2013 | MARKED MOVIES

Archive for 2013

The Family

Posted in Comedy, Crime, Drama with tags 2013 on November 21, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Luc Besson.
Screenplay: Luc Besson, Michael Caleo.
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron, John D’Leo, Jimmy Palumbo, Domenick Lombardozzi, Stan Carp, Vincent Pastore, Jon Freda.

“It was a time when I had it all. People would ask me, “What was it like being untouchable?” The question they really should’ve asked was “What happens when it’s all over?””

During the 1990’s, Luc Besson was a director that I kept a very keen eye on. He delivered the dynamic French thriller “Nikita” before moving on to the kinetic and striking “Leon“. He followed this up with an outrageously unique Sci-Fi in “The Fifth Element” before tailing off with more obscure art-house and animation fair. “Angel-A” in 2005, was the last time I seen anything good from him and his latest in “The Family” would suggest that I’ll have to wait a little longer before he finds his feet again.

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The Way, Way Back

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags 2013 on November 7, 2013 by Mark Walker

Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
Screenplay: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
Starring: Liam James, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carrel, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, AnnaSophia Robb, Maya Rudolph, River Alexander, Zoe Levin, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.

“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to leave!… You’re having way to much fun. It’s making everyone uncomfortable“.

Nat Faxon and Jim Rash may be familiar to some but they haven’t really been household names over the course of their careers. They are both sometime, bit-part, performers having appeared in numerous TV shows but it wasn’t until 2011 that they earned some well-deserved attention by winning an Oscar for their screenwriting duties on Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants“. Now, they turn their hand to directing and it’s apparent that they’re just as comfortable when calling the shots themselves.

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The Conjuring

Posted in Horror with tags 2013 on November 5, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: James Wan.
Screenplay: Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes.
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy, Kyla Deaver, Shannon Kook, John Brotherton, Sterling Jerins.

“Want to play a game of hide and clap?”

Having already had a hand in fuelling the string of torture porn horrors when he began the “Saw” franchise in 2004, director James Wan opts for a more retrained approach to his latest horror. “The Conjuring” harks back to vintage horror movies of the ’70’s where atmosphere takes precedence over shock tactics. As a result, it manages to be one of the more successful horror movies of recent times.

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Sunshine On Leith

Posted in Drama, Musical with tags 2013 on October 23, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Dexter Fletcher.
Screenplay: Stephen Greenhorn.
Starring: Peter Mullan, Jane Horrocks, George MacKay, Kevin Guthrie, Antonia Thomas, Freya Mavor, Jason Flemyng, Paul Brannigan, Emma Hartley-Miller, Daniela Nardini.

After recently enjoying the debauched underbelly of Edinburgh in Irvine Welsh’s “Filth“, I was curious to see Scotland’s capital feature again in a more lighthearted film. As a general rule, I avoid musicals at all costs as I’m just not that keen on people bursting into song every few minutes. However, I was impressed by actor Dexter Fletcher’s impressive directorial debut “Wild Bill” in 2011 and couldn’t resist the urge to see a musical featuring the fantastic songs of The Proclaimers.

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Filth * * * *

Posted in Comedy, Crime, Drama with tags 2013 on October 10, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Jon S. Baird.
Screenplay: Jon S. Baird.
Starring: James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Eddie Marsan, Jim Broadbent, Imogen Poots, John Sessions, Gary Lewis, Brian McCardie, Emun Elliott, Martin Compston, Shirley Henderson, Kate Dickie, Shauna Macdonald, Iain De Caestecker, Ron Donachie, Natasha O’Keeffe, Jonathan Watson, David Soul.

As the year draws to a close, so does the (unrelated) British trilogy of James McAvoy leading roles. He began with the disappointingly generic “Welcome To The Punch” before moving on to the teasingly elaborate “Trance” before finally heading back to his native Scotland to tackle “Filth” – the ‘unfilmable’ novel by cult writer Irvine Welsh. Since “Trainspotting” in 1996, Welsh’s material hasn’t really been given an adaptation deserving of his talents, but here, director Jon S. Baird delves (groin first) into Welsh’s unrelenting prose and delivers a sharp, sordid and deeply debauched, delight of a film.

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Oblivion * * 1/2

Posted in Action, Science Fiction with tags 2013 on September 28, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Joseph Kosinski.
Screenplay: Karl Gajdusek, Michael Arndt.
Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo, Zoe Bell.

Say what you will about Tom Cruise but there’s no denying that his choice of projects have always been bankable. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s most of his films and performances were of a particularly high standard. The same could be said of the 00’s as well. However, over the last three years, cracks are beginning to appear; “Knight and Day“, “Rock of Ages” and “Jack Reacher” have failed to register any form of quality. On the surface, “Oblivion” has all the hallmarks of the Cruiser getting back on track but, unfortunately, proves just as lacklustre as the aforementioned duds.

In the year 2077, Earth has been obliterated by an alien race and the surviving members of humanity have moved on to inhabit Saturn’s moon, Titan. Jack (Tom Cruise) and his wife Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) have remained on earth, though, to protect machinery harvesting the planet’s resources before Jack begins to suspect that his mission isn’t as straightforward as he thought it was.

Director Joseph Kosinski follows up his previous science fiction film “Tron Legacy” with another venture into the future. He works from his own graphic novel and delivers an intriguing premise that pays homage to classic Sci-Fi movies like “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Planet of the Apes“. His setting is suitably bleak (captured beautifully by cinematographer Claudio Miranda), his use of visuals are striking and his tone is perfectly sombre. In fact, Kosinski actually assembles a good addition to the science fiction genre. Unfortunately, his assembly soon falls apart due to a script that’s devoid of any substance or characters that we can invest in. The pace is lethargic, to say the least, which only really registers that a lot of the film is just padding. Nothing happens for a good chunk of the movie and when the plot is finally opened up, it fails to make sense or hold any form of coherence. Even if it did, your likely to have lost interest by that point anyway. Cruise wanders around aimlessly (presumably in search of characterisation) and the likes of Morgan Freeman and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau needn’t have turned up at all. The most frustrating thing overall, though, is that the big reveal is one that we’ve seen many times before and all, but completely, rips-off Duncan Jones’ far superior “Moon“. The similarities are almost shocking and I wouldn’t have been surprised to have seen Jones’ name on the screenwriting credits.

Kosinski is a director that may yet find his feet. He certainly has an eye for sumptuous visuals and can stage a fine action set-piece. However, he really needs to work on a coherent narrative and one that isn’t as dull or desolate as the landscape that his characters roam.

Mark Walker

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De Niro: A collaborative Adventure.

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2013 on September 19, 2013 by Mark Walker

Okay, here’s a little venture for you..

As most of you know, I’m a massive fan of Adam De Sandler, sorry, Robert De Niro. How on earth can I mix them up? Maybe it’s because they both produce sub-standard comedic material these days?
However, my or (our) aim is not to highlight the below par delivery of Robert De Niro these days, but to she’d some light on the most outstanding qualities that this truly great actor has offered over the years. Myself, and my good friend, Tyson Carter from Head In A Vice have chosen to share our common appreciation of this great, stupendous actor, and as a result, began a completely new blog that will focus, entirely, on him and his life’s work. We hope that you (our friends and followers) will join us in contributing to posts, lists, reviews and Blogathons that are all catered around this particular screen legend.

Our new site is still in it’s infancy but hopefully with your support and contribution, you can help me and Tyson, realise the potential of our new collaborative site. Head over to “You Talkin’ To Me?” and don’t be afraid to follow or get involved with your thoughts.

If you don’t… Here’s what Bob will be doing to you…

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World War Z * * * *

Posted in Action, Drama, Horror, thriller with tags 2013 on September 11, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Marc Forster.
Screenplay: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, Damon Lindelof.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale, Peter Capaldi, Matthew Fox, David Morse, Ludi Boeken, Fana Mokoena, Elyes Gabel, Pierfrancesco Favino, Ruth Negga, Moritz Bleibtreu, Abigail Hargrove, John Gordon Sinclair.

In making it to the screen, World War Z wasn’t without it’s problems; firstly, there were complaints of it’s very loose take on Max Brooks’ novel, then it’s violence was toned down to achieve a PG-13 certificate; a script rewrite happened half way through production; cinematographer Robert Richardson left to work on “Django Unchained” and the likes of Ed Harris and Bryan Cranston dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. As all these problems piled up, the expectation was that the film would be an absolute disaster. Well, quite simply, it’s not. Despite it’s problems, it’s actually quite a tense and impressively handled thriller.

Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is a former UN worker, happily spending some time at home with his family, until the sudden outbreak of a zombie plague takes over his home city. They are forced to flee and Gerry manages to get his family to safety but news breaks that the whole world is suffering the same outbreak, leaving Gerry to get back in the field and use his experience to search for a cure.

After a brief introduction to our protagonist, Forster doesn’t waste time in getting down to business. Within minutes we are thrust into an absolutely exhilarating opening sequence of the rampaging undead overtaking Philadelphia (actually shot in Glasgow, where I witnessed them filming) and it’s from here that you realise that there’s plenty of potential in this summer blockbuster. It doesn’t matter that there’s a lack of blood or gore because the suspense is handled so competently and effectively that you’re still on the edge of your seat. In fact, it’s the perfect example that less can be more sometimes. What’s most impressive, though, is the epic scale in which it’s delivered. There are several intense action set-pieces where hordes of zombies leap from rooftops, clamber over walls and rampage through an aircraft mid-flight. As an action movie, it certainly delivers the goods and also finds the time to incorporate geopolitics as the epidemic goes world wide. Anchoring all this mayhem is a solidly understated, central performance from Pitt. Having produced this movie – throughout it’s spiralling budget – his commitment to make it work comes across in his performance. He’s entirely believable and identifiable as a family man desperate to survive his chaotic surroundings. Nobody else really gets a look in, including a severely downsized role for Matthew Fox and a brief cameo from, the always reliable, David Morse. Ultimately, the film rests on Pitt’s shoulders, though, and he handles it with aplomb. So much so, that the lack of blood splattering and zombie flesh eating takes a back seat to the character driven drama.
Due to it’s production difficulties, plans for a sequel were shelved. However, having now become a box-office summer smash, the sequel has been given the go-ahead. I, for one, wholeheartedly welcome it.

Against the odds, this manages to be a satisfyingly tense addition to the zombie sub-genre. It doesn’t go for the jugular in a gratuitous manner, instead it works on your nerves and focuses on telling a relatable story. Die hard horror fans may want more from it, but it delivered just the right amount of thrills for me.

Mark Walker

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Evil Dead * 1/2

Posted in Horror with tags 2013 on September 5, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Fede Alvarez.
Screenplay: Fede Alvarez, Diablo Cody.
Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore.

It’s been over 30 years since director Sam Raimi gave us his cult horror classic “The Evil Dead” in 1981. Now, like most other films of the genre, we are given the unavoidable remake. Raimi is on-hand again, with producing duties, but the same can said of most remakes, in that they needn’t have bothered in the first place.

In order to kick her heroine habit, Mia (Jane Levy) and a few friends head to a remote cabin away from society and any temptations. It’s here, that they stumble upon some strange goings on in the cellar and find the Book of the Dead, which once opened, releases a demon intent on possessing them all.

The difference between this and the stylishly imaginative original, is that Raimi’s was shot on a shoestring budget by a bunch of college students, intent on experimenting and pushing boundaries. This, on the other hand, throws in the bucks and it’s use of gratuitous gore simply doesn’t have the same impact or originality of it’s tongue-in-cheek predecessor. The approach that debutant director Alvarez takes is the film’s biggest issue: it has an innate inability to laugh at itself. It’s far too serious and as a result has to be judged on that. It’s one of those horrors were you know not to expect logic, reasoning or any form of a sensible decision by it’s characters. They’re merely there as fodder for some soul devouring evil entity. It is what it is, and that’s fine, but when you ask an audience to fully commit themselves, then you have to offer them something in return. If it was in touch with it’s sense of humour then this could have been a wild ride in a similar vein to “The Cabin in the Woods“. Unfortunately, it isn’t and its serious, po-faced approach comes across as ludicrous. Added to which, it’s a horror film that has very few genuine frights, a surprising lack of suspense and it’s use of jump scares are glaringly obvious and redundant. To be fair, it does bring some laughs to the table, but those laughs are entirely unintentional.

One for the torture-porn generation that have no interest in characterisation or plot development. It’s main agenda is to deliver gore and plenty of it. In that respect, it delivers but on every other level it fails miserably. Unequivocally, the worst film of 2013.

Mark Walker

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Mud * * * *

Posted in Drama with tags 2013 on August 30, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Jeff Nichols.
Screenplay: Jeff Nichols.
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Sam Shepard, Ray McKinnon, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Joe Don Baker, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant.

After such brave and exemplary displays in “Killer Joe” and “The Paperboy“, Matthew McConaughey has completely turned his failing career around. He seems to have left his rom-com days behind him and cemented his reputation as a serious leading actor. “Mud“; the long awaited follow up of the award winning “Take Shelter” from promising director Jeff Nichols, is even further proof of McConaughey’s commitment and keen eye for an intriguing character.

Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are a couple of kids who roam the backwaters of their local area. They soon stumble upon Mud (McConaughey), a known fugitive hiding on an island. They are drawn to him and his story of reuniting with his girlfriend Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) and decide to help him escape from the authorities and a gang of bounty hunters, to meet with her again.

Following on from his debut “Shotgun Stories“, Nichols takes us back to his home state of Arkansas for another slice-of-life and coming-of-age yarn. It has been compared to the likes of “Stand By Me” and more accurately, the works of novelist Mark Twain and his “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in our young protagonist’s exploration of the colourful people and places along the Mississippi River. These comparisons are entirely understandable but Nichols doesn’t merely tread old water, he delivers a competent mood piece with three dimensional characters that are entirely fleshed out and convincing. The two young leads, in newcomer Jacob Lofland and especially Tye Sheridan (“The Tree of Life“) are absolutely outstanding in their natural deliveries of impressionable teenagers and there is solid support from the likes of Ray McKinnon, Sam Shepard and an understated Reese Witherspoon. Regular Nichols collaborator, Michael Shannon is really the only one who doesn’t get much to work with, but that was due to time constraints as he had already committed to “Man of Steel“. The real draw here, though, is a snarling and haunted McConaughey. It’s yet another performance of a very high caliber as he perfectly embodies a man with emotional strength yet an almost crippling vulnerability and naivety. This multilayered attention is afforded to the rest of the film’s script and almost all of it’s characters have their differing approaches and struggles with relationships and the environment they inhabit. Nichols operates at a leisurely pace and is in no rush to tell his story. This is entirely suited for his material with the only major issues being that it, ever so slightly, overstays it’s welcome and descends into formula in the final third. That being said, the characters and the environment (captured by cinematographer Adam Stone) are so rich and involving that it’s flaws are easy to forgive.

What first strikes you as an engaging adventure tale soon becomes an emotional and intelligent fable that ruminates on love and loss. It massages both the heart and the head and confirms that Jeff Nichols and Matthew McConaughey are playing at the top of their game right now. We’ll be seeing much more of young Sheridan in the near future too.

Mark Walker

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The Iceman * * *

Posted in Biography, Crime, Drama with tags 2013 on August 19, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Ariel Vromen.
Screenplay: Ariel Vromen, Morgan Land.
Starring: Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans, David Schwimmer, Robert Davi, James Franco, Stephen Dorff, John Ventimiglia, Ryan O’Nan, Danny A. Abeckaser, McKaley Miller, Megan Sherill.

What more can be said about the acting chops of Michael Shannon? Despite being a household name now, he’s still happy to deliver supporting roles in the likes of “Mud” and “Man of Steel” while managing to work within the time constraints of television with “Boardwalk Empire“. Thankfully though, he’s not adverse to the odd leading role and “The Iceman” is the type of film that allows him to fully embrace centre stage.

In the 1960’s, Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon) was a quiet family man, who secretly worked as a porn lab technician until the New Jersey mob that ran his employment, shut him down and persuaded him to become a contract killer. For decades, Kuklinski would kill over 100 people and gain a reputation for his cold blooded professionalism, meanwhile keeping his wife (Winona Ryder) and kids completely in the dark about where their money came from.

Based on actual events, the story of Kuklinski is quite an intriguing one. This was a man who managed to separate his work and family life for so long that he was clearly a very manipulative and dangerous sociopath.
Much like Kuklinski’s victims, though, the film seems strangely lifeless. Most mob films have you on the edge of your seat at least once throughout their running times but “The Iceman” never really manages to do that. Ariel Vromen’s direction is flat and he poorly handles the script’s leaps in time; relying on consistently changing facial hair as a narrative device. It just doesn’t work and as a genre piece, it misses a real opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the similarly themed “Donnie Brasco“.
Where the films strengths lie, are in the performances; Mafia boss Roy Demeo, is captured ferociously by Ray Liotta, who seems to be the go-to-guy for mob figures these days, and the likes of Chris Evans impresses in an almost unrecognisable role as Robert “Mr. Freezy” Pronge – another hitman that Kuklinski gets involved with. Added to this, are smaller roles for James Franco, Stephen Dorff and an awkwardly ponytailed and moustachioed, David Schwimmer. Ultimately, though, it’s Shannon that keeps this film afloat. Despite a fascinating character, the role is surprisingly underwritten, yet Shannon still manages to deliver a detached and menacing portrayal. Quite simply, without his presence, this would would be just another generic, colour-by-numbers, wannabe.

Good in places but ultimately, it’s restrained to the point of monotony. This is a film that has so much potential but squanders it on cliché and relies too heavily on it’s leading actor. Shannon delivers but he doesn’t really get anything back for his efforts.

Mark Walker

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Only God Forgives * * * *

Posted in Crime, Drama, thriller with tags 2013 on July 31, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn.
Screenplay: Nicolas Winding Refn.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm, Tom Burke, Gordon Brown, Yayaying Rhatha Phongam, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Byron Gibson.

After the success of “Drive” in 2011, another collaboration with director Nicolas Winding Refn and star Ryan Gosling was highly anticipated. Now that we are delivered the results with “Only God Forgives“, many have been left disappointed and, from many corners, it has received very harsh criticism. It doesn’t possess the postmodern cool of their previous effort but what it does have, is art house and depth written all over it.

Julian (Ryan Gosling) is a US ex-pat living in Bangkok, where he runs a Mauy Thai boxing club and a family drug business behind the scenes. Things begin to go wrong, though, when his brother Billy (Tom Burke) is killed with the involvement of local police Lt. Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm). This, in turn, brings the arrival of Julian’s sadistic mother Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) to avenge her first born’s death. Julian soon realises that they are up against someone who will not be stopped.

For some, this will be a sumptuous five star experience while others will (understandably) criticise it for it’s perceived pretension and ambiguity. It’s a very difficult film to rate and I can’t give it any less than I have, simply because I do believe that there’s substance contained within. The plot summary above, makes it all sound very straight forward but it’s far from that. If truth be told, I didn’t entirely understand it but that doesn’t make it a bad movie. That’s a fault that rests with me rather than the filmmaker and I think this is the problem that many people are criticising it for – not to mention, Gosling fans’ annoyance at his distinct lack of dialogue.
Anyone familiar with Winding Refn movies, will quickly realise that this type of filmmaking is actually the norm for him and much closer to his idiosyncratic style than “Drive” ever was. It’s filled with symbolism, metaphors and spirituality and categorically, it simply isn’t the action movie that most viewers were expecting. Credit has to be given to Winding Refn and Gosling for their bravery here. They refuse to try and recreate their previous magic and deliver a whole new experience. There are others deserving of mention here too, Larry Smith’s spellbinding cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and entirely authentic in capturing both the beauty and the beast of the city of Bangkok, while Cliff Martinez evokes a foreboding score. The biggest revelation, though, is a bleach-blonde, foul mouthed, Kristin Scott Thomas as the dangerous matriarch Crystal, where every time she’s onscreen she absolutely chews it up. It’s an outstanding, against-type, performance from the once (“Four Weddings and a Funeral“) English rose. Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm’s Chang is also worthy of note with his cold, supernatural, god-like, approach and wielding his own form of justice with the aid a samurai sword that he keeps on his person. He can be seen as the phallus to Scott Thomas’ yonis, leaving the lost and soulful Gosling with an Oedipal complex and dreamlike imaginings of castration – symbolically represented by the loss of his hands. Events don’t exactly make sense on a first time viewing but this is a film that demands repeated efforts to fully capture it’s themes. It has the similar surrealist approaches of directors David Lynch and more importantly Alejandro Jodorowsky (to whom the film is dedicated) and there’s no questioning Refn’s stylistic abilities.

Is it for everyone? Most certainly not, but it will appeal to those who enjoy uncompromising, art-house minimalism and don’t rely on a storyline where everything is linear and readily explained. It’s ambitious and experimental and you probably won’t see a more polarising film all year.

Mark Walker

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You Talkin’ To Me? – featuring: FilmHipster

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2013 on June 14, 2013 by Mark Walker

Ever wondered how to respond to a question by a particular film character? Well, here’s your chance to find out what others have said. Inspired by a feature from Total Film magazine, I’ve decided to adapt some film quotes, that pose as questions to my fellow bloggers. This is my way of shedding some light on some great blogs out there and have a little fun at the same time. There are a different range of questions which will give the blogger the chance to either be offensive, defensive, serious, funny, surreal etc. It may prove difficult to come up with a answer but the whole point is to be as creative as possible.

In the crosshairs in this instalment is Chris Devine who runs the very productive and aesthetically pleasing blog:
FILMHIPSTER

Okay, let’s get started. The film quotes will be in bold with Chris’ answers underneath.

You talkin’ to me?

“Are ya daft lad!”

You’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

“You mind your place, or you’ll be wearin’ concrete galoshes.”

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

“How many times da I have to tell ya…the right tool for the right job!”

My… my wi-, my wife, Bunny? Do you see a wedding ring on my finger? Does this place look like I’m fucking married? The toilet seat’s up, man!

“No. You’ll flood the whole compartment.”

Big Kahuna Burger. That’s that Hawaiian burger joint. I hear they got some tasty burgers. I ain’t never had one myself. How are they?

“All I can say is…they don’t make them like they used ta.”

Do you see me holding up liquor stores with a born to lose tattoo on my chest?

“Laddie, I was drinking Scotch a hundred years before you were born. And I can tell you that whatever this is, it is definitely not Scotch.”

You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it’s me, I’m a little fucked up maybe, but I’m funny how, I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I’m here to fuckin’ amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

“Doctor, I’ve seen the captain feverish, sick, drunk, delirious, terrified, overjoyed, boiling mad… but up to now, I have never seen him red-faced with hysteria.”

Why don’t you try stickin’ your head up your ass? See if it fits.

“It fits like a glove, Captain.”

Alright, alright. Mickey’s a mouse, Donald’s a duck, Pluto’s a dog. What’s Goofy?

“I don’t have a clue.”

Are you telling me you built a time machine? Out of a Delorian?

“Aye. And if my grandmother had wheels, she’d be a wagon.”

It’s quite a thing to live in fear isn’t it?

“Aye, the haggis is in the fire now for sure.”

If you could fight any celebrity, who would you pick?

“I’d rather not take sides.”

•••
Many thanks to Chris for his involvement here and his clever use of quotes from the Scottish Star Trek character, Montgomery Scott. If you’ve not checked out his site please do so here. You’ll find a whole host of quality reviews in a different structure, as well as some very entertaining and involving features like Texting Tuesday’s, Hipster for a Day and Fueled by Film among many others. Thanks again Chris, and if anyone else would like a crack at these questions then let me know in the comments section and you could be in the crosshairs next.

Mark

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You Talkin’ To Me? – featuring: The Ipc

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2013 on June 11, 2013 by Mark Walker

In the crosshairs in this instalment is Eric Isaacs, who runs the honest and often hilarious blog:
ISAACS PICTURE CONCLUSIONS

Okay, let’s get started. The film quotes will be in bold with Eric’s answers underneath.

Are you talkin’ to me?

HUH?? Aren’t you asking the goddamn questions?? I may be dumb but I’m not fucking stupid…

You’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

I come from the 70s, so I’m always feeling a little bit lucky… and LOOSE! But I’m married now so I just stick with feeling……… LUCKY!!!

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

I actually have – your readers might not believe me, but it’s true. *Finishes off 7th beer* Oh wait – maybe that was FILMHIPSTER…..

My… my wi-, my wife, Bunny? Do you see a wedding ring on my finger? Does this place look like I’m fucking married? The toilet seat’s up, man!

*Finishes off 11th beer, accidentally pees on your floor* OOOOOOOOPS

Big Kahuna Burger. That’s that Hawaiian burger joint. I hear they got some tasty burgers. I ain’t never had one myself. How are they?

If I remember correctly, that’s a nod to In N Out Burger. In N Out Burger ROCKS!!!! They used to have a “special menu” that was word of mouth only. I wont divulge any secrets but we used to get things like “triple meat, quadruple bacon, there’s 30 bucks and 3 grams of weed under the bun” burgers….

Do you see me holding up liquor stores with a born to lose tattoo on my chest?

If anyone was gonna do that, I would place my odds on you. BUT – I’m friends with you on Facebook and I’ve seen your tattoo – “ALANIS 4 EVA” across your shoulder blades.

YOU are funny like a FUCKING clown!! FUCKING clowns.

Why don’t you try stickin’ your head up your ass? See if it fits.

This reminds me of something Adam Sandler did before he was big. This may not be verbatim but it was a song and went something like “Please shove that shampoo bottle up my ass and work it at a medium pace” and: “The other day I put a mirror on the floor and looked up my own asshole – it blew my fucking mind!!!!!”

By the way – have you ever done that? It may or may not be kind of *record scratch sound effect ending the moment*

Alright, alright. Mickey’s a mouse, Donald’s a duck, Pluto’s a dog. What’s Goofy?

*Finishes 14th beer* I’ve always wondered that too. He seems like kind of a (BLEEEEEEEEEEEP) (BLEEEEP) (BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP)ing (BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP) (BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP)ing (BLEEEEEEP) – let’s leave that interpretation up to your readers. I won’t mention any (BLEEEEEP)s.

Are you telling me you built a time machine? Out of a Delorian?

Well – the thing I was commissioned to include on the DeLorian wasn’t a time machine. It was a contraption to help confiscate grass across the U.S. / Mexico border. In the end, they used it for something else….

It’s quite a thing to live in fear isn’t it?

The only thing I fear is that Dane Cook reads the answer to the next question.

If you could fight any celebrity, who would you pick?

FUCKING DANE COOK!!! I HATE HIS ACT, HIS ACTING AND HIS FUCKING FACE!!!! SUCK IT, COOK!!!!!!!!!

•••
Many thanks to Eric for his passionate involvement here and if you’ve not checked out his site please do so here. You’ll find that Eric does things very differently. He mainly concentrates on horror but branches out to more mainstream reviews and some very entertaining and involving features like Double Takes, Isaacs Interviews 2012 & 2013 and just finished the very popular Shitfest 2013, where he included a whole host of reviews of very poor film’s. Thanks again Eric, and if anyone else would like a crack at these questions then let me know in the comments section and you could be in the crosshairs next.

Mark

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The Place Beyond The Pines * * * * 1/2

Posted in Crime, Drama with tags 2013 on June 7, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Derek Cianfrance.
Screenplay: Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio, Darius Marder.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta, Ben Mendelsohn, Dane DeHaan, Emory Cohen, Bruce Greenwood, Harris Yulin, Rose Byrne, Mahershala Ali, Robert Clohessy.

When director Derek Cianfrance and star Ryan Gosling collaborated on the grim, but excellent “Blue Valentine” in 2010, they explored the dissolution of a married couple’s relationship. Two years later, they’re at it again with yet another personal journey about the relationship between fathers and sons. The results are no less impressive than their previous delivery and, this time, arguably better.

Motorcycle stunt rider Luke (Ryan Gosling), meets one of his old flames Romina (Eva Mendes). It turns out that Romina has a son and Luke is the father. Luke then decides that he wants to provide for him but it leads him into robbing banks where he crosses the path of a rookie but ambitious policeman (Bradley Cooper). Their altercation ends up affecting more people than they ever expected.

A triptych movie – divided into three parts – where Cianfrance adopts a deliberate pace and allows his characters the space to grow and develop. First off, this is the most impressive element to the film; the characters are all three-dimensional with deeply emotional drives and motivations as Gosling, Cooper, Dane DeHaan and relative newcomer Emory Cohen, all get ample time to find their feet and get into their roles in each of the chapters. Despite the maleness on show, an impressive Eva Mendes flits in between them with a solid turn in what is a very underwritten role. It’s through the committed performances that we are easily able to identify with each of the characters and become embroiled in their tangled relationship that spans a generation. Cianfrance’s scope is highly ambitious and for the most part, very successful. In the first third he focuses on Gosling’s, Luke and his life of crime while striving to support his family and delivers some very intense heist scenes, one after another (all the more impressive as they were apparently done in one take). Much like his performance in “Drive“, Gosling combines good and bad so well. He’s able to exude an innocence but also an underlying darkness that few actors can achieve. It’s this very combination of qualities that has Gosling at the forefront of contemporary performers. There is an absolute smouldering intensity to him. Then, just as we’re getting to know Luke, the film takes a shift towards Cooper’s tortured police officer, Avery Cross, in the mid-section. The blending and shift in tone is seamless and impressively delivered but as much as I was a big admirer of Cooper’s recent, Oscar nominated performance, in “Silver Linings Playbook“, he doesn’t quite have the gravitas to make this role work for him in the same way. He does well and can’t be faulted too much, but he’s too blue-eyed to cut it as a tortured soul here. The intensity that Gosling brings to his role is the very thing that Cooper fails to capture. This may be slightly unfair on Cooper as he’s by no means bad, but it only serves to show how strong Gosling is. His performance actually permeates the remainder of the film once he’s gone but it does still stumble without his presence.
Cianfrance then goes on to finish the saga by audaciously jumping 15 years ahead. At this point, the director fully states his ambition and although admirable, he also stretches credulity somewhat. That being said, the film is so well delivered that it’s acceptable and just about gets away with it. Unfortunately, the father/son relationship that runs deep within becomes a little muddled and relies far too heavily on a coincidental encounter. With Cianfrance stretching his canvas so far it almost tears apart, held only with the most tenuous of threads. His ambition is almost too vast in relation to his material or more appropriately his running time. I could easily have watched another half hour for the latter characters to be fully rounded and any shaky plot developments ironed out.
However, the more I’m writing this, the more I’m realising that I’m being quite critical. It’s not my intention to put this film down, I’m merely pointing out the things that stop this film from being a five star experience. It’s very nearly there and I enjoyed it enormously.

Vast, immersive and marvellouslly assembled. With “Blue Valentine” and now this, Cianfrance is proving to be a very exciting director to look out for. It’s early doors, but so far, this is the best of 2013.

Mark Walker

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You Talkin’ To Me? – featuring: Terry Malloy’s Pigeon Coop

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2013 on June 6, 2013 by Mark Walker

In the crosshairs in this instalment is Chris Thomson, who runs the excellent
TERRY MALLOY’S PIGEON COOP.

Okay, let’s get started. The film quotes will be in bold with Chris’ answers underneath.

You talkin’ to me?

Well you started the conversation, but I guess I am now, yes.

You’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

Do you feel lucky? I don’t know, do you? As for me, well I recently won a children’s cricket set in a raffle. That’s about as lucky as I get.

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Well she told me her name was Sarah but she did carry a pitchfork. Did a mean rumba too.

My… my wi-, my wife, Bunny? Do you see a wedding ring on my finger? Does this place look like I’m fucking married? The toilet seat’s up, man!

Women love it when you leave the toilet seat up. Just ask all my ex-wives.

Big Kahuna Burger. That’s that Hawaiian burger joint. I hear they got some tasty burgers. I ain’t never had one myself. How are they?

You ain’t never had one? So you have had one? Don’t come round here with your double negatives.

Do you see me holding up liquor stores with a born to lose tattoo on my chest?

Never rob a liquor store bare chested. Never.

Funny like the way I sent this question to my girlfriend once who has never seen Goodfellas and genuinely thought I was pissed off with her and I had to explain the whole thing to her. She’s still not seen Goodfellas.

Why don’t you try stickin’ your head up your ass? See if it fits.

I’m fairly sure that biology dictates that it wouldn’t. I’d at least have to spend some serious time with Zachary Quinto first.

Alright, alright. Mickey’s a mouse, Donald’s a duck, Pluto’s a dog. What’s Goofy?

Another breed of dog? A sex offender? Oh god, what is he?!

Are you telling me you built a time machine? Out of a Delorian?

Yep and I’ll use it for the only good thing a time machine would be good for. Dinosaurs.

It’s quite a thing to live in fear isn’t it?

Could be worse, you could live in Hull.

If you could fight any celebrity, who would you pick?

Justin Bieber. I’d love to stove his smug little face in. Over and over again. Until the end of time.

•••
Many thanks to Chris for his involvement and if you’ve not checked out his site please do so here. You’ll find an abundance of quality reviews, as well as his very informative feature What Is?… Thanks again Chris, and if anyone else would like a crack at these questions then let me know in the comments section and you could be in the crosshairs next.

Mark

22 Comments »

Mama * * *

Posted in Horror with tags 2013 on June 3, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Andy Muschietti.
Screenplay: Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Neil Cross.
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, Daniel Kash, Javier Botet, Jane Moffat, Morgan McGarry, David Fox, Hannah Cheeseman.

After producing the disappointing “Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark” in 2011, Guillermo del Toro lends his name – and financial services – to another American horror production, which is actually an elaboration of the 2008, three minute short, “Mamá” by the same Argentine director Andrés Muschietti. For the most part, del Toro has wisely chosen a director to invest in, but like so many before him, he fails to deliver the ultimate punch that’s so important in this particular genre.

A father (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), seemingly in a state of desperation abducts his two young daughters and flees with them to a remote cabin in the woods. His intention is to kill them but before he does, a dark entity interjects and kills him instead. For years afterwards, the father’s twin brother (Coster-Waldau again) searches for his nieces and eventually finds them. They have went feral and claim to have been looked after by something they refer to as “Mama”. However, when they head back to civilisation, “Mama” has no intentions of leaving them alone.

Let me just start by saying that “Mama” is a very frustrating movie. When I say frustrating, I don’t mean bad, as this film can’t quite be labeled as such. It has many things to recommend it; the deliberate pace; the teasing build up; freaky children; the spectre only hinted at or briefly glimpsed. Director Andrés Muschietti (or Andy as he’s credited) certainly knows how to build tension and raise the goosebumps. He does it so commandingly and assembles two impressive lead actors that are at the forefront of everyone’s minds at present; the ubiquitous, two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastian and rising “Games Of Thrones” star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – not to mention two excellent child actors in Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nélisse, but (forgive me if I’m mistaken here) is the role of executive producer not to produce, or oversee, the financial side of a film, allowing a director to fully express their vision and help with the distribution of the product? If that’s the case, then Guillermo del Toro can certainly be seen to have done his side of the bargain on the latter half, as this has reached quite an impressive audience, but on the the former he has to come under scrutiny. When this film is forced into delivering the visuals, they seem cheap and really not up to the standard that a more sophisticated audience are accustomed to. The finale is delivered in such a way that it strips the whole film of the good work that went before – Namely, revealing the ghost too much and too soon. When will filmmakers – particularly those in the horror genre – learn, that less is more? It’s not necessary for us to witness the antagonist in full view and allow our minds to be force fed, when it worked so much better when we were kept in the dark. In fairness, it’s a poorly written denouement that still falls at the feet of director Muschietti, who co-writes with Neil Cross and sister Barbara Muschietti. They construct a brilliant horror concept with an effective, mother/daughter emotional core, but are simply unable to bring it to any satisfying conclusion. That’s exactly where the frustration lies; this film had so much going for it, that it leaves you in disbelief that it’s all squandered in contrivances and poor CGI, which ultimately leaves you with the overriding feeling that not all short film’s have the ability or mileage for a feature length endeavour.

For the most part, this is a very effective and engaging modern horror but like so many from recent times, it fails to deliver when it really matters. Here’s some advice from your “Dada“… expect less and you’ll receive more.

Mark Walker

33 Comments »

Gangster Squad * * *

Posted in Action, Crime, Drama, thriller with tags 2013 on May 1, 2013 by Mark Walker

Director: Ruben Fleischer.
Screenplay: Will Beall.
Starring: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Patrick, Anthony Mackie, Michael Peña, Jack McGee, Jon Polito, Josh Pence, Mireille Enos, Sullivan Stapleton, John Aylward, James Carpinello, Don Harvey, Ambyr Childers, Frank Grillo, James Landry Hébert.

Although I’ve yet to see director Ruben Fleischer’s previous comedy film “30 Minutes Or Less“, I did manage to catch his debut “Zombieland” which injected a lot of humour and style in the zombie sub-genre. For his third film, he assembles one of the year’s most impressive casts and decides to drop the comedy and focus on a real-life crime story. His stylish approach is, once again, on show but unfortunately, his film suffers from a dreadfully threadbare script that fails to utilise his very talented ensemble or elaborate on a story with massive potential.

Los Angeles, 1949. Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) is determined to take hold of the city and muscle out any competition. Police Chief William Parker (Nick Nolte) has other ideas, though. He forms a squad of no-nonsense cops to fight back and puts World War II veteran John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) in charge of the operation. O’Mara assembles his crew and tackles Cohen’s organisation with the same brute force that the criminal acquired it with.

From the off-set, Fleischer doesn’t waste time in getting down to business. The brutality of Mickey Cohen is captured within the first few minutes by a scenery-chewing Sean Penn, on menacing form. Following suit, we are then introduced to Brolin’s strong arm of the law, charged with bringing this notorious gangster to justice. Straight away, Dion Beebe’s gorgeous cinematography and production designer Mather Ahmad manage to capture the glitz and grime of late 1940’s L.A. and it looks like we could be treated to something akin to Curtis Hanson’s sublime “L.A. Confidential“. Unfortunately, the look and feel is where the comparison ends. This isn’t anywhere near as tightly constructed as James Ellroy’s labyrinthine thriller and that’s the most frustrating part; it could have been. The elements are in place but the all-important script seems to have it’s concrete shoes on. The writing is repetitious and lazily strung together and for a film that’s seemingly focused on it’s characters, it ultimately fails to deliver anything that resembles a three-dimensional role for any of the impressive cast on show. Brolin, Gosling and Penn get most of the screen time but this is a role that’s completely beneath the abilities of Gosling as he takes a back seat to the other two and the talented likes of Ribisi, Mackie and especially Peña needn’t have turned up at all. It all but completely abandons the good work it sets out to do and resorts to stylistic action scenes that are drawn out and devour the latter half of the movie – eventually leading to nothing more than a shoot-em-up and an obligatory toe-to-toe thrown in for ~~good~~ bad measure. Quite simply, the whole thing comes across as a poor case of cut-and-paste and squanders what little powerful scenes and performances it does possess.

It’s a real shame that this ended up so superficial when it had so much potential. Instead of being a passable piece of pulp with too much reliance on it’s star wattage, it could have been a solid addition to the gangster genre. I’m sure Fleischer believed in the material at one point but my Tommy-Gun’s not convinced.

Mark Walker

35 Comments »

2013 Lammy Awards

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2013 on April 18, 2013 by Mark Walker

As most, or all of you will know, the 2013 Lammy Awards have entered their final stage. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support and interaction on Marked Movies and to those that were kind enough to vote for me in the submission stage. As a result, I’ve now made it to the nomination stage in my first full year of blogging and I can’t tell you all how happy and honoured I am to be considered amongst so many great sites. This would never have happened if it wasn’t for the warmth and encouragement from so many of you out there and for that I’m entirely grateful.

When the nominations were announced on the Lambcast and my beloved feature Tuesday’s Trivia Tidbits didn’t make the cut in Best Running Feature, I went through the 5 stages of grief…

Denial…

Anger…

Bargaining…

Depression…

Acceptance…

I came to accept, when I realised that I had been included in the nominations for Best Reviewer (one which I didn’t expect at all) and for Best New Lamb. These are two very strong and reputable categories to be involved in and here’s hoping I can go that one step further when the winners are announced in May after the close of ballot on April 30th.

Not only would I like to thank everyone for their support but I’d also like to wish my fellow nominees the very best of luck. It’s an honour to be included amongst you all.

Mark

47 Comments »

TUESDAY’S TRIVIA TIDBITS

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2013 on April 16, 2013 by Mark Walker

Welcome back to Tuesday’s Trivia Tidbits. For those of you out of the loop, this is a little compilation of 10 movie related facts that I will be posting weekly and info that I always find interesting. So without further ado, this weeks are…

1: Director Martin Scorsese’s first choice for the role of Sam Bowden in “Cape Fear” was Harrison Ford. He had Robert DeNiro call Ford to try convincing him to take the part. Robert Redford was also considered before Nick Nolte eventually took the role.

2: In “Cinderella Man“, professional boxers played Jimmy Braddock’s (Russell Crowe’s) opponents. They were told to land their blows as close to Crowe’s body as possible. Unfortunately, they sometimes couldn’t pull back in time and ended up injuring the actor.

3: The scene in “The 40 Year Old Virgin” where Andy (Steve Carell) has his chest hair removed required five cameras set up for the shot. Carell’s chest hair was actually ripped out in the scene. The actor had told director Judd Apatow just before shooting the scene: “It has to be real. It won’t be as funny if it’s mocked up or if it’s special effect. You have to see that this is really happening.” The scene had to be done in one shot.

4: So disappointed was he by the poor reception of “The Night Of The Hunter” on its initial release both critically and commercially, Charles Laughton vowed never to direct a film again, and he never did. The film he was planning to direct next was going to be a screen adaptation of “The Naked And The Dead.”

5: In Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine“, the scenes in the ‘past’ when Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) are falling in love were shot first, in three weeks. After this Gosling and Williams spent a month together in a rented house to age themselves in preparation for the ‘present’ scenes. They spent a lot of their time grocery shopping, cooking dinner and learning to pick fights with each other.

6: On October 17, 2006, Wesley Snipes was indicted on eight counts of tax fraud. He was ultimately found guilty and sentenced in April, 2008, to three years imprisonment. It was determined that he had not filed federal income tax returns from 1999 to 2007 and owed the IRS approximately $20,000,000 in back taxes. On the day he was sentenced, he paid $5,000,000 to the IRS.

7: Ewan McGregor, Christian Bale, and John Leguizamo auditioned for the role of Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo & Juliet“, before Luhrman decided to make Mercutio black and cast Harold Perrineau, Jr instead. Benicio Del Toro was also considered for the part of Tybalt before Leguizamo took that role.

8: On the first day of shooting his film debut in “Mrs Brown“, Gerard Butler had to run naked into a freezing sea and, as a result, developed hypothermia. Later during the filming, he saved a young boy from drowning in the River Tay, Scotland and received a Certificate Of Bravery from The Royal Humane Society.

9: During the filming of “The Birds“, Tippi Hedren’s daughter Melanie Griffith was given a present by Alfred Hitchcock: a doll that looked exactly and eerily like Hedren. The creepiness was compounded by the ornate wooden box it came in, which a young Griffith took to be a coffin.

10: The scene at the beginning of “Apocalypse Now” with Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) alone in his hotel room was completely unscripted. Sheen told the shooting crew to just let the cameras roll and he was actually drunk in the scene and punched the mirror which was real glass. Sheen also began sobbing and tried to attack Francis Ford Coppola. The crew was so disturbed by his actions that they wanted to stop shooting, but Coppola wanted to keep the cameras going.

Unfortunately, there will be no Trivia Tidbits next Tuesday or for the short, foreseeable future as it’s at this time that I will be stepping back from this feature and regrouping. Having just missed out on a 2013 Lammy nomination for this, I have decided that fresh material is required. If you must know my true feelings, then the picture of Martin Sheen (above) should suffice in conveying my dismay and despair. 😉

Don’t threat, though, the feature will return in time, when I have researched more and can come back with more material for you all to enjoy. Until next time, the curtains of Tuesday’s Trivia Tidbits have now drawn but in the meantime you can still check out earlier editions that you may have missed.

Just click here.

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