Iron Man 3 - spoiler free

 

After the disappointment of Iron Man 2 I had no interest in the next instalment of this franchise.  Robert Downey Jnr’s turn in The Avengers didn’t help as I realised that Tony Stark works better as a show stealing ensemble character rather than the main draw.

It wasn’t until the positive waves rolled in with the early reviews that I sat up and took notice.  Once this happened the trailer started to look all the more intriguing.  I am a sheep.  I follow where I am led.

PLOT:  The events in New York have taken their toll on Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr) who has become a reclusive shut in.  It isn’t until after one of his own is injured in an attack by The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley) that he sits up and takes notice.  After his home is destroyed Tony is cut off from Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), presumed dead and has to go back to basics in order to defeat a new and potentially unstoppable enemy. END PLOT

Iron Man 3 is an almost perfect mixture of character development and action although it has to be said that perhaps the film is a shade too long as it clocks in at 130mins (IMDB).  The pacing was fast but there were a few occasions when the film did begin to lag.

The films only real weakness is the ending which didn’t pack an emotional punch as the events were dealt with by way of a montage narrated by a breezy voice over.  It felt like a half-baked attempt to bring the franchise to a close without fully committing to it.  The Avengers 2 is just around the corner and as we all know that Robert Downey Jnr is going to appear there was never really any sense of danger. 

In Iron Man 3 Tony Stark is struggling with panic attacks before being well and truly humbled by a new enemy.  This was the correct way to go because Tony Stark/Robert Downey Jnr (they are essentially the same person) was in real danger of becoming an obnoxious caricature.  Allowing the character to have his weaknesses displayed for the world to see and then to rise above them humanised Stark.  This is a trait that Tony Stark had been lacking up until now. 

Robert Downey Jnr is excellent as always and handles the character development with ease.  There are plenty of fast paced one liners, some of which are genuinely hilarious, and Downey Jnr's eyes are sparkling with glee at the hilarity of it all.  I am curious to know just how many of Stark’s zingers were courtesy of Downey Jnr ad-libbing as there were occasions when the witty quips had a very unscripted feel about them.

Stark’s attitude to his new found super hero status gave a bit more depth to Robert Downey Jnr’s performance and kept the film from feeling overly familiar.

Gwyneth Paltrow has always been fine as Pepper Potts.  Paltrow gets her chance to shine before handing the reigns back to Robert Downey Jnr.  As a general rule less is always more when it comes to Gwyneth Paltrow but in the Iron Man films she has never been grating.  This is the franchises biggest triumph.

Sir Ben Kingsley is fantastic as The Mandarin and gives an extremely memorable performance.  Kingsley is enjoying himself as much as Downy Jnr and his casting was an inspired choice.

Rebecca Hall, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce and an ever expanding Jon Favreau were all strong in their various supporting roles.

I had no choice but to see Iron Man 3 in 3D and it wasn’t worth it – even during the flying scenes it served no purpose.   Despite the disappointment over the 3D the action is excellent and keeps the usage of the Iron Man suits feeling fresh and clever.  There are some brilliant set pieces and, as per usual, during a sequence involving a crashing aeroplane I felt ill.

Shane Black has replaced Jon Favreau in the director’s chair and has done a commendable job of coming into an established series and keeping the flow feeling consistent yet surprising.

Iron Man 3 is by no means perfect but the performances alone are strong enough to carry the film through any potential plot holes.  It was always going to better Iron Man 2 but Iron Man 3 can hold its head up high and gets an 8.5/10.  A second viewing is perhaps necessary if only to enjoy the spectacle over again.

The constant references to Christmas suggest that Iron Man 3 was originally scheduled for a winter release but it officially opened Summer Season and set the bar high.  Bring on the sun Blockbusters!!

The Host

 

I am not a fan of Twilight and I despise the franchise so much that it physically pains me.  I have no idea how on earth my friends convinced me to read The Host.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer is one of those rare occasions when I can stand up tall and announce that I have read the book.  I have decided not to bother pretending that I am ashamed by this proclamation.

PLOT:  Aliens have landed on earth and their “souls” have taken over the human population save for small pockets of survivors.  Melanie (Saoirse Ronan) is captured by the Seekers and a soul named Wanderer is inserted into Melanie in an attempt to track down the band of survivors.  Melanie remains conscious and tries to stop Wanda (Saoirse Ronan) from finding her younger brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and boyfriend Kyle (Max Irons).  When Wanda arrives at the hideout she struggles to keep Melanie quiet and finds herself conflicted after falling in love with Ian (Jake Abel).  Meanwhile The Seeker (Diane Kruger) is closing in on the humans and is determined to wipe them out.  END PLOT

I can understand why people did not like the film and on another day I would agree with them as to the casual passer by The Host is a confusing mess that brushes over the sci-fi elements in favour of a love quartet consisting of three people.

The Melanie/Wanda exchanges were an important part of the book.  The only logical way to incorporate this aspect of the book into the film was by using a voiceover.  It didn’t quite work with Melanie appearing bratty rather than sassy despite being literally invaded by an alien. 

The storytelling is disjointed but this is down to terrible editing.  We never get to spend time getting to know Wanda, Jared and Ian as the film constantly jumps to shots of The Seeker wandering around the dessert.  With tighter editing, especially in the opening act of the film, the story would have flowed much better.

It does have to be said that when the film settled down the storytelling improved although it was by no means perfect.  There was no sense of danger or tension and sequences like Wanda going to get medicine were squandered by being rushed in favour of more Diane Kruger. 

Saoirse Ronan is an excellent young actress and although she appears a strange choice for the lead role it was the correct one.  If Melanie/Wanda had fallen into the hands of some tween from the Nickelodeon channel it would have killed the film.

There is a real sense of curiosity surrounding Max Irons given that he is the son of the brilliant Jeremy Irons and it will be interesting to see what he does next. 

Jake Abel always gets the benefit of the doubt.  I never forgave Supernatural for the treatment of the Wee Winchester at the end of season five.  I haven’t watched the show since as I feel like killing off Abel’s character was a wasted opportunity.

 

 I am not shallow. Nope. Not shallow at all..... nope nope nope. Definitely not shallow.

Irons and Abel were fine as the love interests but unfortunately their roles were reduced in favour of Diane Kruger.  This was a mistake. Kruger clearly wowed Andrew Niccol in some way but her additional screen time did not add anything to the film – if anything it almost killed it.

The cinematography was slick with the alien controlled cities becoming bright and clean and the hideouts of the humans being very dusty.  The costumes followed the same theme - the aliens were dressed in bright white which obviously contrasted to the earthy colours the humans wore.  The film was pretty to look at but the styling wasn’t subtle.

Unfortunately The Host has many flaws but they arise from the film-making and not from the characters or story.  This is one of those occasions that I know I could fix some of the problems by re-editing the film myself.

If it is still not clear, I may have read the book under some form of duress but I ended up having a genuine affection for it, as (goodbye faithful readers) it was impossible not to feel for Ian and Wanda.  Hello everybody. My name is Karina and I am a fan of a Stephanie Meyer book.

Looking for feels in all the wrong novels

My affection for the book has spilled over into the film and has created some conflicting emotions.  The Host is a terrible film, but fuck it; it is a terrible film that I liked.  There I have said it.  Please don't judge me.  It gets 6.5/10. 

 

 I am now going to binge eat chocolate in a darkened room and cry over the season five finale of Supernatural

Olympus Has Fallen

 

The trailer for Olympus Has Fallen was very appealing however my anticipation was short lived when I realised, due to my own stupidity, that this film did not star Channing Tatum.  It’s Armageddon and Deep Impact all over again.

PLOT:  After the President’s wife is killed in a car crash Special Agent Mike Branning (Gerard Butler) gets reassigned to a desk job away from the President.  Eighteen months later President Asher (Aaron Eckhart) is meeting with the South Korean Prime Minister when the White House is attacked by Kang, a North Korean Terrorist, and his foot-soldiers.  Before you can say White House Down Branning, who is the only living agent in Washington, must save America from a nuclear attack.  *insert Team America quote here*  END PLOT

The script consists of one sentence – North Korea is evil and the President is in danger.  The rest of the plot is doodles of carnage and explosions.

Olympus Has Fallen isn’t The West Wing. There is no insight into the relationship between North Korea and America.  This is brushed over lightly in favour of getting right down to business and as Gerard Butler heads the cast it is for the best.

Gerard Butler is an effective lead and handles the action sequences with ease.  It is a simple role but one he excels in.

The tone was very serious and there were no witty quips save for some angry Butler Bitching.  The strong performances of Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman and Melissa Leo give the film some acting credence.  Olympus Has Fallen needs to thank Zeus that the supporting cast was one of quality.

The action was frantic and had a decent mixture of explosions, gun fights and hand-to-hand combat.  The 15 rating meant that there were bloody head shots and quite a few fucks which were necessary.  It would have been ridiculous if Gerard Butler ran around the White House looking for fother mucking terrorists. 

Despite the high stakes there was next to no tension which is one of the films weakest aspects.  The subplot involving the President’s son was resolved quickly and played no part in the finale.  This was the only cliché left out of the generic script.

The running length is a surprising 120mins (IMDB) which is much longer than I expected as Olympus Has Fallen has all of the hallmarks of a 90min film.  I didn’t feel the time go by which is one of the biggest compliments I can give the film.

It will not make the top ten films of the year and will be forgotten by the time April is over but Olympus Has Fallen is a very solid cinema film.  It will not be watched again but for the 2hour duration is served its purpose very well.  It gets a 7/10.

The Place Beyond The Pines

 

The Place Beyond The Pines appeared with absolutely no fanfare and frankly I would have missed it if it weren’t for a keen eyed friend spotting it in listings outside of our usual cinematic jurisdiction.

It is obvious that Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper were the only reason that I went out of my way to see this film and I see no sense in trying to convince you otherwise.  I am not that good a writer.

PLOT: Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling) discovers that he has a young son following a fling with Romina (Eva Mendes).  As he descends into a life of crime in order to provide for the child Luke crosses paths with police officer Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper).  The next fifteen years are played out in real time as father/son bullshit is inherited by a new generation.  END PLOT.

When my friends and I leave the cinema there is usually a few moments of silence before one of us tentatively offers an opinion on the film we have just viewed.  After exiting The Place Beyond The Pines the silence lasted much longer than usual until a friend said, with all sincerity, “the rat symbolises obviousness”.  In four words she had essentially, and rather annoyingly, provided the most accurate review in cinematic history. 

The Place Beyond The Pines doesn’t shy away from the main father/son theme and why should it?  It is a film about fathers and sons.  Unfortunately the theme is not handled with any subtlety and the drama plays out with an almost tedious inevitability.  It isn’t helped by the script which is split into three distinct acts.  The jump from section to section was so jarring that a bikini clad model walking across the screen with a flashing neon sign would have been less obvious.

The pace is so slow that by the time the final section, which focused on the Luke and Avery’s unlikeable children, arrived I had already lost the will to live.  A 140min (IMDB) felt like a lifetime. 

The script isn’t half as clever as it thinks it is and is saved by the performances of the cast.  Ryan Gosling is excellent and as per usual Gosling is at his best when he doesn’t have many lines – with his quiet intensity you cannot take your eyes of him. 

Bradley Cooper gives the best performance of his career but if you compare the scenes in which both Avery and Luke cry there is no question that Gosling is the better actor.

Dane DeHann is doing a solid job of quietly building up a reputation as being a very promising young actor and Ray Liotta and Bruce Greenwood show up in small but effective supporting roles.

The Place Beyond The Pines doesn’t bother to give Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne anything to do.  They are simply the vessels used to produce angst/attitude ridden teenagers and their characters are not developed any deeper than this.  It is a pity as Mendes showed some promise with her limited screen time.

Derek Cianfrance’s film, although gorgeous to look at, is an overlong melodrama which boasts an A-List cast but misses the mark by quite some margin.  Gosling and Cooper fans can take comfort that their performances can't be faulted but The Place Beyond The Pines is the biggest disappointment of the year so far.  It gets 4/10.

Dark Skies

Dark Skies entered my life when a bus drove past advertising the film.  Insidious was mentioned on the poster and this was enough to convince me that the film would be worth a look.

PLOT:  Deep in suburban America the Barrett family are randomly selected for experimentation by aliens.  The aliens use tried and tested horror clichés to district the family in order that they can steal one of the children.  Google can take you from “bird deaths” to “my son if being stalked by an alien” in three mouse clicks.  There is no plot twist.  END PLOT

The most unsettling thing about Dark Skies was the constant feeling of déjà vu that I couldn’t shake off during the entire 97mins (IMDB) running time.  Dark Skies doesn’t contain one single original idea and is the most paint by numbers film I have endured for a long time.

The traditional horror style scares and sci-fi don't mix well and the subplot involving the family’s financial woes and marital problems is overdone and almost grinds the film to a halt.

The characters are stereotypical with the worried mother (Kerri Russell), cynical father (Josh Hamilton), obnoxious teen (Dakota Goyo) and creepy young kid (Kadan Rockett) making up the Barrett family. 

The cast do the best they can but they are saddled with clunky dialogue which has been copied and pasted from the generic book of film scripts.

 

There are next to no scares and the vast majority of the action involves the parents running around in the dark looking for their young son.  They don’t think to turn on a light – this is the kind of stupidity we are forced to sit through.

 

Dark Skies is not a good film.  The mixture of horror and sci-fi didn’t work and played out like Signs meets Paranormal Activity meets the recession.  The open ending is screaming for a sequel that the film doesn’t deserve.  Dark Skies gets 3.5/10.  The only way you will enjoy Dark Skies is if you haven’t watched a film in the past ten years. 

Trance

 

Guillermo del Toro is my favourite director but Danny Boyle is a very close second – Shallow Grave and Sunshine easily make my top ten list of favourite films. 

As much as I love James McAvoy, Danny Boyle was the main reason I was ridiculously excited for Trance.

PLOT:  During a robbery of an auction house auctioneer Simon (James McAvoy) hides a valuable painting but is knocked out causing him to lose his memory.  Attempted burglar Franck (Vincent Cassel) tracks Simon down and forces him to undergo hypnotherapy in order to recover the missing painting.  END PLOT

I don’t want to inadvertently give away any spoilers so my thoughts on the plot of Trance are going to be minimal.  I will say this – If you don’t pay attention you will lose track of what is going on very quickly.  The pace is fast and there are enough twists to ensure that you are one step behind at all times. 

There is an argument to be made the plot borders on messy and if you sit down and really think about what you have just watched a few plot holes may creep in.  On my first viewing I didn't spot any although my friends did.  I think this will become a problem with repeat viewings.

James McAvoy is an actor we don’t see enough of and in Trance he is as watchable as ever.  As the plot unravels Simon’s character goes through some dramatic changes and McAvoy plays this very well.

Rosario Dawson is very good as Elizabeth, Simon’s hypnotherapist.  Once the twists start unravelling Dawson is more than able to hold her own against McAvoy.  Trance contains some scenes of full frontal nudity which means I now know Rosario Dawson on a more personal level than I ever intended to.  The nudity is actually an important part of the storyline so kudos to the writers for finally figuring out how to work a naked lady into the plot.

Vincent Cassel, who has that ever threatening quiet danger rounds out the very small cast.

The cinematography is slick and is polished to within an inch of its life.  There are some gorgeous but arty shots of motorways at night which are supposed to contrast with a human brain.  It just about works but isn’t particularly subtle.

There is plenty of action and a few gory moments of finger nail torture which will always be uncomfortable viewing. 

The soundtrack is usually a key feature in Danny Boyle’s films.  My favourite musical moment is the use of Dean Martin’s Happy Heart at the end of Shallow Grave.  The score worked very well in the film but it isn’t as i-pod friendly as Slumdog Millionaire.  The Heist has been listened to quite a few times so I think the soundtrack might grow on me.

Everything about Trance screams Danny Boyle which is a massive compliment.  I am slightly worried that twists will turn out to be plot holes but at the moment my first opinion is that I loved every second of it.  Trance gets 9/10.

Finding Nemo

 

The cynical part of me wants to hate Walt Disney for regularly re-releasing its back catalogue but no matter how hard I try and I just can’t.  I have too much affection for all things Disney to think ill of their money grabbing antics.

It is now Finding Nemo’s turn for a 3D conversion and although I was looking forward to seeing it again on the big screen it isn’t a film I would class as a favourite.

 

PLOT:  After his son Nemo is caught by a diver, Marlin (Albert Brooks) sets off on a long and dangerous journey to Australia to rescue him.  Along the way Marlin meets Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) a forgetful but friendly fish who offers to help him in his quest.  END PLOT

With dead mothers, overbearing fathers, physically impaired children and retarded sidekicks the plot of Finding Nemo could have played out like an after school special – luckily for us all Pixar handles the themes with ease and they never stray into cheesy territory.

 

The story of Finding Nemo is genuinely sweet but is made stronger by the fantastic characters.  Marlin and Dory are a great double team with Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres voice work being top class.

Geoffrey Rush, Willem Dafoe and the always magnificent Allison Janney provide very capable support.  All of the characters serve a purpose and they serve it well – there are no weak links in the entire film.

 

Pixar have consistently raised the bar with their animation and Finding Nemo still looks gorgeous.  It is easy to lose yourself in the colours and just allow the film to wash over you – it is easily one of Pixar’s most visually stunning offerings.

Unfortunately Finding Nemo has fallen victim to the 3D craze and to be perfectly honest it is one of the worst conversions I have seen.  3D is generally added to give greater depth to the animation – Finding Nemo is the one film that didn’t require this.  I cannot look past poor 3D, especially 3D conversions, when I have been left with no option but to pay for the supposed pleasure.  I expect better from Disney.

 

Finding Nemo is a fantastic film which I thoroughly enjoy every time I watch it.  The problem is I have now seen the film in the cinema more times than I have watched it at home.  It was definitely worth seeing for nostalgia’s sake but Finding Nemo just doesn’t rank as one as Disney/Pixar’s all-time greats.  It gets an 8/10.

The Ruins

 

The Ruins was purchased because, thanks to the TV show The River, I developed a crush on Joe Anderson.  It allowed me to purchase the wonderful The Crazies and despite my better judgement I also treated myself to The Ruins.

PLOT:  Four American holidaymakers meet a German traveller looking for his brother.  They agree to follow a map to a remote archaeological dig in the Mayan jungle in search for him.  Deep in the jungle the group are trapped on some ruins by the local Mayan tribe but the longer they spend on the ruins the more they realise that it isn’t the locals they should be afraid of.......  END PLOT

After a brief introduction to the characters The Ruins wastes no time in getting the group to the ruins.  On a first glance it appeared that the local tribe were going to be the villains but we discover that the big bad of The Ruins is foliage.  Yes, evil plants.

No matter how you try and sell it, the idea of people eating plants is more comical than scary.  Luckily the filmmakers were aware of this and kept the death by vegetation concept as a background threat.  This worked as it ramped up the psychological horror with paranoia and fear of the unseen becoming the main themes of the film.  The Ruins was never scary but I couldn’t help feeling unsettled.

I have always maintained that I am not a huge fan of gore and blood in horror films.  I am now at the stage that I am struggling to convince myself that this is true.  The Ruins featured a fantastically graphic double leg amputation using only a small knife, a rock and a frying pan.  Sometimes gore is unnecessary but when it is done well it deserves credit!

The effects didn’t rely on CGI which made the amputations and man vs plant battles all the more impressive.  With a budget of $8million (IMDB) The Ruins can hold its head up high in that regard.

The cast is made up of familiar faces which includes Joe Anderson, Jenna Malone and Shawn Ashmore.  The cast do a decent job of running around a very small ruin looking scared and dehydrated. 

The Ruins is by no means a classic but I enjoyed it much more than I expected to.  It gets 7.5/10.  It is unlikely that I will view it again but it filled 90mins very well.