Maleficent

  

• Released Internationally on 28/05/14
• Released in Malta by KRS on 04/06/14

Review (01/06/14)

3-word review: Disney’s Dark Side. 

Name the last big film you saw Angelina Jolie starring in. Not that easy, is it? Salt, I guess, would be mine. Not exactly a hugely memorable role, or film. But you'd have to go back six years to find Changeling or Wanted. Which shows how much of her immense star power is due to her humanitarian work, her looks, and her famous family. Not necessarily in that order. She broke into the limelight in 1999, with her role in The Bone Collector and her Oscar for Girl, Interrupted, and she also had starring roles as Lara Croft. But it feels like ages since we've had a proper Angelina Jolie film to enjoy, and this one is most definitely all about her.

Not your average Disney film
If you had any doubt that you wouldn't be watching a normal family film, the Disney logo doesn't feature the usual castle, but a darker, less symmetrical one. It does turn out to be Sleeping Beauty's castle after all, but this is the story as seen from a different angle. Jolie stars as the wonderfully-named Maleficent, whom you might remember as the horned evil witch with a crow as a pet, from Sleeping Beauty. This is very much her story, and as with all decent tales of redemption, the best way to understand a baddie is to start from childhood, where the lovely young Maleficent was innocent, lovely and cute.

Back story
Along comes the not-so-wonderfully-named Stefan (Sharlto Copley, District 13, Elysium), who forms a childhood friendship with Maleficent, but who really just wants to become king, at all costs. Things get ugly as the kingdom (where Stefan lives) tries to conquer the Moors (the nearby magical woods, where Maleficent and co. live), and we even get a few large-scale scenes of battle and brutality, whilst keeping everything PG-13. Eventually we reach adulthood, where Stefan has been crowned king and is throwing a party for his gorgeous baby princess Aurora. Maleficent turns up uninvited, and the fairytale you might remember from your childhood comes into play.

Plot holes and awkward moments
The film manages to maintain the aura of dread and mystery that was established so well in the trailers (see the wonderful teaser trailer below), with lots of moody lighting and numerous scenes involving hardly any dialogue at all - just smouldering looks and impossible cheekbones (augmented even further in this case) from Maleficent as she watches over the growing Aurora (Elle Fanning, Super 8), and grows fond of her. But the middle of the film gets dragging, while the ending feels rushed, and Aurora's all-important slumber seems more like a power nap in this version. The carte blanche resulting from the undetermined magical powers mean that it's hard to be surprised by anything that happens, and this origin story loses its charm by the end.

In the end
It's quite significant that this film was made, and it establishes an interesting new direction for Disney to take, now that they might seem to have run out of classic fairytales to adapt. Jolie fits the role like a glove, with looks and a laugh that make Maleficent a wonderfully evil character, despite us now knowing about her soft core and motherly instincts. It's entertaining enough, but nothing special.

 

Trailer:

Salt

• Released Internationally on 21/07/10
• Released in Malta by KRS on 01/09/10

Preview (first published in VIDA magazine on 01/08/10)

It’s sometimes tempting to dismiss Angelina Jolie’s acting talents because of how insanely attractive she looks. But her roles have been varied and acclaimed over the years, and her output consistently successful. Here she stars as Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent who is accused of being an undercover KGB agent. She must use her skills to stay on the run until she can clear her name, as the whole nation hunts her down. It’s sort of like the Bourne trilogy, but with a nicer silhouette.

Review (31/08/10)

Spy wars

Science fiction and fantasy films transport us to worlds which we, the audience, could never inhabit ourselves. I've always felt the same about spy films. They are a clearly defined and easily recognizable genre of films. They have their own set of rules. And although I know that somewhere in the present, or sometime in the future, the events therein can actually happen, they are as alien to me as the Millennium Falcon or Mordor. Those of you who are active or retired secret service agents may of course beg to differ, but then again I doubt you enjoy these sort of films to begin with.

In from the cold

The fictional tale on display today is set in the present and near future, within the arenas of USA and Russia with some leftover Cold War sentiments. One day, a haggard-looking, foreign-sounding old man walks into a supposedly covert CIA office, and announces that he is a Russian spy ready to hand himself in. Evelyn Salt, an experienced CIA agent with years of experience dealing with Russian affairs, is handed the job of seeing whether he is a nutcase or the real deal. After a brief interview she is all but ready to discard his unlikely theories, but as she leaves the room he announces to all who are listening that she herself is a Russian spy who will assassinate the Russian president on US soil in the coming days.

When in doubt

Her immediate supervisor, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber - Defiance, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), seems to have faith in Salt, but the secret service chief Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor - Children of Men, 2012) isn't ready to take any chances. Terrified that her husband's safety could be at stake, Salt does what seems natural - she runs. This does wonders for her innocence plea, and a Washington-wide chase ensues. With years of physical, mental and weapons training under her belt, Salt proves rather elusive, and the mid-section of the film provides a long and exhilarating chase full of gadgetry and stunts.

Why it works

Then comes the point where the film scored many points, at least in my book. Rather than proceeding along the expected route, which has been seen in countless films before, the plot manages to keep twisting and turning, with a large amount of uncertainty, leaving the true motive and identity of this Salt character as something of a mystery right up to the ending. Admittedly, it verges on the silly and far-fetched at times, but the overall result remains entertaining and engaging. Director Philip Noyce (The Bone Collector, Clear and Present Danger) manages to keep the pace brisk throughout the film, although at times he resorts to the usual 'fugitive' clichés - running through woods - check, booking a hotel room under a false name - check, hair-dying scene - check, and so on. Jolie's performance is suitably enigmatic, with her sculpted facial features alternating between the anguish of a hunted wife and the stony expression of a disciplined spy.

In the end

There's nothing incredibly original about this film, although to their credit, the writers managed to conceive a rather inventive twist on the over-used Russian spy themes. Despite its flaws, it remains an entertaining espionage thriller which should appeal to a wide audience. Not particularly memorable, but great fun.

Trailers:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/salt/

Changeling

 

• Released Internationally on 31/10/08
• Released in Malta by KRS on 03/12/08

Preview (18/11/08)

In a nutshell

Based on a true case that occurred in the US in the 1928, this emotional drama is about a mother’s struggle to find justice when she realises that the son who is returned to her after a kidnapping isn’t in fact her own.

Who’s in it?

Angelina Jolie dominates the poster, promotional material and screen-time as Christine Collins, the mother on a mission, and her performance has received heaps of praise since the film screened at the Cannes film festival. The ever-entertaining John Malkovich portrays a local minister who embraces Collins’ cause and helps her fight her way to the truth. Amy Ryans, who was very impressive as another distraught mother in Gone Baby Gone plays a convicted prostitute who befriends Collins and helps her through the darkest part of her ordeal.

Why we’re hyped

Ron Howard was originally approached to direct, but he eventually declined, and Clint Eastwood took over. The man-with-no-name himself has peaked in his old age, and has directed some of the best films of the past decade, including the wonderful Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, and Letters from Iwo Jima. These character dramas seem to be his forte, and they suit his subtle and unhurried style. He also wrote the soft but effective musical score, as he has done on many of his recent films. With him behind the camera, and Angelina Jolie in front, this Oscar-bait of a movie has class written all over it.

Review (16/12/08)

Mum on a mission

The film opens with a few scenes showing the relationship between Collins and her only son, before quickly arriving at the day in question when he disappeared. A brief mention of the father establishes that she is an only mum, and as the drama unfolds it becomes more and more evident how this son was her reason for living. Like every mum should, she tries everything to get him back as soon as possible, but unfortunately for her she is living in Los Angeles in the 20s, when apparently the police force was as clean as a Zimbabwe election.

The city’s finest

Eastwood’s film is as much about the distraught mum as it is about the corrupt LAPD. The focus on the laughable police department is essential as it proves to be the reason for most of Collins’ trouble, and the delay and eventual error in returning her son. Determined to improve their tarnished public image, the boys in blue will stop at nothing to get some good press, even if it means shushing up a single woman with a serious complaint, and forcing her to smile for the cameras as if the police have reunited her with her son. The embodiment of the conscienceless police force is wonderfully done by Jeffrey Donovan as the police captain, and it’s him and his army of goons that the audience should find it easy to hate.

Tales of mystery and terror

The hatred soon shifts target though, as Collins is placed in a rather unorthodox psychiatric hospital, where the staff leave much to be desired. Although psychiatric hospitals are easy targets for filmmakers who want to stage a few terrifying scenes, the archaic practices displayed here are possibly excused by the period setting, and in fact the film clearly explains that the procedure of mental health referral was changed by cases such as these. Later, the truth starts emerging about the boy’s whereabouts, and we suddenly realise that there are much worse things than being a corrupt cop or a psycho psychiatrist.

Tres Jolie

The plot takes a number of turns, and keeps us interested by providing a mini-climax every half-hour or so, rather than slowly building to one huge one. And tying everything together is the magnificent performance by Angelina Jolie, who holds steadfast throughout and never looks like giving up. She looks great in this period setting, and it’s gripping to watch her battle on and finally earn a few moments of joy in her life. It seems her real-life experience raising around 76 children with Brad Pitt has paid off, because she clearly shows us how Collins was a mum we would all be proud of.

 

Trailer:

 

Kung Fu Panda

 

• Released Internationally on 05/06/08
• Released in Malta by KRS on 02/07/08

 

Preview (01/06/08)

In a nutshell

Pandas aren’t very agile. Po, the title character, is no exception. He loves Kung-Fu, but merely as a sofa-warming spectator. However, it turns out he has a different purpose in his life, and we’re about to see what he’s really capable of. This promises to be another one of DreamWorks Animations’ sharp and witty animated comedies for all the family.

Why we’re hyped

After tap-dancing penguins, gourmet rats and bees who sound like Seinfeld, this summer’s cool creatures might prove to be pandas. With an all-star voice cast and an accent on the laughs, this promises to be an oriental delight, and after a glitzy premiere at this year’s Cannes Festival, it’s already taken a good hold of the US box-office.

Who’s In It?

The never-serious Jack Black plays the Panda with plans, and we’ll also get to hear Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Michael Clarke Duncan, and, very appropriately, Jackie Chan.

 

Review (26/06/08)

Simple delights

This film is just over 90 minutes of pure, unadulterated fun. It doesn’t aspire to be a complex plot-driven film. It doesn’t try to say anything that will linger in the mind for years to come. It just focuses on giving you an hour and a half of non-stop laughs, spectacular animation, wonderful characters and endless kung fu, and it does so brilliantly. Need we ask for more?

Po, the fanboy

Despite his sizeable girth, the film revolves around Po – a lazy, inflexible panda who works in his dad’s noodle bar in China, but dreams of a life with more spice. The wonderful thing about this character, who by the end of the film has stolen the show, is that he represents the fanboy in all of us - because Po is obsessed with kung-fu. He has all the action figures, he knows all the history, he can spout all the trivia, yet he can’t even touch his toes. And like every sports or cinema fanatic who’s never left the sofa, when he’s finally thrust into the world he knows so much about and adores so much, he’s wide-eyed with excitement and completely in awe, and therefore wonderful to watch.

Top shelf animation

By now we’ve come to expect nothing less than brilliant animation, and there’s no disappointments here. The scenery is breathtaking, the action is choreographed in style, and the characters are brought to life with gusto, also thanks to the voice cast – especially Jack Black as our bamboo-chewing friend, and Dustin Hoffman as his pint-sized kung-fu master. Half-way through we’re treated to a prison break scene that puts the TV show to shame, and reminds us how far computer animation has come over the past ten years.

In the end

Don’t expect the tale to change your life – but be prepared to laugh and smile and cheer for the latest furry creature to take over the big screen.

 

 

Trailer:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/kungfupanda/ (High-res QuickTime)