Pompeii

 

• Released Internationally on 19/02/14
• Released in Malta by KRS on 01/05/14

Review (26/04/14)

3-word review: Deus ex machina. 

The story of Pompeii, with an entire city frozen in time as it is covered in ash from the nearby volcano Vesuvius, is a wonderful one. Here it serves as a bookend and plot twist for a rather feeble tale of Roman-era slavery and romance. So, after Noah, here’s the second period disaster movie of the year so far. Director Paul W. S. Anderson is mostly famous for the Resident Evil films, and unfortunately this isn’t much better in terms of class or quality.

A hero bent on revenge
The film borrows heavily from various other films, with the most obvious influence being Gladiator. Lots of gladiatorial action, lots of coliseum drama, and a central hero with a score to settle. Kit Harington (Jon Snow, who knows nothing, from Game of Thrones) makes his main role debut sporting an impressive set of abdominals. As a young child he witnesses the brutal massacre of his entire family and village at the hands of a Roman senator, and many years later his exploits as a gladiator bring him to the arena of Pompeii, where said Senator is visiting, hoping to return to Rome with the lovely Cassia (Emily Browning). Her parents (Jared Harris and Carrie-Anne Moss) disapprove, but Roman senators have a way of getting what they want.

In the background
So ensues a lot of politics and romance under the shadow of the stirring volcano. Kiefer Sutherland is suitably nasty, but terribly one-dimensional, as the bad guy. With a certain inevitability we see the plot progress in such a way as to bring the lowly but manly hero into the life of the fair maiden. The details are not too important, because as expected, the volcano comes into play when necessary to throw the rest of the plot out of the window and wreak havoc on everything in sight. It is reasonably spectacular in terms of CGI and relentless destruction, and serves as the best Deux ex machina since the famous frog scene in Magnolia (from director Paul Thomas Anderson, not this one).

In the end
It’s entertaining enough, because you don’t need much story or acting when your third act has a volcano, an earthquake and a tsunami to keep everyone busy. But it feels unfortunate that what might endure as the main film about the events of Pompeii is hardly the classic that they deserve.

 

 

 

Trailers:

The Amazing Spider-man 2

 

• Released Internationally on 16/04/14
• Released in Malta by KRS on 16/04/14

Review (16/04/14)

3-word review: Not that amazing. 

I think superhero fatigue is starting to set in. It's the only explanation I can think of for why I was both positively impressed with many of the aspects of this film, but also bored by the whole experience. This will be an average year, by recent cinema standards - a Spider-man sequel, an X-Men sequel, a Captain American sequel, a new group of heroes (Guardians of the Galaxy) and a hero reboot (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). That's peanuts compared to what's lined up for 2015 and 2016. So even when the film itself is great, how do the filmmakers manage to make it stand out?

Garfield
Spider-man has a harder job than most at keeping us interested, given that the whole story arc was tackled successfully only a decade ago. So the novelty factor isn't too high, although thankfully the first Amazing Spider-man film managed to be very entertaining, partly due to a wonderful interpretation by Andrew Garfield. He gives us a lanky, goofy, light-hearted Spider-man who fits the costume and the persona perfectly. His chemistry with Emma Stone (as Gwen Stacy) is effortless, now also thanks to their off-screen romance. The scenes between them in this film are more impressive than many of the supposedly fancier and definitely more expensive action shots, and if this were a normal film about a guy having to choose between a career and a girl it might have been a good one.

Middle chapter syndrome
The film is longer than I would have liked, but the extra time was probably necessary since at least three new villains get introduced. But this is merely the setting up of great things to come. In a development that is just briefly alluded to at the end, the Spider-man branch of the Marvel universe is about to veer off into deeper territory, with six infamous villains (the 'Sinister Six') heading to our screens in the next film. So this second film has some introductions to do, but then ends rather abruptly with a somewhat awkward ending. Not a juicy cliffhanger, like some middle chapters thrive on; but rather a rushed 'to be continued' type ending.

Lots to see
Jamie Foxx is interesting as the introverted, working class, nobody who ends up transformed into 'Electro', Spider-man's main adversary for this chapter. The effects are nicely done, including a Times Square centrepiece action sequence that shows off his abilities. He even gets an innovative electric guitar theme from composer Hans Zimmer, working with Pharrell Williams and guitarist Johnny Marr. The 3D is put to good use, and the whole electro concept is great fodder for effects. New York serves as a wonderful backdrop, and the scale of the film is befitting of the best disaster movies.

In the end
So, all in all, it's a good film. If Spider-man was the only superhero franchise out there, I would be fawning over this second film and heading back to see it again and again. But even when the action works, the hero looks good, the romance works, and the feel-good factor is thriving, it's all stuff we've seen only a few weeks ago in some similar film with different costumes. Maybe this is why TV is on such a high and small independent films are finding bigger audiences. Maybe we're tired of superheroes for now.

 

 

Trailers:
https://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/theamazingspiderman2/

Noah

 

• Released Internationally on 26/03/14
• Released in Malta by KRS on 02/04/14

Review (31/03/14)

3-word review: It’s quite epic.

I am fully aware of how ridiculous it sounds to grumble about ‘accuracy’ when discussing a story like that of Noah and his all-important ark. We’ve all heard the story in some version or another, and it sounds great, whilst conjuring up lots of fascinating imagery and ideas. Which is probably what drew visionary filmmaker Darren Aronovsky (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan) to the story. But inevitably, if you try to tell the story in a realistic, human manner, massive plot holes start to stare you in the face. So some liberties needed to be taken.

The Watchers

I have no objection to most of this - it’s just a story after all, and Aronovsky has done a remarkable job of covering most of the plot problems. But the biggest element he introduced, and one which serves an important purpose that is evident when you see the film, is that of the ‘Watchers’, or fallen angels who help Noah in his massive task. The marketing material for the film has wisely left them out of all images, trailers and adverts, but when they finally appear they jar with the biblical setting quite considerably, at least to my eyes. I won’t spoil any surprises, but suffice to say that they kept reminding me of an organic version of the sizeable characters seen in a recent sci-fi film franchise, which was quite a distraction. They do apparently have some vague origin from some non-canon religious texts, but that doesn’t help much when you’re sitting in a darkened cinema wondering where the hell (or heaven) they came from.

Human Struggle

But anyway, Watchers aside, the film is quite spectacular and emotional. The driving force behind the film is the titular character’s internal struggle with the instructions he has received in a dream. Should he save the animals and start the human race afresh, or are humans so evil that the world would be better off without them altogether? This interesting dilemma leads to many of the film’s best moments, as Noah (Russell Crowe) clashes with his family (especially Jennifer Connelly as his wife and Emily Watson as his son’s partner) over what God’s intentions are. The fine line between religious fundamentalism and having some basic common sense and love towards your fellow humans is all too evident here, and this of course is a topic still highly relevant today.

A Joy to Behold

Inaccuracies and human drama aside, the film also shines as pure spectacle. No film about Noah’s Ark can hope to be respected if it doesn’t display the scale of the flood with conviction, and this film not only manages that, but precedes the flood with an assault on the ark by desperate humans that is reminiscent of the Helm’s Deep sequence in The Two Towers, and adds immensely to the urgency and significance of what is unfolding. The screams of those who don’t make it into the ark are not something you will be forgetting in a hurry. There’s also a creation montage later in the film that is worth the price of admission on it’s own.

Second Chances

This is a wonderful film about second chances and starting over, on many levels. Irrespective of whether you are religious or not, it’s worth watching because of the great story at it’s core, and the impressive filmmaking that is used to tell it. It’s a family drama, it’s an apocalyptic road trip, it’s a morality tale about human evil, it’s the mother of all disaster movies, and it’s definitely the most 'big screen-worthy' film of 2014 so far.

 

 

 

Trailers:
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/noah/

The Monuments Men

 

• Released Internationally on 07/02/14
• Released in Malta by KRS on 19/02/14

Review (01/03/14)

3-word review: An odd disappointment.

 

It wasn’t easy to figure out why I didn’t love this. The ingredients all seemed fine, and I was in the mood for some good old adventure. But the film is unusually disjointed and bumpy, especially when compared to George Clooney’s excellent previous films as director. Something must have gone wrong at some point, because the film got delayed, and the end result seems slightly unpolished.

It’s not a complete mess, of course. The film still has some wonderful moments and an overall glaze of class, and a lot of effort clearly went into the WW2 setting and worldwide scope of the film. It tells the story of the piecemeal band of professionals who were assembled towards the end of the war to try to find and preserve the vast collections of priceless art that had gone missing as the war swept through Europe. The Nazi antagonists and the treasure hunt atmosphere give the proceedings a decidedly Indiana Jones feel, which is perfectly complemented by Alexandre Desplat’s vintage musical score, which pays homage to Jones as well as older classics and is probably the single best thing about the entire film.

The cast assembled by Clooney is top notch, but this might be part of the problem. As the team members are dispatched all over the continent, it’s hard to keep up with all of them but still give them enough time to make the characters anything more than superficial stereotypes. Maybe two characters less, and their scenes on the cutting room floor, would have made this the slick, old-school adventure story it was meant to be.

 

 

Trailers:
https://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/themonumentsmen/

That Awkward Moment

 

• Released Internationally on 27/01/14
• Released in Malta by KRS on 19/02/14

Review (19/02/14)

3-word review: Clichés, Clichés, Clichés.

 

Ah, dating. The perennial topic. It’s usually an easy sell when promoting your film – as the characters struggle through their romantic toils, viewers are either going to relate to them, or simply enjoy the gossip. But when films like this are churned out every other month, it takes something extra to make yours stand out.

This film tries to stand out by focusing, amongst the usual dating moments, on the ‘So’. “So… where is this going?”, etc. According to the voice over, nothing good can follow once your other half thrusts the ‘so’ into your conversation.

Other than that not-so-ground-breaking attempt at an original idea, the film is merely an amusing mix of tired clichés. The adult humour, the wing woman instead of the wingman, the ‘pact’ between close friends, the misunderstood dress code. There are a few moments of insightful dialogue, and a handful of entertaining minor characters, but otherwise is passes like an average episode of your second-favourite sitcom.

 

 

Trailers:
https://trailers.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/thatawkwardmoment/

12 Years a Slave

 

• Released Internationally on 08/11/13
• Released in Malta by KRS on 05/02/14

Review (04/02/14)

3-word review: Harder than fiction.

If you are looking for easy entertainment, look elsewhere. But if you want to see a powerful retelling of a story that is unbelievably true, then this piece of subtle but masterful filmmaking by Steve McQueen and his team comes highly recommended.

Solomon Northup was born a free man in the 19th century, but was working in Washington when he was drugged, kidnapped and sold as a slave. He spent a staggering twelve years in slavery, unable to communicate with the outside world or convince his owners of his freedom. It sounds impossible in this day and age, but in pre-telephone and pre-abolition America, an injustice this grave could indeed, and did indeed, happen. We know about Solomon because he published a book about his ordeal soon after being reunited with his family, and now thanks to Steve McQueen’s uncomfortable but important adaptation.

The unease and disbelief as one watches this story unfold start to sink in just as they do for the film’s main protagonist, portrayed with an impressive array of emotion by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men). His desperate attempts to stop the chain of events are met with the cruel, arrogant and infuriating behaviour of his traders, captors and owners. Only one (portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch) shows some redeeming glimmer of humanity, but slavery remains the order of the day and its atrocities are never questioned. Whereas Quentin Tarantino tackled this dark issue with a hint of humour and a deceptive light touch in Django Unchained, McQueen holds nothing back, with visceral gore, agonising long takes and nothing left to the imagination. The technical and acting prowess portrayed in one memorable long take are particularly breath-taking.

The treatment of Northup is mirrored by the heart-wrenching story of his fellow slave Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o, in an impressive breakout performance that has unsurprisingly earned her an Oscar nomination). This helps remind us that as cruel as it is to submit a free person to the hardships of slavery, it is even worse that others lived and died as slaves, with no hope of release.

There’s nothing too fancy about this film, and nothing ground-breaking. But it is an astounding story of human hardship, told in an unyielding manner. That us humans are capable of such acts is an issue that deserves our attention, lest we deceive ourselves that this is all ancient history and everything is now fine.

 

 

Trailers:
https://trailers.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/12yearsaslave/

The Wolf of Wall Street

 

• Released Internationally on 25/12/13
• Released in Malta by KRS on 17/01/14

Review (15/01/14)

3-word review: Sex, drugs, stocks.

Scorsese is a genius at what he does, and subtlety is not it. In his latest sprawling character study, he brings to very vivid life the true story of disgraced Wall Street big-shot Jordan Belfort, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, making this their fifth excellent collaboration on screen.

Belfort rose quickly in the money-obsessed world of stock brokers, also thanks to some delicious early advice from his first boss (portrayed wonderfully in an all-too-brief performance by Matthew McConaughey). Enlisting a trusty side-kick (Jonah Hill, whose dramatic roles now start to eclipse his comedic ones), he sets up his own firm selling suspect stocks to hapless buyers, and getting super rich very quickly in the process. This all happened back in the early 90s, and as expected, a lavish lifestyle ensued. The cult following Belfort had amongst young stock brokers was not dampened, but rather fuelled by, his ridiculously over-the-top life and fame as a dubious trader. Scorsese and DiCaprio hold nothing back in stuffing the office antics, epic parties, endless drugs and countless women in our face, leaving very little to the imagination.

Ultimately, the film does serve as a cautionary tale, with justice and heartbreak catching up with Belfort and his team. But the ride is arguably entertaining enough, and some scenes are in equal parts amusing and disturbing. DiCaprio and Hill excel in the drug scenes, along with a few wonderful camera tricks and director touches. It’s so fast, loud and vivid that three hours fly by. The blood and gore so frequently seen in Scorsese’s films are absent this time around, but the drama and the depravity are clearly not. This is excellent filmmaking, but not for the faint of heart.

Trailers:
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thewolfofwallstreet/

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

 

• Released Internationally on 28/11/13
• Released in Malta by KRS on 01/01/14

Review (01/01/14)

3-word review: Comprehensive, timely biopic.

In what turned out to be a stroke of good (but sad) luck for the filmmakers, and convenient timing for us viewers, this big screen adaptation of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography was being premiered in London on the same night that news of his death swept the world. Not entirely a coincidence, of course, since his health had been waning for a while, but it’s rare for us to be able to sit and watch a well-made, detailed look at an important figure’s life at the same time as he is being remembered worldwide.

There have been a number of films about Mandela in recent years, but none gave us such a broad look at his life and major triumphs as this one. Goodbye Bafana was focused on his time in prison, as seen through the eyes of a racist guard, whilst the better known Invictus focused on a specific time during his presidency. This lengthy but entertaining adaptation spans the time from his early years as a bright lawyer to his involvement in the ANC and his eventual incarceration as a result. We then see a glimpse of what happened inside prison but also on the South African and world stage during those many years, as well as the huge outpouring of emotion and change on his release.

Idris Elba (The Wire, Thor) might not resemble the kind-faced Mandela too much, but he steps into the part enthusiastically and by the end of the film has become the role in all the many facets required. He manages to portray both the suave, lady-charming young lawyer as well as the stately, wise leader that he becomes. Naomie Harris (Skyfall) dons a thick accent to match up to Mandela as his equally spirited and determined second wife, Winnie, who fought his cause through all those many years of being apart.

The film is long, but it needs to cover a lot of ground, and it manages to include all the important political aspects without leaving out the human emotion. The now famous Struggle is mirrored by the smaller scale struggle of a very particular family. The Mandela family had to endure a lot and pay a hefty price, but they were ultimately crucial in the shaping of their country.

 

Trailers:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/mandelalongwalktofreedom/

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

 

• Released Internationally on 11/12/13
• Released in Malta by KRS on 13/12/13

Review (12/12/13)

3-word review: Necessary, uninspired viewing.

It’s 2013, and this second part of the Hobbit is released worldwide on the 13th of December, and once again features a rowdy company of 13 dwarves. So here’s 13 reasons why you should watch it, and, maybe more convincingly, 13 reasons why you shouldn’t.

13 reasons why you should watch ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’.

1. It’s more entertaining than the rather dull first instalment.
2. It’s slightly shorter, too.
3. It starts off with a prologue sequence in Bree, which might bring you fond memories of The Fellowship of the Ring, as it is intended to.
4. Martin Freeman is once again fun to watch as Bilbo, and Ian McKellen is his usual classy self as Gandalf.
5. The first half is quite fast-paced and features a couple of interesting and fresh new characters.
6. There’s an exciting and well-choreographed action sequence involving lots of barrels and lots of dwarves, which stands out in the book and is brought vividly to life here.
7. There’s finally one place that looks, sounds and feels completely new - a picturesque town on a lake, which is probably the first part of the Hobbit trilogy not to look like a recycled Lord of the Rings set.
8. The leader of said town is portrayed by Stephen Fry.
9. The magical sense of occasion that permeated throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy finally returns once the company reaches their destination and knocks on the door of Smaug the dragon.
10. Smaug himself looks quite stunning (albeit similar to most other dragons we’ve ever seen on screen), and is voiced by the ever-eloquent Benedict Cumberbatch.
11. The way that Smaug is revealed and introduced lives up to all the hype surrounding such a magnificent character.
12. Just like the recent second Hunger Games film, and many famous second films in trilogies, this one has the luxury of ending with a cliff-hanger.
13. You need to see this to be able to see the climactic end to the trilogy next year.

 

13 reasons why you should not watch ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’.

1. The main flaw of the first film has not been addressed, and in a sense could not be addressed. Once they committed to making three films out of such a short book, there was no way it was not going to be dragging, drawn out and stuffed with ‘filler’ material.
2. The filler material includes the largely pointless prologue scene which feels so forced and fabricated, even including a repeat cameo by Peter Jackson just like in The Fellowship of the Ring, that you can’t but feel let down even before the main titles start.
3. The lack of excitement is a recurring theme – such as in a long, complex scene involving huge spiders, which fails to provide anything new at all when compared to the excellent Shelob material we’ve already seen in The Return of the King.
4. Gandalf is off on his errands as usual, but this time they are tedious, seemingly pointless, and to a large extent fabricated, besides slowing the films pace down even further.
5. Nearly six hours into this tale, it’s still hard to sympathise with, delve into or even recognise most of the dwarves, despite evident attempts to make them distinguishable thanks to ridiculous hairstyles and traits.
6. Evangeline Lilly (Lost) is a new main character, but her role also screams desperation - a desperate attempt to introduce some girl-power and a fresh face.
7. Legolas (Orlando Bloom) is dragged into the proceedings, despite being completely absent from the source material, in what seems like a sad attempt at sharing some of the Lord of the Rings love and linking the two time frames.
8. Surprisingly, the visual effects stand out as below par in certain instances, particularly the barrel action sequence.
9. The attempts at linking the story with that of The Lord of the Rings, beyond the obvious links created by Tolkien, leads to the focus being stolen away from Smaug at certain key moments.
10. Some scenes in the third act are so painfully long and dragging that you start to wonder if there was a pre-determined minimum length established for this film.
11. None of Howard Shore’s new music, including the new themes for the town on the lake, stand out as half as inspired or memorable as the countless themes he wrote for the original trilogy.
12. None of the dwarves are half as endearing as Gimli.
13. The end credits song is an very unfortunate choice, and not a great fit for the tone of the film and the excellent end credit songs that preceded it.

 

Trailers:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/thehobbitthedesolationofsmaug/

Saving Mr Banks

 

• Released Internationally on 29/11/13
• Released in Malta by KRS on 29/11/13

Review (28/11/13)

3-word review: Unusual Disney Magic.

Most people alive today, or at least those in the western world, have had their childhood years sprinkled with Disney magic in some form or another. The baby boomers were around when Walt Disney himself was transforming the world of animation and family cinema; my generation got to savour the Mermaid-Beauty-Aladdin peak and all the unforgettable music it brought with it; and today’s children are spoilt for choice thanks to the excellent quality of recent offerings, especially the collaborations with Pixar. Mary Poppins has somehow persisted through all of this, with its most recent incarnation being a stage musical. A childhood without ever having heard the word ‘Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious’ is not one I would wish upon anyone.

The making of

Which is a large part of the reason why this very unique film has such a great, nostalgic appeal to it. It is basically an entertaining, moving, film version of what you normally would expect to find amongst the extras on a DVD set. It is essentially a behind-the-scenes look at how 1964’s Mary Poppins was made. The reason it makes for entertaining viewing is that the author of the Mary Poppins children’s books - a very British lady who went by the name of P. L. Travers - was a very hard nut to crack, and it took Walt Disney many years and tonnes of charm to draw her to tinsel town and let him make the musical version of her books that he had promised his daughters.

Nutcracker

There are few more enjoyable things to watch than a hard nut being slowly cracked, and acting goddess Emma Thompson is wonderful to watch as she slowly, and only very slightly, warms to the carefree Los Angeles ways and cautiously lets go of her precious literary creation. A large part of the persuasion process comes by way of the sublime music that the famous Sherman Brothers (portrayed here by B. J. Novak from The Office and Jason Schwartzman from The Darjeeling Limited) were composing at the peak of their powers, and which can still gets throats humming and toes tapping fifty years later.

Walt

Filling the powerful but warm role of the head of the Disney empire himself is Tom Hanks, who delivers yet another seemingly understated but ultimately excellent performance after his recent Captain Phillips, although if he gets any awards glory this year I imagine it will be for that, not this. His to-and-fro wrangling with Travers whilst never wavering in his determination to make the film he wanted to make is the stuff of warm drama films, not forgotten DVD extras, so I’m glad it has been given this first class treatment. These scenes are carefully woven in between scenes from Travers’ childhood, where her loving but unreliable father (Colin Farrell) was a clear inspiration for the imperfect Mr Banks, and where the events that followed explain her unwavering devotion to the characters in her books.

In the end

Ultimately, the film owes much of its feel-good factor and audience appeal to Mary Poppins itself, and even lifts a couple of songs for key scenes and touching moments. But the two stories are undeniably melded together, so it is a rare and wonderful joy to see this companion piece reach our cinema screens, and remind us of the excitement we felt, back when the winds were in the east, and the mist was coming in.

 

Trailers:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/disney/savingmrbanks/