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Big Trouble In Little China

Posted in Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror with tags 1986 on September 13, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: John Carpenter.
Screenplay: Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein, W.D. Richter.
Starring: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor Wong, Kate Burton, Suzee Pai, Donald Li, Carter Wong, Peter Kwong, James Pax, Al Leong, Jerry Hardin.

“Like I told my last wife, I says, “Honey, I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, it’s all in the reflexes.”

Director John Carpenter made some excellent films during the 70’s & 80’s – “Halloween“, “Assault on Precinct 13“, “The Thing“, “Escape from New York” and “Prince of Darkness“. Some of these are considered classics bit all take on a serious and/or horrific tone. However, Carpenter has also dabbled in comedy with his debut “Dark Star” in 1974 and “Memoirs of An Invisible Man” in 1992. Here, he combines his talents of horror and comedy and delivers, arguably, the most accessible and enjoyable film in his canon. Continue reading →

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I’m Still Here * * * 1/2

Posted in Comedy, Documentary, Drama with tags 2010 on July 18, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Casey Affleck.
Screenplay: Casey Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix.
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Antony Langdon, Larry McHale, Sean Combs, Ben Stiller, Edward James Olmos, David Letterman, Tim Affleck.

In 2008, Joaquin Phoenix announces that he’s quitting acting to pursue a music career in hip hop. His bother-in-law, Casey Affleck, decides to film his every move over the course of a year and delivers a portrait of an artist at a crossroads in his life.

Beginning with home video footage from 1981 in Panama, of a young Phoenix jumping from a waterfall, this films sets it’s stall out in exploring a life that’s seemingly always been documented. Phoenix has been in the public-eye from a very tender age, having appeared as young as 8 yrs old in the television series “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” before moving onto “The Fall Guy”, “Hill Street Blues” and “Murder She Wrote”. His first recognisable movie roles came in the shape of 1986’s “Space Camp” or 1989’s “Parenthood” before moving into more edgier roles in Gus Van Sant’s “To Die For” in 1995. Up until then, he was better known as the younger sibling of (the late) River Phoenix but eventually gained the full respect of movie goers with two Oscar nominations (now three, since the release of this movie). It’s was through this steady rise in the film industry that brought so much media attention to his, seemingly, self destructive decision to abandon acting and become a rap artist under the guidance of Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
This fly-on-the wall documentary follows Phoenix’s obvious lack of talent for rapping and the abandonment of his personal hygiene, while his fragile mental state increased due to a voracious appetite for cannabis and cocaine. As he’s constantly high and stoned, a frenzied media where clambering for his story and a reason for the meltdown of an actor in the prime of his career. Ultimately, though, the joke was on them (and us), as the whole thing was an elaborate hoax and an exposé of the nature of celebrity and their pandered ego’s and lifestyle’s.
Phoenix is entirely believable in his bearded, paunched appearance and his spiralling egotistical, mental anguish and arrogance. He even dares to tackle chat-show host David Letterman (in a now infamous episode) and when you consider that this was a role that completely consumed him – not only throughout the length of the shoot but in the eyes of the world, before and after – you realise how outstanding he is. It’s a powerful display of commitment and it’s probably one of the bravest and boldest moves that an actor has done.
As entertainment, though, it’s questionable. It goes on too long and there are points where the voyeurism pushes boundaries and comes across as bad taste. What could have been the downfall of a man going through a serious mental breakdown, struggles to decide whether it’s comedic or dramatic. That being said, it’s interesting viewing and it at least exposes the bitter behaviour of western media and how easily they can turn.

Being a fan of Phoenix, will certainly add to the appeal of this film, but if you can normally take or leave him, then this won’t hold much of an interest. It’s flawed, but it’s a bold and noteworthy experiment all the same.

Mark Walker

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Potiche * * * 1/2

Posted in Comedy, Drama, Foreign Language with tags 2010 on June 16, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: François Ozon.
Screenplay: François Ozon.
Starring: Catherine Denueve, Gerard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini, Jérémie Rénier, Karin Viard, Judith Godrèche, Sergi López.

French performers Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu are two household names in their native France but will also be familiar with English language filmgoers. Basically, they’ve been around and have delivered an incalculable amount of great performances throughout their careers. This is a film that brings them both together (although not for the first time) and serves as a reminder of how skilful and commanding they are on screen.

Suzanne Pujol (Catherine Denueve) is a “Potiche” – a decorative, trophy wife – who runs a household, while her husband Robert (Fabrice Luchini) runs the family umbrella factory and philanders with his secretary. A workers strike breaks out which leads to Robert having a heart attack and while he recuperates, Suzanne reluctantly takes control of the family business with her two adult children. However, Suzanne is more shrewd and clever than given credit for and she manages to regain the trust of the workers and turn the fortunes of the business around while steadily gaining respect from numerous corners of society including Maurice Babin (Gerard Depardieu), the influential Mayor.

It takes a little time to work up to “Potiche” as it’s very dialogue driven. So much so, that it’s quite difficult to keep up with the subtitles and it’s constant stream of verbal exchanges. However, it’s confidently handled and when it does get going it throws in many facets of an individuals life and the complexities and challenges that life throws at us all.
Where it’s strengths lie is in it’s perfectly pitched commentary on the struggle that women faced throughout the 1970’s in order to achieve the same equality as men. Denueve’s Suzanne Pujol is the perfect embodiment of a woman hanging up her apron and reclaiming her respect and dignity. It also shows a balance between the strength and vulnerability involved in such a time; on the surface, Suzanne is seen as weak yet she grows in confidence and even considers divorcing her husband. Meanwhile, her daughter Joëlle (Judith Godrèche) is seen as strong and independent yet ultimately can’t bear to be alone. One of the few decent male figures is Suzanne’s son, Laurent (Jérémie Rénier). He’s a prominent supporting character and even though he’s male and serves as his mothers rock, he seems to carry a certain femininity. This is one of the many clever little devices that provide this film with an astute commentary of the politics and the cognitive shift between the sexes during the 1970’s.
The only issue I had was the pacing; despite the wonderful story, quirky humour and solid performances, it fails to completely hold your attention. This is a small gripe but still one that I couldn’t ignore. If it delivered itself with a bit more urgency, then this would have been top class.

A subtly handled little dramatic comedy that manages to incorporate many facets of life and has a sumptuous rendering of the 70’s era. It could have been tighter, but it’s still a lot of fun.

Mark Walker

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Sightseers * * * *

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2012 on April 17, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Ben Wheatley.
Screenplay: Steve Oram, Alice Lowe.
Starring: Steve Oram, Alice Lowe, Eileen Davies, Richard Glover, Monica Dolan, Jonathan Aris, Richard Lumsden, Tony Way, Rachel Austin, Gareth Jones.

After the dark crime thriller “Kill List” in 2011, writer/director Ben Wheatley has decided on a slightly lighter approach for his follow-up. Just ‘slightly’ mind you, as the premise of this tale is equally as dark and deranged. However, it does contain a lot of humour and will most likely remain one of the blackest comedies all year. It’s also confirmation that Wheatley is definitely a talent to watch.

After accidentally killing her mother’s beloved dog with a knitting needle Tina (Alice Lowe), makes a decision to leave her domineering mother and go on a caravan holiday with her new boyfriend Chris (Steve Oram). What Tina doesn’t know is that Chris has a penchant for killing people who upset him. Tina soon becomes influenced by him and as they tour the English countryside, they leaves bodies in their wake at the camp sites, museums and tourist destinations that they visit.

After a brief introduction to our travelling odd-couple, Wheatley gets down to his turgid roadtrip where all manner of darkness ensues. Despite the, blacker-than-black, nature of the story he infuses it with a deadpan humour that counterbalances the events, disturbed behaviour and thought processes of the characters. After casually and callously despatching of unsuspecting, innocent victims our couple share their thoughts and warped sense of justification; at one point over dinner Tina suggests that “by reducing their life span you’re reducing their omissions“, to which Chris responds “so what you mean is… murder is green? I never thought of it like that“. Tina is also a character who likes to have intercourse while sticking her face in a bowl of pot-pourri and wearing hand-knitted, crotchless lingerie. These are just a couple of examples of their deluded outlook and off-the-wall behaviour. Believe me, there are plenty more on their travels. What aids the film immeasurably is the two superb central performances from Steve Oram and Alice Lowe who also happen to have written the screenplay. While playing out their own characters, it shows that they fully understand the material and what’s required to make them three dimensional. Meanwhile, Wheatley handles the extreme shifts in tone with absolute ease. There are some genuinely, hilarious moments that are coupled with a very twisted nature. For a film to have you laughing at it’s darkness, is a testament to all involved here. Black comedies don’t come much darker than this.

Having proved beforehand with “Kill List” that he could craft a sense of realism imbued with absolute horror. This time, Ben Wheatley shows excellent skill in balancing humour with an altogether different kind of horror and lunacy. It has been compared to the likes of “Natural Born Killers” and Mike Leigh’s “Nuts In May” but I’d refer to this thoroughly rewarding little treat, as “Badlands” in the Midlands.

Mark Walker

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Le Donk & Scor-Zay-Zee * * *

Posted in Comedy, Documentary, Drama with tags 2009 on April 6, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Shane Meadows.
Screenplay: Shane Meadows.
Starring: Paddy Considine, Dean Palinczuk, Olivia Colman, Shane Meadows, Richard Graham, Seamus O’Neill, Alex Hunter, Matt Helders, Nick O’Malley, Jamie Cook, Nigel Reeks.

Director Shane Meadows is no stranger to low-budget filmmaking. In fact, most of his films to date have been made with relativity tight constraints. This time around, he goes that one step further and makes an all-out, fly on the wall mockumentary, which also happens to be his third collaboration with actor Paddy Considine.

Documentary maker Shane Meadows (playing himself) follow the life of music manager Le Donk (Paddy Considine), who reckons he’s unearthed a new talent in rapper Scor-Zay-Zee (Dean Palinczuk). As a slot with band The Arctic Monkeys opens up, the would-be manager and his protege hit the road to try and make a name for themselves.

If the brilliant “A Room For Romeo Brass” and “Dead Man’s Shoes” were anything to go by, you’d be forgiven for getting very excited about the prospect of Meadows and Considine working together again. I know I certainly was. Unfortunately, this film isn’t quite up to their previous high standards. In fairness, they’ve adopted a different approach but for a film with a running time of just over an hour you’d expect it to move briskly and get down to telling it’s story. In the early stages it does this, with some hilarious observational humour and “kitchen sink” drama that’s reminiscent of Ricky Gervais’ “The Office” but the delivery soon becomes a bit stale. The idea is good, the performances are good but for a film to enter into this mould it needs to provide more laughs than it does. I’m sure it probably will appeal to many people but for me, as a big fan of Meadows, I had set my sites too high. It loses it momentum and relies too heavily on the presence of Considine and his perfect balance of ambition and desperation. He’s most definitely the highlight here. However, there’s only so much one man can carry. The humour and awkward situations are well captured but it essentially there isn’t much of a story and becomes not much more than a showcase for real-life rap artist and freestyler Scor-Zay-Zee, who’s not that appealing to begin with.

An interesting, if unsuccessful, project from Meadows. He’s not made many bad movies and I wouldn’t say this is bad either. It’s just not as eventful as it could have been.

Mark Walker

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Pecker * * * *

Posted in Comedy with tags 1998 on February 23, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: John Waters.
Screenplay: John Waters.
Starring: Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Lili Taylor, Mary Kay Place, Mark Joy, Martha Plimpton, Brendan Sexton III, Jean Schertler, Lauren Hulsey, Patricia Hearst, Bess Armstrong, Mink Stole, Mo Fischer.

It’s hard to describe director John Waters and his idiosyncratic style but if I had to try, I’d compare him to David Lynch on amphetamine’s. He’s done some seriously wacky comedies over the years. Some of which been referred to as “deliberate exercises in ultra-bad taste“. He had been around since the 1960’s before making a name for himself with “Hairspray” in 1988. An early Johnny Depp film – “Cry Baby” followed and then he directed Kathleen Turner in the hilarious “Serial Mom“. Those who have heard of him will know what to expect. Those who haven’t should be warned; Waters certainly doesn’t water down his humour.

A young man named “Pecker” (Edward Furlong) who works at a Baltimore sandwich shop also has a real talent for taking photographs. He’s forever snapping things that most people wouldn’t even think of. When a New York art dealer (Lili Taylor) sees his work, he becomes an overnight sensation in the art world.

As mentioned, Waters’ films are somewhat like the lighter side to the nightmares of Lynch. He has the same off-beat and occasional surreal approach but rather than delve into the darker recesses of the subconscious, he plays it all for laughs. His more recent efforts have not been entirely successful and his brand of uncouth and crass humour will certainly not appeal to everyone but Pecker is one of his most accomplished and audience friendly pieces. Where he excels is in his array of very colourful characters – and this film has plenty of them.
Pecker’s family are a real bunch dysfunctional delights; his mother Joyce (Mary Kay Place) likes to accessorise the fashion of homeless people; his father Jimmy (Mark Joy) is an advocate for the public showing of pubic hair being made illegal; his grandmother ‘Memama’ (Jean Schertler) is a ventriloquist with a statue of the virgin Mary; his younger sister Little Chrissy (Lauren Hulsey) has an addictive personality, that begins with sugar before moving onto Ritalin and snorting vegetables and his older sister Tina (Martha Plimpton) runs a gay bar where “teabagging” (the slapping of testicles on a person’s forehead) is a custom that’s expected within the establishment. Pecker himself is just a naive, but likeable, photographer who captures all this mayhem on his 35mm camera – and this is only his family. There are many others, that include his kleptomaniac friend Matt (Brendan Sexton III) and characters that dry hump washing machines on spin cycles. By now, you’ll gather that Waters’ bad taste is still alive and well but what makes it all the more hysterical is that the actors all play it straight, making the zany situations that befall them all the more entertaining. Waters, most certainly, depicts this Baltimore slice-of-life with real zest and zaniness and, at times, his sheer audacity and outrageousness is gut-wrenchingly funny but while all this is going on, he still manages to take a pop at the pretentious, snooty-nosed, yuppies of the New York art scene.

As a self confessed Waters fan, I greatly enjoyed this lighthearted, quirky gem. It will not be a comedy that will appeal to everyone but if you enjoy your humour a little more on the risqué and surreal side, then this should do nicely.

Mark Walker

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Silver Linings Playbook * * * * 1/2

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2012 on February 6, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: David O. Russell.
Screenplay: David O. Russell.
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Shia Whigham, Anupam Kher, John Ortiz, Julia Stiles, Dash Mihok, Paul Herman, Matthew Russell, Brea Bee, Cheryl Williams, Patrick McDade.

As a personal rule, I normally avoid comedies or dramas that involve romance. I find the formula tedious and repetitive, not to mention, dull. However, director David O. Russell’s material is often interesting and off-beat so I decided that I wouldn’t overlook this one (especially when it features my favourite actor in Robert DeNiro). I have to say, I have renewed faith in the genre when there are talented people involved and it’s futile to resist one with such depth and unpredictability as this has.

Pat Solotano Jr., (Bradley Cooper) is discharged from a state metal health institution after an eight month spell for bi-polar disorder that has led to him violently beating his wife’s lover. When released, he lives with his parents Dolores (Jacki Weaver) and Pat, Sr. (Robert DeNiro) and decides to get himself fit and healthy again to gain back his estranged spouse. While out jogging, he crosses paths with Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a recovering sex addict with mental health issues of her own but as their friendship grows, they realise that they can both help each other to achieve to their goals.

David O. Russell has tackled dysfunctional families before in “Flirting with Disaster” and “The Fighter” and mental health in “I Heart Huckabees” so in many ways, he’s on comfortable ground here and thankfully for us, it shows. He has a complete command over his material and even though you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is just your average, boy-meets-girl, romantic comedy, it isn’t. It teeters on the edge of formula but it also knows how to play with it and never becomes predictable. The ace in Russell’s pack, though, is the immeasurable help by a talented and commited cast. All the performances are absolutely excellent; Bradley Cooper is an actor that was always just been passable for me but here he shows a very impressive side to his acting talents; Jennifer Lawrence has impressed before in “Winter’s Bone” and “The Hunger Games” but this may well be her finest performance to date as she balances vulnerability and strength with ease. My favourite of the bunch, though, was seeing DeNiro finally get a role where he’s able deliver a whole range of emotions. One moment he’s breaking your heart, the next he’s in a fit of rage and also adds a lovely comic touch to things. Although, I was surprised at his Oscar nomination, I also wouldn’t argue with it. It’s great to have him back doing what he does best and hopefully this is the catalyst for bigger and better roles for him. I think we can all admit that he’s deserving of better material than he’s been getting of late. Added to which, apparently, it was DeNiro’s absolute commitment to the film that encouraged the rest of the cast to raise their game. While we’re on the subject of awards, all the leading performers have been Oscar nominated for their turns here (and that includes the great Jacki Weaver) – This is the first time this has been achieved by a cast since Warren Beatty’s political drama “Reds” in 1981. It’s also doesn’t hinder things when the talented likes of Chris Tucker and Shea Whigham are pitching in from the sidelines either. Ultimately, the plaudits must go to Russell for the deft handling of the material, though. Yes, it has generic elements of the genre but by the end, it can’t be pigeonholed and the characters aren’t your average troubled souls that are played for laughs or zaniness. There is a depth and pathos to their struggle and the intermingling of their fractured, dysfunctional obsessions is a hard balance to achieve. Russell manages it with aplomb and every one of his cast do too.

I’ve always been a fan of the off-beat nature of David O. Russell’s work but he has surpassed himself here and delivers an astute, not to mention, very refreshing commentary on mental illness.

Mark Walker

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Seven Psychopaths * *

Posted in Comedy, Crime with tags 2012 on January 24, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Martin McDonagh.
Screenplay: Martin McDonagh.
Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko, Zeljko Ivanek, Harry Dean Stanton, Gabourey Sidibe, Kevin Corrigan, Long Nguyen, Brendan Sexton III, Linda Bright Clay, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Pitt.

When “In Bruges” was released in 2008 it marked the emergence of Martin McDonagh, a filmmaker that was able to combine a dark crime drama with a real sense for the off-beat and provide unabashed politically incorrect humour. I wasn’t exactly convinced in it’s entirety but it offered something fresh and exciting. The same could be said for McDonagh’s second feature, only this time it’s sense for the off-beat is way off course and it’s elaborate crime yarn, lacks coherence.

Marty (Colin Farrell), has been working for while on a Hollywood screenplay called ‘Seven Psychopaths‘ but he hasn’t got past the first page and has developed a reliance on alcohol to see him through it. His friend Billy (Sam Rockwell) is eager to help, so gives him anecdotes on real psychopaths that he’s aware of. Some of which, include crazed gangster Charlie (Woody Harrelson) who loves his little Shih-Tzu dog, Bonny. It’s only when Billy and his dognapper friend Hans (Christopher Walken) decide to steal Bonny, that Marty finds himself in all sorts of trouble – and inspiration.

The film sets it’s stall up well, as we are introduced to Martin, a struggling, Irish, alcoholic writer with absolutely no creative spark whatsoever. It’s a self-referential premise that has been done before – most notably by the Coen brothers when they wrote “Barton Fink” as a result of writer’s block in trying to finish “Miller’s Crossing“. Only, McDonagh is not a Coen, nor is he a Quentin Tarantino – who he obviously fancies himself as. Those filmmakers have made strong career’s from combining crime and comedy but after this sophomore effort, McDonagh doesn’t match those aforementioned auteur’s of cinema. “In Bruges” was so well received that this film gathered a lot of anticipation and it even allowed McDonagh to assemble a very impressive cast. It had all the ingredients for being another darkly humorous endeavour. Dark it may be, but it’s seriously lacking in the humour department. While I was watching this, I had the feeling that something was just around the corner but when that corner was turned, there was still a vacantness. The jokes were forced and most dialogue and scenes were shoehorned in such a way that it was forcing laughs rather than earning them.
On the positive side, it had plenty of style and the performances, for the most part, were great; Farrell, Harrelson and especially, Rockwell and Walken, all seem to be having fun. There’s also fine support by Tom Waits but the belief that this ensemble have in the material is squandered as McDonagh has no idea what he’s doing. The story-within-a-story concept is nothing original but if tackled properly, it can be a very fulfilling journey and Charlie Kaufman’s “Adaptation” is a prime example of how it should be done. This, however, is an example of how it shouldn’t.

This is a wasted opportunity to create something really good. It’s a clever idea and it could be said that the movie is one big in-joke. Although I’m aware of this, it’s still the very incoherent and lazily written crime yarn that it proclaims to be against.
It thinks it’s smarter and funnier than it actually is and goes down as the biggest disappointment of the year.

Mark Walker

47 Comments »

Raising Arizona * * * * 1/2

Posted in Adventure, Comedy with tags 1987 on December 24, 2012 by Mark Walker

Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen.
Screenplay: Ethan & Joel Coen.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, William Forsythe, Trey Wilson, Frances McDormand, Sam McMurray, Randall “Tex” Cobb, T.J. Kuhn, Lynne Kitei, M. Emmet Walsh.

In 1984, “Blood Simple” was released and it marked the debut of a certain couple of siblings named Joel & Ethan Coen. It’s was a marvellously dark and twisted, low-budget, modern noir and put their names on the film industry’s map. You’d think that once a particular, successful, style has been established it would be wise to stick with that winning formula but the brothers’ sophomore effort went in an entirely different direction and they delivered a wickedly, wacky and hilarious comedy, proving that their talents are comfortable in any genre.

H.I. McDunnough (Nicolas Cage) is a repeat offender for petty theft and can’t quite keep out prison. It’s in the slammer though, that he meets his sweetheart Ed (Holly Hunter), the police photographer, and not before long the unlikely pair are hitched, on the straight and narrow and ready to start a family. Problem is, Ed finds out she’s infertile and deeply longs for a baby. It just happens around this time that local and well-known furniture salesman Nathan Arizona’s wife has just given birth to quintipulets. H.I. & Ed decide that having four babies is more than anyone can handle and decide to kidnap one for themselves. It’s here that all sorts of problems begin for H.I. & Ed as they try to keep their new family together with escape convict friends (John Goodman, William Forsythe) paying a visit and a rogue bounty-hunter biker (Randall “Tex” Cobb) on their trail.

The first and still one of the best of the Coen brothers’ comedies. This was the film that proved that the siblings could do zany and outlandish comedy with absolute ease and consummate skill. It also allowed them to show off their ability to film with such a kinetic energy and an introduction to their (ever growing) catalogue of zany characters. The performances across the board are outstanding with special mention going to the two leads; Nicolas Cage is marvellous as the hen-pecked, buffoonish, human form of Woody the Woodpecker and Holly Hunter is equally as good as his neurotic and controlling spouse. Cage has become a bit of laughing stock in the film industry these days but back in the 80’s and early 90’s he delivered some memorable roles. This is certainly one of them. What a joy it would be to see him reprise these type of roles and what a joy it is to watch such a sharp and exciting comedy from quite possibly the most consistant filmmakers around today. If ever there was a film that could be labeled as a live-action animation, this could possibly be it. It’s not just the work in front of the camera that excels though; behind it, cinematographer (and future director himself) Barry Sonnenfeld does some sublime work. He assembles some very fine action set-pieces and keeps the camera moving at an almost unbearably frantic pace. Roger Deakins has now established himself as almost another Coen sibling with his consistently reliable work on their recent films but he wasn’t always the man to bring their vision to the screen. Sonnenfeld was. Another frequent collaborator is the always reliable Carter Burwell who infuses all the mayhem with a pefectly fitting score that brings the whole package together.

Quite simply, this is how comedies should be made. It has a little of everything and it shows exactly why, I regard the Coen’s as the most consistently surprisingly and creative filmmakers we have today.

(This review was part of a “double take” with Eric who runs the IPC blog. To read the post in full and get his alternate take on it, please go here.)

Mark Walker

26 Comments »

Ted * * * 1/2

Posted in Comedy, Fantasy with tags 2012 on December 15, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Seth MacFarlane.
Screenplay: Seth MacFarlane.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis, Giovanni Ribisi, Patrick Warburton, Joel McHale, Matt Walsh, Jessica Barth, Bill Smitrovich, Bretton Manley, Sam J. Jones, Norah Jones, Tom Skerritt, Ted Danson, Ryan Reynolds.
Narrator: Patrick Stewart.

After many years of success with the hilarious animated sitcom “Family Guy“, it’s creator Seth MacFarlane finally ventures into his first feature film. It shares little in common with the aforementioned show except the same brand of lewd and crude humour, so any familiarity with that show will stand you in good stead in what to expect from this.

When John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) was 8 years-old he wished that his beloved stuffed bear would actually come to life and never leave his side. One stormy night, his wish comes true and Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) transforms into an actual walking, talking, bear. 25 years later though, John isn’t really moving on his life and his lifelong friend is getting in the way of John’s relationship with his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis). Decisions have to be made, which could separate their childhood attachment forever.

Now let’s be honest on this one and face the facts straight up; without the gimmick of a weed-toking, talking, teddy bear this film wouldn’t be anywhere near as successful as it is. The profanity of it’s cuddly protagonist is the very basis on which this film relies on it’s entertainment and for the most part, it works. The jokes don’t always hit the mark but on occasion it delivers some outrageously hilarious moments. MacFarlane seems to be aware, that the more you keep up a rapid fire of jokes the higher the likelihood of some of them sticking. He delivers a relentless fighting scene that will bring reminders of the long-winded dual with the chicken in recurring “Family Guy” episodes and the rest of the film is peppered with in-jokes to films and popular culture of the past, as well as incorporating “Flash Gordon” star Sam Jones in quite a prominent role that’s filled with self parody. Some of these jokes will be wasted on younger viewers or anyone unfamiliar with MacFarlane’s TV show but one thing’s for sure, the same brand of risqué humour can certainly be relied upon and the bonus of it coming in the form of an innocent, cuddly looking, teddy bear make it all the better.
The only drawback, is it’s stumble towards it’s conclusion where it succumbs to formula and loses it’s way slightly but it’s the performers that keep it consistently entertaining; Wahlberg is an actor I find it hard to warm to but he delivers some fine comedic work here and the always reliable Giovanni Ribisi adds just the right amount of darkness to the proceedings. Ultimately though, the star of the show is MacFarlane. His voice talents really bring Ted to life and his controversial and observational humour is ever present and welcome.

I wouldn’t go as far to call it comic genius but it’s certainly a lot of fun. Like it’s title character, embrace it and it’ll bring comforting rewards.

Mark Walker

27 Comments »

Ruby Sparks * * * * 1/2

Posted in Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance with tags 2012 on December 12, 2012 by Mark Walker

Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris.
Screenplay: Zoe Kazan.
Starring: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Steve Coogan, Chris Messina, Elliott Gould, Deborah Ann Woll, Toni Trucks, Aasif Mandvi, Alia Shawkat.

After 6 years, husband-and-wife directing team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris deliver their long-awaited follow-up to the brilliant “Little Miss Sunshine“. It would seem that the director’s were in no rush to emulate their previous, Oscar winning, success; preferring instead to wait for the right script. It would also seem that that time has now come and it’s, certainly, been worth the wait.

Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) is struggling writer who once wrote a ‘genius’ novel when he was 19 years old. The trouble is, he’s now struggling for material and suffers from writer’s-block. On the advice of his therapist (Elliott Gould), he begins to write about a girl that has been appearing in his dreams: Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan). The next day, Ruby becomes a real person and they both strike up a beautiful and loving relationship. What Calvin then realises is, that if he can will her into existence by writing about her, then he can change her at any time and make her do what he wants by writing more.

Not many films built around romance have had the audacity to explore the very nature of love itself and the stipulations that seemingly come with it. It’s a genre I’m not fond of but that’s only because most are catered for the masses. This film dares to explore the complexities of a relationship and the stipulations that both sides make. It questions whether we can really love a person, wholeheartedly, without their indiscretions ever becoming irritating or intolerable. It also addresses the nature of dominance within a relationship and how that, in itself, is destructive.
Therein lies the beauty and honesty of this film; it’s not afraid to pose these questions and it’s also not afraid to explore the darker elements to it’s premise or get it’s hands dirty when it needs to. After a gentler, more romantic-comedy beginning, filled with wonderful touches of light and observational humour, the denouement takes a brave, impressive and twisted dramatic turn, that shows the darker side to the fantasy. Wisely, the film’s fantasy premise is never explained. This may irk some viewers but really, the film wouldn’t have gained anything by trying to break it down. Quite frankly, it just wouldn’t have worked but that’s testament to the filmmakers, the terrific ensemble of actors and most importantly Zoe Kazan’s highly original screenplay as they all have you believing in them, even when you know you shouldn’t. Once you’ve accepted the premise, you can sit back and enjoy the excellent performances all round; Dano, once again, displays his more than capable acting chops with a character that is often, and cleverly, likened to writer J.D. Salinger and wonderful comic-relief comes in the form of Bening and Banderas as new-age hippie parents. The biggest surprise is from the screenwriter and eponymous Zoe Kazan though; she brings a real warmth and creativity that manages just the right balance and allows her to flit in-between moods with ease. Without such an endearing and understanding performance, the film wouldn’t have worked as well as it does.

With excellent performances all round, and a great mixture of humour and pathos this is one of 2012’s genuinely surprising highlights. Like “Little Miss Sunshine” before it, this is a real treat.

Mark Walker

21 Comments »

Everything Must Go * * *

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2010 on December 6, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Dan Rush.
Screenplay: Dan Rush.
Starring: Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall, Michael Peña, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Laura Dern, Stephen Root, Glenn Howerton.

Anyone that’s been reading my reviews for any length of time will be aware of my dislike for the humour of Will Ferrell. Don’t get wrong, I’ve enjoyed some films of his: “Stranger Than Fiction” and “Elf” are a couple but for the most part his humour just doesn’t work for me. Thankfully, this is Ferrell minus his funny bone and as he plays it straight, he delivers some impressive work.

Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) is fired from his sales job for his reliance on alcohol. When he returns home, he finds that his wife has left him, locked him out of the house and left all his belongings on the front lawn. He refuses to accept this though and decides to camp out in his chair and drink beer for days on end. As this is not legal, his cop friend and AA sponsor (Michael Peña) suggests that he pretends to be having a yard sale to buy him some time. Not before long, Nick starts to makes friends with the neighbours who help him sell his stuff.

The problem with this film isn’t Ferrell as I’d expected it to be. The problem with this film is that the material doesn’t stretch far enough. It’s based on the short story “Why Don’t You Dance?” by Raymond Carver who was responsible for the serious of vignettes that made up Robert Altman’s magnificent film “Short Cuts“. Where Altman got it right though, was in keeping all the segments little tales of their own and never fleshed them out too far. This had been a short story for a reason; there just isn’t enough material to cover the ground of a 90 minute feature – and it’s shows. Despite a series of very good moments and the struggle and believable, emotional downfall of the protagonist, it has a series of lulls which just feel like padding. As a result the dramatic weight is lessened and your concentration begins to waver. That being said, there is still plenty to admire here and that mainly comes in the form of Ferrell, who flexes his acting chops in a more serious role than audiences will be used to. I’m not normally a fan of his brand of comedy but as a dramatic actor he’s actually quite good. Unfortunately, for him though, the whole film rests on his shoulders; most of the other characters are secondary with Laura Dern, particularly wasted, in a thankless bit-part. However, the theme of a downward spiralling individual forced to confront his past – and his addictive problems – is reflected well, in the coveting of material objects and their relevance to a person as a whole.

More of a tragi-comedy with the emphasis on the former. It has serious moments of lethargy but worth watching for it’s metaphoric approach to life and to see Ferrell command the screen with depth, in a rare dramatic role.

Mark Walker

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Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World * *

Posted in Comedy, Drama, Romance with tags 2012 on November 22, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Lorene Scafaria.
Screenplay: Lorene Scafaria.
Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Martin Sheen, William L. Petersen, Adam Brody, Derek Luke, Rob Corddry, Connie Britton, Melanie Lynskey, T. J. Miller, Mark Moses, Patton Oswalt, Gillian Jacobs, Amy Schumer, Rob Huebel, Bob Stephenson.

Maybe it’s to do with the 2012 Mayan prophecy but over the last couple of years, there seems to have been a recent fad of ‘end of days‘ movies. So far, we’ve had Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia“, David Mackenzie’s “Perfect Sense“, Mike Cahill’s “Another Earth” and now this. Of the four though, I’d have to say that this is the weakest.

A 70 mile-wide asteroid named Mathilda is on a collision course with Earth with attempts to divert it thwarted. Earth will be obliterated in 3 weeks. Throughout this time, Dodge (Steve Carell) and his British next-door neighbour Penny (Keira Knightley) strike up an unusual friendship and embark on a road trip that should suit them both. Dodge wants to track down the real love of his life and Penny wants to get back to Britain to spend her remaining days with her family. Along the way though, things don’t turn out exactly as planned.

The major problem with this film is that it doesn’t know what it wants to be; it starts off with some sharp observational and gallows humour but doesn’t manage to be a laugh out loud comedy. It then delivers a serious dramatic tone – while pitching in elements of science fiction – which, surprisingly, bog it down in tediousness from which it never recovers. The genre in which it is most suited is romantic-comedy but the characters are dull and their situations even more so. It also suffers from an extreme lack of pace. You’d think that a film that delivers a premise of the entire earth having 21 days to live would have a bit of urgency about it. You’d also be forgiven for expecting some ridiculous ‘bucket list’ scenarios but it simply doesn’t provide them, despite threatening to on occasion. There are sporadic moments where it promises to get it’s groove back but ultimately falls into a slow and meandering cross country love story that, for the most part, is dreadfully uneventful.
Steve Carell is starting to annoy me in these kind of tragic, everyman, loner roles and I’m not a fan of the snobby Keira Knightley at all; I can’t get over the fact that she always comes across as if she was born with a silver spoon up her arse. There are some welcome appearances from the likes of Martin Sheen (who needn’t have bothered) Patton Oswalt and William L. Petersen – the latter in particular getting a much needed humorous scene involving the expected appearance of a hitman. It’s little moments like this that make the film all the more frustrating; it shows glimmers of great potential but doesn’t stick to what it does best and ends up being tedious and melancholic. After all this has (finally) passed by, the film almost redeems itself at the end with a lovely and touching moment between the protagonists but by then, it’s too little too late.

Despite not being a massive fan of the two leads, I was intrigued by the films premise. That being said, any potential it had was floundered by delivering scene after scene of mind-numbing emptiness.

Mark Walker

34 Comments »

The Angels’ Share * * * *

Posted in Comedy, Crime, Drama with tags 2012 on October 27, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Ken Loach.
Screenplay: Paul Laverty.
Starring: Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, William Ruane, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, Roger Allam, Siobhan Reilly, David Goodall, James Casey, Joy McAvoy.

After “One More Kiss” and “Dear Frankie“, the film that concludes my little Scottish trilogy of reviews is the 12th collaboration between director Ken Loach and writer Paul Laverty. Their previous efforts have been mostly very successful films and have largely dealt with the hardships of Scottish working class lifestyles. This is another slice of that life and yet another little treasure.

Young Glaswegian Robbie (Paul Brannigan) is sentenced to community service for repeatedly offending. He has a baby on the way and finds himself in a continual circle of violence with his girlfriend’s father but he’s desperate for a way out of his life of crime. He is taken under the wing of social worker Harry (John Henshaw) who teaches him the appreciation of fine malt Whiskies. It’s only then, Robbie discovers a distillery that’s home to a rare Scotch Whisky worth thousands of pounds and involves his friends to take some for themselves.

There is a Scots Gaelic way of referring to the alcoholic beverage Whisky and that is “Uisge Beatha“, literally translating as ‘Water of Life‘. This name, in itself, could be a perfect title for this film (and it’s themes) but Loach has gone and conjured up another one: When Whisky is matured over the years there’s some that escapes from the casket and evaporates into thin air, never to be tasted or seen again. This is referred to as “The Angels’ Share” and, on reflection, is a fitting title for the story.
Loach is one of those directors that has a perfect sense of realism. It just courses right through his films; from the storyline, through the setting to the authentic dialogue and untrained actors. This is no different and it shares a similar theme to two of his and Paul Laverty’s earlier collaborations: “My Name Is Joe” and “Sweet Sixteen“, in terms of a struggling protagonist trying to break free from his brutal environment and make a life for himself. What this has, that those two didn’t, is a sense of humour and a delicate, lightness of touch. It doesn’t get bogged down in the kitchen-sink mentality that you’d expect but breaks free from that mould to become a lighthearted caper movie. Don’t get me wrong, Loach still has the power of gritty authenticity and on a few occasions he displays that but like the beverage they are concerned about in the film, it has a nice balance; it manages to be both rough and smooth. Glasgow is depicted as a brutal environment with damaged disillusioned youths and Loach’s eye for locations and mostly untrained actors is ever present. All the performers deliver admirable and, in some cases, excellent work. A talent that Loach has shown over the years is his ability in finding these quality young actors. In a lot of ways he’s become somewhat of a pioneer for Scottish cinema – the city of Glasgow in particular. No film set in Scotland’s largest city would be complete without the humour though and in this case Loach and Laverty capture the idiom perfectly, delivering regular and balanced humour.

A slight change of pace from Ken Loach and more upbeat than fans of his will be accustomed to but he manages the understatement very well and delivers one of his most feel-good films to date.

Mark Walker

25 Comments »

Machete * * * 1/2

Posted in Action, Comedy, Crime with tags 2010 on October 21, 2012 by Mark Walker

Directors: Robert Rodriguez, Ethan Maniquis.
Screenplay: Robert Rodriguez, Alvaro Rodriguez.
Starring: Danny Trejo, Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan, Shea Whigham, Daryl Sabara, Tom Savini, Gilbert Trejo, Billy Blair, Nimrod Antal, James Parks, Stacy Keach.

In 1997, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez released their Grindhouse double bill which consisted of “Death Proof” and “Planet Terror” respectively. They also included a series of trailers beforehand. Of course, these trailers were fictional works but there at least two, so far, that have been made into feature films and director’s Eli Roth and Edgar Wright have expressed interest in adapting their trailers in the future also. One that has already reached the screens is Jason Eisener’s “Hobo With A Shotgun” with Rutger Hauer and the other is this unashamed, violent gore-fest from Rodriguez.

Machete Cortez (Danny Trejo) is a former Mexican Federale who is set-up by his corrupt bosses, resulting in the death of his wife and child. He manages to escape death himself and heads over the border to the United States, vowing revenge on those that wronged him. Not before long though, Machete is involved in a failed assassination attempt on US senator John McLaughlin (Robert DeNiro) and again finds himself on the run. It would seem that both betrayals are linked and Machete will stop at nothing to get to those involved.

With a highly stylistic and candid Grindhouse opening that’s nothing less than impressive, it’s apparent very early on what you’re letting yourself in for here. This is not a film that will demand very much from you, other than checking your brain at border control beforehand. I’m surprised that I actually went with this, as I often find Rodriguez’s stuff to be very self-indulgent. This happens to be more of the same and shares Rodriguez’s propensity for some preposterous action scenes. That being said though, it’s still quite a lot of fun. It doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is and benefits from a great cast of deliciously nasty characters, spouting some choice moments of dialogue. A bit like Tarantino, Rodriguez seems to be able to command a plethora of acting talents and again like Tarantino, gives familiar actors – that have fallen on harder times – another shot onscreen. In this case, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey and (amazingly) Steven Seagal get interesting characters to play. It’s also fun to see Danny Trejo in a rare leading role and the underrated – but fast rising – Shea Wigham also makes a welcome appearance. The biggest disappointed (as it often is these days) is a criminally underused DeNiro. All in all though, it’s the cast that play a big part in the enjoyment of this cliche ridden homage to 70’s exploitation flicks where it also can’t resist throwing in a satirical commentary on US immigration policy. Rodriguez’s style is, without doubt, an acquired taste and one that I admittedly don’t always have but if you’re a fan of his films then this should go down nicely.

Not a lot can be said about a film that is ultimately about showcasing the many different ways a person can perish at the mercy of a machete. You can either accept the premise and run with it or you can avoid it completely. Either decision would be entirely understandable, as this is a film that will only work on a complete suspension of disbelief.

Mark Walker.

26 Comments »

Moonrise Kingdom * * * *

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2012 on September 28, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Wes Anderson.
Screenplay: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola.
Starring: Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Jason Schwartzman, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bob Balaban, Larry Pine, Eric Chase Anderson.

When viewing Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, the usual adjectives spring to mind; Quirky, off-beat, idiosyncratic, original. It’s all of these things and further confirmation that this man has a unique style all his own and (thankfully for his fans) he doesn’t seem in the mood for changing that anytime soon.

In a small New England town in the 1960’s, young boy scout Sam (Jared Gilman) decides to run away with local girl Suzy (Kara Hayward). As a result, his Scout Master (Edward Norton) organises a search party and teams up with the Sheriff (Bruce Willis) and the young girls parents (Bill Murray, Frances McDormand) to track them down.

This is a very strange little film indeed and possibly one of Anderson’s strangest which is saying something. However, it’s also proof that the king of quirk hasn’t lost his touch. His pallet is once again sumptuous and his attention to detail meticulous – to say the least. The whole film is painted in vibrant pastel and autumnal colours and there’s a sharpness and texture to his images. Quite simply, the film is gorgeous to look at and special credit must go to Anderson’s regular cinematographer Robert Yeoman in his ability to capture such a magical land. Ensemble casts are also becoming a regular feature of Anderson’s works and this is no different. He’s amassed a very impressive collection of top-quality performers here and every one of them are excellent. A number of them play against type with the most memorable being a melancholic Willis and an ingenuous Norton; Murray and McDormand are no slouches either and deliver their usual reliability – as does Swinton – but the likes of Schwarztman and especially Keitel are given very little to do. Ultimately though it doesn’t really matter about the familiar faces onscreen as it the young actors that impress the most. The two young leads in Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward are superb and fine support is given by the young boy scout crowd. Much like Alan Parker’s “Bugsy Malone“, it’s entertaining to see youngsters behave with grown up mannerisms yet despite it’s nature it’s never played for laughs. Most of the actors play it straight which adds a deeper sadness to this, deceivingly, lighthearted tale. Beneath it all though, it’s essentially a right-of-passage story as it focuses on the progression from childhood to adolescence while on the periphery delivers an effective contrast in the disillusionment of adulthood. Despite it’s air of sadness though, it’s the charming innocence and wonderment that shines through. It’s yet another thoroughly enjoyable Anderson adventure but somehow it didn’t resonate as well as his previous films. Maybe I was expecting too much or maybe it will grow on me like “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou” did after a couple of viewings. As much as I had fun with this, I think I will have even more second time round.

As a self confessed Anderson fan, even I wasn’t fully prepared for his overstated quirkiness here but that aside, this is still an accomplished piece of work.

Mark Walker

44 Comments »

Fantastic Mr. Fox * * * * 1/2

Posted in Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family with tags 2009 on September 13, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Wes Anderson.
Screenplay: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach.
Voices of: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wally Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Helen McCrory, Brian Cox, Garth Jennings, Roman Coppola, Wes Anderson, Jarvis Cocker, Adrien Brody.

Director Wes Anderson’s quirky indie humour and off-beat dysfunctional characters have been very appealing to me over the years. Upon the news that he was adapting a classic children’s novel, using animation, I thought he might have been going a little too far outside his comfort zone and wondered if his idiosyncratic style would actually transfer to a different medium. Thankfully, my curiosity was put to ease as this did not dissapoint.

Based on Roald Dahl’s story about a sly and egocentric fox that always strives for better things for himself and his family, while seemingly oblivious to the dangers his quest for status brings to his family. He sets out to rob the three local farmers Boggis, Bunce & Bean of their possesions and attracts a lot of unwanted attention for everyone in the process.

Anyone familiar with Anderson’s idiosyncratic style will know that, despite this being animation, his approach hasn’t changed at all. It still possesses his wit and charm in abundance. The stop-motion animation takes a little getting used to but once you’ve attuned yourself to it, there’s no let up in the pace of, not just, Anderson’s visuals but also the characterisation and his daring in not being constrained by the medium itself. His eclectic use of music and screen captions are also present, making this every inch a Wes Anderson adventure. Credit must also go the voice cast; each and every single one of them inhabit their characters and deliver the sharp and intelligent dialogue to perfection, bringing the little stop-motion animals to life. These little creatures have more zest and life than most live-action movie characters are ever afforded and they add to another odd collection of dysfunctional family members that seem to be Anderson’s forte and feature regularly in his oeuvre.
For many, this is actually their favourite Anderson film. Personally, mine still sits with “The Darjeeling Limited” but this is certainly one of his finest, eccentric and most unique moments.

Not only does this foray into animation not disappoint, it actually thoroughly impresses. This is how it should be done. A subversive, cerebral treat for adults and children alike. “Fantastic” indeed.

Mark Walker

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The Cabin In The Woods * * * 1/2

Posted in Comedy, Horror with tags 2012 on September 12, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Drew Goddard.
Screenplay: Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard.
Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Brian White, Amy Acker, Tim De Zarn.

Decent horror movies are hard to come by these days. So much so, that the genre itself has become pray to parody. Wes Craven successfully managed it with “Scream” and recently the cult indie film “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” took it even further. If your a fan of these types of films then this should be right up your dark and creaky stairwell but pure horror snobs may find it a bit too satirical for their liking.

A weekend break away for five college kids doesn’t quite turn out to be the fun-filled party they were expecting when they arrive at a remote cabin and discover an old diary that speaks of past foul play that took place on their very weekend premises. As expected, the foul play rears it’s ugly head again but in more ways than one.

Right from the beginning of this film the usual horror conventions are all on display; a motley crew consisting of the stoner, the jock, the bookworm and the sweet & sultry females all heading for… well… you know where. Perfect fodder for mayhem I hear you say? Indeed! After a short build-up though, the usual conventions are all but discarded and the film veers off in all sorts of directions. The details of which, I can’t divulge or you’ll be seriously pissed with me. This is most definitely a film that’s worth entering without prior knowledge as the surprises that it has in store are the very strengths which help it overcome it’s faults. One of these major faults is it’s inability to decide what it wants to be or what audience it’s targeting. Is it a parody? Is it science fiction? Is it horror? In fact, it’s all of these things and possesses a welcome mix of scares and humour. The crossover between both is not always a smooth one though, which lessens the impact it could have had. Added to which, it’s very far-fetched to say the least. However, it surprisingly still manages to hold it together to come out a success which is, thanks in large, to a very strong and exhilarating ending, making it hard to resist the film’s chutzpah.

A smart and satirical riff on the horror genre that manages to use the conventions but also cleverly play around with them. Not entirely successful but highly ambitious and appealing on many levels.

Mark Walker

26 Comments »

Bernie * * * *

Posted in Comedy, Crime, Drama with tags 2012 on September 9, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Richard Linklater
Screenplay: Richard Linklater, Skip Hollandsworth.
Starring: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Richard Robichaux, Brady Coleman, Rick Dial, Brandon Smith, Larry Jack Dotson, Kay McConaughey.

Richard Linklater has always been a reliable “lesser scale” director. He made his name with impressive indie film “Slacker” in 1991 and since then he’s consistently delivered impressive shifts in genre. Although not exactly a household name, anyone aware of his work is rarely disappointed. His latest in Bernie, is yet another shift for him and, unsurprisingly, another success.

In the small town of Carthage, Texas, Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) is a generous and well respected undertaker who is directly involved with the local church and has a great rapport with the townsfolk. Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) is also one of the locals but is disliked by many due to her bad attitude and vast wealth. After she is recently widowed, Bernie lends her his friendship and becomes directly involved in her affairs- eventually taking over as her carer. However, Marjorie becomes completely dependent on Bernie to the point where he increasingly struggles to please her and also continue his work in the local church going community.

With this film being based on actual events, I’d rather not reveal too much about it. Many will already be aware of the turns of events that take place (as was I) but I think this would work better with a slight element of surprise to it. Suffice to say that Linklater constructs it in a faux-documentary style and makes clever use of combining interviews with both actors and the real life people that lived through the events themselves. The lines between fact and fiction are skilfully blurred and it’s helped immeasurably by an exceptionally good cast; normally I’m not in the camp of Jack Black enthusiasts but here, he is very good indeed. This is a role that’s entirely suited to him and he mostly does away with his usual schtick of smarm and irritating humour and replaces it with an odd charisma and endearment. He’s more reserved and captures the essence of his character that is, on the one hand, very likeable, yet highly ambiguous in his intentions. Whichever way he comes across, it’s hard to be judgmental of him. It’s not just Black that shines here though; it’s great to see the marvellous Shirley MacLaine excel in a role that allows her to be a complete cantankerous bitch and there’s yet another role (this year) that allows Matthew McConaughey to display his talents. Love or loathe the recent film’s of McConaughey (and I admittedly fall into the latter), there’s no denying that he’s finally taking on roles that reflect his abilities. In fact, one of the slight let down’s with this film is that McConaughey is underused – he’s brilliant but just not in it enough.
Where this film succeeds though, is in it’s structure and the welcome touch of wry humour coursing through it, taking the edge off of what is essentially a disturbing turn of events. As much as this film is a character study, it’s also the study of small town mentality. A town that’s full of Chinese-whispers and curtain-twitchers, yet a major event is overlooked by near enough everyone, in order to maintain their facade and their delusional sense of goodwill. In this respect, Linklater and co-writer Skip Hollandsworth nail it and deliver an intriguing, low-key treat.

A quirky, off-beat and humorous little drama that possesses just enough of a dark undertone to keep almost everyone entertained.

Mark Walker

20 Comments »

Midnight Run

Posted in Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime with tags 1988 on July 31, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Martin Brest.
Screenplay: George Gallo.
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano, Wendy Phillips, Richard Foronjy, Robert Miranda, Jack Kehoe, Tom McCleister, Lois Smith, Tracey Walter, Philip Baker Hall.

“Here comes two words for you… shut the fuck up!”

Many films have tried (and failed) to combine the genres of action and comedy. They were particularly popular in the 80’s with the most successful being Walter Hill’s 48 Hrs and Michael Ritchie’s Fletch and four years before this film, director Martin Brest had already delivered one the decades best in Beverly Hills Cop. With the studios churning them out to this day, this still stands as the finest of it’s kind and still the one to beat. Continue reading →

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