.

For a filmmaker like Fincher, who has crafted two ground-breaking police thrillers in Seven and Zodiac, the fundamental material inevitably feels something of a step down for him, like asking a renaissance master to draw in crayon.

It is to his credit that the end result is an invigorating entertainment and a curiously timely blockbuster for Christmas 2011, as we reflect on what a dark and corrupt place the world has become.

> Official site and Mouth Taped Shut
> Reviews at Metacritic
> More on Stieg Larsson and the original Millenium series
> Interesting article on the 4K production pipeline used on the film

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 16th December 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Warner Bros): The second film to the enormously succcessful steampunk version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective. This story sees Holmes (Robert Downey Jnr) and Dr. Watson (Jude Law) face off against Moriarty (Jared Harris). Directed again by Guy Ritchie, it co-stars Ice T (!), Rachel McAdams and Stephen Fry. [Nationwide / 12A]

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (20th Century Fox): The third installment of this money-spinning family franchises sees Alvin, Simon, Theodore and the Chipettes become ‘chipwrecked’ on a desert island. Directed by Mike Mitchell, it features Justin Long, Jesse McCartney, Matthew Gray Gubler and Anna Faris. [Nationwide / U]

ALSO OUT

Dreams of a Life (Dogwoof): Documentary about a single thirtysomething woman named Joyce Vincent, whose dead body was found in 2006 three years after she had actually died. Directed by Carol Morley, it has a powerful central theme (urban lonlieness) but one gets the sense that there are some key questions left unanswered. But maybe that is the point? [Selected cinemas / 12A]

Wreckers (Artificial Eye): Drama about a couple (Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy) who move to a village to start a family but are disrupted by the husband’s brother. Directed by D.R. Hood, it co-stars Shaun Evans. [Selected cinemas / 15]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 9th December 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Puss In Boots (Paramount/DreamWorks Animation): Animated 3D spin-off form the Shrek series with the title character (Antonio Banderas) taking centre stage, whilst Kitty (Salma Hayek) is introduced as his love interest. Directed by Chris Miller, it explores his early years as he teams with Humpty Dumpty to steal the famed Goose that lays the Golden Eggs. [Nationwide / PG]

Another Earth (20th Century Fox): Indie sci-fi drama about an ambitious MIT student (Brit Marling) who crosses paths with a music teacher (William Mapother) after a car accident on the night a new planet was discovered. Directed by Mike Cahill, it was one of the big hits of Sundance this year and is a rare example of big ideas being executed well on a small budget. [Key cities / 12A] [Read our full review here]

New Year’s Eve (Warner Bros.): In what appears to be an unofficial sequel to last year’s Valentine’s Day, it follows a group of characters in New York on erm… New Year’s Eve. Directed by Garry Marshall, it stars Lea Michele, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Hilary Swank. [Nationwide / 12A]

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (Warner Bros.): Six years after their Guantanamo Bay adventure, stoner buds Harold Lee and Kumar Patel cause a holiday fracas by inadvertently burning down Harold’s father-in-law’s prize Christmas tree. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, it stars Kal Penn, John Cho and Neil Patrick Harris. [Select cities / 18]

ALSO OUT

The Well Digger’s Daughter (Pathe): A father in pre-WWII France is torn between his sense of honour and his love for his daughter when she gets in trouble with the wealthy son of a shopkeeper. Directed by and starring Daniel Auteuil, it also features Kad Merad, Sabine Azéma and Jean-Pierre Darroussin. [Selected cinemas / PG]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

 

Categories
Cinema Reviews Thoughts

Hugo

The latest filmmaking technology provides Martin Scorsese with the tools to create a passionate love letter to the early days of cinema.

Adapted from Brian Selznick’s illustrated book, the story explores what happens when a young orphan (Asa Butterfield) living in a 1930s Paris train station comes across an older man selling toys at a stall.

That man (Ben Kingsley) may literally have the key to the mysterious robotic automaton Hugo’s late father (Jude Law) left behind before perishing in a fire.

With the constant threat of being taken away to an orphanage by the local police inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) Hugo finds out more about ‘Papa Georges’ by befriending his granddaughter (Chloe Grace Moretz).

Although best known for his masterful explorations of the American male (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed) he has long shown an interest in stories involving martyrs and redemption.

His most controversial film (The Last Temptation of Christ) and perhaps his most overlooked (Kundun) were both about spiritual figures of major religions.

Now the director turns to the religion of film and one of its key pioneers, Georges Melies, who for many years was largely forgotten after World War I.

Despite Hugo being something of a departure for the director in that it is suitable for family audiences, it is also one of his most personal works.

It isn’t a stretch to read the central character as the young asthmatic New Yorker who fell deeply in love with cinema or even Melies as the director who represents his fears (rejection) and dreams (longevity).

In order to achieve this vision he has recruited a glittering array of world class technical talent.

Dante Ferretti’s detailed production design offers us a fantastical recreation of 1930s Paris, which is skilfully augmented by Sandy Powell’s costumes and Rob Legato’s visual effects work.

The blending of all these design elements is dazzling, filled with detail and depth, which provides a solid basis for Robert Richardson’s stunning 3D photography.

Using the new Arri Alexa camera with a Cameron-Pace 3D rig it provides Scorsese with a new tool for executing his vision with longer takes and immersive shots.

The wonderful irony is that these cutting edge digital tools – which involved pioneering lenses and an on-set data system – are used to pay tribute to one of the founding fathers of ‘celluloid cinema’.

Visually, this is done with recurring motifs: wheels turning, trains, clocks and objects coming towards the camera, which are brought to life by a use of 3D which enhances, rather than distracts from them.

Although Scorsese has talked about the adjustment he and Richardson had to make coming from the world of 35mm film, the end result is a master class in digital cinematography, filled with stunning compositions and rich layers of detail.

The performances don’t quite match the visuals, but Butterfield and Moretz do enough to convince in their roles, whilst Kingsley paints a convincing picture of a man haunted by regret.

In supporting roles Sacha Baron Cohen’s mannered comic performance is somewhat overshadowed by his dog, but Helen McCrory and Christopher Lee are both touching in key minor roles.

John Logan’s screenplay manages to blend the traditional storytelling elements of the book, whilst also providing a neat framework for Scorsese to explore his own inner passion for movies and film preservation.

Without going into spoiler territory, there are numerous references to the Lumiere brothers, the silent era and 1930s French cinema.

The beauty of these hat tips is that – like the 3D – they do actually serve the story rather than function as a commercial indulgence.

Thelma Schoonmaker’s editing also skilfully blends key flashback scenes, numerous chase sequences in the station and archive footage of classic cinema works which brilliantly concentrated down to their essence.

It is also refreshing to see a family film is respectful to audiences of all ages and not a pat morality or coming-of-age tale filled with lazy in-jokes.

Unlike many contemporary films, it actually rewards patience and curiosity, before climaxing with a moving ode to both the art and experience of cinema itself.

Beneath the fantastical surface there are serious emotions and one can sense the ghost of Michael Powell – a neglected director Scorsese helped revive interest in.

Perhaps the most surreal aspect of Hugo is that a $150 million advert for film preservation is going to be screened digitally in multiplexes around the globe.

Like the early work of Melies, it seems like a form of magic that this film even exists.

> Official site
> Reviews of Hugo at Metacritic and MUBi
> Find out more about George Melies at Wikipedia and Senses of Cinema
> Martin Scorsese discussing 3D

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 2nd December 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Happy Feet Two (Warner Bros.): The animated sequel returns to Antarctica, reuniting us with the tap-dancing penguin, Mumble (Elijah Wood), the love of his life, Gloria (Anna Faris) and their old friend Ramon (Robin Williams). Directed by George Miller, it has so far garnered poor reviews and bombed at the US box office. [Nationwide / U]

Hugo (Entertainment Films): Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan (Asa Butterfield) who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father (Jude Law) and a robot. Directed by Martin Scorsese, it marks his first foray into 3D and digital filmmaking. [Nationwide / U]

The Thing (Universal): A prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 film which explores what happened to the Norwegian camp that first discovered the shape-shifting alien buried in the ice. A US scientist (Mary Elisabeth Winstead) and a helicopter pilot (Joel Edgerton) struggle to tell who’s who. [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

The Big Year (20th Century Fox): Comedy about three avid bird watchers (Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin) who compete to spot the rarest birds in North America at a prestigious annual event. Directed by David Frankel, this was a disaster the US box office. [Selected cinemas / 15]

Las Acacias (Verve Pictures): Drama about a lonely truck driver has been transporting wood along the motorway from Asunción del Paraguay to Buenos Aires. Directed by Pablo Giorgelli, it stars German De Silva, Hebe Duarte and Nayra Calle Mamani. [Selected cinemas / 12A]

Margaret (20th Century Fox): A young woman (Anna Paquin) witnesses a bus accident begins to question whether or not it was intentional. Directed by Kenneth Lonergan, it co-stars Matt Damon and Mark Ruffalo, but is notable for being one of the most curious releases in recent history. Originally scheduled to come out in 2005 (!), complex creative and legal wranglings between the director and the production company meant that it was shelved for so long.[Selected cinemas / 15]

Romantics Anonymous (Picturehouse Entertainment): French romantic-comedy about what happens when couple () with a shared passion fall in love. Directed by Jean-Pierre Ameris, it stars Isabelle Carre and Benoit Poelvoorde. [Selected cinemas / 12A]

We Have a Pope (Soda Pictures): Drama about the relationship between the newly elected Pope and his therapist. Directed by Nanni Moretti and starring Michel Piccoli, Jerzy Stuhr, Renato Scarpa, Franco Graziosi and Camillo Milli. [Selected cinemas / PG]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

Categories
Cinema Reviews Thoughts

Another Earth

A low-budget drama with a big sci-fi premise offers us a startling blend of genres.

Although the science fiction is frequently associated with gigantic effects-driven spectacles, the debut feature of writer-director Mike Cahill offers us an intriguing alternative.

The central premise involves a student (Brit Marling) and music teacher (William Mapother) whose fates intersect after a car accident.

After four years pass, they gradually get to know each other properly and whilst the discovery of another planet identical to Earth lingers in the background.

Beginning with a major plot development right up front, it is hard to go into to details about the plot without significant spoilers, except to say that the narrative is consistently surprising and enjoyable.

Part of that is because Cahill and co-writer Marling don’t go for the obvious sci-fi tropes that have been done to death, as they have fashioned a story that’s like an episode of The Twilight Zone scripted by Kryzstof Kieslowski.

Despite the sci-fi elements, a large part of the drama is given over to themes of grief, regret and secrets, but it skilfully avoids being a signature, self-indulgent indie movie.

Part of this is down to the tantalising backdrop of an identical planet, skilfully evoked via news clips, reaction shots and recurring images of the sky.

But it is also a surprisingly powerful study of loss, regret and possible redemption.

In an age where seismic news events seem to be experienced through ever more unbelievable news updates on television, the film had a tangible resonance.

Despite the fantastical premise, emotions and events are wisely kept grounded in a believable reality.

Essentially this boils down to two actors who really deliver the goods: Marling has a natural screen presence and pulls off a difficult part with some aplomb.

Her confident delivery of dialogue was probably due to the fact that she co-wrote them, but there are some difficult scenes here which she handles extraordinarily well.

Likewise Mapother, who for most of the film has to make his grief-stricken character interesting but, to his credit, he convincingly rebuilds his inner and outer life.

The production makes highly effective use of his low-budget, shooting with a handheld HD camera in such a way that doesn’t call attention to itself, but feels organic to the story.

Visual compositions are also impressive, with characters often tastefully framed through an appropriately chilly palette that’s heavy on the blues and greys.

News footage, often done so badly in bigger budget films, is very convincing here and a couple of scenes are brilliantly effective through ideas and execution alone, rather than expensive graphics.

The electronic score by Fall on Your Sword is perhaps the joker in the pack – a pulsating melange of beats and hooks that fits the film perfectly, giving it unexpected shifts in mood and pace.

Shot in and around New Haven, Connecticut for a reported budget of under $200,000, this represents a significant commercial and artistic achievement, which was why it was one of the big breakout hits at Sundance earlier this year with Fox Searchlight swiftly acquiring the rights.

Since the collapse of the indie film bubble in 2008, Sundance in recent times has rediscovered its original spirit by providing a welcome platform for films like Winter’s Bone, Exit Through The Gift Shop, Senna and Martha Marcy May Marlene.

All of these didn’t come off the studio production line, nor were they vanity projects looking for faux-indie credibility or a bidding war studios would later regret.

Another Earth is a good example of a modern Sundance success – a genuine independent that has broken through to the mainstream by force of its ideas and execution alone.

In an age where genre movies are designed to please carefully targeted demographics, this feels suitably fresh.

I’ll close by mentioning that it features one of the most effective closing shots of any film in recent memory.

> Official site
> Reviews at MUBi and Metacritic

Categories
Cinema Reviews Thoughts

Moneyball

A statistical approach to baseball might not seem the most gripping basis for a sports movie, but this is a surprisingly compelling character portrait with hidden depths.

Adapted from Michael Lewis’ unlikely bestseller, it explores how Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) defied conventional wisdom with the help of an assistant (Jonah Hill) who convinced him of the hidden value of data.

As an ex-player, Beane had grown up in era where scouts and grizzled veterans had stifled both his own career and the true potential of players who weren’t superstars on big salaries.

In late 2001 when his star players have been traded to bigger teams (“organ donors to the rich”) he finds inspiration in Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a young economics graduate who can spot underrated baseball players the bigger teams are ignoring (his character is a composite largely based on Paul DePodesta).

What follows is a movie every bit as brilliant and radical as the system that went on to revolutionise US baseball.

Fundamentally, it is a compelling portrait of a man motivated by his past to change the present, but it also quietly subverts the traditional US sports movie by not pandering to clichés of underdogs triumphing against the odds.

Director Bennett Miller brings an unusual aesthetic to the genre by making the off-field action more dramatic than what happens on the pitch, which dovetails beautifully with Beane’s superstitious compulsion to never watch the games.

The harsh realities of running a sports team at the highest level are conveyed through his battles with coach Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), doubting scouts who naturally resent the new data driven approach and the chorus of critics amongst the media and fans.

There are personal dramas too: flashbacks of Beane’s early playing career are skilfully woven into his motivational backstory, whilst his relationship with his young daughter (Kerris Dorsey) is both touching and central to the story.

The main challenge with this approach is to make things visually interesting, but the choice of DP Wally Pfister was shrewd: his brand of subtle lighting and shooting that serves the story wisely keeps the focus on the characters and the unfolding drama.

As for the screenplay – collaboration credited to Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin – it manages to take the human drama behind a baseball franchise and make it a wider metaphor for anyone battling against personal demons or institutional arrogance.

One of the reasons the book became an unlikely bestseller and proved influential in both the sport and business world, is because by mining a very specific episode, it ultimately tapped into universal truths.

Although the film is an underdog story of sorts, it explores how people in a bad place are forced to become creative (they have nothing to lose) and how easy solutions (in this case ‘on base percentage’) to difficult problems can be so hard to see.

It also documents a time when old school sporting philosophies based on hunches gave way to statistical analysis powered by computers and spread sheets. Or more simply: when the geeks beat the jocks at their own game.

But it’s the human drama that makes Moneyball really tick: Beane is a fascinating character and the exploration of why he went against conventional wisdom lies the heart of the film, but also possibly puts another interpretation on the title.

The film puts forward the daring notion that money ruined his playing career – his motivation as general manager was partly driven by a desire to push back against a sport corrupted by cash.

Brad Pitt gives perhaps his finest performance in the lead role, not only convincing as charismatic leader of a sports team but as a more vulnerable father and someone struggling with the past.

Jonah Hill might seem an unlikely choice as Beane’s assistant, but he plays the straight man role very well and his chemistry with Pitt suggests his very casting highlights the ‘hidden value’ concept his character explains in the movie.

There are also solid turns from Philip Seymour Hoffman (showing a subtle, quiet gruffness), Chris Pratt as the first underrated player they sign and Kerris Dorsey as Beane’s daughter, whose presence is always keenly felt in the background.

Where the film really triumphs is in how it applies the low-key approach Miller used so successfully in Capote to a big studio film about a fascinating chapter in America’s most beloved sport.

The use of MLB footage and real locations grounds the film in a realistic setting far removed from the glossy visions of previous sports movies, whilst Mychael Danna’s wonderful, atmospheric score sounds like Philip Glass’ scoring an Errol Morris baseball documentary.

Like Beane’s impact on Major League Baseball the final it is both surprising and effective.

Given the tortured production history of the project, which saw a noted director (Steven Soderbergh) leave over creative differences and one A-list screenwriter (Aaron Sorkin) hired to re-write another (Steve Zaillian), it is a miracle that the film exists at all.

Part of that must lie down to the persistence of Brad Pitt (who also serves as producer) and it is tempting to read parallels into his struggle to get this made at a major studio (Sony Pictures) with Beane’s story.

To extend the analogy, Pitt is Beane (protagonist struggling against received wisdom), Bennett Miller is Brand (the unconventional catalyst), Sony Pictures is the Oakland A’s (an organisation trying to meet commercial demands) and Major League Baseball is Hollywood (large institution where passion frequently clashes with pragmatism).

In a year in which he has also delivered a powerful performance and produced Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, we can be grateful that a movie star like Pitt is using his influence to make interesting movies rather than just counting money.

This takes on a new relevance as the wonderfully staged final scenes click into place.

Perhaps the most potent aspect of Moneyball is that it grows in your mind long after you’ve seen it, which for a movie belonging to a genre prone to cliché is really quite an achievement.

Maybe it can also function as a parable for major studios to keep looking for those quietly interesting projects rather than just the loud, costly franchises.

> Official site
> Reviews of Moneyball at Metacritic and MUBi
> More about Billy Beane and Moneyball at Wikipedia

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 25th November 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Moneyball (Sony Pictures): The story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and his attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget, by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players. Directed by Bennett Miller, it co-stars Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman. [Nationwide / 12A]

50/50 (Lionsgate UK): A comedic account of a 27-year-old (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) diagnosed with cancer, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease. Directed by Jonathan Levine, it co-stars Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick and Anjelica Huston. [Nationwide / 15]

My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment): Drama based on the story of Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), who worked with Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) and Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) during production of The Prince and the Showgirl. Directed by Gary McKendry, it co-stars Judi Dench and Emma Watson.

Dream House (Warner Bros.): Soon after moving into their seemingly idyllic new home, a family learns of a brutal crime committed against former residents of the dwelling. Directed by Jim Sheridan, it stars Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz. [Nationwide / 15]

The Deep Blue Sea (Artificial Eye): Adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s play about the wife (Rachel Weisz) of a British Judge (Simon Russell Beale) is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot (Tom Hiddleston). Directed by Terence Davies. [Selected cinemas nationwide]

ALSO OUT

Take Shelter (The Works): Drama about a husband (Michael Shannon) who keeps having disturbing visions of a potential apocalypse which cause strains with his wife (Jessica Chastain). Directed by Jeff Nichols. [Selected cinemas / 15]

An African Election (Dogwoof): Documentary directed by Jarreth J. Merz and Kevin Merz which explores elections in Africa. [Selected cinemas / PG]

Resistance (Metrodome): Drama set in 1944 about a group of women in an isolated Welsh village who wake up to discover all of the their husbands have mysteriously vanished. Directed by Amit Gupta, it stars Andrea Riseborough, Tom Wlaschiha and Michael Sheen. [Selected cinemas / 15]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

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Cinema Reviews Thoughts

A Dangerous Method

David Cronenberg’s exploration of the founders of psychoanalysis is a dry but gradually absorbing film.

Adapted by Christopher Hampton from his own play, it examines the relationships between young psychiatrist Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and the troubled patient Sabina Spielrein (Kiera Knightley).

Immediately opening with a jarring sequence of a troubled patient, it seems at first seems like a distant exploration of historical figures.

But as it progresses, we are actually in the realm of Cronenberg’s more overtly psychological work like Dead Ringers (1988) or Spider (2002), where the body horror he was once famous for is internalised into the mind.

The central dramatic thrust is how Jung’s relationship with Sabina created a rift with Freud.

Why is this significant?

Freud was – rightly or wrongly – one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century, using a method to examine taboo areas of sexual desires.

Jung was to an extent his prodigal son, an early supporter of his work who treated – and then had an affair with – a woman who eventually became a significant psychoanalyst herself.

In a sense this film puts psychoanalysis itself on the couch by examining the early desires, neuroses and secret impulses that helped shaped it.

The first part of the narrative deals with Jung’s treatment of Sabina during 1904 at his clinic in Zurich as he uses Freud’s theories to help cure his patient.

Two years later, a second patient as Otto Gross (Vincent Cassel) proves more troubling: he convinces Jung to unlock his own desires towards Sabina but also proves an important catalyst in his growing split with Freud (“never repress anything”).

Hampton’s screenplay manages to combine its own intellectual analysis with some sharply written dialogues between the characters.

There are bracing intellectual exchanges, which avoid feeling too forced, whilst the oncoming dread of global war hovers in the background.

The central drama is brought to life by four vivid performances who vividly transfer Hampton’s characters to the screen.

Fassbender convinces as an ambitious, intensely curious doctor whose intellectual hunger is mirrored by his desire to break away from the past.

Mortenson proves an effective foil, with a wry and controlled performance which suggests hidden depths to the older and more cautious Freud.

Knightley has the most difficult part, moving from awkward hysterics to lucid eloquence over the course of the movie, but it is a brave performance which she ultimately pulls off.

Perhaps the most interesting performance comes from Vincent Cassell, as his lack of screen time doesn’t diminish his character’s presence in the story or on the screen.

Given that this is a period film involving a lot of people talking in rooms, the temptation amongst some might be to dismiss it as some dry, analytical affair.

Cronenberg and his key technical crew have factored this into consideration and this is very handsomely staged film.

James McAteer’s excellent production design creates a believeable world; DP Peter Suschitzky shoots the action with precision and clarity; the editing by Ronald Sanders feels smoothly unfashionable in this age of chaos cinema and the green screen visual effects work (to create many of the backdrops) is mostly seamless.

Howard Shore’s typically brooding score is effective without being overpowering, but those familiar with his work might feel flashbacks.

Down the years Cronenberg has become associated with the ‘body horror’ genre, due to key films such as Shivers (1975), Scanners (1981) and The Fly (1987), his CV also reveals precise enquiries into the human mind.

A Dangerous Method applies a similar approach to the human mind and although it contains little of what the director is commonly ‘known for’ it mines dark emotional terrains.

In a 1986 documentary Cronenberg mentioned Freud when being asked about his films:

“Imagination is dangerous and if you accept – at least to some extent – the Freudian dictum that civilisation is repression, then imagination and an unrepressed creativity is dangerous to civilisation”

This not only describes Cronenberg’s method, which proved controversial with Crash (1993), but also possibly highlights his choice of material.

After all it seems natural that a master of presenting physical and mental anxiety would be drawn to the men who pioneered the diagnosis of many in the 20th century.

After his earlier work exploring the physical horror of the flesh (Rabid, Scanners, Videodrome and The Fly), his latest offers us a different form of mental dread.

Despite the period setting and beautiful backdrops of Vienna and Swiss lakes, there are elements of A Dangerous Method which feel like a chilly wind.

The conflicts in this story took place just as the neuroses of nation states were fomenting destruction on an unimaginable scale.

Little details reveal at lot: Jung and Sabina’s love of Wagner and Freud’s concern about Jewish identity are just some of ideas laced throughout the script which hint at darker problems to come.

Although it doesn’t immediately grip as a film, the slow-burn approach is partly why the ideas linger on after the ending, as we are left to reflect on how mental anxieties can lie at the root of human destruction.

A Dangerous Method opens in selected cinemas in the US from today and the UK on Friday 10th February 

> Official website
> Reviews of A Dangerous Method at MUBi and Metacritic
> Find out more about Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung at Wikipedia

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 18th November 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (E1 Films): The fourth instalment of the Twilight franchise sees Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) conflicted over her love for her vampire lover Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and a werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Directed by Bill Condon, this is probably going to break box office records for a November release with some pundits predicting a huge $150m opening in the US. [Nationwide / 12A]

Justice (Momentum): Thriller about a man (Nicolas Cage) who enlists the services of a vigilante group after his wife (January Jones) is assaulted. Directed by Roger Donaldson, it co-stars Guy Pearce, Harold Perrineau and Xander Berkeley. [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

Snowtown (Revolver): Based on true events this dark drama is about a teenager who befriends John Bunting, who is soon to become Australia’s most notorious serial killer. Directed by Lucas Pittaway and starring Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris and Sprague Grayden, it premiered to very strong reviews in Cannes despite its grim atmosphere and violence. [Selected cinemas / 15]

Special Forces (Metrodome): French thriller about a special forces team on a mission to rescue a journalist (Diane Kruger) from the clutches of the Taliban. Directed Stéphane Rybojad, it co-stars Djimon Hounsou, Denis Menochet, Benoit Magimel, Raz Degan and Raphael Personnaz. [Selected cinemas / 15]

Magic Trip (Studiocanal): Documentary about Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady and the Merry Pranksters that uses the 16 mm color footage shot during their 1964 cross-country bus trip in the “Furthur” bus. Directed by Alison Ellwood and Alex Gibney [Selected London cinemas / 15]

Welcome To The Rileys (High Fliers/Blue Dolphin): Drama about a grieving couple (James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo) and 16-year-old stripper (Kristen Stewart). Directed by Jake Scott, it is only opening on one screen in London. [Empire Leicester Square only / 15]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 11th November 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Arthur Christmas (Sony Pictures): Animated film from Aardman Features and Sony Pictures Imageworks which imagines what the inside of Santa’s workshop looks like and explores how Santa delivers all his presents in one night. Directed by Sarah Smith and Barry Cook, it features the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen. [Nationwide / U]

Immortals (Universal Pictures): A mythological tale set in war-torn ancient Greece where the young warrior prince Theseus (Henry Cavill) leads his men in a battle against evil that will see the Gods and Men fighting against the Titans and Barbarians. Directed by Tarsem Singh, it co-stars Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, Isabel Lucas, Kellan Lutz, Joseph Morgan and Freida Pinto. [Nationwide / 15]

The Rum Diary (Entertainment Films): Adapted from the Hunter S. Thompson book about a freelance journalist (Johnny Depp) who finds himself at a critical turning point in his life. While writing for a run-down newspaper in the Caribbean, he finds himself challenged on many levels as he tries to carve out a more secure niche for himself amidst a group of lost souls all bent on self-destruction. Directed by Bruce Robinson, it stars co-stars Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart and Giovanni Ribisi. [UK wide / 15]

Trespass (Lionsgate UK): Thriller about a couple (Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman) who are held for ransom in their own home by a gang of extortionists. Directed by Joel Schumacher, it stars Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Ben Mendelsohn and Cam Gigandet. [Nationwide / 15]

The Awakening (Studiocanal): Ghost story set during 1921 in England, just after the loss and grief of World War I. Hoax exposer Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) visits a boarding school to explain sightings of a child ghost. Everything she knew in unravels as the ‘missing’ begin to show themselves. Directed by Nick Murphy, it stars Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, and Imelda Staunton [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

Tabloid (Dogwoof): Documentary about a bizarre scandal in 1977 involving a former beauty queen and a Mormon missionary. Directed by Errol Morris, it has already played to acclaim on the festival circuit and is finally opening in the country where much of the story took place. [Key Cities / 15] [Read our full review here]

Wuthering Heights (Artificial Eye): Adaptation of the Emily Bronte novel about a poor young boy (James Howson) who is taken in by the wealthy Earnshaw family where he develops an intense relationship with his young foster sister (Kaya Scodelario ). Directed by Andrea Arnold, it co-stars Steve Evets, Nichola Burley, Solomon Glave and Shannon Beer. [Nationwide / 15]

Black Pond (15): Black comedy about a family recounting the tale of how they came to be accused of murder when a stranger died at their dinner table. Directed by Will Sharpe and Tom Kingsley, it stars Chris Langham and Simon Amstell. [Key Cities / 15]

The British Guide To Showing Off (Verve Pictures): Documetary about British artist and ‘living legend’ Andrew Logan. Directed by Jes Benstock, it features Ruby Wax, Zandra Rhodes and Brian Eno. [Selected cinemas / 15]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

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Tyrannosaur

A stunning directorial debut from actor Paddy Considine features some of the best acting you’ll see all year.

It explores what happens when an angry widower (Peter Mullan) stikes up a relationship with a Christian charity worker (Olivia Colman), who is married to a stern husband (Eddie Marsan).

Expanded from Considine’s 2007 short Dog Altogether, on the surface this may seem like another British exercise in urban misery.

But this is a film that manages to rise above expectations and is one of the most impressive dramas in recent years.

A brutal opening scene sets the mood that this isn’t going to be a barrel of laughs, but it blends its darker elements with an impressive sense of place and time.

Shot on location in Leeds with a piercing but humane eye for the murkier details of urban Britain, it presents a riveting tale of violence and redemption.

Part of its raw power is down to the astonishing performances, which rank amongst the best you’ll see this year.

Mullan has his best part since My Name is Joe (1998), channeling the rage and regret of his character with an honest conviction that is extraordinary to watch.

Olivia Colman makes for a compelling foil, managing to create that rarest of things on screen – a genuinely good, selfless person.

It is an astonishing performance filled emotion and nuance that ranks amongst the best given by any actress in years.

The chemistry between them is something to behold and the development of their relationship is as convincing as it is surprising.

Marsan has less screen time but still manages to create a completely chilling character, made scarier because he is as plausible as he is malevolent.

Like The Interrupters – another outstanding film out this year – it presents violence as a disease that spreads and infects people from all walks of life.

Touching upon issues of class, it is a distressing film to watch in places but an intenseley rewarding one, building up to a climax which is richly earned.

Considine previously starred in Jim Sheridan’s In America (2002) and had supporting roles in Cinderella Man (2005) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), but this is an extraordinarily assured directorial debut.

Not only are the dynamics between the characters handled with compassion and subtlety, but he doesn’t shy away from the harshness of the violence, which is never gratuitous but deeply affecting.

The understated score by Chris Baldwin and Dan Baker, featuring heavy use of acoustic guitars, provides an effective contrast to the bouts of violence which occasionaly erupt.

Cinematographer Erik Alexander Wilson presents the action with deceptively simple lighting which feels wholly appropriate for the subject matter.

In between the darker scenes, there is an uplifting humanity to the film which is down to a combination of sharp writing and the emotion the actors bring to their roles.

In some ways it marks a progression from the tougher films of Shane Meadows, with humour and observation mixed in with the harsher realities of daily existence.

There are numerous little details which are expertly done, ranging from Mullan’s relationships with his neighbours and ill friend and a moving speech which explains the film’s title.

Although it is about violence, the film doesn’t present it irresponsibly and instead draws a believable picture of where it can come from.

A remarkable and deeply affecting portrait of people struggling to cope with their demons, it promises a great deal for Considine’s future career behind the camera.

> Tyrannosaur at the IMDb
> Official Facebook page

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 4th November 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

In Time (20th Century Fox): Dystopian sci-fi thriller set in the not-too-distant future where the aging gene has been switched off and time has become the way people pay for luxuries and necessities. Directed by Andrew Niccol, it stars Amanda Seyfried, Justin Timberlake, Cilian Murphy and Olivia Wilde. [Nationwide / 12A]

Tower Heist (Universal): Comedy about a group of hard working guys who find out they’ve fallen victim to a wealthy business man’s Ponzi scheme and the conspire to rob his high-rise residence. Directed by Bret Ratner, it stars Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck and Matthew Broderick. [Nationwide / 12A]

Straw Dogs (Sony Pictures): Remake of the 1971 Sam Pekinpah film relocated to the US South where an L.A. screenwriter (James Marsden) relocates with his wife (Kate Bosworth) and tensions build between them and the locals. Directed by Rod Lurie, it -co-stars lexander Skarsgard and James Woods. [Nationwide / 18]

Machine Gun Preacher (Lionsgate UK): The story of Sam Childers (Gerard Butler) a former drug-dealing biker tough guy who found God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who’ve been forced to become soldiers. Directed by Marc Forster, it co-stars Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon.

ALSO OUT

The Future (Picturehouse Entertainment): The latest film from Miranda July is about a couple who adopt a stray cat which changes their perspective on life. It stars July, Hamish Linklater and David Warshofsky. [Selected cinemas / 12A]

Jack Goes Boating (Trinity Filmed Entertainment): The tale of a shy limo driver (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who goes on a blind date with a friend of a friend (Amy Ryan), based on the 2007 play by Robert Glaudini. Directed by Hoffman, it co-stars John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Thomas McCarthy. [Selected cinemas / 15]

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (20th Century Fox): A story set in 19th century China about the lifelong friendship between two girls who develop their own secret code as a way to contend with the rigid cultural norms imposed on women. Directed by Wayne Wang, it stars Ami Canaan Mann and Gianna Jun.

Weekend (Pecadillo Pictures): This romantic drama about two guys who fall for each other over a weekend has already garnered positive reviews on the festival circuit. Directed by Andrew Haigh, it stars Tom Cullen, Chris New and Laura Freeman. [Selected cinemas / 18]

The Human Centipede 2 (Bounty Films): Horror sequel which caused a brief kerfuffle with the BBFC, which may or may not have been part of an elaborate marketing campaign. Directed by Tom Six, it stars Laurence R. Harvey, Ashlynn Yennie and Maddi Black.

Junkhearts (Soda Pictures): British drama about a returning soldier from Iraq (Eddie Marsan), a homeless teenager (Candese Reid) and a businesswoman (Romola Garai). Directed by Tinge Krishnan, it co-stars Tom Sturridge. [Selected cinemas / 15]

Oslo, August 31st (Soda Pictures): A day in the life of a young recovering drug addict (Anders Danielsen Lie), who takes leave from his treatment center to interview for a job and catch up with old friends in Oslo. Directed by Joachim Trier, it stars Malin Creplin, Akel M. Thanke, and Hans Olva Brenner. [Selected cinemas / 15]

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> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

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Anonymous

The very idea of Roland Emmerich making a movie about the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays is enough to spark laughter, but the end result is a handsomely staged period piece.

For those not familiar with the Shakespeare authorship question, it goes a little something like this: how could a man who didn’t go to Oxford or Cambridge write some of the greatest works of literature of all time?

Throw in the fact that little is known about certain aspects of his life and you have a vacuum into which a well-oiled conspiracy can grow, the principal one being that the Earl of Oxford wrote the plays, which this film uses as a dramatic device.

For me, this has always been the literary equivalent of the people who think Paul McCartney died in 1967 or that the US government was somehow involved in 9/11.

But like those ideas it has an alarmingly large number of supporters, including Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud and even actors like Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance, who both have small roles in this film.

Although not an expert on the period, I have yet to see any compelling evidence that proves Shakespeare didn’t write the works attributed to him and tend to trust scholars such as Stanley Wells, Stephen Greenblatt and Jonathan Bate, who have written and spoken at length about how the man from Stratford did actually write the famous plays and poems.

Which brings us to Roland Emmerich’s new film, which arrived in UK and US cinemas this weekend amidst a predictable blizzard of stories about the ‘controversy’ surrounding this film with several critics scoffing loudly at it.

In fact Sony Pictures seemed to have staged a deeply misguided marketing campaign, baiting those upset with the premise of the film.

As of this weekend it hasn’t worked as early tracking suggests younger audiences have more problem with the ambitious jigsaw puzzle script than they do with the authorship question.

This has meant that they have scaled back the release of the film and their hopes of award season success seem limited to the technical categories.

All of this is a shame because Anonymous is a highly accomplished film, even if the phony debate surrounding it leaves a lot to be desired.

How did a project like this come about?

It goes back to the script John Orloff first wrote in the 1990s, which was originally shelved because of the success of Shakespeare in Love and later postponed in 2005 when Emmerich was going to direct it.

By this point he had earned enough money for the studio system with his apocalyptic blockbusters – Indpendence Day (1996), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and 2012 (2009) – to attempt a pet project like this.

He’d always been an admirer of the script, which cleverly fuses Elizabethan literary and political conspiracies, whilst simultaneously reflecting very Shakespearean themes such as appearence and reality, the passage of time and the realities of power.

Opening with a modern day prologue (like Henry V) which takes the premise that Shakespeare was a fraud, it employs an ambitious flashback structure that goes between the succession crisis at the end of the Elizabethan era and the earlier events which led to the creation of plays which reflected both the politics of the time and would burn brightly for centuries to come.

Although it is hard to describe the narrative without venturing into major spoiler territory, but it revolves around Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) and the conceit that he not only wrote the plays of Shakespeare, but did so as part of an elaborate political conspiracy involving Elizabeth I (Vanessa Redgrave), playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (Sebastian Reid).

It is vital to remember that like Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991) and Shakespeare’s play Richard III, this is a version of history, which plays around with history for dramatic effect and further discussion.

Forget the provocative device that the movie has been sold on and enjoy the way in which it weaves the subjects and themes of Shakespeare into an Elizabethan conspiracy thriller.

The way in which elements of Shakespeare’s plays are woven into the material is masterful – Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet are just some of the plays that are referenced throughout, leading up to a climax which makes you want to watch the story all over again.

For those curious about Emmerich’s involvement, he manages to use his considerable technical skills as a big budget director to help shape a stunning depiction of Elizabethan England.

The production design, costumes and visual effects work wonders in creating a believable world – probably the best ever recreation of this period – even though the events which happen in it are wildly speculative.

It is this duality which makes Anonymous interesting – a film which uses the latest filmmaking technology is also an engaging depiction of the power of words in both politics and art.

There is also some stellar acting going on, most notably Rhys Ifans in the main role. After a wildly fluctuating career, he gives a performance of great depth and power, which is as welcome as it is surprising.

In supporting roles there is the neat trick of casting the mother and daughter team of Redgrave and Joely Richardson as Elizabeth I (both are excellent) and other reliable British thespians like David Thewlis in key roles.

The major flaw in terms of the characters is (ironically) the presentation of Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) as a total dolt, which is a failed attempt to position him in the traditional fool role – although any student of the plays knows it is often the fools who provide the insight and wisdom.

As for the failed joke in the otherwise excellent script about actors and playwrights, it didn’t prevent actors like Moliere and Pinter from becoming decent writers.

However, the presentation of the plays within the film is excellent – if a little inaccurate – and is probably the most advanced recreation of the Globe Theatre on film, showing how the audience were an important part of the experience (which also mirrors the political importance of the stage at the time).

The digital visuals by cinematographer Anna J. Foerster look incredible, with the darker candlelit interiors captured with amazing depth and clarity.

Shot on Arri’s (relatively) new Alexa camera, some scenes may be used as a benchmark test for what can be achieved using modern digital cameras.

For Emmerich this may be a glorious one-off before he goes back to the blockbuster realm – so good in fact, that future audiences might think he didn’t actually direct it.

> Official site
> Reviews and links about Anonymous from MUBi
> More on the Shakespeare Authorship Question at Wikipedia

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 28th October 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (Paramount): Animated version of the famous Belgian character from director Steven Spielberg. Based on the first three books, it sees Tintin (Jamie Bell) and his loyal dog Snowy as they come across a valuable model boat and various characters, including: enigmatic Sakharine (Daniel Craig), drink-soaked Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) and twin Interpol agents Thomson and Thompson (Nick Frost and Simon Pegg). [Read our full review here] [Nationwide / PG]

The Ides of March (E1 Films): Adapted from Beau Williams’ stage play Farragut North, this political drama focuses on a young strategist (Ryan Gosling) assisting his campaign boss (Philip Seymour Hoffman) in getting an inspirational Democratic candidate (George Clooney) elected. Co-starring Paul Giamatti, Evana Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei, it was directed by Clooney. [Read our full review here] [Nationwide / 15]

Anonymous (Sony Pictures): Rolan Emmerich’s latest film is something of a departure: a conspiracy drama about who actually wrote the plays of William Shakespeare, set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her. Starring Rhys Ifans, Xavier Samuel, Jamie Campbell Bower and Joely Richardson. [Nationwide / 12A]

The Help (Disney): Drama set in the American South during the era of segregation and three women who strike up an unlikely friendship. The surprise sleeper hit of the summer at the US box office, it was directed by Tate Taylor and stars Emma Stone, Mike Vogel, Bryce Dallas Howard and Viola Davis. [Nationwide / 12A]

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> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

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The Ides of March

A wonkish but highly efficient political drama provides George Clooney the chance to pay tribute to his favourite era of filmmaking.

Adapted from Beau Williams’ stage play Farragut North, the basic story is a cocktail loosely inspired by the skulduggery of recent US presidential primaries.

It focuses on a young, ambitious strategist (Ryan Gosling) who is assisting his campaign boss (Philip Seymour Hoffman) in getting an inspirational Democratic candidate (George Clooney) elected.

With the Republican field bare, the primary takes on extra significance, especially when a rival campaign manager (Paul Giamatti), a journalist (Marisa Tomei) and an intern (Evan Rachel Wood) start to pose ethical and moral dilemmas.

With a script credited to Williams, Clooney and Grant Heslov, it seems to be a deliberate attempt to apply the weary but wise tone of classic 70s cinema to recent times.

It offers up an approach that seems to draw on the best work of directors such as Alan Pakula and Sidney Lumet, with moral ambiguity, composed framing and a considered use of long takes all adding to the atmosphere.

Clooney has admitted that he delayed making this film until the brief tidal wave of hope that got Obama elected subsided and there is no doubt that this is trying to capture the dynamics of modern politics with an eye to the past.

It even appears to draw from some of the drama of the 2008 Democratic primary campaign, as well as its 2004 predecessor in which Williams worked for presidential hopeful Howard Dean.

Throughout the film is peppered with neat little political references, be it the Shepherd Fairey Obama poster, Eisenhower’s campaign slogan (‘I Like Ike‘ crosses party lines to become ‘I Like Mike’) and there is a great line about an ‘unofficial rule’ for Democratic candidates (which I wont spoil here).

It seems the writers and crew have been absorbing documentaries as D.A. Pennebaker’s The War Room, reading dishy campaign books such as Race of a Lifetime by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, whilst blending them in with current disillusionment about the US political system.

For non-political junkies, this occasionally veers into territory that some might consider arcane, with operatives discussing strategies, insider websites and how a story might be killed or resurrected (then killed again), which might leave some audience members cold.

The original title of the play refers to a Washington metro station near to where veteran campaign operatives ‘retire’ to create lucrative political consulting firms.

But Clooney has opted to widen the scope of the material: the new Shakespearean title (which both refers to Julius Caesar and Super Tuesday) and the emphasis on themes of loyalty give it a relevance beyond a particular campaign or country.

One of the most immediately pleasurable aspects of the film is the pacing of the narrative, which starts off brisk and then sucks you into the unfolding drama, courtesy of the script and Stephen Mirrione’s brisk, efficient editing.

Shooting on location in Ohio and Michigan has paid off handsomely, as the bleak wintry landscapes not only feel realistic but seem an appropriate backdrop for the actions of the central characters.

This is probably one of the most dazzling Hollywood ensembles in quite some time: Gosling is believable as the brilliant but naive protagonist; Clooney exudes the charm and ambition of a serious candidate; Seymour Hoffman and Giamatti excel as the weary but wise campaign managers and Wood and Tomei are convincing in small but key roles.

If there is a flaw with the casting, it is that actors of the quality of Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Ehle are limited to very minor roles.

Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael skilfully channels the desaturated look of 70s dramas like Three Days of the Condor, The Conversation and to create a strong visual palette for the movie.

One particular influence appears to be Michael Ritchie’s The Candidate, which starred Robert Redford as a hopeful Democratic candidate: it would make an interesting double bill with this film.

As an actor-director making serious movies inside the Hollywood system, Clooney is in some ways a modern day Redford and both films present fascinating depictions of ends justifying the means, both in politics and art.

Another film that offers an interesting comparison with this is Michael Clayton, a 2007 corporate thriller which itself was heavily indebted to Pakula’s conspiracy trilogy of the 1970s, only in The Ides of March it is Clooney in the Sydney Pollack (or maybe Tom Wilkinson?) role and Gosling in the Clooney part.

This isn’t quite on the same level as Tony Gilroy’s film, let alone its 70s forebears,  but it nonetheless offers us a darker-than-usual depiction of power, politics and the reality of grasping the White House from your ideological enemies .

The score by Alexander Desplat is suitably brooding and atmospheric, without ever overpowering the action on screen and combined with some clever sound editing, makes for some highly effective moments.

If The West Wing represented a fantasy of what the Clinton presidency could have been (and oddly predicted the Obama candidacy), The Ides of March perhaps represents a more realistic depiction of where American politics is at on the eve of the 2012 presidential election.

After Obama’s historic win of 2008, the country is more bitterly divided than ever: tea party lunacy fuelled by internet nonsense jostles with Wall Street occupiers feeling betrayed by the faith their Baby Boomer parents put in the governments of the last 30 years.

With both political parties and the current system seemingly paralysed by an inability to reform the financial system, a drama like this feels weirdly appropriate for the current times in which we live.

By showing the compromises and skulduggery on the campaign trail, it mirrors the bleak reality of politicians once they are in actually in power and the crushed dreams of the present era.

> Official site
> Reviews from Venice and Toronto at MUBi and Metacritic
> More on the play Farragut North at Wikipedia (Spoilers)

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Cinema Festivals London Film Festival Reviews Thoughts

LFF 2011: We Need to Talk About Kevin

Director Lynne Ramsay’s return to films after nine years is a dazzling and disturbing adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s novel.

Cleverly adapting the epistolary form of the book with a flashback structure, Ramsay and co-writer Rory Kinnear have crafted a bold and unsettling drama that borders on horror.

It depicts the fears and anxieties of a middle class American mother, Eva (Tilda Swinton) as we see her disturbing relationship with her son over a number of years.

There is the doubtful pregnancy, where she seemingly regrets the loss of independence motherhood brings, and the different stages of Kevin.

We see the young toddler (Rocky Duer), the creepy 6-8 year old (Jasper Newell), the malevolent teenager (Ezra Miller) and the period after where Eva must shape a new life for herself.

Along the way, we see how events affect her husband (John C. Reilly) and younger daughter (Ashley Gerasimovich) as things spiral out of control.

It isn’t an exaggeration to describe this as a kind of horror movie, as it not only channels classics of the genre such as Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Omen (1976) but homes in with laser-like precision on the darkest fears of motherhood.

It’s effectiveness is such that I would warn expectant mothers to realise that this may do for parenthood what Psycho (1960) did for showering in remote hotels or Jaws (1975) did for swimming on a beach.

Nonetheless, this only speaks to the skill with which the book has been visualised for the big screen and the core themes and questions are all still here.

How much do the formative early years of childhood shape a character? Is it possible for evil to be an innate characteristic? Do ambivalent mothers somehow transmit their feelings to their offspring? Do parents and children pick sides in a family?

It is to Ramsay’s great credit that she has dealt with these uncomfortable concepts with such verve, whilst preserving the ambiguous, tantalising details which continually make us question characters and their actions.

The film looks stunning with the director and her cinematographer Seamus McGarvey opting for carefully composed widescreen images, which not only isolate Swinton’s protagonist but accentuate the little details which make up the visual fabric of the film.

Opting to use the colour red at every conceivable opportunity, the film seems to be referencing a similar visual motif from Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now (1971), an idea made more intriguing when you realise Luc Roeg (Nic’s son) is one of the producers.

We Need to Talk About Kevin plays like a weird contemporary reversal of that film: instead of the death of a child bringing tragedy upon a family, it is the birth of one that causes all the problems.

The intricate look is augmented by a rich audio design by Paul Davies, which brilliantly accentuates key sounds such as Kevin’s collicky screams against a builder’s drill or the grotesque eating of food to create a memorable ‘second layer’ to the film.

There is also the editing by Joe Bini (a veteran of Werner Herzog’s documentaries) which delineates between the different periods with consummate grace and also provides the film with a narrative drive as it circles around a key, revelatory event.

Jonny Greenwood’s atmospheric score isn’t quite up to the level of his work on There Will Be Blood (2007) but it does give the film a discordant quality, which syncs nicely with the rest of the film.

Despite the excellence of its construction, the film is dependant on a key lead performance from Tilda Swinton who more than delivers as Eva, reflecting the doubts, fears and weary disappointment of a woman caught in a living nightmare.

It is a very tricky character to play, by turns sympathetic and cold, but she delivers some of the best acting of her career here, which given her past roles is really saying something.

The supporting cast suffer a little from Swinton’s domination of the screen: John C Reilly feels a little miscast and Ezra Miller at times overdoes the demonic act to the point where some scenes feel like he’s auditioning for Damien: Omen II.

If there is a problem with the film, it may be that it is too effective for its own good.

Due to the collapse in the upscale indie market since 2008, Ramsay and the producers had to rework the script and budget in order to get the final financing in place.

I’m glad they did because this is a film that will stand the test of time, but as for its commercial prospects one can only wonder what the core audience for this film will think.

It could be that they appreciate the skill with which Shriver’s book has been adapted but also appalled at the way it burrows into their deepest fears and then explodes like an emotional dirty bomb.

I’ve already heard a couple of reactions to this film where members of the audience seemed viscerally angry with the way it dealt with a topic in a way which is probably still taboo.

Perhaps for some it will be too much and in the current recessionary climate its box office probably won’t be reflective of the sheer quality on display.

But over time I suspect it will be gain a certain status as a daring film and in the privacy of their own home many parents will sneakily watch it in the same way they used to sneakily observe horrors their parents banned them from seeing.

This is a unconventional family movie played as a tangible waking nightmare: there are Kevin’s out there and sometimes they happen to the best of parents.

> Facebook page
> Reviews of We Need to Talk About Kevin at MUBi

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 21st October 2011

KEY RELEASES

Contagion (Warner Bros.): Director Steven Soderbergh’s latest is an all-star disaster movie about a global killer virus – think Traffic, only with disease. Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jennifer Ehle star. [Nationwide / 12A]

We Need To Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye): Director Lynne Ramsay returns after a 9 year absence with this adaptation of the Lionel Shriver novel about a mother (Tilda Swinton) who has to deal with an unusual son (Ezra Miller). Co-starring John C Reilly. [Selected cinemas nationwide / 15]

Paranormal Activity 3 (Paramount): The third installment of the low-budget/high profit horror franchise sees the makers of social media documentary Catfish direct. [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

Monte Carlo (20th Century Fox): Comedy about a teenager (Selena Gomez) who is mistaken for a British socialite and goes on a trip to Monte Carlo with her two friends. Directed by Thomas Bezucha, it co-stars Leighton Meester and Cory Monteith.

Restless (Sony Pictures): Drama about a teenage girl (Mia Wasikowska) who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals (Henry Hopper) and sees the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot. Directed by Gus Van Sant. [Selected cinemas / PG]

Reuniting the Rubens (Kaleidoscope Entertainment): Comedy about a Jewish man (Timothy Spall) who tries to re-unite his dysfunctional family in order to appease his ailing mother (Honor Blackman). Directed by Yoav Factor. [Selected cinemas / PG]

Judy Moody And The Not Bummer Summer (Universal): Comedy about a disgruntled girl (Jordana Beatty) whose boring summer is enlivened by a visit from her aunt. Directed by John Schultz, it co-stars Heather Graham.

Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (Soda Pictures): Documentary depicting the struggle for civil rights in the USA, resurrected from the vaults of Swedish TV. Directed by Göran Hugo Olsson. [Selected cinemas / 12A]

Blood in the Mobile (Dogwoof): Documentary about the connection between mobile phones and the civil war in the Congo. Directed by Frank Poulsen. [Selected cinemas / 12A]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

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Cinema Festivals London Film Festival Reviews

LFF 2011: The Descendants

A comedy-drama set in Hawaii marks a triumphant return for director Alexander Payne after a seven year absence and provides George Clooney with arguably his best ever role.

Adapted from the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming, it explores the thorny emotional dilemmas facing landowner Matt King (George Clooney) after his wife is involved in a serious boating accident.

He also has to deal with his two young daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) and the lucrative sale of ancestral land but when secrets emerge about the recent past he is forced to reexamine his life.

It seems odd that after all the critical and awards success of his last film, Alexander Payne should take seven years to make another, but the late 2000s indie collapse may have played a part.

I’m happy to report that The Descendants maintains his remarkable run of films that begun with Citizen Ruth (1996) and continued with Election (1999), About Schmidt (2002) and Sideways (2004).

Like those it masterfully blends sharp wit with heartfelt emotion, exploring the nuances of family relationships with an intelligence rarely seen in mainstream US cinema.

This has been a Payne trademark but the setting here provides a distinct visual flavour as well as an integral feature of the story, whilst the ensemble cast is outstanding.

Clooney in the lead role gives arguably his best ever performance, dialling down his natural charm to convey the confusion of a husband and father confronted with some harsh emotional truths about those he loves and – most importantly – himself.

Reminiscent of his best acting work in Out of Sight, Solaris, Michael Clayton and Up in the Air, he conveys a certain vulnerability whilst delivering the comic moments with consummate skill.

He is ably supported by what is one of the best supporting casts in recent memory.

The young actresses who play his immediate family members are terrific.

Woodley is a convincingly tempestuous but wise teenager, Miller as her younger sister is believably innocent and Clooney’s familial chemistry with them form the bedrock of the film.

There are also memorable turns from Robert Forster as a gruff father-in-law, Beau Bridges as a relaxed relative (seemingly channelling his brother Jeff as a Hawaiian Lebowski), Nick Krause as one of the daughter’s boyfriend, Matthew Lillard as an opportunistic real estate agent and Judy Greer as his loving wife.

None of these finely tuned performances would be possible without the screenplay by Payne (with credited co-screenwriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash) which laces the gravity of the central situation with some brilliantly executed humour.

The way the central dramatic scenario is blended with the characters and the wider themes of inheritance and time feel like a masterclass in screenwriting.

Payne’s directorial execution is exemplary.

He has always demonstrated a keen eye for small, revealing details: the ballot papers in Election, the letters in About Schmidt or the TV clip of The Grapes of Wrath in Sideways.

Similarly, The Descendants is also filled with wonderful, human flourishes.

Payne sprinkles them throughout the film with relish and without giving away spoilers, particular highlights feature a swimming pool, a black eye, a sneaky kiss and a farewell speech.

Phedon Papamichael’s cinematography is reminiscent of his work on Sideways, creating interesting interior compositions and contrasting them with some gorgeous widescreen exterior work.

Hawaii isn’t always presented here as a picture postcard paradise – an opening monologue shrewdly debunks its glamour (“Paradise can go f**k itself”) – but nonetheless it forms a beautifully telling backdrop to the narrative as the climax nears.

Payne has admitted that he spent months editing the film with Kevin Tent and it pays off as the comic and dramatic beats are timed to perfection, whilst the Hawaiian flavoured musical score gives the film a distinctive mood and texture.

It is also an interesting depiction of the Aloha state, drilling deeper into the heart of the place than TV shows which have used it as a backdrop (e.g. Hawaii Five-O or Magnum P.I.) and even more recent movies such as Punch-Drunk Love (2002), which was partly set there.

His early work often focused on his home state of Nebraska, but he has always managed to find universal truths within particular locations.

This is the case in his latest film as the family dilemmas are at once specific and yet embedded within the culture of America’s newest state.

Mainstream cinema often can’t resist cliché whatever the genre, so it is doubly satisfying to find a filmmaker who excels in combining light and shade whilst using intelligent humour to enhance the gravity of the central narrative.

Strangely, it also plays like a reverse Michael Clayton: both lead characters are lawyers with relationship issues, but have to deal with very different financial circumstances.

Payne has long been a fan of classic 1970s cinema and where Tony Gilroy’s film channelled the spirit of Alan Pakula, this goes for a more bitter-sweet vibe reminiscent of Hal Ashby.

With strong reviews on the festival circuit and the marketing skills of Fox Searchlight behind it, The Descendants is likely to be a major player in the end of year awards season, but it is much more than just token Oscar bait.

In what happens to have been a year filled with remakes and sequels from the mainstream studios, this shows that Hollywood can still produce work which appeals to the brain as well as the heart.

The Descendants screens at the London Film Festival on Sunday (23rd) and Monday (24th) before opening in the US on November 18th and in the UK on January 27th

> Official site
> Festival reviews of The Descendants at MUBi

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Cinema Festivals London Film Festival Reviews Thoughts

LFF 2011: The Artist

An ingenious love letter to the silent era of Hollywood is executed with an almost effortless brilliance.

One of the surprise hits on the festival circuit this year has been a black and white French film shot in Los Angeles with two relative unknown actors in the lead roles.

You might think that this was some kind of strange experiment designed exclusively for cinephiles, but is actually one of the most charming and audience-friendly films to be released this year.

Opening in 1927, the story charts the fortunes of a silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardjin) and a rising young actress (Berenice Bojo) as the introduction of sound into cinema threatens to disrupt the established order.

As an box office star Valentin is dismissive of the new audio technology despite warnings from the key people (and animals) in his life: a cigar-chomping studio mogul (John Goodman), frustrated wife (Penelope Ann Miller), driver (James Cromwell) and a loyal dog (Uggie).

The key trick which director Michel Hazanavicius brilliantly pulls off is that the film itself is a silent movie (with some crucial exceptions) that manages to simultaneously pay homage to and have fun with a now distant era of the medium.

Not only has he clearly done his research on the period, using modern technology to recreate older techniques, but he brings in a sense of fun that could make this an unlikely cross over hit with open-minded audiences.

Cinematographer Guillaume Schiffman, production designer Laurence Bennett and costume designer Mark Bridges all combine to impressively recreate the 1920s, even if they slightly hold back on certain elements for effect.

Shot in the Academy ratio of 1:33, the use of music and inter-titles give it an authentic feel, but Hazanavicius has a lot of fun with this world, sprinkling sequences with a sophisticated but heartfelt humour.

There’s also lots of lovely touches such as spinning newspapers, exaggerated facial expressions and even a dog who seems to have a natural gift for comedy.

The lead performances are outstanding: Dujardin is every inch the silent matinee idol (heavily modelled on Douglas Fairbanks), whilst Bejos makes a charming foil.

Without using their voices – one of the essential tools of modern acting – their physical expression through their bodies and faces works beautifully and blends seamlessly with the intricately crafted world of the film and – even better – the films within the film.

In supporting roles, Goodman and Cromwell especially stand out, although special mention must go to Uggie (trained on set by Sarah Clifford and his owner Omar Muller), who is the most memorable screen dog since Flike in Umberto D. (he even won this year’s Palme Dog award).

There is so much intelligence and charm packed into The Artist that I’m reluctant to reveal too much, but I will say that sequences involving a movie premiere, a nightmare and a house fire provide more satisfaction and humour than most contemporary comedies do in their whole running time.

It doesn’t just riff on the silent era but also appears to have many references to classical Hollywood movies: Citizen Kane, A Star is Born and Vertigo are just some of the many movie easter eggs that discerning audience members will delight in spotting.

There is also the ingenious conceit that lies at the heart of the project: the film both is a recreation and pastiche of a silent-era melodrama, with much of the film mirroring both the classical style of the period and the actual film-within-a-film scenes.

If all this sounds a bit too clever for its own good, don’t be alarmed – it blends this sophistication with a suprisingly light touch and injects plenty of inventive physical humour into almost every sequence.

Hazanavicius is best known for his spy pastiches OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies and OSS 117: Lost in Rio but this film marks a new chapter for him as a director, even though he is using familiar elements (Dujardin and Bejo both worked in his previous films).

Whilst it shares the cunning craftsmanship and wry humour of his previous work there is something more audacious here in venturing to Hollywood in order to remind it of the wonder of cinema, which France invented and America exported around the world.

A contemporary French production baked in its love of older American movies, it is an unusual beast: sophisticated but accessible; nostalgic yet contemporary – the end result is almost a filmic representation of those two cultures shared passion for the movies.

There are many fascinating parallels with the present day: as Hollywood undergoes a painful but necessary transition to digital technology, roughly equivalent to the advent of sound, the film may have an unexpected resonance with contemporary filmmakers and audiences.

The fact that the economic difficulties of the Great Depression closely mirror those of the current climate will only add to its lustre, following in footsteps of silent icons like Chaplin and Keaton.

A late addition to this year’s lineup at Cannes, I can now see why Parisian sales company Wild Bunch and The Weinstein Company (who acquired distribution rights for several territories back in May) were so bullish about this film: on paper it sounds eccentric, but in front of an audience it works like magic.

Although it lost out on the Palme d’Or, Harvey Weinstein must surely be rubbing his hands with glee.

Not only does this film resemble last year’s unexpected hit The King’s Speech (a well crafted, feel-good period film) but it is also the kind of foreign language title he excelled in marketing to Oscar voters back in the 1990s heyday of Miramax (Il Postino and Life is Beautiful are just two titles which spring to mind).

Veteran Academy members and actors (the largest voting branch) will find much to feast on.

Not only is it an inventive, loving tribute to their industry and town, but it also deals with the fears and hopes of performers in the same way that an Oscar favourite like All About Eve managed to do (although that used Broadway as a substitute for Hollywood).

The main challenge will be getting audiences outside of the art-house realm to see it, but the word of mouth on this could potentially spread like wildfire once people experience the film’s heady charms for themselves.

Not only does the genuinely uplifting mood and sparkling invention make it attractive to audiences in depressing times, but the silent movie aspect means it could potentially translate across several continents and cultures.

A glorious and highly inventive tribute to cinema, its playful cleverness and uplifting tone often hide the considerable invention it took to craft what is easily one of the best films of 2011.

The Artist screens at the London Film Festival tonight (Tues 18th) and Saturday (22nd) before opening in the US on November 23rd. The UK release date is TBC

> Official site
> Collected reviews of The Artist at MUBi
> Find out more about the silent era of Hollywood at Wikipedia

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Cinema Reviews Thoughts

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn

Steven Spielberg’s long cherished dream of bringing Herge’s famous character to the screen utilises cutting edge visual effects to create a delightful adaptation.

Although as his first animated film it marks new technical territory for the director, the globe-trotting nature of the narrative closely resembles his Indiana Jones movies and he weaves something fresh and exciting out of a much loved character.

The story blends elements of the first three Tintin books – The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure – and centres around an intrepid reporter (Jamie Bell) and his loyal dog Snowy as they come across a valuable model boat.

They soon discover that various other people are interested in it and their investigation sees them come across various characters, including: enigmatic Sakharine (Daniel Craig), drink-soaked Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) and twin Interpol agents Thomson and Thompson (Nick Frost and Simon Pegg).

Using a similar 3D motion capture process that James Cameron pioneered on Avatar, Spielberg shot the actors on a stage with a virtual camera and then producer Peter Jackson’s visual effects company Weta Digital essentially animated over the performances and created the world in which they inhabit.

It should be noted that Jackson was closely involved in the project – he is even credited as 2nd unit director – and will probably co-direct a sequel, if this one meets commercial expectations.

The end result is visually stunning, a rich and immersive depiction of Herge’s world filled with impressive detail and colour.

Spielberg especially seems energised by the new process, exploring visual angles and movements that wouldn’t be possible in a conventional live action film.

Various action sequences utilise the virtual locations extremely well and the filmmakers really squeeze the excitement out of different spaces, be they streets, ships or deserts.

Nowhere is this more apparent in the character of Snowy – an integral part of Tintin’s world – who simply wouldn’t have been possible in a live action process (unless they found a ridiculously talented dog).

The motion-capture process also gives the main characters bodies a greater sense of weight and their movement a greater believability, although it is still early days in the technology when it comes to the detail of the face.

A slight sense of weirdness comes when there are facial close ups, as they are so rich in detail that they venture into uncanny valley territory, but overall this isn’t too much of a problem as the look has been carefully designed on pre-existing source material and isn’t meant to duplicate real people.

It perhaps isn’t a surprise that the stand-out performance comes from Serkis, now the most experienced motion-capture actor in the world after his pioneering work in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Not only is his character engaging and hilarious, his performance is the most complete hybrid of voice and movement in the cast, setting a new benchmark in this new technical zone of acting.

That said the other main performances – especially Bell – help bring their characters to life and unlike recent Robert Zemeckis films that have used motion capture (such as A Christmas Carol) they feel more complete and polished.

The recreation of light, be it from lamps on a ship or direct sunlight, is remarkable and matched by the tricky business of water (which is similarly impressive) giving scenes which combine them a real wow factor.

Mainstream audiences are likely to be dazzled by the overall look and some of the visual transitions, which explain potentially tricky plot elements, are done with such finesse and joy they suggest Spielberg was thoroughly enamoured with his new digital tool kit.

Is it too much of a stretch to suggest his love of shooting on celluloid and editing on a Steenbeck could be waning in the face of the possibilities afforded by digital? (Michael Kahn has confirmed that they edited the upcoming War Horse on an Avid)

Spielberg has always stated that he’s going to shoot on film stock for live action movies, but the screening of this in very week that Panavision and ARRI announced they would stop making traditional film cameras in favour of digital models seems like some kind of portent.

But whatever the future holds, this is probably Spielberg’s most purely enjoyable film since Minority Report as he handles the action and characters with effervescent aplomb, each sequence snapping easily into another.

Much of the solid foundation of the film lies in the witty, respectful script by British writers Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, who have wisely focused on getting the fundamental characters right and letting everything flow from there.

Fans of the books and a whole new audience will find much to enjoy in Snowy’s persistence, Tintin’s fearlessness and Haddock’s drunken wisdom, whilst enjoying the mix of playful humour and genuine excitement.

The eagle eyed will notice the loving references to Herge’s world and what seemed to me like Easter egg references to each of the first three Indiana Jones movies – I won’t spoil what they were, but keep an eye out for a van, a plane and a motorbike side-car.

In some ways, there are parallels to Raiders of the Lost Ark as that was an adventure film heavily influenced by existing source material (the serials of the 1930s and 40s) and Secret of the Unicorn sees Spielberg flex similar creative muscles, with its mix of fast-paced action, humour and globe-trotting adventure.

Perhaps the best credit you can give the filmmakers is that it seemed like they had a blast making it and that infectious enthusiasm – a classic trait in Spielberg’s best work – transmits to the end result.

As for the 3D, the filmmakers and distributor seem to have taken into consideration the problem of brightness levels, which has bedevilled recent releases such as Captain America: The First Avenger and the final Harry Potter movie.

Although the colours are distinctive to begin with, the brightness level on the cinema screen I saw (the Odeon Leicester Square in London) was amongst the best I’ve seen in a 3D screening and Spielberg also makes intelligent use of the sense of space that the medium offers.

As for the director’s usual collaborators, Michael Kahn’s editing helps give the film an energy and smooth sense of movement, whilst the score from John Williams – whilst not one of his most immediately melodic – forms a similar function and never overpowers the visuals.

Given the nature of the production, which involves digital rather than traditional photochemical cinematography, regular DP Janusz Kaminski has performed a different role as a ‘visual consultant’ but seems to have played a role in the realisation of Herge’s drawings and the virtual lighting and camera moves.

Unusually for a major release, this will be released in Europe almost two months before America, presumably to build buzz and anticipation in the continent where the characters are most familiar.

There was a lot that was unconventional about this project, as two major directors have teamed up for a franchise that is being released by a pair of major studios, with Paramount distributing in Europe and Sony in America.

It is ironic that the latest digital filmmaking technology has been utilised to bring such a traditional character to the big screen, but it says a lot that Spielberg and his team of collaborators have kept faith with the core characters and look of the source material.

The end result has a beautiful charm and simplicity to it which should appeal to a wide spectrum of audiences around the world, possibly paving the way for an enduring franchise.

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn opens in the UK on October 26th and in the US on December 19th

> Official Tintin site, Facebook and Twitter
> Find out more about the Tintin books at Wikipedia

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Cinema Festivals London Film Festival Reviews

LFF 2011: Shame

Steve McQueen‘s second feature is a stunning depiction of sexual compulsion.

Set in contemporary New York, it explores the life of an advertising executive (Michael Fassbender) who is struggling to cope with an addiction to sex and a needy sister (Carey Mulligan) who has just arrived to stay.

Like his astonishing debut, Hunger, this is bold filmmaking centred around an incredible central performance from Fassbender who manages to convey the pleasure and pain of a man in the throes of an all-consuming impulse.

Essentially a portrait of an addict enabled by the modern world (e.g. promiscuity, internet porn) the main character comes across as an unlikely combination of George Clooney in Up in the Air (surface charm hiding an inner emptiness) and Robert De Niro in Raging Bull (inner rage finding an expression through physical activity), with a dash of Christian Bale in American Psycho (only without the blood).

Fassbender manages to balance the fleshy demands of the role (which go near the boundaries of what is accepted in mainstream cinema) with an impeccable surface charm and is completely believable as a modern day sexual vampire.

Mulligan provides a compelling counterweight as a messy, needy sibling and the carefully calibrated chemistry between them hints at a dark past, which may (or may not) explain their present behaviour.

It says a lot that despite their strange, unusual actions, these characters feel utterly authentic and their worlds utterly defined.

Visually, Shame is almost a companion piece to Hunger as McQueen and his cinematographer Sean Bobbit fill the screen with some stunning widescreen imagery.

Not only is there impeccable framing and the now signature long takes, including a breathtaking street sequence, but the use of lighting is also unusual – one night-time scene goes to the very limits of lighting and photography to great effect.

Despite the innate heaviness of the subject matter, there is also a surprising amount of charm and humour – after all the protagonist is someone who is necessarily seductive – and separate scenes involving a restaurant and an infected computer provide some clever light relief.

McQueen and Abi Morgan have written a screenplay which feels like a blue-print for a more visual style of storytelling, although some sequences – especially a telling, claustrophobic argument – are sharply scripted and allow the images on screen to say much more than words ever could.

The use of music is appropriately sombre and simultaneously epic, with Harry Escott‘s score channeling Hans Zimmer’s music to the The Thin Red Line (1998) – one signature piece is very reminiscent of Journey to the Line – whilst the use of Bach in places is restrained but highly effective.

New York provides an interesting metropolitan backdrop, as McQueen deliberately downplays the usual visual cliches (Empire State building, Statue of Liberty etc) to depict an urban environment which could actually be any modern city.

Apparently the filmmakers chose the Big Apple over London because it was easier to research sex addiction there, but it also provides a hauntingly sterile backdrop.

Production designer Judy Becker helps create interiors which match the emptiness of the characters, whilst the location filming brilliantly utilises trains, nightclubs and streets: all of the highs and lows of city living are displayed, with a visual attention to detail that is often jaw-dropping.

In the same way that Hunger used the 1981 IRA hunger strike to indirectly comment on modern day torture and incarceration, Shame could be seen as a telling metaphor for the soulless nature of urban living, fuelled by a self-destructive brand of capitalism.

In a month which has seen part of the city occupied by a younger generation puzzled and appalled by a global financial crisis partly engineered by their Baby Boomer parents.

Shame is a curiously timely film, even if its makers didn’t intend it to be.

There has already been considerable buzz about it on the festival circuit, due to the graphic sexual content and sheer quality of the acting and direction but, again like Hunger, it seems unlikely that this will break out of the urban art-house realm.

That being said, Fox Searchlight have acquired it (major kudos and respect to them) and are likely to make a big push for Best Actor for Fassbender.

Make no mistake, this is a performance that actors (the biggest voting block in the Academy) will be dazzled by.

After his breakthrough roles in Hunger and Inglourious Basterds, he has already demonstrated a remarkable command of screen acting: his physicality, voice and presence are something to behold.

Even if he doesn’t become a major A-list star that producers and agents clearly want him to be, who cares when he gives performances like this?

Older Oscar members might have a coronary at some of the sex scenes and those explicit, but never gratuitous, sequences are likely to pose an interesting dilemma for the distributor and the MPAA ratings board – many have predicted an NC-17 for this film in the US as the racier scenes are difficult to edit around, due to the way they have been shot.

Given that NC-17 spells commercial death for a film (it means reduced mainstream advertising and refusal of some multiplex chains to screen it) maybe it is time the ratings board grew up and gave this an R with no cuts?

After all, we live in an age when the most sadistic, violent junk is given the green light by the US ratings board but shots of a naked body are deemed to be immoral or unacceptable.

Or we would know this for sure if the MPAA was an open, accountable body, rather than the secretive shambles it currently is.

Despite the American setting, it is interesting to note that this is a home grown British production, with See-Saw Films teaming up with Film4 and some funding from the now defunct UK Film Council.

It is interesting to note that homegrown British films have undergone something of a renaissance in a terrible economic climate since 2008, compared to the Lottery funded disasters of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Is it an uncomfortable truth that bad social times lead to risk-taking directors with something to say?

Where Steve McQueen goes from here career wise is hard to call because I doubt he wants to take on the next big studio comic-book franchise, but if he can keep making films like this then discerning audiences will have much to be grateful for.

Shame screens tonight (Friday 14th) and tomorrow (Sat 15th) at the London Film Festival, opens in the US on December 2nd and in the UK on January 13th

> Shame on Twitter
> Reviews from Venice, Telluride and Toronto at MUBi

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Cinema

UK Cinema Release: Friday 14th October 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Real Steel (Walt Disney): A boxing drama set in the near-future where large robots do battle via human controllers. A former boxer (Hugh Jackman) gets a shot at a comeback when he teams up with his estranged son (Dakota Goya) to build and train the perfect contender. Directed by Shawn Levy, it co-stars Evangeline Lilly and Anthony Mackie. [Nationwide / PG]

Footloose (Paramount): Remake of the 1984 film in which a city kid (Kenny Wormald) moves from Boston to a sleepy Georgia town where dancing and rock music are banned. Directed by Craig Brewer, it co-stars Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell. [Nationwide / 12A]

Dolphin Tale (Warner Bros.): Drama about a young boy who befriends an injured dolphin and motivates others to help save him by creating a prosthetic appendage to replace the dolphin’s missing tail. Directed by Charles Martin Smith, it stars Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr. and Kris Kristofferson. [Nationwide / U]

The Three Musketeers (E1 Films): 3D update of the Alexandre Dumas novel about a young swordsman who longs to join the famous musketeers: Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, it stars Milla Jovovich, Logan Lerman, Mads Mikkelsen and Orlando Bloom.

Albatross (CineMANX): Coming-of-age comedy-drama revolving around a teenage writer (a (Jessica Brown-Findlay) and her family living on the south coast of England. Directed by Niall MacCormick, it co-stars Sebastian Koch, Julia Ormond, Felicity Jones and Jessica Brown-Findlay. [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

Sleeping Beauty (Revolver): Drama about a young university student (Emily Browning) drawn into a mysterious hidden world of unspoken desires. Directed by Colin Morgan. [Selected cinemas / 15]

Texas Killing Fields (Entertainment Films): In the Texas bayous, a local homicide detective teams up with a cop from New York City to investigate a series of unsolved murders. Directed by Ami Canaan Mann, it stars Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Chloë Grace Moretz. [Selected cinemas / 15]

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (The Works): Morgan Spurlock’s latest documentary is about branding, advertising and product placement that itself is actually financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement. [Selected cinemas / 12A]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 7th October 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

The Lion King 3D (Walt Disney): Tricked into thinking he killed his father, a guilt ridden lion cub (Matthew Broderick) flees into exile and abandons his identity as the future King. Directed Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers, this 3D re-release of the 1994 blockbuster recently topped the US box office. [Nationwide / U]

Johnny English Reborn (Universal): The comedy spy franchise based on a Barclaycard advert sees bumbling British spy Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) flushes out a spy in his follow-up assignment as he becomes embroiled in a plot by a team of assassin’s to kill the Chinese premier. [Nationwide / PG]

Midnight In Paris (Warner Bros.): Woody Allen’s most financially successful film ever is a romantic comedy about a family traveling to Paris for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better. Stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates. [Nationwide / 12A]

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (StudioCanal): A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own. Directed Troy Nixey, it stars Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes, Bailee Madison and Alan Dale. [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal): Drama about a man plagued by violence and rage who gets a chance of redemption in the form of a Christian charity shop worker. Directed by Paddy Considine, it stars Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman, Ned Dennehy abd Matthew Rhys. [Selected cinemas / 18]

Perfect Sense (Arrow Films): A chef and a scientist fall in love as an epidemic begins to rob people of their sensory perceptions. Directed by David MacKenzie and starring Ewan McGregor and Eva Green. [Selected cinemas / 15]

Four Days Inside Guantanamo (Dogwoof): Documentary about about the controversial visits of Canadian officials to Guantanamo to see 16-year-old terror suspect Omar Khadr. Directed by Luc Cote and Patrricio Henriquez.

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases

Categories
Cinema Reviews Thoughts

Melancholia

Despite a Cannes premiere overshadowed by controversy, director Lars Von Trier has returned with arguably his finest film.

It explores the relationship between two sisters at a large country house: Justine (Kirsten Dunst), recently married to Michael (Alexander Skarsgard), and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who along with her husband (Kiefer Sutherland), has organised the wedding and reception.

Split into two parts, the first involves an extravagant wedding reception, filled with misery; whilst the second focuses on the two sisters as they stay in the same location, as a large blue planet called Melancholia threatens to collide with the earth.

Opening with a stunning slow-motion overture, set to Wagner’s Prelude to Tristan and Isolde, it blends intimate drama with grand, apocalyptic disaster and the end result is a stylish and – unusually for Von Trier – heartfelt film.

In the past the director’s sneaky, contrarian could be both a blessing and a curse, making his films boldly inventive, exasperating, or sometimes both.

His last film Antichrist (2009) displayed some of his undoubted gifts as a director before collapsing into a ludicrous orgy of violence and hysteria, which scandalised the audiences at its world premiere in Cannes.

After the climactic scene of the film – which was one of those genuine ‘is Von-Trier-taking-the-piss?’ endings – a bizarre dedication appeared to Andrei Tarkovsky.

Why? I’m not exactly sure, other than the Danish director seems like a big fan.

But strangely, it is his latest that bears the touch of the great Russian director.

Here he seems to be channelling two very different films: Solaris (1972), with its exploration of a ‘living’ planet affecting human emotions, and The Celebration (1998), Thomas Vinterberg’s hellish depiction of a family gathering, which still stands as the highpoint of the Dogme movement Von Trier helped create.

But Melancholia has its own unique charms and manages to capture the Dane at his very best – he never takes the material too seriously, but also isn’t afraid to indulge in big, bold strokes.

The wedding section is filmed with his puckish sense of humour that often drives his detractors crazy: not only do the happy couple struggle to even reach the party in their limousine, but when they get there, discover that no-one is really happy anyway.

Opting for a handheld shooting style, after the slow-motion imagery at the beginning, the director has a lot of fun with the tacky misery of the event: the meaningless counting of beans, unhappy relationships and fruitless driving around in golf carts create a tangible atmosphere.

Rarely has despair been so joyously captured on screen.

But there is something more here than Von Trier just having a cheap dig at the shallow pretensions of the rich: he is making a wider point about human emotions, our capacity for self-delusion and the wisdom of despair. Speaking of emotions, according to Cine Vue some films are able to make us smell scents and feel other sensations apart from the audio-visual experience.

If we are going to die and life is meaningless anyway, surely it is the natural condition?

As the second half of the film progresses, Christine appears to grow stronger as her misery gives way to a higher wisdom about her situation and that of the planet.

This could have been what he was aiming for in Antichrist, in which nature was a chaotic force that ‘reigned’ over the humans.

But here he seems a little more focused as wider cosmic forces in the shape of a rogue planet come to affect the central characters – but instead of shrill hysteria and genital mutilation we get a richer reflection on life and existence.

Both films could be seen as a therapy double-bill for the director – who has talked about his battles with depression over the last few years – but with Melancholia he seems to be taking his foot off the accelerator and his work feels all the better for it.

Coming across as a darker, more subversive version of Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married (2008), it is a perfectly pitched antidote to the traditional ‘movie wedding’ (frequently a virus-like staple of US romantic comedies) and sprinkled with a pleasingly arch mood.

This is matched by some great locations and production design: the use of Tjolöholm Castle in Sweden is inspired, providing a visually interesting backdrop, with its immaculately tendered golf course, claustrophobic interiors and frequently stunning exteriors, which revolve around atmospheric night scenes of the ever encroaching blue planet.

Dunst gives a career-best performance, convincingly showing her character’s descent into depression and subsequent stoic acceptance of impending global doom, whilst Gainsbourg is equally strong as a more naïvely empathetic character.

Their chemistry as sisters is physically unlikely, but emotionally believable and as the film progresses they provide some of the best acting in a Von Trier film since Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves (1995).

Although he often gets criticised for torturing his female characters, he frequently manages to draw emotionally brave performances from them, unlike many directors working in the mainstream.

In the supporting cast, John Hurt and Charlotte Rampling have small but juicy roles as bickering parents whilst Kiefer Sutherland brings considerable depth to his delusional rich, husband who struggles to keep up the veneer that everything will be OK.

The film could be seen as an extended metaphor for the depressed artist (namely Von Trier himself), in that no-one really believes Justine when she is ill and her advertiser bosses are always asking what her next project might be.

That is one valid interpretation, but its hard not see the film as Von Trier pointing out the craziness of polite society (ironically the people who go to see his films) and how it is the seemingly unhinged who cope the best when truly bad things happen.

Given that there is no evolutionary reason for depression, an ailment which often leads to self-destruction, perhaps it is a painfully valuable reminder of our mortality?

Such heady ideas are expressed with considerable skill as Von Trier interchanges a rough and ready visual style, with some stunningly beautiful sequences, which include helicopter shots and slow-motion tableau.

It almost provides a snapshot of his own career, as the rough Dogme aesthetic of his earlier work blends with a lush beauty that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro assists with some stunning digital images throughout – this was one of the first films to shoot on Arri’s Alexa camera – whilst the visual effects of the encroaching planet supervised by Peter Hjorth evoke an appropriate sense of wonder and awe.

All this marks a highpoint in Von Trier’s career, which is all the more shame that he undid a lot of that hard work by making some foolishly ill-placed jokes at the launch of the film in Cannes.

He clearly wasn’t being serious when he jokingly called himself a Nazi, said he understood Hitler and made some inappropriate remarks about Susanne Bier, as well as ‘planning a hardcore porn movie’ with Dunst and Gainsbourg.

But given the particular sensitivities still felt in France about the Holocaust and the instantaneous nature of modern news, it was an ugly episode in which Von Trier’s bad-boy act came back to haunt him as he was banned from the festival.

Typically, Von Trier has since played up his persona non grata status, but forget the off-screen nonsense and enjoy what is an unexpectedly beautiful vision of the apocalypse.

 

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 30th September 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Abduction (Lionsgate UK): A thriller about a young man (Taylor Lautner) who sets out to uncover the truth about his life after finding his baby photo on a missing persons website. Directed by John Singleton, it co-stars Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, and Jason Isaacs. [Nationwide / 12A]

The Debt (Universal): In 1965, a group of Mossad agents (Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain) on a mission to kill a Nazi war criminal. Thirty years later, one of the agents (Helen Mirren) learns that the Nazi may have resurfaced in the Ukraine. Directed by John Madden, it co-stars Ciaran Hinds and Tom Wilkinson. [Nationwide / 15]

What’s Your Number? (20th Century Fox): Comedy about a woman (Anna Faris) who looks back at the past twenty men she’s had relationships with and wonders if one of them might be her one true love. Directed by Mark Mylod and co-starring Chris Evans, Matthew Bomer and Zachary Quinto. [Nationwide / 15]

Shark Night 3D (Entertainment Films): Horror about people on holiday in the Louisiana Gulf who are terrorised by fresh-water shark attacks. Directed by Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin, it stars Sara Paxton, Alyssa Diaz, David R. Ellis and Chris Carmack [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

Melancholia (Artificial Eye): Two sisters (Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg) find their relationship challenged as a nearby planet threatens to collide into the Earth. Directed by Lars Von Trier, it co-stars Kiefer Sutherland and John Hurt. [Selected cinemas / 15]

Red State (E1 Films): Director Kevin Smith’s latest film, which is a dark departure for him. Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter some sinister fundamentalists. Stars Melissa Leo, John Goodman and Matthew-Lee Erlbach. [Selected cinemas / 18]

The Green Wave (Dogwoof): Documentary by Ali Samadi Ahadi that follows the Iranian green movement during the disputed re-election of Mahmud Ahmadinejad in June 2009. [Selected cinemas]

Red White and Blue (Trinity Filmed Entertainment): Revenge thriller about a woman in Austin, who comes across two mysterious people. Directed by Simon Rumley, it stars Amanda Fuller, Noah Taylor and Marc Senter. [Selected cinemas / 18]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases including Ben Hur, Airplane! and Manhunter

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 23rd September 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Crazy, Stupid, Love (Warner Bros.): Romantic comedy about a man (Steve Carell) who breaks up with his wife (Julianne Moore) and then gets dating tips from his womanising neighbour (Ryan Gosling). Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, it co-stars Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon. [Nationwide / 12A]

Drive (Icon): Stylish drama about a nameless Hollywood stuntman (Ryan Gosling) who moonlights as a getaway driver at night and gets drawn into a web of crime involving his neighbour (Carey Mulligan) and a local businessman (Albert Brooks). Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, it co-stars Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman and Oscar Isaac. [Nationwide / 18] [Read our full review here]

Warrior (Lionsgate UK): Drama about two estranged brothers (Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton) in Pittsburgh who end up fighting in a MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) tournament for some much needed cash. Directed by Gavin O’Connor, it was co-stars Nick Nolte and Frank Grillo. [Nationwide / 12A]

Killer Elite (Entertainment): Thriller about a retired SAS soldier (Jason Statham) who goes on a mission to kill three assassins. Directed by Gary McKendry, it co-stars Robert De Niro and Clive Owen. [Nationwide / 15]

Soul Surfer (Walt Disney): Drama based on the true story of teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb) who lost her arm in a shark attack and decided to return to the sport. Directed by Sean McNamara, it co-stars Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt and Carrie Underwood. [Nationwide / 12A]

ALSO OUT

Page One: Inside The New York Times (Dogwoof): Documentary charting one year in the life of the NEw York Times through the lens of the media desk. Directed by Andrew Rossi, it explores how an established newspaper makes the painful transition to the digital age. [Selected cinemas / 15] [Listen to our interview with Andrew Rossi]

Mademoiselle Chambon (Axiom Films): French drama about a blue collar worker a blue-collar worker (Vincent Lindon,) in a provincial town who is gradually tempted by another woman. Directed by Stephane Brize, it co-stars Sandrine Kiberlain, Aure Atika and Stanislav Ianevski. [Nationwide / 18]

Tucker & Dale Vs Evil (vertigo Films): Horror comedy about two people on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they get attacked by a group of preppy college kids. Directed by Jason Mather, it stars Eli Craig and Alan Tudyk. [Selected cinemas]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases including United 93 and Attack the Block

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 16th September 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal): Set in the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent from within MI6’s echelons. Directed by Tomas Alfredson, it co-stars Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and John Hurt. [Nationwide / 15] [Read our review here]

30 Minutes Or Less (Sony Pictures) : Comedy about a small town pizza delivery guy (Jesse Eisenberg) whose mundane life collides with the plans of a wanna-be criminal (Danny McBride) who forces him to rob a bank. Directed by Ruben Fleischer, it co-stars Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson and Michael Pena. [Nationwide / 15]

The Change-Up (Universal): Body swap comedy about a family man (Jason Bateman) who switches roles with his best friend (Ryan Reynolds), a lazy womaniser. Directed by David Dobkin, it co-stars Olivia Wilde and Leslie Mann. [Nationwide / 15]

I Don’t Know How She Does It (Entertainment): Comedy about a finance executive (Sarah Jessica Parker) who is the breadwinner for her husband and two kids, is handed a major new account that will require frequent trips. Directed by Douglas McGrath, it co-stars Pierce Brosnan, Kelsey Grammer, Mathew Baynton. [Nationwide / 12A]

ALSO OUT

You Instead (Icon): Comedy about two pop stars who get handcuffed together at a music festival. Directed by David McKenzie, it stars Luke Treadaway, and Natalia Tena. [Selected cinema / 15]

Atrocious (Metrodome): Spanish low budget horror film involving found footage. Directed by Fernando Barreda Luna, it stars Cristian Valencia. [Key Cities / 15]

Episode 50 (Metrodome): Horror film about a television crew working on a paranormal investigation series has so far disproved 49 claims of supernatural goings-on. Directed by Josh Folan, it stars Chris Perry and Natalie Wetta. [Selected cinemas / 15]

Turnout (Peccadillo Pictures): A British crime caper about East End boys in Hoxton. Directed by Lee Sales, it stars Ophelia Lovibond, George Russo and Francis Pope. [Key Cities / 18]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases including Star Wars, Sunrise and Point Break

Categories
Cinema Reviews

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

This impeccably crafted adaptation of John le Carre’s Cold War thriller finds new resonance in an era of economic and social crisis.

Set in the murky world of British intelligence during the 1970s, retired agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is hired to find out the identity of a Soviet double-agent inside ‘the Circus’ (in house name for MI6) and solve a looming crisis.

Along with his new partner Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) and an agent in hiding (Tom Hardy), Smiley focuses on a group of suspects whom their former boss (John Hurt) had given nicknames: Percy ‘Tinker’ Alleline (Toby Jones); Bill ‘Tailor’ Haydon (Colin Firth); Roy ‘Soldier’ Bland (Ciaran Hinds) and Toby ‘Poor Man’ Esterhase (David Dencik).

Rather than comparing it to the acclaimed 1979 TV series with Alec Guinness as Smiley, it is better to think of this as fresh adaptation of the original novel, as it not only skilfully compresses the action into 127 minutes but also introduces some clever changes which establish a fresh version of le Carre’s world.

The screenplay by Peter Straughan and the late Bridget O’Connor moves things around, but preserves the essential story inside a clever flashback structure, which along with a key Christmas party scene (not in the book) neatly fuses the themes and plot.

But it is the hiring of Swedish director Tomas Alfredson and his cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema that proves the real masterstoke.

Fresh from the success of Let The Right One In (2009), they convey the slow burn tensions of the time with a piercing outsiders eye.

The framing of shots and muted colour palette are accomplished with laser like precision, whilst the the drab horror of the Cold War and the incestuous, Oxbridge world of UK intelligence is evoked with remarkable aplomb.

This is augmented by some wonderful production design from Maria Djurkovic and costumes by Jacqueline Durran, which convincingly depict an era which can be prone to kitsch or parody.

Also worth noting is the impressive sound design by John Casali, which seems to be channelling Walter Murch’s work in The Conversation (1974) – another film where a weary protagonist tries to process a world in which appearances can be deceiving.

Alberto Iglesias’ score lends the film a distinctive mood with its sparse piano and mournful strings, whilst some of the musical choices are judged to perfection, especially a memorable montage sequence involving a Julio Igelsias version of ‘Le Mer’.

The action frequently involves a patient Smiley quietly venturing between the strange, slang-infected world of ‘the Circus’ and meeting various people with whom silence is frequently more telling than the words that come out of their mouth.

Gary Oldman is vital in making this approach work, with his tangible screen presence and deliberately restrained performance. Marking a pleasant change from the raw energy of his earlier career, he imbues Smiley with a weary, quiet dignity.

The supporting cast is crammed with stellar British acting talent: Colin Firth, John Hurt, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch are particularly excellent in smaller-than-usual roles in an ensemble which snaps together like a particularly satisfying jigsaw puzzle.

Two key supporting characters are shrewdly never shown in this version even though their presence is keenly felt. They gain greater meaning via their absence, especially as it impacts on Smiley and further stokes the themes of trust and deception.

In his writing career, le Carre managed to mine his own Cold War experiences to create lasting depictions of the simmering intrigue and tensions of a period when the world flirted with nuclear annihilation.

George Smiley has proved his most memorable character and it is striking that such a particular novel as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy can find new resonance in an era of economic disaster, intractable wars and disillusionment with established institutions.

But is this film version too good for its own good?

Upscale audiences hungry for quality fare in a cinema landscape dominated by sequels and animation will eat this up and help power it to BAFTA and Oscar recognition.

The question mark hanging over it is whether a younger audience – for whom the Cold War is ancient history – will respond to its slow pace, opaque slang and considered editing style.

For viewers weaned on a diet of quickly edited action movies or CGI-fuelled comic-book morality tales, this may seem like something from another planet.

Whilst that will come as a relief to some, it may spell problems at the box office.

But whatever its commercial fate it is true to the source material: le Carre has often provided a steady corrective to the brightly coloured fantasies of James Bond.

Where Ian Fleming gave us escapist Cold War fantasies, Le Carre provided sobering reflections on the dark secrets that power human conflict.

The story of Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy drew upon the Cambridge Five spy ring and the shattering realisation that the British establishment had been deeply infiltrated by the KGB from within.

The airing of the TV serial in 1979 coincided with the shocking revelation that not only was Anthony Blunt a spy but that the British Government had been keeping this a secret for 15 years.

Some critics may resent Le Carre for what they see as a distorted version of British intelligence, though I suspect whatever the precise accuracy of his novels, they provide a telling metaphor for the closeted hypocrisies of a nation unable to deal with its diminished global status during the post-war years.

In a similar way, this film adaptation feels timely after public anger at the deceptions used to justify two wars, a banking crisis – which may still trigger an economic apocalypse – and an insular political class which seems bereft of solutions.

Alfredson’s film is a brilliantly realised version of Le Carre’s book, but whether cinema goers want to be reminded that the world is often a dark and horrible place is the kind of question which would have given George Smiley a sleepless night.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy opens in the UK on Friday 16th September and in the US on December 9th

> Official site, Facebook page and Twitter feed
> Find out more about John Le Carre, the original novel and the Cold War at Wikipedia
> Early reviews of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy after its Venice premiere
> Radio 4 interview with John le Carre about the film
> BBC News on the realism of le Carre’s world (Warning: Spoilers)

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 9th September 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Jane Eyre (Universal): The latest adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s famous novel, which depicts the struggles of a young woman (Mia Wasikowska) in 19th century England as she survives a tough childhood, before eventually working for the moody Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender). Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, it co-stars Jamie Bell and Judi Dench. [Nationwide / PG] [Read our full review here]

Friends With Benefits (Sony Pictures): A romantic comedy about two twenty-somethings, Jamie (Mila Kunis) and Dylan (Justin Timberlake), who become friends and decide to have a casual sexual relationship. Directed by Will Gluck, it co-stars Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman and Richard Jenkins. [Nationwide / 15]

Colombiana (Entertainment): A French-American action thriller about a young woman (Zo Saldana) who becomes an assassin and vigilante, hoping to avenge her parents’ death. Directed by Olivier Megaton, it co-stars Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis and Jordi Mollà. [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

Troll Hunter (Momentum Pictures): Norwegian dark fantasy film made in the form of a “found footage” mockumentary. Directed by Andre Ovredal, starring Otto Jespersen and Glenn Eriand Tosterud [Selected cinemas / 15]

Way of the Morris (Fifth Column Films): Documentary about the old English tradition of Morris dancing. Directed by Tim Plester and Rob Curry, it features Billy Bragg, Chris Leslie and the Addersbury Village Morris Men. [Selected cinemas / 12A]

Kes (Park Circus): Re-release for this classic 1969 film about a young boy (David Bradley) and his pet Kestrel. Directed by Ken Loach, it co-stars Colin Welland, Lynne Perrie, Freddie Fletcher and Brian Glover.

Post Mortem (Network Releasing): Drama set in a Chilean mortuary around the time of the 1973 coup that toppled the Allende government. Directed by Pablo Larrain, it stars Alfredo Castro and Amparo Noguera. [Selected cinemas / 15]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases including Once Upon A Time in the West

Categories
Cinema Reviews Thoughts

Jane Eyre

An exquisitely realised adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel injects new life into the much filmed text.

Opening with a key flash-forward sequence, the story depicts the struggles of a young woman (Mia Wasikowska) in 19th century England as she survives a tough childhood, before eventually working at a country house owned by the moody Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender).

Along the way Jane encounters an uncaring aunt (Sally Hawkins), a cruel teacher (Simon McBurney), a sympathetic parson (Jamie Bell) and an amiable housekeeper (Judi Dench).

There is also the matter of her own emotions, which are considerably stretched by her enigmatic new boss who not only has his own feelings for her, but seems to embody the 20th century phrase “it’s complicated”.

Often British literary costume dramas can be lifeless museum pieces but BBC Films and Focus Features made the wise choice of hiring director Cary Fukunaga to adapt an elegant script by playwright Moira Buffini.

His stunning debut Sin Nombre (2009) depicted a wildly different exterior world to Bronte’s England, but the interior emotional terrains are surprisingly similar.

Part of what makes this adaptation so striking is the stylish, unfussy way in which Fukunaga shoots the characters and their environment.

Every drab, visual cliché of the British period film – be it the moors, country houses or costumes – is revamped to create a believable world which feels richly alive.

Along with cinematographer Adriano Goldman, Fukunaga uses realistic lighting – with some night scenes lit by fireplaces and candlelight – and smooth, composed framing to create a striking visual look.

The use of the Derbyshire locations is also interesting (and not just because they are standing in for Yorkshire), as they retain the darkly gothic vibe of the book but are also subtly augmented with lighting and visual effects.

This is all helped by some terrific production design by Will Hughes-Jones and period costumes by Michael O’Connor (although Fukunaga has admitted they skipped a decade because dresses in the 1830s made women look like ‘wedding cakes’).

But the beating heart of this film lies with Wasikowska and Fassbender, who both lift the film on to another emotional level with their depiction of the central, slow burning relationship.

Jane is complex and iconic female role but Wasikowska impressively conveys her quiet determination and emotional longing, whilst Fassbender demonstrates again why he is already one of the most sought after actors working today, as his Rochester feels believably human, whilst maintaining the air of mystery that surrounds him.

Together they form a deeply moving couple as two lost souls struggling to realise that in each other they have found the possibility of love and understanding.

Hollywood insiders, casting directors and cultural tastemakers are currently obsessed with these two young actors, but on the evidence of this film it is easy to see why.

The supporting cast is also excellent, especially Judi Dench who is cleverly cast against type as Mrs. Fairfax: her warm housekeeper provides a welcome contrast to her sterner roles in the Bond series or countless Miramax period movies.

Composer Dario Marianelli wisely keeps away from melodramatics, using a subtle blend of violin, piano and strings to create a rich musical foil to the emotions on screen.

Part of the enduring appeal of the novel is that depicts decent people struggling to find happiness in a cruel and inhospitable world.

Perhaps out of reverence, the previous eighteen film adaptations cautiously trod around the novel and merely prodded at its emotional centre.

Although this excises some of the religious material of the book – perhaps for time or contemporary relevance – this is the best screen version of Jane Eyre so far, as Fukunaga’s outside American eye manages to unlock the deeper themes inside of it.

> Official site
> Reviews of Jane Eyre at Metacritic
> Find out more about the original novel at Wikipedia

Categories
Cinema Reviews Thoughts

Drive

This ultra stylish LA noir not only provides Ryan Gosling with an memorable lead role but cleverly takes a European approach to an American genre film.

When an enigmatic stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) decides to help out his neighbour (Carey Mulligan) and her family, he finds himself caught up in a dangerous game with a local businessman (Albert Brooks).

Hollywood driver by day and getaway driver at night, the nameless protagonist finds his spartan existence threatened by his emotions and an increasingly tangled web of criminality.

The opening sequence sets the mood as we hear the Driver explain his code of rules and then assist in a getaway which shows both his mastery of cars and the backstreets of Los Angeles.

Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn shoots the city with a coolly detached European eye: his images are steady, composed and artful, whilst jolts of violence and sparse dialogue make it feel like a modern day update of a Leone western or a Melville crime drama.

Adapted from a 2005 novel by James Sallis by screenwriter Hossein Amini, it was originally going to be a bigger budget film with Hugh Jackman in the lead and Neil Marshall directing.

However, the decision to rebuild the project as a sleeker, lower cost model has proved inspired as it manages to successfully combine satisfying genre elements within a stylish European exterior.

Attired in a satin jacket, Gosling is borderline iconic in the lead role, channelling the likes of Steve McQueen in Bullit (1968) and Alain Delon in Le Samurai (1967), but also displaying an undercurrent of emotion as he quietly seeks human intimacy.

In a male-dominated crime story Mulligan is given less to do, although she has a tangible screen presence, and in a minor supporting role Christina Hendricks feels almost unrecognisable from Mad Men.

Brooks has the stand out supporting role as a wily crime boss and he’s brilliantly cast against type, injecting the role with just the right blend of geniality and menace, whilst Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman and Oscar Isaac offer solid support.

Refn often opts for enigmatic silence or music, instead of clumsy dialogue to reveal emotions: sequences involving drives, hallways or lifts are expertly handled and the help connect the dazzling visual artifice with a deep emotional core.

The pacing is lean and mean, without a scene being wasted as the narrative plays around with the heist movie form; establishing, overhead shots of LA unusually focus on the cars and there are some genuinely surprising moments sprinkled amongst the genre elements.

Newton Thomas Siegel‘s widescreen cinematography paints a striking vision of LA as a neon-soaked den of crime but also frames the domestic interior and driving sequences in fresh and interesting ways.

Using the digital Arri Alexa camera, the LA night time visuals are strikingly alive (superior in quality to the digitally-shot Collateral back in 2004) and the tasteful, considered compositions feel like gulps of fresh air in an era of chaotic action visuals.

The sound design by Lou Bender and Victor Ray Ennis also really sells the action, be it the squeak of Gosling’s driver gloves, the roar of his car engine or the cracking of bone, even though conventional set-pieces are kept to a minimum.

A dramatic car chase stands out not only because it is expertly put together but because in an age of over reliance of green screen trickery, the filming of real cars on actual roads seems to be a dying art.

The soundtrack blends tracks from the likes of Kavinsky, College and Desire with Cliff Martinez‘s pulsating electronic score, creating a rich sonic backdrop which chimes in perfectly with the visuals.

This all provides the best musical backdrop to an LA crime movie since Heat (1995), where Michael Mann recruited Elliot Goldenthal to provide a dramatic score, whilst utilising invaluable contributions from Brian Eno, Michael Brook and Moby.

The film builds on the noble tradition of European directors filming crime movies in California: Point Blank (1967) and Bullit (1968) are obvious touchstones, but there is also a strong American influence of films such as The Driver (1978), To Live and Die in LA (1985) and Manhunter (1986).

This blending of European and American sensibilities is what makes Drive such an intoxicating mix: like the central character, it is stylish creation of few words but has a lasting impact on those who see it.

It is no wonder the audience at the Cannes premiere were beguiled by the fusing of transatlantic sensibilities which have fuelled the festival since its inception.

The question mark that hangs over the film is whether or not US distributor FilmDistrict can get people to go and see it: some may be put off by the flashes of violence but if art house and mainstream audiences keep an open mind, this could be a richly deserved hit.

Drive opens in the UK on September 23rd and in the US on September 16th

> Official Facebook page
> Reviews of Drive at Metacritic
> Reactions to Drive at Cannes 2011
> Excellent Cinema-Scope interview with Refn on the making of Drive

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 2nd September 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

Fright Night (Walt Disney): 3D remake of the 1980s horror film about a teenager (Anton Yelchin) who finds out his next door neighbour (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. Directed by Craig Gillespie, it co-stars Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant, Imogen Poots and Toni Collette. [Nationwide / 15]

Apollo 18 (Entertainment): Sci-fi thriller built around about film footage purported to have been shot by the crew of Apollo 18, which ‘reveals’ signs of alien life. Directed by Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego. [Nationwide / 15]

The Art of Getting By (20th Century Fox): Drama about a lonely teenager (Freddie Highmore) who befriends a girl (Emma Roberts) who becomes a kindred spirit. Directed by Gavin Wiesen, it co-stars Michael Angarano and Alicia Silverstone. [Natiowide / 12A]

ALSO OUT

Kill List (Optimum Releasing): British horror-thriller about two hit men (Neil Maskell and Michael Smiley) who return from a job in Russia, only to find a new job is increasingly sinister. Directed by Ben Wheatley, it co-stars MyAnna Buring and Harry Simpson. [Key Cities / 18]

Days Of Heaven (bfi Distribution): Re-issue of Terrence Malick’s classic 1978 drama about two lovers (Richard Gere and Brooke Adams) who travel to Texas to work for a farmer (Sam Shepard). Exquisitely shot, it is one of the great American movies of the 1970s. [Key Cities / PG]

3D Sex & Zen: Extreme Ecstacy (Metrodome): A Hong Kong erotic costume drama which seems to be a new way of cashing in on the current trend of 3D. Directed by Christopher Suen, it stars Saori Hara, Leni Lan and Vonnie Lui. [Key Cities / 18]

Attenberg (Artificial Eye): Greek drama about a woman (Ariane Labed) who lives in a mill town that revolves around a single high-rise apartment building. Directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari, it co-stars Arian Labed, Vangelis Mourikis, Evangelia Randou, Yorgos Lanthinos and Kostas Berikopoulos [Key Cities / 18]

The Hedgehog (Cinefile): French comedy about three neighbors who live in an apartment building in central Paris, who have an unexpected encounter. Directed by Mona Achache, it stars Josiane Balasko, Garance Le Guillermic, Togo Igawa, Anne Brochet and Ariane Ascaride. [Key Cities / 12A]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases including Miller’s Crossing

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 26th August 2011

NATIONAL RELEASES

One Day (Universal): An adaptation of the bestselling novel about Dexter (Jim Sturgess) and Emma Anne Hathaway), a couple who meet during their graduation in 1988 and reunite one day each year over the next 20 years. Directed by Lone Scherfig, it co-stars Rafe Spall and Romla Garai. [Nationwide / 12A]

Conan The Barbarian (Lionsgate UK): Remake of the 1982 film about a barbarian (Jason Momoa) and his quest for vengeance across the mythical kingdom of Hyboria. Directed by Marcus Nispel, it co-stars Rose McGowan, Rachel Nichols and Stephen Lang. [Nationwide / 15]

Final Destination 5 (Warner Bros): The fifth installment of the horror franchise sees more teenagers escape a deadly accident only to later discover that death is hunting them down. Directed by Steven Quale, it stars Nicholas D’Agosto, David Koechner, P.J. Byrne and Ellen Wroe. [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

The Skin I Live In (Fox/Pathe): Revenge drama based on Thierry Jonquet’s novel about a plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas) on the hunt for the men who raped his daughter. Directed by Pedro Almodovar, co-stars Elena Anaya. [Key cities / 15]

Kill The Irishman (Anchor Bay Films): Biopic of the Irish-American mob boss Danny Greene, who rose to the top of Cleveland’s criminal underworld during the late 1970s. Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, it stars Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer. [Key cities / 18]

Children Of The Revolution (E2 Films): Documentary about the children of radical revolutionaries during the late 1960s. Directed by Shane O, it features Ulrike Meinhof and Fusako Shigenobu. [Key Cities]

Powder (Soda Pictures): Drama about a fictional Britpop-era band adapted from Kevin Sampson’s novel. Directed by Mark Elliot, it stars Alfie Allen, Liam Boyle, Al Weaver, and Ralph Little. [Key Cities / 15]

> Get local cinema showtimes at Google Movies or FindAnyFilm
> Recent UK DVD & Blu-ray releases including The Big Lebowski