Category: Reviews

Hot Fuzz is the new comedy from the team behind Shaun of the Dead and Spaced and is a hugely enjoyable spoof of cop movies set in an English rural town. Simon Pegg stars Nicholas Angel, a London cop who is so effective at his job he embarrasses the Met and gets transferred to a sleepy Somerset village. There he finds it difficult to adjust to the local ways but soon finds himself drawn into a series of grisly murders. Imagine if Joel Silver and Jerry Bruckheimer teamed up to make a feature length epiosde of The Bill and you have some idea of what the film is like.

Director Edgar Wright puts things together with flair and a loving attention to detail, especially the cast which features a knowing selection of actors who have played law enforcers: Timothy Dalton (James Bond), Edward Woodward (The Equalizer) and Jim Broadbent (Chief Inspector Slater in Only Fools and Horses). There are also a slew of film and TV references for the more eagle eyed viewer. It might not reach the more sublime heights of Spaced but it is still one of the best comedies to come out of these shores in quite some time. And before you ask, yes, I do think it is better than Shaun of the Dead (good though that was).

The Science of Sleep is another example of director Michel Gondry and his penchant for the surreal. A truly bizarre but highly enjoyable love story sees Gael Garcia Bernal play Stephane – a Mexican who has just moved back to Paris. He has problems separating dreams from reality and when he gets a new job and falls in love with his neighbour (Charlotte Gainsbourg) things get complicated. Gondry explores similar themes to 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Whilst this isn’t as good as that film (the absence of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is felt) there is still much to admire here – notably the performances and the sly streak of wit that runs through the film.

The visuals are a bit hit and miss but when they do work, are a joy to behold. Of particular note are the sequences where Stephane’s mind is represented by a TV show (“Stephane TV”) set in a cardboard studio. They encapsulate the wild approach the film takes – if you don’t like them you probably won’t appreciate the film. In fact some people might be actively repelled by such wanton strangeness. But for me, such off the wall creativity is more than welcome. It is also worth pointing out that despite the whacky fantasy sequences in which they often appear, Gainsbourg and Bernal are both believable and touching as a screen couple. Deep down this is a moving tale despite the zany wrapping. Another thing that I liked and surprised me was the fact that they invest in a new memory foam mattress for this movie. I looked it up on internet and after reading about them I knew I had to buy one for me.

FILMS OF THE WEEK: Hot Fuzz and The Science of Sleep

> Find the cinema showtimes for these films in your area with Google

Dreamgirls is the much hyped film film version of the 80’s Broadway musical. A thinly disguised rise and fall story loosely based on the story of The Supremes and Motown Records, it stars Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Hudson as singers whose careers take a different trajectory under the guidance of a savvy empresario (Jamie Foxx). Although director Bill Condon infuses things with and undeniable panache and verve, there is something lacking in the story which just isn’t dramatic or moving enough. That said ,Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy (as the act the girls initially sing for) deliver terrific performances. Hudson, in particular, eats up the screen and could well win an Oscar for her supporting turn.

Based on Zoe Heller’s novel of the same name, Notes On A Scandal is an absorbing tale of scheming and status in contemporary London. Barbara (Judi Dench) is a veteran teacher becomes quietly obsessed with Sheba (Cate Blanchett), a younger colleague. When she learns about her affair with a pupil, she uses the information to her own devious ends. As you might expect the two standout things here are the lead performances. Dench, in an unusually dark role, gives a splendidly nasty portrayal of a bitter loner whilst Blanchett is also on fine form as a privileged and frustrated urban mother. Patrick Marber’s script has echoes of Harold Pinter, with its fine balance of comic menace and shifting power games whilst director Richard Eyre never quite lets things descend in to TV drama territory.

Arthur and the Invisibles is a surreal and only intermittently successful children’s film from director Luc Besson that mixes live action with animation. When a young boy (Freddie Highmore) tries to save his grandmother’s house from repossession, he has to venture into the world of the Minimoys – tiny elfin beings that exist in his garden. Despite an amazing cast of voices (that includes none other than Madonna, David Bowie and Robert De Niro) the story never really takes off and the mix of animation and live action is uneasy throughout. It passes the time but should have been much more engaging given the talent involved.

FILM OF THE WEEK: Notes on a Scandal

> Get cinema showtimes for your area via Google

Another packed week for cinema releases in the UK but do watch out for an inspired performance from an aging legend and a disturbing low budget horror.

Blood Diamond is set amidst the conflict in Sierra Leone in the late 90s this drama sees Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a mercenary turned diamond smuggler,  cross paths with a Mende fisherman (Djimon Honsou) who has come across – and hidden – a large diamond before being imprisoned as a rebel. Along with a US journalist (Jennifer Connelly) they are all drawn into the murky world of the African diamond trade. Although director Ed Zwick stages the action with impressive aplomb and the performances are good (especially Honsou) it ultimately falls short in its attempts to explore the issue of conflict diamonds and corruption in Africa.

Bobby features a large ensemble cast (featuring Anthony Hopkins, Martin Sheen, Sharon Stone, William H Macy, Joshua Jackson, Heather Graham, Demi Moore, Lindsay Lohan and Elijah Wood) and is a fictional account of the lives of several people present in the hotel where the late Robert F. Kennedy, was shot on June 6, 1968. Although it has its flaws director Emilio Estevez has constructed a drama that keeps you watching and the use of footage from the time is surprisingly powerful.

Venus is about an old English actor (Peter O’Toole) who forms a bond with an unruly young woman who he finds strangely attractive despite being so different to her. Although this sounds like an inverted remake of Harold and Maude, it is actually a highly amusing and shrewdly observed film about getting old. O’Toole gives his best performance in years and newcomer Jodie Whittaker proves a feisty foil for the veteran star. Vanessa Redgrave and Leslie Phillips offer solid – and often touching – support. Director Roger Michell keeps things ticking along nicely and there are some standout comic scenes.

The Fountain is a hugely ambitious love story set across three different time periods and sees Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz play two different sets of characters. A Spanish Conquistador named Tomas, a present day oncologist and a futuristic astronaut all try to find the find the key to eternal life. Although there are certain things here to admire (not least Clint Mansell’s mournful score) this long delayed project from writer-director Darren Aronofsky is a major disappointment. The heavy themes are never properly developed and visually the film never opens out, so the actors are left all at sea with an undercooked script and some weird concepts.

Them features a French couple who stay in a Romanian country house and they find themselves stalked by some locals. A low budget but highly effective horror that avoids the usual pitfalls of the genre. More in the vein of Assault on Precinct 13 or Deliverance it has moments of genuine terror that easily surpasses the schlock of more recent mainstream fare. The fact that it is based on a real life tale about an Austrian couple in the Czech Republic makes it all the more disturbing.

FILMS OF THE WEEK: Venus and Them

> Get cinema showtimes for your local area via Google Movies
> Get other reviews for cinema releases at Metacritic

A really busy week at UK cinemas sees the release of no less than four major films. So if you can brave the extreme weather conditions you may find something worthwhile, especially if you are a fan of multi-layered dramas, boxing underdogs, Truman Capote or plucky Dutch girls in World War 2.

Babel is a thoughtful multi-layered drama from Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Innarritu. It bears many similarities to his previous two films (Amores Perros and 21 Grams) with its use of intertwining narratives but is more ambitious in scope and theme. A US couple in holiday in Morroco (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett), a Mexican nanny and two children under her care and a Japanese teenager in Tokyo who are all connected by a single gunshot. The acting is first rate (watch out for a startling turn from Japanese newcomer Rinko Kikuchi) and the cinematography and editing is superb. A moving and intelligent film whose themes of miscommunication and clashing cultures are sadly all too relevant in today’s world.

Incredibly Rocky is back for his sixth film in Rocky Balboa and Sylvester Stallone returns as both star and director. Here Rocky is persuaded to come out of retirement when ESPN stage a simulated fight on computer between Rocky and current World champ Mason “The Line” Dixon. His promoters think an exhibition match could be a money spinner so they persuade the aging Italian Stallion to fight in Vegas. Although the Rocky series should really have ended years ago Stallone wisely infuses this with the understatement and low key charm that made the first one such a hit.

Infamous is the ‘other’ film about Truman Capote writing In Cold Blood was unfortunate to go in to production around the same time as Bennett Miller’s Capote that came out last year. That film was widely acclaimed and Philip Seymour Hoffman won an Oscar for his brilliant central performance. This film is not as good, but there is still much to admire, especially the acting which is uniformly excellent. Toby Jones stands out with a performance that certainly merits comparison to Hoffman’s portrayal and Daniel Craig gives killer Perry Smith a brooding intensity that wasn’t in the other version. Its not as technically accomplished as Capote but still worth a look.

Dutch director Paul Verhoeven returned to his native country to direct Black Book, a World War 2 drama about a Jewish woman who joins the Resistance in Holland as it endures Nazi occupation. When her family are killed she goes undercover but has to deal with double crosses and intrigue from both sides. Carice van Houten in the lead role gives an impressive performance and the film is well paced. However, beneath all the well staged action the film doesn’t really grapple with any deep issues. It is more interesting than Verhoeven’s recent Hollywood films but could have been something really special.

FILM OF THE WEEK: Babel

> Get cinema showtimes for your local area via Google Movies

It might be dark and miserable every January (well, here in London at least) but it is usually a great time to visit the cinema as a lot of films in contention for awards are getting released now.

This week sees the red hot favourite for the Best Actor Oscar hit UK screens and what a performance it is as Forest Whitaker stars as former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. A riveting adaptation of Giles Foden’s semi-fictional novel. The story involves a young Scottish doctor (James McAvoy) who travels to Uganda and by chance and opportunity becomes Amin’s personal physician. Initially charmed by the leader he slowly realises the awful truth about regime he has become part of. Directed by Kevin MacDonald (the man responsible for the brilliant documentaries One Day in September and Touching the Void) it is cleverly written, well acted and features a truly mesmerising central performance from Whitaker.

Another film out this week with an impressive lead performance is The Pursuit of Happyness, in which Will Smith leaves his usual wisecracking persona at home. He stars in this true life tale of a salesman in San Francisco during the early 80s who struggles to cope financially when he seeks a better job. Although this has been marketed as an uplifting syrupy drama it is actually a moving and accomplished drama with Smith doing his best work since Ali and Six Degrees of Separation. Italian director Gabriele Muccino gives a fresh perspective to the source material and – despite the overall nature of the story – explores poverty with a sharper eye than you might expect for a mainstream studio film.

Director Joe Carnahan impressed with 2002’s gritty cop drama Narc, but with his latest film he has overstretched himself. Smokin’ Aces is about a mob entertainer (Jeremy Piven) who is targeted by several assassins who have all been hired to bump him off. Two FBI agents (Ray Liotta and Ryan Reynolds) must ensure that he stays alive and travel to his Lake Tahoe hotel where, eventually, all hell breaks loose. It features a lot of jumbled narrative flashbacks and some slick editing but despite a few effective scenes here and there comes across as a confusing and messy B-movie. Think the Wacky Races (with hit men) crossed with Ocean’s 11 – only done badly.

FILM OF THE WEEK: The Last King of Scotland

> Get cinema times for your area via Google

The thing to see at cinemas this week (provided you can cope with the extreme levels of violence) is Mel Gibson’s latest historical epic Apocalypto. Whilst he may have have a few lessons to learn about alcohol and race relations, he sure knows how to film a sweeping historical drama. Since winning the Oscar with Braveheart in 1996 and making The Passion of the Christ in 2004 he has grown into an accomplished director.

The film depicts the experiences of one tribesman during the last days of the Maya civilization. After being captured and taken for human sacrifice he has to find a way to escape and get back to his village. It is a brutal and at times sadistic film but is also a gripping experience with a dazzling production design. It might not suit everyone’s tastes but credit to Gibson for using his money to make a film as startling and uncommerical as this.

Also out at cinemas this week is the last film from the late and great director Robert Altman. A Prairie Home Companion is adapted from the long running US radio show and features a terrific cast with the likes of Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, John C Reilly and Woody Harrelson. There is a nice bittersweet quality to the film and in retrospect it is a nice swan song to the maverick director. However, despite positive aspects to the film it isn’t in the same league as his best work like Nashville, MASH or The Player.

Miss Potter is a biopic of famed children’s writer Beatrix Potter, here played by Renee Zellwegger. Although Renee does a mean English accent the film is sloppy, sentimental and wastes Ewan MacGregor in a poorly written supporting role.

FILM OF THE WEEK: Apocalypto

> Get cinema showtimes for your local area from Google

Frank Darabont, the writer and director of The Shawshank Redemption, is a big fan of Pan’s Labyrinth, as he explains in this review at Guillermo Del Toro’s website:

This is not to be confused with a review. I’m not a critic and I hate reviews, so I wouldn’t write one even if I could. This is the informal reaction of a movie lover, offered in the manner of Jackson Pollack throwing paint at a canvas—emotional and messy. (Anybody who feels cheated not getting a plot summary and all that review-y stuff should stop reading now, because this will surely frustrate them. I won’t be giving a single story detail. They’ll be able to get that kind of thing in plenty of other places, if that’s what they want…but I, for one, urge everybody to avoid reviews and see the film knowing as little about it in advance as possible, as I was lucky enough to do.)

Bear in mind also that my reaction can hardly be deemed unbiased, because Guillermo is a dear friend and I love him. Consider that caveat a given. Now, putting my personal feelings toward him aside as best I can, let me say this:

I think PAN’S LABYRINTH is a masterpiece. The real deal. A perfect film. A gem.

Read the rest of the review here.

> Get listings for Pan’s Labyrinth via Google

Martin Scorcese’s latest film is a striking return to form even if it never quite scales the lofty heights of his very best work.

A cinematic legend like Martin Scorcese has an unusual problem when he directs a new film. He knows it will be compared to some of the most admired work in recent cinema history. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas are all certifiable classics that have influenced a generation of film makers and still resonate to this day.

Despite a large number of critics drooling over it in the US, The Departed (a reworking of the brilliant 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs) is not quite up to those exalted standards. But nonetheless it is his best work in many years and recaptures the raw energy and passion that was lacking in recent films like Gangs of New York and The Aviator.

Despite being re-written by screenwriter William Monahan, the plot is fairly faithful to the Asian original even though it is now set in Boston. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Billy, an undercover cop who is asked by his superiors (Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg) to infiltrate an Irish crime gang led by the ruthless Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson).

In the Boston police department Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is an ambitious cop investigating Costello’s gang but is actually a secret informer for him. As each side tries to outwit one another both moles realise that they could be uncovered at any time and the tension starts to rise. The first and most striking aspect of The Departed is the raw energy of the script and performances.

It is an energy that was distinctly lacking in his recent films. Whilst Gangs of New York and The Aviator had their technical merits they lacked the exuberance that characterises much of Scorcese’s best work. Aided by Monahan’s dialogue that allows for a lot of sly humour amidst the tension and violence, Scorcese recovers the gritty urban vitality of films like Mean Streets, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas.

It is more of a procedural police thriller than those films but it still filled with themes he has explored before. Guilt, betrayal and violence are all issues that have cropped up in his films and at times The Departed is overflowing with them. Plus, the use of music (such as the Rolling Stones) in certain sequences harks back to memorable moments in his output. Added to all this is a truly exceptional cast in which nearly all the main actors fit snugly into their roles.

DiCaprio and Damon do solid work in each of their sections (like De Niro and Pacino in Heat they actually have very little screen time together) and manage to convey the kind of mature weariness that they haven’t been able to explore in a lot of their roles to date. Jack Nicholson eats up a lot of scenery as the gang boss and his flashes of dark wit are entertaining but his character is slight less menacing than he might have been.

In the supporting cast Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen exude different kinds of authority as members of the police department and give solid performances. But it is Mark Wahlberg with a terrific turn as Sheen’s aggressive and foul mouthed partner who really steals the show. But despite all that is good in The Departed I have to confess that I spent much of it thinking about Infernal Affairs.

It is a remake (or reworking) of that film and although Scorcese has brought a lot to this adaptation it lacks the urgency and clockwork tension of the original. There are some changes that work and some that don’t but the original has a narrative grip that this film doesn’t match.

To be fair to Scorcese, perhaps he wanted to explore and adapt different themes – at one point a cop screams “Patriot Act, baby!” when stakeout is under way. It does seem to be making the point that in modern America the methods used by law enforcers are growing ever closer to those adopted by criminals but thematically it lacks the social bite that was a hallmark of say Taxi Driver or Goodfellas.

One plot strand involving a police psychologist (Vera Farmiga) and her relationship with the two leads is not only unconvincing but compares unfavourably to the Asian film by conflating two characters in to one. It not only stretches credibility but doesn’t really add anything to the narrative other than give a loose coincidental connection to Damon and DiCaprio’s characters.

Although the work of Scorcese’s usual cinematographer Michael Balhaus is always good to look at it doesn’t quite have the same flair and invention of the original. This is apparent late on in a key sequence and is surprising given the high standards he has set himself. Despite all these caveats though, The Departed is still one of the most enjoyable thrillers in recent memory and whilst it doesn’t break new ground for the legendary director at its helm, his return to form is more than enough for now.

> Official site for The Departed
> Check out other reviews at Metacritic
> Martin Scorcese at Wikipedia
> Infernal Affairs at the IMDb

Children of Men is one of those rare films that manages to blend different genres to great effect. It is a seamless mix of thriller, drama and a sci-fi that packs a powerful emotional punch.

Based on the novel by P.D. James, the action is set in a dystopian vision of Britain circa 2027. No humans have been born for 18 years and the world has fallen into anarchy. As mankind faces up to the threat of extinction, a London bureaucrat and disillusioned ex-activist called Theo (Clive Owen) is contacted by his former wife (Julianne Moore) who is now an underground freedom fighter/terrorist. She introduces him to a woman named Kee who miraculously pregnant. A betrayal in her group leads Theo to flee with Kee and try to get her out of the country to The Human Project, a group of scientists dedicated to finding a cure for global infertility.

Unlike many films set in the future, Children of Men does not create a glossy world full of designer gadgets. Instead we have a dirty and disturbingly plausible look at a society broken down by violence, racism and the inability to reproduce. The script by Cuaron, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata and Mark Fergus also has a refreshing lack of back story – certain plot elements are never fully explained allowing us to fill in the gaps of where society broke down. This will upset some who love plot and exposition but I found it refreshing change to have a film that gives you room to use your own imagination about why events have shaped it’s setting. There are some chilling references to contemporary issues such as immigration, terrorism and war (one sequence explicitly recalls the torture of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison) but there is never a trace of self importance or tedious moral lecturing.

Clive Owen impresses in the central role managing to convey a weary despair with a determined hope. Unlike some of his contemporaries there is clearly emotional substance behind his leading man exterior. But there are other performances here to enjoy. Michael Caine departs from his usual on screen persona as an ageing political activist to give a supporting turn of impressive sincerity, depth and humour. Moore doesn’t really get enough screen time but does well with what scenes she is given and actors like Chiwetel Ejiofor, Danny Huston and Peter Mullan are worth watching in supporting roles.

But the real star of Children of Men is cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. Fresh from his sterling work on Terence Malick’s The New World, here he does something many contemporaries have failed to do – he makes the UK seem fresh and visually alive. Despite the bleak subject matter, he makes familiar rural and urban landscapes come alive. The style is all rooted in the present but never resorts to lame clichés like red buses and lazy shots of a futuristic Big Ben (watch out for the inventive depiction of Admiralty Arch though). The use of handheld is highly effective (praise must also go to camera operator George Richmond) as it plugs us right into the journey of the characters and the nightmarish society they inhabit. Two sequences (one which forms the climax to the film) are so audacious and exhilarating that they put recent, and much more expensive, action films like MI:3 and Pirates 2 to shame.

Alfonso Cuaron has already proven himself as a versatile and accomplished director. A Little Princess, Y Tu Mama Tambien and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban showed he could work successfully in different genres. But Children of Men is perhaps his most ambitious film yet, a film that mixes many different elements but still manages to feel coherent and fresh. It is striking snapshot at where Western society could be heading in the not too distant future but also a compelling tale of keeping up hope in the darkest hour. On a final note, I must confess that I wasn’t too impressed with the trailer to this film when I saw it a month ago. The use of a familiar Sigur Ros track (which has been used in endless BBC trails) and the bleak look of it didn’t excite me at all. How wrong I was. This is one of the best films of the year.

Children of Men is out now in the UK and is released in the US on December 25th in limited release

> Official Site
> IMDb entry for Children of Men
> Get UK showtimes for the film via Google
> Anne Thomspon links to some reviews at Risky Biz Blog
> Alfonso Cuarón discusses the film at the Time Out Movie Blog
> IMDb entry for Emmanuel Lubezki
> Quint at Aint it Cool reviews the film
> Variety’s review by Derek Elley from the Venice Film Festival