Now You See Me (2013, Louis Leterrier)

Hello everyone – I feel so organised getting posting again so soon. Let’s hope I can make it last! Anyway, if you fancy hearing my views on Leterrier’s thriller Now You See Me, then keep reading...

“The closer you look, the less you see”. I found that this little fact is not only the best way to approach magic, but probably the best way to approach this film itself. Why? It’s a little complicated and a little confusing, but certainly more entertaining if you just enjoy it and try not to question everything too much. After all, a good magician never reveals his tricks.

So, we meet four of the world’s greatest illusionists, who come together to form The Four Horsemen, and perform magic shows where they steal from corrupt yet rich businessmen and share the money with the audience, without keeping a cent for themselves. However, the FBI believes them to be purely criminals and, with the help of an ex-magician (Morgan Freeman), they attempt to capture and expose the illusionists. The whole Robin Hood concept – described as “bullshit Robin Hood razzle dazzle” by the FBI – was an interesting idea to combine with magic that really worked. Plus, it shows that the illusionists have a conscience – so are they complete criminals? But then again, I did say that you must try not to question everything in this movie – sometimes, it’s better to just think that it’s a cool film and not wonder how they pull off all the tricks. Finally, have a look at when we’re first introduced to Henley (Isla Fisher). That piranha tank trick? She performed it all herself – no stunt double involved – so kudos to her for that.  Oh, and watch out for a surprise twist at the end of the film that I wasn’t expecting!

I couldn’t even complain about the pace of this film – it was fast and action packed, if a little long. Yes, it’s definitely complex, but if you can overlook that, then it’s a pretty good film. I’m not normally one for crime thrillers, but after seeing this I’m certainly open to watching more films of this genre.

Rating: 3.5 stars – yes, I think you should go and see this film. It’s probably not for everyone, but I’d definitely give it a try!

Georgie

The World's End (2013, Edgar Wright)

Hello film fanatics! Firstly, I’d like to apologize for not posting for such a long time. But, with a long summer ahead of me and a whole new array of film releases to see, what better time than to get back to the blog? So, being the Pegg & Frost fan that I am (I loved Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), I went along yesterday to watch the last of this loose trilogy, The World’s End. As I’d enjoyed the two previous films, I had high hopes for this movie. That, and the fact that it was produced by Working Title – I remember several years ago, someone told me that Working Title films should always be good - and I stick by that as I haven’t found one that I’ve disliked yet. Anyway, here’s a quick guide to the plot if you want a rough idea of what’s going on...

40 year old Gary King (Pegg), a washed up alcoholic but still a teenager at heart, sets about persuading each of his childhood friends to join him in completing The Golden Mile: the ultimate pub crawl, involving twelve pubs in their hometown, Newton Haven. They must start at The First Post, and carry on till the final pub, The World’s End. However, the name of this last destination can be taken literally, as along their way, Gary and his friends notice that Newton Haven seems a little different than they remember, but not in a good way. And, as you would probably expect, chaos later ensues.

I certainly loved the total British-ness of this film. Firstly, the gang is composed of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan and Paddy Considine, who are all just some examples of the exceptional talent that we have in the British film industry. And Rosamund Pike’s frequent “oh, crumbs!” also added to this British feel in a humorous way, whilst almost bringing the gang back to reality despite the bloody weird situation that they get themselves into.  

Good things to look out for? The Cornetto and Fence gags (used in the trilogy’s previous films, and are almost like a trademark I guess). Oh, and later on into the film, Eddie Marsan’s character Peter has gotten pretty drunk and very giggly, and for some reason this made me and my friends laugh no end. But if there was one thing I really didn’t like – and I know I’ve said it with previous films – but again, it was the pace. It’s not until the big discovery-and—messy-bust-up-in-the-gents that things start to get really interesting. But that is all.

Basically, The World’s End is the same kind of film again, but this time there’s robots, which I found much weirder, oh and there’s blue liquid spurting everywhere instead of red. I didn’t find it quite as funny in comparison to Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, but it’s still definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 3 stars – I’d recommend it, but the world won’t end (sorry, that’s a bad joke) if you miss it.

Georgie

Hitchcock (2013, Sacha Gervasi)

Hello film fans,

This time I’ve decided to bring you my views on British film Hitchcock. Well actually, I didn’t decide it; I didn’t have a lot of choice. I was supposed to bring you a review of Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, but despite the sign at the cinema saying the seats for that particular screening were limited, when I got to the counter I found out that this actually means no seats at all (please sort that out Odeon). Anyway, set in 1959, Hitchcock looks at the making of one of cinema’s biggest films, Psycho. Aside from that, it also draws attention to the woman behind the great director; Hitchcock’s wife, Alma (a strong performance from Helen Mirren). It’s been suggested on numerous occasions that Hitchcock had an eye for his leading ladies, so I thought the film would be interesting for showing Alma’s side of the story, whilst also concentrating on the problems Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) encountered during the making of Psycho - both as a person and as a director.

Some elements of the film that I enjoyed? Firstly, I thought that Hopkins made quite a good Hitchcock. He has this kind of domineering presence on screen that really suited the part. Oh, and when the Hitchcock dogs, Jeffrey and Stanley, are referred to as “sirs” made me chuckle. But what did I notice critically? In particular, when Hitch (that’s what everyone refers to him as) is demonstrating how Janet Leigh’s character (Scarlett Johansson) should be stabbed in the famous Psycho shower scene. Here, it gets a little eerie – because the shots are intertwined with him stabbing other people, most notably Alma. This is obviously shown to imply his frustration and anger at Alma’s growing friendship with screenwriter Whitfield, and I felt it was a clever way of presenting this.

Anything to improve on? Yes. Hitch is shown to have a distant, almost cold relationship with Vera Miles (Jessica Biel), and although the audience gains some knowledge on why this is, it could have been built upon – a flashback of some kind perhaps, might’ve helped. But the question is: was it any good? Yes, I did enjoy this film – sure, some parts could have been better, but it was interesting to focus more on Hitch’s wife Alma and, to an extent, give her the credit that she deserved. And I did like the costumes.

Rating: 3 stars – yes, it should be watched!

 

Georgie

Silver Linings Playbook (2012, David O. Russell)

Happy New Year film fanatics!

Gosh, it’s been a while – I know one of my New Year’s resolutions will be to post on here much more often. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I ventured out to the cinema in the cold to see Silver Linings Playbook. It was actually my friend’s choice to see this – I was kind of pining for Great Expectations ­– but I went along in the hope of seeing something different, having never heard of the director, yet heard plenty about its stars, Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) and Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games). So, this is what I thought…

The first thing I noted about this film was the opening sequence (I know I talk about openings a lot, but if a film doesn’t have a good opening sequence, it kinda puts a downer on the rest of it). We are in a Mental Health Hospital in Philadelphia, and are introduced to who we presume is a patient, but we don’t see his face – the camera is behind him for a little while beforehand. This is Cooper’s character, Pat Solitano – after 8 months in the hospital, he is finally heading home. We later learn that he is an undiagnosed bipolar, and went to the hospital after discovering his wife Nikki’s affair with a work colleague (he walked in on them in the shower – awkward).

We then meet Tiffany Maxwell (Lawrence), who is also mentally unstable due to becoming a widow, and dealt with her husband’s death by sleeping with everyone in her office (and, unsurprisingly, lost her job soon after). They meet at Pat’s friend Ronnie’s house for dinner (Tiffany is Ronnie’s sister-in-law), and don’t exactly get off to a good start – at one point, Pat describes her as a “married-to-a-dead-guy-slut”. They then end up meeting each other on several occasions when both are out jogging – during one of these meetings, Tiffany asks Pat if he’ll be her partner in a dance competition that she’s desperate to enter. Pat at first refuses, but later accepts on the condition that Tiffany will deliver a letter from him to his ex-wife, who Pat has had no contact with due to Nikki filing a restraining order against him. And so, rehearsals begin.

That’s enough of the plot for now I think, as too many more details will ruin it a little for those still intending to see this film. But some of the best parts? When Pat jogs to the school he used to work at and sees a former colleague, his excitement at seeing her contrasts with her terrified behaviour, and it’s funny to watch as he appears a little over-enthusiastic. Aside from this humorous moment, one of the more meaningful scenes is when Pat flips. The distorted camera jumps from one character to another, Pat is screaming with rage, his parents, Pat Sr. and Dolores (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver) are trying to calm him, and Pat hits Dolores. It was hard to watch, given that Pat had been doing well in feeling better up until this point, but then again it was a powerful scene to show the audience the difficulties faced when coping with mental illness. And some bad points? I felt that the film dragged on a little – it took a long time to actually get to the dance competition, which is close to the end of the film – so the pace could have been a bit quicker, but that was the only snag.

Overall, Silver Linings Playbook is different to your average rom-com. There are serious and sensitive issues, there’s violence, and there’s drama. But, there’s also humour, complicated relationships and a believable plot, all of which make this film very fresh and very realistic. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, and certainly beats your average soppy romantic comedy.

Rating: 4 stars – yep, if you get the chance then go and watch it!

(Plus, Jennifer Lawrence won an Oscar for Best Actress for this movie after I posted this review - another reason to watch this!)

Georgie

Pride and Prejudice (2005, Joe Wright)

Happy birthday Joe Wright! To celebrate the occasion, I decided to review one of my favourite films, Mr Wright’s version of Pride and Prejudice. I also happen to be reading the book at the moment, so thought it would be fun to compare the film to the classic work of Jane Austen. Okay, so the film may have been released 7 years ago, but it’s truly fabulous and if you haven’t seen it then I suggest you get up and go see...but not before you’ve read this!

The story of Pride and Prejudice revolves around the heroine Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) and how she has to overcome her prejudices of the handsome – and conveniently rich – Fitzwilliam Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen). But as well as this, he must cast his snooty pride aside and bring himself to accept Elizabeth and her family, despite their poorer background and “indifferences”. Aside from Lizzie and Mr Darcy, the story focuses on the theme of marriage and the events encountered on the quest to finding a husband. So anyway, here’s what I had to say...

I love the opening of this film. The piano, the sunrise, the countryside setting – it’s lovely to watch and puts you in a good mood for the rest of the film. For all you filmmakers, look out for the variety of camera angles used – there’s a lot to say here about cinematography, so well done to Wright for that. Also, after the camera ‘explores’ the house (where we are introduced to all the Bennet family), no time is wasted – similar to the book, the news of Mr Charles Bingley arriving at Netherfield Park is immediately spoken of, sending the girls into a giggling frenzy. The final establishing shot of Longbourn completes the opening sequence, and not long after, we are thrown straight into a bustling ballroom, in which Mr Darcy, Mr Bingley and his sister Caroline are introduced.

Mr Bingley is one of my favourite characters in the story. With bouncy ginger hair, a tendency to start babbling and many a goofy grin, he is such a loveable character, and the complete opposite of his snobby sister. However, in the book Mr Bingley has another sister, Mrs Hurst, yet she doesn’t exist in the film – I think it may have been more interesting if she was there to see if she acted similarly to Caroline. Another character worth mentioning is the amusing but irritating Mr Collins (played brilliantly by Tom Hollander), the cousin of the Bennet sisters who is to inherit Longbourn when their father dies – this is why it is essential that the girls find husbands, as they must keep a roof over their heads. The Bennet family’s first dinner with Mr Collins when he arrives gives a clear image as to what they think of him – Mrs Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) looks bored out of her life and the girls are moments away from bursting into fits of giggles. Aside from them, his comments sent me into fits of laughter; “what excellent boiled potatoes...many years since I had such an exemplary vegetable.” He is annoying, but a great character to watch on screen.

One of the best parts of the film? There’s a few to choose from, but the scene with Darcy and Elizabeth in the rain, when he declares his love for her, certainly deserves a mention; “I love you! Most ardently.” I think I actually cheered at this moment – it’s a major turning point in the film for several reasons, but I won’t tell you why or the rest of the plot, as that’s for you lot to find out for yourselves. All that’s left for me to say is, go and give Pride and Prejudice a go – it is Joe Wright’s birthday today, after all! It’s a fantastic film and I think Jane Austen herself would be thoroughly pleased with how her novel had been transformed. Oh, and Mr Bennet (Donald Sutherland) has a slightly odd English accent, given that he is actually Canadian, but we’ll forgive him due to his great acting.

Rating: 4 stars – yes, buy the DVD, or challenge yourself even further and read the book!

Georgie

Magic Mike (2012, Steven Soderbergh)

Hey film lovers,
it's the turn of Magic Mike this week, which is currently in cinemas. It's still going strong since being released 11th July, yet it hasn't received entirely positive reviews. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try and go see it anyway. What I found though, was that the negative reviews had been written for a reason. Harsh as it sounds, this movie wasn't really worth my time.

Magic Mike (played by a hunkalicious Channing Tatum) is a 30 year old builder at a construction site by day, with dreams of becoming a successful furniture maker. By night, he becomes a shaved, buffed and bronzed male stripper, dancing, shaking and winning more screaming women than a sold out Michael Buble concert. The first time we saw him on screen sent the whole cinema into one big squealing frenzy - you can imagine! It is Tatum's body, and some impressive dance moves, that make this movie. Sadly, not much else does.

Anyway, the story really begins when Mike meets young new worker Adam at the construction site (Alex Pettyfer - now this guy really has grown up. The blonde flowing curly locks have gone!) They run into each other that evening outside the strip club, and Adam convinces Mike to let him go in with him. This catapults Adam into the world of strippers, and he's desperate for a slice of it. Following an agreement between Mike and leading man Dallas (Matthew McConaughey, who reminds Adam that his role as a stripper is to be "the husband those women never had"), Adam - now introduced as 'The Kid' due to him being only 19 - is pushed out onto the stage to show Dallas what he's got. Despite a cringey attire at one point of baggy boxers and grey woolly socks, he joins the team, and away they go.

I won't tell you the rest of the story, not because I'll spoil it, but because it has unneccesary complications and some pointless parts. Either that or I'm just being a bit silly. I liked the stubborn character of Brooke, Adam's sister (Cody Horn), who Mike clearly has a thing for but she is reluctant to have anything to do with him at first. But throw in a chance to take the show to Miami, something about receiving 7.5% instead of 10% (didn't know what was going on) and a bust up at a house party involving drugs - one of the darker parts of the plot - oh, and a pig called Herman, and you have a slightly mismatched film with a bad plot.

Even the lead characters flexing their muscles gets old; we are treated to several montages of the gang performing various routines, but these are dotted around as though to fill some time, and they got boring. In fact, it was during one of these scenes that a woman on the front row - who must've been drunk, otherwise she should be very embarrassed - stood up and began to join in with her own cringey dance routine. As if it couldn't get any worse - it was hilarious though - she then decided to dive head first into the row behind her, causing Channing Tatum to be partly hidden from view due to this lady's legs waving around in the air whilst she struggled to get up. For me, this was the most entertaining part of the night - and she wasn't even in the movie!

So if you like Channing Tatum and other men taking their clothes off, then I recommend this movie to you. If however, you like Channing Tatum, but also a good film with a decent plot, then I suggest you don't bother with this one. You'll be disappointed.

Rating: 2.5 stars (not worth paying £8.30 for, I'm afraid)

Georgie

Submarine (2011, Richard Ayoade)

Hey film fans!
This week I've chosen to dazzle you with my views on the critically acclaimed film Submarine. It isn't incredibly recent, but it's one of my favourites and as director Richard Ayoade celebrated his birthday last month, I thought it a great occasion to let you all know my thoughts on it! Never heard of it? Hopefully you'll be desperate to watch it after reading this!

So, here's what's going on...
It's somewhere in Wales in the 1980s, and 15 year old Oliver Tate has two aims: to lose his virginity - hopefully to classmate Jordana - and to somehow keep his parents together, thanks to a weirdy Mystic arriving on the scene. Oliver is played by Craig Roberts ("who?" you may ask?) He's starred in The Story of Tracy Beaker, Being Human, and Young Dracula, to name a few. Ringing any bells yet? Yes? No? Maybe? Either way, his performance in this is utterly brilliant. But anyway, this is what I had to say about the film...

Many teen comedies portray a rather unlikely, spots-and-problem-free teenager’s life, often revolving around reputation, looks and sometimes school dances. However, Submarine is a near perfect example of typical self-consciousness and frustration that so many of us have experienced, told through the eyes of Oliver Tate. With his duffel coat, yearning for his love interest, pyromaniac Jordana (Yasmin Paige), and constant thoughts and questions, he gives off a rather awkward image which other teenagers can relate to. I also liked how the film is set in 1980’s Wales, and therefore the setting is more simplistic and allows the audience to focus more on the characters. However, despite the dark and bleak weather used being a good example of pathetic fallacy, I felt the colours could have brightened a little in some parts, although Ayoade made a clever choice to allow Oliver to comment on this mood and weather match; “I stare at the sea, and stay until the sky catches up with my mood”.

Despite the movie’s comic moments, it also explores darker issues; the breakdown of Jordana’s father over the early Christmas dinner breaks up the humour a little, plus this is possibly the most moving part of the film. Also, Oliver’s observations of his father’s depression also contribute to the film’s more serious side (Noah Taylor does a fabulous job playing this part). Along with the great performances of the actors, the mellow dulcet tones of Alex Turner - best known as the front man of Arctic Monkeys, oh and dating Alexa Chung for a while - compliment the movie and makes for an amazing soundtrack. Overall, this is a brilliant debut piece of work from a lesser-known director and definitely earns a 5 star rating from yours truly.

Rating: 5 stars - yes, buy the DVD!

Georgie