Wednesday 11th July. 2012
Avengers Assemble
What a hilarious,
absurd and bizarre adventure movie. I was ready for some serious ‘action packed
fighting against the forces of evil and Gods from another world’ plotline but
it turned out to be a superbly written script with some really great comedy
lines. Robert Downey Jr steals the movie with his presence, wit and great comic
timing. It’s such a well-written part, I found myself laughing throughout and
thoroughly enjoying myself (except for having to turn around a few times and glance
at the couple behind constantly talking).
Gwyneth Paltrow as
Pepper Pots has a lovely cameo part, resuming her relationship as girlfriend to
Iron Man, which continues the storyline from Iron Man’s last instalment. Other
main characters are: Tom Hiddleston as Loki, the evil, power hungry God living
in the shadow of his ‘good’ sibling God, hunky Aussie Chris Hemsworth as Thor.
Iron Man calls Thor ‘Point Break’ at one point in the film and I seemed to be the
only audience member who registered that reference. At an appropriate moment
Thor mentions his brother is adopted as an excuse for his bad behaviour, which
had the audience rolling in the aisles (so to speak). Chris Evans plays Captain
America who is one of the oldest Marvel comic book characters. Having been
frozen for many years (with many references/ jokes made to the fact that he is
supposed to be old) he is from another era and not quite up to date with the
latest scientific terms and technology but he is still proud to wear his trademark,
red, white and blue ‘stars and stripes’ super hero costume. Lou Ferrigno plays
mild mannered, even dull Dr Bruce Banner as the Hulk who becomes physically out
of control when placed under enormous stress. He really turns his character on
with his super human strength and aggression and reveals to us that he is
actually angry all the time. Hulk also has a comedy scene towards the end where
he slams Loki into the ground like a rag doll and the audience responds with
guffaws and delight. Hawkeye played by Jeremy Renner is the bow and arrow agent
who gets his target everytime. I admire him greatly as a smouldering actor who plays ‘disturbed’
and ‘damaged’ character parts, often cast in war and action/ espionage movies.
His next movie is the latest in the Bourne Identity series. Finally, Scarlet
Johansson plays the hot and sexy Black Widow character convincingly. She is a
feisty Russian secret spy whose speciality is forensic psychology. We are never
really certain as to what her involvement with Hawkeye is, except to say they
are both agents and there is a close intimate bond.
Thoroughly
recommend this flick for a good laugh.
Searching For Sugar Man
Sunday 15th July. 2012
Searching For Sugar Man
Sunday 15th July. 2012
Who
is Sixto Rodriguez? A man or a myth?
I
had never heard of this working class Latino man until today’s film preview.
Director Malik Bendjelloul records a moving
documentary of a singer/songwriter, philosophy major and ‘prophet’, thought
dead by public suicide who was more popular in South Africa as their musical
inspiration and voice at the height of the Apartheid in the 60’s and 70’s with
songs ‘I Wonder’ and ‘The Establishment Blues’ than in his native US. He was
discovered in gritty, industrial and urban Detroit in the 60’s but never
succeeded commercially in the recording industry. Unbeknownst to him he was
more successful than Elvis, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in South Africa.
Through some detective work by a musical journalist he was found (after thought
dead) then taken to South Africa to play concerts to a multitude of fans he
never knew he had some 40 years later. A humble man living an ordinary life,
working manual labour, he has an extraordinary and exceptional gift for writing
and composing heartfelt songs reflecting politics, society and the community in
which he lives, in abject poverty. The residents of Detroit had no idea he was
revered across the seas because people saw him as a drifter or homeless when in
actual fact he is far more gifted than his contemporary Bob Dylan. He has been
cheated out of the royalties from his record producers; Sussex (Clarence
Avant-not painted in a favourable light) and A&R Records, and many bootleg
copies of his albums meant that he has never seen any money from the sales of
pirate or commercial recordings. This humble, transparent, independent and
thoughtful man’s story made me cry and want to run out and buy his albums Cold
Fact and
Coming To Reality, purely for his unsurpassed talent and musical genius. A
movie, which is inspirational beyond measure.
The final film in
this trilogy for me is a complete triumph and far from the joyful, witty comic
book characters portrayed in the early Batman movies and the recent 'Avengers
Assemble' film. Enter a stellar cast headed up by talented and tortured actor
Christian Bale playing damaged and broken protagonist Bruce Wayne donning his
Bat cape and mask for the last time, leading British actor Tom Hardy playing
the evil Bane (resembling Hannibal Lecter) who is making a name for himself in
physically strong leading roles, regulars Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary
Oldman, sexy Catwoman come burglar, Anne Hathaway and mild mannered,
philanthropist, board member of Wayne Industries, Marion Cotillard. Wayne, 8 years
on from the last instalment becomes a recluse in a self-imposed exile where even
Caine’s trusty manservant, Alfred leaves him. Gotham City
goes into meltdown as Bane, after stealing Wayne’s fingerprints, manages to
crash the stock market and eventually Wayne loses everything. The young ‘Robin’
character as honest cop, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the hero of the day along side
Batman and the film leaves us with an ambiguous but pleasing ending. The film
ties in a lot of loose endings and is gritty, dark and at times depressing but
it’s special effects and thrilling action scenes leave us with a big budget
blockbuster movie, which is a highly entertaining, thought provoking
drama.
The Hunter
Sunday 15th July. 2012
Sunday 15th July. 2012
Based on the novel written by Julia Leigh, Willem
Dafoe as Martin David stars alongside Sam Neil in this stirring story of a
dangerous hunter working for an unethical company named Redleaf trying to trap
and ensnare the last surviving Tasmanian tiger, which was thought to be extinct
(in reality it is). The Tasmanian tiger used at the end of the film is very
accurate and quite unsettling in its realistic appearance-I have no idea how
they did it?
The dramatic and impressive cinematography shot on
location in Australia’s Tasmania, depicts a rugged land of bush and desolate
but often lush terrain with all its glorious Australian flora and fauna.
With very little dialogue the narrative is thin but
Dafoe who’s roles consist of deranged and emotionally and physically damaged
characters shows a softer and emapthising side to his character as he grows
closer to the family played by Frances O’Connor, Morgana Davies and Finn
Woodlock with the two children having outstanding performances.
Unfortunately the film is long with repetitive scenes
and little action. Further editing could have taken place but one has to view
this film as a quiet but powerful movie with its message about our
responsibility to the environment and the people we care about.
This thought
provoking film was shown at the end of the screen script-writing course with
director Bart Layton and the producer in attendance for questions post film. It
is a dark and disturbing film of a 13 year old blonde, blue eyed boy named ‘Nicholas Barclay
who went missing from his Texas home in 1994. Nearly four years later, Frédéric
Bourdin, 23, brown hair and brown eyes, shows up in Spain claiming to be
Nicholas.’ He also claimed that he had been raped and tortured by the Military
and as fantastical as that is, the FBI were too ready to believe the ever so
charming con-man Frédéric Bourdin. The cinematography uses techniques involving
home videos, interviews, 1990’s film clips and voice-overs giving as the
audience a realistic representation of the period. There are re-enactments of
the story behind the sorrowful Barclay family (namely the mother and the
sister) taking back, whom they thought was Nicholas into their home but it is
clear to us that there is no resemblance what so ever to Nicholas and some
facts are quite out of place for example: hair and eye colour, his French
accent and why didn’t they do a DNA test in the first instance instead of after
the fact? An almost comical Frédérick Bourdin couldn’t believe his luck and
whilst he kept on thinking he was going to get caught out, he didn’t. In this
case a ‘dark comedy’ or ‘noir’ film is the only way to describe the presentation
of this series of events and mishaps by everyone involved in this story
including the bumbling FBI and a desperate private detective.
The Imposter-Film
preview at the Empire Cinema
Saturday 21st
July. 2012
The final twist
sees a desperate family’s dirty laundry being aired: drugs, secrets and desperation where they then become the suspects in Nicholas’s death. A
psychological thriller this may be but it is quite disconcerting that there are
mentally disturbed people like Frédéric Bourdin out there ready to take
anyone’s identity. What’s even more frightening is that he is married and has
three children.
Batman-The Dark
Knight Rises.
Sunday 22nd
July. 2012
Film:
Bourne Legacy
Monday 20th August 2012
Photo by Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar
This
is the 4th instalment in the Bourne conspiracy-militaristic-thriller
series with latest action hero Jeremy Renner (with whom directors still keep
tied to army characters) as agent Aaron Cross. He becomes the super human
physically enhanced and neurologically altered agent from the Outcome
programme. He doesn’t disappoint and I am a huge fan after seeing his first big
flick The Hurt Locker (what a movie that was). Jeremy has an innate ability to
throw himself headlong into dangerous and psychologically disturbed action hero’s
whilst losing himself in the grittiness and physicality of his roles to portray
convincing real life people with an edge of vulnerability. Renner takes over
the reigns from Matt Damon where the only reference to Jason Bourne is that Bourne is shooting people in NY, his mug shot is referred to and his named has been
carved above a bed head. The movie is shot on location opening in Alaska and later in Manila
with stunning cinematography. Renner hurls himself and Rachael Wiesz (research
scientist and it’s all about the science for her) around the crowded and
cramped ghetto like Manila city on a motor bike whilst being chased/ pursued by
the police and another agent from Bangkok who has been programmed to show no
emotion and no acting ability either. This is a fast paced action thriller with
white knuckled multiple car and bike chases only to be slowed down by the
office scenes with CIA agents not having much of a plotline. Edward Norton as
Eric Byer plays the evil CIA boss devoid of emotion who could care less about
the fallout of innocent casualties from his actions and decisions. He is superb
as per usual and Norton always delivers. As the hero and heroine sail into the
sunset this paves the way for Bourne movie number 5.
