Looper

I have to admit that I was very excited about the release of Looper. It is not because I am a huge Joseph Gordon-Levitt fan because I am not. It is not because I enjoyed the trailer because I haven’t watched it. It is because every once in a while a bandwagon rolls through town and I will get caught up on everyone’s excitement and jump aboard.

PLOT: In a dystopian future Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works for the mafia as a “Looper” i.e. someone who kills targets sent back from the future. When Future Joe (Bruce Willis) is sent back as a target Joe has to close his own loop and kill his future self. END PLOT

Looper is one of those films that should be watched rather than read about therefore I am trying to keep this review as spoiler free as I possibly can.

The plot is complex and attention must be paid but it unfolds in such a way that it always remains believable. The audience is kept well and truly out of the loop (yes I said it, get over it) until writer/director Rian Johnson decides to let us in.

Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt are fantastic and Bruce Willis actually looks awake in this film which is an achievement in itself.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is having a great 2012 and Looper merely cements this fact in stone. Prosthetics may make Gordon-Levitt look like his older counterpart but he captured his facial expressions without appearing to be doing a Bruce Willis impression.

The montage of Levitt’s younger Joe transforming into Willis' older Joe, or as I prefer to call it, the Death of Bruce’s Hair, was fascinating to watch.

The action set pieces and the smatterings of futuristic technology blend in well together and remain grounded. Despite the time travelling concept nothing about Looper seems over the top.

Looper is an instantly memorable film which undoubtedly will cause many arguments and discussions amongst its audience. It gets a 9/10 but I know that I will need to watch it more than once to fully appreciate what I have just watched.

House At The End Of The Street

Now that Halloween is almost upon us we are in for a run of low budget horror films. I enjoy seeing horror in the cinema but I am realistic and keep my expectations well in check.

House At The End Of The Street caught my attention as it starred Jennifer Lawrence.

PLOT: Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) moves to a new house with her estranged mother Sarah (Elisabeth Shue) and quickly discovers that Carrie-Anne, a young child, murdered her parents in the house next door before drowning in the lake. After a striking up a friendship with the sole survivor, Carrie-Anne’s older brother Ryan, (Max Thieriot) Elissa quickly falls for him however Ryan is hiding a dark secret about his sister. END PLOT

The plot of House At The End Of The Street is a mishmash of several clichéd tropes which are all mixed together to create one bland and tension free film. The fractured mother/daughter relationship plays out like a pre-teen drama and the subplot with the “Battle of the Bands” was filler at its most obvious.

At 101mins House At The End Of The Street was fairly long for its genre. If you take away all the scenes which had nothing to do with the main plot the film would have started and ended in the final act.

The twist which revealed the relationship between Ryan and Carrie-Anne wasn’t particularly clever and the final shot almost seemed like an afterthought just to force the point home.

Despite her young age Jennifer Lawrence has too much class and talent to be slumming it in a below par teen horror. Overall Lawrence proved once again that she is a very capable lead but let this be the last time we see her in a high school setting.

Max Thieriot is decent as Ryan who starts off as the shy teen who then descends into something much darker.

The adult cast of Elisabeth Shue and Gil Bellows’ local detective Weaver don’t add anything to the film.

The grand finale takes place in a basement with a dying battery powered torch providing some unoriginal lighting.  There is nothing remarkable about the cinematography. 

I am a jumper in the cinema. I could watch a character load a gun, listen to him announce he is preparing to fire and still jump when it bangs - I can’t help it. There were times during House At The End Of The Street that I jumped in spite of myself but there were zero scares in the film.

House At The End Of The Street is 12A horror at its most mundane and it gets a 3/10. The thrills, scares and even the obligatory “fuck” allowed in a 12A were missing. It is the after school special of horror films and is not worth your time.

The Three Musketeers (1993)

Up until last night I had no desire to watch this version of The Three Musketeers. I will chalk it up to mild obsession meets morbid curiosity.

It does give me another chance to announce with great pleasure that I have indeed read Dumas’ The Three Musketeers.  It's because of my love for the novel that I kept my expectations at subterranean levels.

PLOT: Shortly after arriving in Paris D’Artagnan (Chris O’Donnell) gets into separate altercations with Athos (Kiefer Sutherland), Porthos (Oliver Platt) and Aramis (Charlie Sheen) and challenges each of them to a duel. After uncovering the Cardinal Richelieu’s (Tim Curry) plan to form an alliance with Buckingham and steal the throne from the king D'Artagnan and the three musketeers find themselves in a race against time to save France from war. END PLOT

The plot of The Three Musketeers does stray from Dumas’ novel but this particular adaptation just about gets away with it as fairly decent attempts are made to give the musketeers their known personalities.

Kiefer Sutherland, winning Mr Hair 1993, is fine as Athos who is desperate to hide his pained past behind a drunken mask and Oliver Platt has some decent comedy moments as “Pirate Porthos”. Charlie Sheen’s religious yet woman loving Aramis is close enough to the book to be acceptable although Sheen almost shattered my crush on the character.

I have no knowledge of what stage Sutherland, Platt and Sheen were at in their careers in 1993 but watching the film almost twenty years later the casting of these three actors seems downright bizarre.

Tim Curry is fun as a very smarmy Cardinal and Rebecca de Mornay was decent as an older styled Milady.

Chris O’Donnell was the weak link as he took proceedings far too seriously. The rest of the cast seemed aware that this wasn’t a serious film so O’Donnell’s really really earnest performance looked out of place.

The Three Musketeers has some very light hearted farcical moments which were captured it quite well although at times they bordered on the wrong side of cheesy for my taste. The actors were clearly having a blast and the comedy, especially the scenes which revolved around wine, were a great nod to the books and did raise a few giggles.

Unfortunately the swashbuckling set pieces and the action looked dated and D’Artagnan’s long running battle with Jussac (Paul McGann) felt very misplaced when watching the film for the first time in 2012.

I will never love an adaptation of The Three Musketeers which doesn’t include the horse eating/finding god silliness which takes place on the road to London but I am almost embarrassed to admit how much I enjoyed this ridiculously fun adaptation.

The Three Musketeers is dated, cheesy and boasts one of the strangest casts in recent memory but I couldn’t help but enjoy every second of it.  It gets a generous 7.5/10.  This film will be watched again before I finish my run of Dumas' musketeer books.

Killing Them Softly

I saw the trailer for Killing Them Softly only last week and without any advertisement whatsoever it appeared in the listings.

Killing Them Softly is based on the novel Cogan’s Trade and, as I am sure you are all wondering, I have not read it.

PLOT: After Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) rob an illegal card game the mob hire Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) to take care of those at fault. END PLOT

The plot of Killing Them Softly is probably the shortest I have ever written but the story isn’t any more complex than that.  I don't mean to imply that the script is poor as this is most definitely not the case. The pace is slow and next to nothing happens but the dialogue between the characters is sharp and at times very amusing.

The reminder that America is in the midst of an economic crisis was constantly rammed down our throats with clips of Obama and Bush being played on the tv and radio in almost every scene. I think with this aspect of the film less would have been more although Brad Pitt’s closing speech about America was a cracking way to end the film.

I am not a fan of Brad Pitt but he was on great form as Jackie Cogan and will most likely receive an Oscar nomination for his efforts. The supporting cast of Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn as the two robbers were also ridiculously strong especially during the robbery scenes.

Perhaps James Gandolfini’s scenes as a washed out New York hit man ran slightly longer than necessary but other than that the cast cannot be faulted.

Killing Them Softly does have some very violent scenes with Ray Liotta’s Markie Trattman receiving one of the most graphic beatings that I have seen - I think violence in film should look, sound and feel real but even I winced.

Jackie’s soft kill was beautifully shot and the slow mo glass shattering looked gorgeous. The film may have been violent but the cinematography was stunning.

Overall the tone of the film is bleak with the mobsters feeling the credit crunch but their committee like attitude and Jackie’s jobsworth world weariness does make for some decent black comedy.

Andrew Dominik has made a brilliantly dark film which gets an 7.5/10.  If it comes your way Killing Them Softly is worth a look but it is not a film that you need to watch more than once.  The soundtrack on the other hand is already on my i-pod.

The Three Musketeers

It’s not often that I will review a dvd but The Three Musketeers is the exception that casual rule, because, not only have I read the book once, I have read it several times.

Those of you who have had the misfortune of stopping by my blog on more than one occasion will know that this is a complete turnaround from my usual book-to-film disclaimer.

PLOT: D’Artagnan, (Logan Lerman) a young Gasgon, heads off to Paris to join the Musketeers and becomes friends with Athos, (Matthew Macfadyen) Porthos (Ray Stevenson) and Aramis (Luke Evans) after an altercation with the Cardinal Richelieu’s (Christoph Waltz) Guards.

The Three Musketeers, with D’Artagnan’s help, must stop Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich) and Buckingham (Orlando Bloom) from stealing the Queen’s (Juno Temple) diamonds and starting a war between France and England. BLIMPS, damn BLIMPS and more BLIMPS! END PLOT

To say that Paul WS Anderson’s version of The Three Musketeers is loosely based on Dumas’ classic novel would be the understatement of the century. I knew this as I watched the trailer so I cannot sit here and complain about it without coming across like a more obnoxious arse than usual. It doesn’t mean that I am happy about it.

Unfortunately the three Musketeers turn out to be bit players in their own movie and had very little to do. Milady, the Cardinal and the King all had more screen time than the Musketeers whose roles in the film were curiously limited.

I appreciate that Anderson is his wife’s number one fan but if you are going to give Milady so much to do at least film the section of the novel which shows her capture and escape from Lord de Winter. This would show why the character is one of the best female villains around.

On the rare occasions that the Musketeers were on screen Macfadyen, Stevenson and Evans were good fun and their chemistry with Logan Lerman was decent even though I do think he was an odd casting choice. There were a few small glimpses of their very distinct personalities but this was not the film to watch if you wished to see any character development.

Although the humour was more often miss than hit I will admit to giggling at Porthos’ throwaway “I am independently wealthy” line. Ray Stevenson was having a blast and he was great fun as Porthos however Luke Evans, as my favourite Musketeer Aramis, had next to no lines at all and was reduced to nothing more than a horse traffic warden.

I am not a fan of slapstick comedy so the scenes with the King (Freddie Fox), and there were many, were not a welcome addition to an already bloated 110min running time.

The entire film seemed to be one long special effect and there was so many green screen shots I am not sure that a single take was filmed outside! The effects were fairly impressive and the steampunk nature of the gadgets fitted in with the overall feel of the film. Although impressive, there was almost too much reliance on the CGI as it took away from the natural swashbuckling action which should have been given preference.

The Three Musketeers is not a good film yet it was very easy to get sucked in. Christoph Waltz and Orlando Bloom were having a great time and I am pleased annoyed to announce that it rubbed off on me.

I wanted to dislike The Three Musketeers and I tried to hate it with a fiery passion but I just couldn’t. I think it is a testament to Dumas that such an empty CGI mess could be endearing. The Three Musketeers gets a 6.5/10…. Now let us never speak of this film and the fucking blimps again.

Premium Rush

Premium Rush appeared in the listings without invitation to mess up my cinema schedule. Despite not knowing much about the film the fact that Looper is released in a few weeks time meant that this particular Joseph Gordon-Levitt offering got bumped up the queue.

PLOT: Bicycle courier Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) picks up an urgent package which has to be delivered across town by 7.00pm. Wilee is chased through the streets of New York by corrupt Detective Monday (Michael Shannon) who is aware that the package contains a ticket to a large sum of money. END PLOT

The premise is basically a chase after a McGuffin, although to be fair, attempts are made to explain the McGuffin through a series of flashbacks which will either endear or annoy you.

Premium Rush makes up for the light plot by bringing hefty doses of action and tension. Wilee rarely stops moving and the running time of ninety minutes means that Premium Rush motors on at a fast pace which helps to keep up the momentum.

The bike chases through the rush hour New York traffic are very impressive and downright stressful. Gordon-Levitt and the rest of the cast do the vast majority of their own cycling and stunts which adds to the stress.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is having a great run at the moment and although Premium Rush is not going to be taking up nominations space come awards season it does show that he is a very capable lead.

Michael Shannon overacts his part but it doesn’t stray into annoying territory so he just about gets away with it.

It isn’t often that a thriller set in New York takes place during the daytime but Premium Rush uses how pretty the city is in the sun to its advantage. The film is shot from a cyclist point of view and the cinematography is stunning.

Premium Rush is a very solid thriller and gets an 8/10.  It’s worth a look in the cinema to experience the fast moving action but it also fits the bill as a go to ninety minute film and you all know how much I love those!

The Sweeney

I have a great affection for The Sweeney but it is not because I know anything about the original TV show as I don’t. My affection for The Sweeney is due to a long running in-joke involving a very cute leather jacket which was never worn again. I will spare you the details.

PLOT: Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) is the head of London Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad nicknamed The Sweeney. After an armed robbery ends in the murder of an innocent bystander Regan and his partner George Carter (Ben Drew) must track down the criminals under the watchful eye of Ivan Lewis (Steven Mackintosh) who is conducting an internal investigation into their antics. END PLOT

The Sweeney is standard crime caper fare and it doesn’t attempt to rewrite the genre. The subplot of Regan being investigated by Ivan Lewis and his subsequent affair with Lewis’ wife Nancy (Hayley Atwell) helps to pad out the one hour fifty minute run time.

I am a fan of Ray Winstone and he was great fun to watch. Winstone is clearly enjoying playing Regan and every time he called someone a “slag” I couldn’t help but giggle.

About an hour before watching The Sweeney I finally bought Ben Drew's aka Plan B's "She Said" from I-tunes. It’s a song I liked from TV adverts but never got around to listening to for more than thirty seconds until yesterday.

Drew is not a natural actor and he put in one of the driest performances of the year. Drew has charm and he does angry very well but there were huge question marks over the bits in between. The performance may have been dry but I had a great time listening to everything he had to say. His dead pan “panache” line was genius!

Hayley Atwell, Steven Mackintosh and Damien Lewis were all capable supporting players.

The Sweeney isn’t the most politically correct branch of the police service and their love of baseball bats and violence, which led to the internal investigation, does up the violence content quite dramatically.

As the film had a ridiculously low budget of £3million (IMDB) there were scenes which looked cheap but the aerial shots of the nighttime skyline were gorgeous and made London as instantly recognisable and beautiful as New York.

Given that the budget was on par with an episode of Game of Thrones The Sweeney deserves some credit for its action set pieces.  A shoot out in Trafalgar Square had a poorer "shot to kill rate" than a Stormtrooper but it was fairly well executed as were several car chases.

I didn’t expect anything greater than cheesy fun from The Sweeney and thankfully that is what I got. It is not the best film you will see this year but I had a blast. If you are prepared the leave you brain and the door and just accept with the ridiculousness it is worth a look.

The Sweeney gets a 7/10 and when the dvd is released it will make a nice double feature with Taken which tells you all you need to know.

If there is no sequel and Ray Winstone feels like doing some television a revival of an old seventies show would not be unwelcome.

Lawless

The trailer for Lawless was enough to convince me that a film was worth a look.  This method of choosing films has a downside as it can lead to some major disappointments.  Lawless was one of those disappointments.

PLOT: Set during the Prohibition Act Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy) and his two brothers Howard (Jason Clarke) and Jack (Shia LaBeouf) set up a successful moonshine business. After Forrest is injured in an attack ordered by Deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) it is up to Jack to oversee the family business. END PLOT

Lawless is based on the novel by Matt Bondurant, Jack’s grandson, but as I have not read the book I have no idea whether or not the film was an accurate portrayal of events.

The main story arc focused on Jack Bondurant however this was book-ended by opening and closing sections which focused on Forrest Bondurant.

The sudden disappearance of Forrest for large sections of the film went unexplained and was very noticeable. I will concede that Forrest was injured but he was recovered before he disappeared.  There was no reason for his absence or for Jack taking over the family business and both points went unexplained.

Clocking in at 116mins Lawless was already quite long but I can’t help but wonder how heavily edited the film was as at times it felt very uneven and disjointed.

Despite the promise of the trailer Lawless was nothing more than a coming of age story for Jack Bondurant.

I am not a fan of LaBeouf and in Lawless he proved that he has two methods of acting – whining weasel and obnoxious arse.

The casting of LaBeouf in the lead role was a serious miscast as the character of Jack Bondurant required a young actor who could pull off an easy charm. Unfortunately LaBeouf is naturally devoid of any charisma and made the Jack extremely dislikeable throughout the entirety of the film.

I still can’t form an opinion on Tom Hardy but in Lawless he didn’t look comfortable. Hardy came across as awkward and dealt with his limited dialogue by adopting a weird grunting purr and he didn’t suit Forrest’s wardrobe at all.  If it wasn't for Hardy's few moments with Jessica Chastain he would have been as miscast as LaBeouf.

Guy Pierce is always hit or miss and unfortunately he bordered extremely close to miss. I would have appreciated less screen time for Pierce in place of more for Gary Oldman.

Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska are two talented actresses but they were both relegated to the background. Despite hints of a back-story with Chastain’s Maggie it was never developed.

There were several violent scenes which were quite gruesome to watch however they almost felt like an after thought and the same could be said for the language.  I am not against violence or swearing in films but in Lawless they just felt forced.

Lawless was never going to be a classic but poor casting and dodgy editing helped to highlight its faults. It gets a 4/10. There was potential but it was squandered at every opportunity.

The Possession

The Possession appeared in the cinema listings out of the blue but after watching a short tv spot I saw enough to know that it had the potential to be more entertaining than Total Recall.

PLOT: Divorcee Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) takes his daughters Hannah (Madison Davenport) and Emily (Natasha Calis) to a yard sale to buy items for their new home. Emily purchases a mysterious box not knowing that it contains an angry demon. As the demon slowly begins to possess his daughter Clyde must figure out a way to save her. END PLOT

The Possession is standard exorcism fare with the only original aspect being that it uses Jewish mythology rather than Christian. The plot follows the standard beats before culminating in an exorcism, which due to the budget, was nothing more than flashing lights and screaming.

There were a few plot points left up in the air such as Brett driving off never to be mentioned again and no one thought to question the previous owner of the box but they are minor quibbles.

The effects were basic and the demon looked like something out of an old computer game.  The moths were creepy as they are born from pure evil, but other than that, the low budget did the effects department no favours whatsoever.

In the never ending spate of exorcism films you are not likely to find better performances with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Natasha Calis both being very solid. The casting saved The Possession from being a boring watch.

Ole Bornedal is a director who loves mortuaries (so much so he filmed Nightwatch twice) and the scene with Clyde in the morgue was the only real moment of tension in the entire film. 

I didn’t like the constant spinning overhead camera shots of buildings and I can’t understand why there were so many of them. 

The score was essentially a repeated low piano note which did not help to create tension. It is the first time I have ever thought that a score was lazy but by the gods it was awful.

The Possession is a well made film but completely devoid of any originality and it gets 4/10. If you happen to catch it on tv it is worth a look but I couldn't recommend that you spend your cinema pennies on it!

Still, it was probably more enjoyable than Total Recall…….

JDM looks like someone tried to inflate Robert Downey Junior with an air pump.  There I said it.  I can more on.