Sucker Punch Film Review

So I recently saw Sucker Punch. I know it doesn't really seem like my type of film but sometimes events conspire to force you to broaden your horizons and watch something you usually wouldn't. Although the before mentioned events were a mix up with tickets (we were originally going to see 'Source Code') and a complete and utter lack of using our eyes on said tickets where we managed to successfully read the screen, time and seat but not the incorrect name of the film that we were going to see. We were therefore thoroughly surprised when, after sitting through the adverts, the BBFC informed us that we were in fact about to watch 'Sucker Punch', a film neither of us had been particularly interested in seeing.
However realising that the mishap was almost exclusively our fault and laughing in hysterics, much to the displeasure of our fellow cinema goers, at our own idiocy we decided we may as well watch it. Having decided this we watched it with an open mind and hoped that maybe this utter fail of going to the cinema would maybe reward us with a surprising treat of a great film we wouldn't have seen otherwise.
We were wrong.
I did not like this film; at all. For starters the plot was overly complicated, not in an interesting thought provoking way but in a lets just find an excuse to dress our characters as sluttily as possible and make them fight anything we want under the guise of a coherent narrative. I'm still not entirely sure what was happening, I think it was a delusion within a delusion that all took place in a 1950's mental health institution. Simple right?
Aside from the plot that had huge consistency errors there was the fact that the film all revolved around a completely unlikable and bland protagonist of 'Baby Doll'. You were watching her fight for freedom but had absolutely no emotional investment in the story at all. All of the characters were stereotypical and uninteresting with the few vaguely entertaining ones being killed or not having much screen time at all.
Oh and then, best of all, there were the CGI heavy, action sequences where 'Baby Doll' escapes to (and obtains the necessary items to ensure their escape) when she has to dance in the brothel that is also a delusion to escape the horror of the asylum. See such an accessible storyline. I dreaded these action sequences. They dragged on and on and had no real reason behind them at all but to get girls wearing not a lot to wield huge weapons and kill everything all under the most strenuous of metaphors. Every time I tried to interpret meaning and uncover depth to this film I came up with nothing. To be fair they were beautifully choreographed and had some visionary sequences within but even the most well made fights mean nothing if there is not an interesting enough plot for them to be part of.
Admittedly I am not the target audience of this film being a teenage girl but I can appreciate good films whether they are aimed at men or women but the best films surely have a mix of both and are universal. I think this film can only be enjoyed if you possess the Y chromosome, however saying that my friend, who is the target audience, also thoroughly disliked it. This film could be said to be empowering to women as it revolves completely around female characters but their portrayal within it is to be objectified and idolised by men instead of being viewed as real people.
So all in all I would surprisingly not recommend this film unless you are an archetypal man who just wants to see scantily clad women kill things.

Submarine Film Review

'Submarine' is the much acclaimed coming-of-age comedy which is the directorial debut of 'The ITCrowd's' Richard Ayoade. Going to see it yesterday I had huge expectations; it's directed by a superbly funny actor, has had rave reviews and the soudntrack has been created by 'Arctic Monkey's' Alex Turner so would therefore surely be fantastic. And since watching it I can happily say that my mammoth expectations weren't let down at all.

It was thoroughly charming and did something that not nearly enough films do lately; revelled in the sheer beauty of film. The filmmaking process by it's nature provides countless opportunities to create art through developing  new and dynamic ways of portraying limitless characters, places, themes and stories and what makes a film truly great is when the film makers explore these possibilities which is exactly what this film does. No shot is wasted or thoughtlessly used. It's reminiscent of French art house films and is distinctly 60's-esque and if I had to compare it to another film maker’s work I would say its most like Wes Anderson's.
The protagonist is wonderfully odd and the narrative follows his first relationship with the pyromaniac Jordana Beavens and his quest to be the best boyfriend ever and keep his parents lacklustre relationship together. The whole film is sublimely weird and focuses on a sub section of society of beautifully eccentric people which is made by the brilliant performances, not just from the young stars, but from the whole cast. Especially from the actors who play Oliver's parents who ground the film and allow every ounce of humour to be extracted from each scene.

Quite simply I love this film; it's beautiful, touching, witty and quirky. I would recommend this film to anyone who likes different and interesting films.

Also as a side note the soundtrack to this film is astounding and perfectly accentuates the scenes it's used in as well as being great songs in their own right and are definitely worth listening to.

Norwegian Wood Film Review

Norwegian Wood is a Japanese subtitled film based on the novel of the same name by Haruki Murakami and is essentially a love story, albeit a tragic one.  Set in the 60's this film depicts the tale of a boy who's best friend inexplicably commits suicide leaving behind his long term closest friend and girlfriend, Naoko. Searching for a way out the protagonist, Watanabe, goes to university in Tokyo and encounters Naoko in a chance meeting and gradually their feelings grow even if all is not well within her troubled mind. After her twentieth birthday she commits herself to a mental health institution and Watanabe meets the charming and confident Midori and the rest of the narrative is his love of the two polar opposite women.

I loved this film. It's beautifully shot allowing the landscape to weave it's way into the narrative and express the various emotions portrayed within which are intensely performed by all the actors. However for all it's sweeping shots this film is incredibly claustrophobic. You are never introduced to any people or places that are of no importance to the few main characters and the film stays tight to them throughout showing their small insular group that orbits around the extreme loves that has both disastrous and perfect repercussions.
Sound has also been used expertly within Norwegian Wood. For example the silence within the film is often stifling and creates an atmosphere of intensity, so much so that you almost feel uncomfortable watching parts of it as it is so personal. Then there's the music. Scored by Jonny Greenwood, from Radiohead, it's no surprise that it's exquisitely beautiful. It perfectly fits the film and accentuates each emotion and plot development.

To describe this film in one word I would say beautiful; it's a veritable feast for your eyes and ears. I would definitely recommend this film but maybe not for everybody, if you enjoy slow films about the power of emotions there's none better but if you like past paced easy watching films then it's not for you. It's a real shame that it has only been released in a minority of cinemas because it deserves to be seen by many more people. 

Never Let Me Go Review

Never Let Me Go is a beautiful film based on the superb novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro. Set in a bleak dystopia it portrays the brief lives of three 'test tube babies' who exist solely to become organ donors in their twenties and stars Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Kiera Knightly. Whilst this seems like it would lend itself to a run of the mill sci-fy film with action and sparkling labs this film is unashamedly sentimental and focuses on the human elements of the tale.
The plot revolves around the three main characters and follows their development in a world where they are perceived as sub-human and indoctrinated into believing it; so much so that they don't even fight it for their love. You're shown how they try and understand their own existence as well as coming to terms with growing up and surviving the minefield of friendship, love and lust.
It's so fantastically acted that you completely lose yourself in the disturbing world where human rights are overlooked in order to prolong life yet are not completely distracted by this concept but instead focus on the main characters and their personal story. This helps the viewer to fully understand the horror of using people to harvest their organs as it explores how humans can look the other way and it is only when we are shown personal stories that we allow ourselves to feel.

As well as this this film explores our relationship to mortality and what we do with our allotted time alive which ultimately comes down to the people we love and that one of the worst thing we could possibly do is put off acknowledging that love and live in fear of it. This idea is heart wrenchingly portrayed through the bitter sweet plot where two of the characters only admit their love when they're nearing the inevitable donations. The loss of this love and knowledge that it could have been so much more had they only acted on it earlier coupled with the horrific yet sterile and business like death makes this film incredibly powerful and will undoubtedly leave you weeping.
 Of all the films I've seen this is one of the most touching and thought provoking and I would recommend anyone who appreciates films that make you think to both read the book and watch the heart breaking film.  

Paul Film Review

So Frost and Pegg have hacked their way through hordes of zombies and had shoot outs with the gun hoe rural odd balls of the English countryside and now they reunite with a new offering geeks befriending a little green man and taking on the FBI but can this film live up to it's predecessors of 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Sean Of The Dead'? Most reviews have been fairly nonplussed and have described it as star studded but void of the hilarity or previous films so my expectations were not high.
However I was pleasantly surprised as it was charmingly funny. The protagonists were all likeable and interacted well and to great comic effect. It was a perfect nerdy film; full of references to sci-fy elite but still funny enough in itself to entertain those less knowledgeable. Or to put it another way sufficiently geeky for  the hardcore sci-fy guys and good enough to entertain their girlfriends; perfect.
The film grew and developed into a laugh out loud feast full of brilliant one liners and even better ridiculous scenarios. It also had a distinctly British feel due to the fact it was written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and within it they weren't afraid of finding and exploiting the humorous side of dominant religions, namely Christianity, which stereotypically isn't as acceptable in American writing but welcomed in British.
The stoner alien, somewhat stereotypically but aptly voiced by Seth Rogen, was also a welcomed addition to the film and beautifully subverted the usual role of an alien in a film into the cool, party mad character who allows the other suppressed geeks to release their inhibitions and get the girl. A tale told all to often but with the original aspects of the film they managed to pull it off.

However predictably  'Paul' was not as good as 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Sean of the Dead' as this time they didn't have the genius of Edgar Wright along with Frost and Pegg's easy going acting  and his imput was sorely missed.
So in conclusion I would recommend all sci-fy super geeks, fans of Frost and Pegg's work and anyone who wants to see a fairly amusing film but to not expect the greatness of their previous films with Wright and so long as expectations aren't too high you shouldn't be disappointed.

The King's Speech; S-S-S-Spectacular

One of the biggest films on everyone's lips has been The King's Speech which has had rave reviews and nominated for many awards, and already won some, but is the film as good as it's said to be? I was lucky enough to see it last night and to be blunt yes it is.
For those unaware The King's Speech is a historical drama about King George VI overcoming a stammer with the aid of speech therapist Lionel Logue. You may be thinking how could a film about some dry speech from a repressed and dusty monarch possibly interest and entertain me, but this film is much, much more than that. At it's heart it's a human tale which believably portrays the protagonists at a level where you not only understand but care for them. You are shown a glimpse of a completely alien and unconventional life ruled by decorum and duty whilst simultaneously being shown their humanity which you easily relate to. It's superbly performed, especially by Colin Firth who gives I think his best performance to date by showing a man who is terrified of his own potential and frustrated at his inability to communicate.
The plot of the film is also enthralling as it does not exclusively focus on the King but on contextual issues such as the growing threat from Hitler and eventually the outbreak of war.
It's hard to write about why this film is so good because every part of it is simply brilliant; beautifully shot, excellently performed and completely absorbing.
I highly recommend anyone to see this film as it's one of the greats. So if you have some spare money and fancy going to the cinema; watch it. It's a must see.

The Green Hornet Film Review

The Green Hornet, originally from a 1930's radio series, is a action/comedy from comic geniuses and serial collaborators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who've also made such incredible films as Superbad and Pineapple Express. Surely this would be another great to add to the treasure trove of their films, especially as they've been making this film for so long and it's now in futuristic 3-D?

 However, and I hate to have say it because I usually love any Seth/Evan film, this film was somewhat of a disappointment.
The plot took just that bit too long to take off and when it did was not original enough because from the first rambling scene where the protagonist introduces the idea of fighting crime by impersonating criminals you know exactly what would happen and then it unfolds exactly as you expected it to.
I concede that films can still be good without an amazing plot as many superhero films have a similar plot but a this coupled with undeveloped characters and not enough of the wit and humour of previous work left me rather nonplussed.
The 3-D was nothing special and I soon forgot about it because there wasn't enough of it; it felt distinctly like a 2-D film which had later been made into 3-D to attract more attention.  So if you were going to see it to watch a feast of 3-D action maybe chose a different film.

Conversely though this film was far from bad. There were indeed a few truly brilliant comedic moments, although not nearly enough, and some good comedic performances especially form the surprise star of it; Jay Chou as Kato the martial arts expert and coffee maker. His dry witty one liners expertly acted for me made the film. Also Christoph Waltz's portrayal of LA's criminal ruler Chudnofsky later turned Bloodnofsky was genius.
I think the main problem with this film was my expectations of it because essentially it's not bad and is fairly good but when compared to their other work and recent superhero films, such as the gritty yet immensely funny Kickass, it just doesn't stand up. I wouldn't I recommend this film, not for the cinema at least, but would definitely recommend it for an entertaining way to pass a few hours on a lazy weekend.

127 Hours-Film Review

So two years after the release of the legendary Slumdog Millionaire Boyle is back, this time with a tale of a different type; a gritty true survival story.
A far cry from the love story he portrayed in Slumdog, or is it? Common themes within Danny Boyle's work is the human aspect of them and survival. He expertly and delicately depicts people where all of the narrative revolves around them and their circumstances which leads to their actions whilst simultaneously portraying their survival,with the survival of three orphans from the slums, the survival of love through everything and survival through drug addiction. Surely then it's not too big a leap to make a film about one man surviving a horrific ordeal. However saying that, this film is simply the tale of one man trapped in one crevice for over five days, doesn't really lend itself to the big screen does it? We all know Danny Boyle is a film genius but could even he pull of the seemingly impossible feat of capturing and holding a cinema full of people's attention with a 94 minute film of a man in a crevice?
To put it as plainly as possible, yes. Opening with the thrumming beats chosen by A. R. Rahman, who also worked with Boyle on Slumdog, this film starts with the vitality and freedom of life before running head first into the deepest, darkest fears that we as a species collectively share. Fear of isolation, fear of dying alone, fear of your own mortality, fear of never seeing your loved ones again and the uncaring truth of our capabilities. Boyle knows that the shocking aspects of this story is the incentive to go and see it and plays with this dramatic irony as we all know what's about to unfold and the gruesome climatic end to his experience so instead of simply showing us it he experiments with his usual stunning cinematography and explores what it is that really drives us to keep living. Yes, most of the film is shot in the one crevice with the odd hallucination or flashback but it's so beautifully shot and breathtakingly performed that it doesn't feel like that. You are engrossed in the story and care so much about the fallen climber that it doesn't matter and it's that which makes this film so great.

As I've said this film is breathtakingly performed by the talented James Franco but I have to reiterate that; he literally carries the whole film. There has been much buzz about his performance with many people saying that he deserves an Oscar for it and I completely agree, he portrays every aspect of his character completely, showing realistically what it was that drove Aron Ralston to amputate his own arm. However that's not really what this film is about; it's about what we really live for. According to the film we live for our loved ones and for our children, or rather the chance to have them as he didn't back then, but it was a so called 'premonition' of the child he would have that proved to be the final factor that gave him the strength to hack his arm off with a blunt knife with obvious links to Darwinism and the need to procreate and pass on our genes. During that uncomfortable and in parts unwatchable scene and in many others as well you really feel the depth of his desperation to not die there.
It's an ultimately feel good beautifully made film that makes you evaluate what and who you personally live for. I recommend any one to watch this. It's incredible.

5 Indie Films Worth Watching

The Darjeeling Limited
This is a 2007 film by Wes Anderson and I love pretty much all of his films. Characterised by his methodical cinematography, dry quirky humour, use of primary colours, unusual soundtracks, flawed portrayal of characters and use of the same group of actors his films create a sort of surreal realism. He celebrates people's individuality by showing characters who are believable but wonderfully eccentric which is refreshing as so many films portray what we're meant to be like. This film stars, as per usual Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Angelica Huston and Jason Schwartzman with Adrian Brody as well and is about three estranged brothers taking a spiritual journey across India to find their also estranged mother and come to terms with their fathers death that happened a year prior to the trip.
 It's full of quirkiness and charm and makes for an interesting watch where there seems to be no definite plot but rather simply the meanderings of the characters which is oddly captivating enough.



Slumdog Millionaire
This is a true Cinderella story both on and off screen. Originally intended to go straight to DVD release this film was so good that word spread like wild fire of it's greatness and made it a huge hit at cinemas and got it 8 academy awards. It's a testament to how good Indie films can be. Beautifully made from one of the greatest directors around it's the best and most powerful feel good film I've ever seen and if you haven't yet seen it you definitely should.



Donnie Darko
This is a cult classic made in 2001 written and directed by Richard Kelly starring Jake Gyllenhaal. It's about the lead character trying to understand the apocalyptic visions he's being shown by a 6ft rabbit called Frank as well as comprehending the world around him and the human condition which are confusing and threatening to his troubled mind. It's an incredibly surreal film that leaves you more confused at the end than at the beginning but in a good way where you're left to ponder it and reach you're own conclusions. Full of strong performances especially from Jake Gyllenhaal it's a great film that really should be seen by more people.



Napoleon Dymanite
One of the most bizarre but brilliant comedies I've seen. Set in the small town of Preston it's about the sub-culture of a rural town that feels like it's stuck in the 80's that's developed due to boredom and isolation focused on the uber nerd and how he exists. Now also a cult classic this film is fantastic, again slow and seemingly without a plot but nonetheless laugh out loud funny with some of the best dance moves I have ever seen!



Away We Go
Away We Go is a comedy-drama about an eccentric couple who find out that they're expecting a child and take a road trip around America of self discovery to find they're 'home'. With some really effective and beautiful cinematography and amazingly well developed characters this film is full of heart. It's one of the sweetest and most tender films I've seen and is just lovely.

Top 5 Films Released in 2010

Leading up to new year I'll be doing a series of posts reviewing this year and this particular post is about the best new films. However whilst researching the films released this year I was surprised the lack of incredible and defining films as previous years have produced for example with Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire in 2009 or Wes Anderson's brilliant stop frame animation with Fantastic Mr. Fox. Instead this year we've had huge record breaking releases of sagas such as the truly terrible Twilight Saga and the magical Harry Potter series. This year belongs to corporations whereas indie film has suffered and gone unmade. There have been some sparks of light in the dark though and that is what I'll be celebrating in this post. 

1-Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
 My personal favourite film of the year and to put it simply it is incredible. From Edgar Wright the director of Hot Fuzz,  Shaun of the Dead and Spaced and within this film he again portrays his unique brand of comedy but with a much bigger budget and Hollywood's finest young actors. Scott Pilgrim is essentially about a musician in Canada who falls for the mesmerising Ramona Flowers but in order to be with her has to fight 'The League of Evil Exes'. It was originally a comic book and Wright has kept that feel with his snappy editing and comic book like special effects and of course the incredible fight scenes. Wright described the fight scenes as if you were to learn to fight by playing video games so they are stylised and totally unrealistic and end with the opponent turning into a pile of coins.
This film has an amazing cast with huge names like Michael Cera and Jason Schwartzman and then some up and coming actors like Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Anna Kendrick. It also has brilliant music with songs written by Radiohead's producer Nigel Godrich, Metric and Beck which I feel really make this film as songs can easily be written for films but to get real bands to pen them it makes the bands in the film much more believable.
Ultimately this film is, as I previously stated incredible and I recommend anyone who is a fan or quirky and well written comedy to watch this as it has everything; comedy, strong performances, a fantastic soundtrack, believability yet also surreal, amazing effects and likeable characters.
Below is the trailer but also one of the songs written by Metric.





2-Alice In Wonderland
At number 2 is Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland. I'm sure that you've heard of this film as it was very successful and with good reason. It's Burton's take on a classic so is obviously darker and with a predictable yet captivating cast with the usual faces like Helena Bonham Carter as the unhinged and dangerous Red Queen and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter who has been "touched by madness". However in this film Burton has also recruited some surprising actors such as Anne Hathaway as the wronged and good White Queen and introduces the talented Mia Wasikowska as the older and rebellious Alice.
This film is split between computer animation and live action and the two culminate to create a magical new world called 'Underland' which is a veritable feast for your eyes. This film is predictable and not at all ground breaking but it is good and will keep you entertained and is full of mesmerising performances, especially from Johnny Depp. The most refreshing thing about this film is Burtons way of creating well rounded eccentric characters that you can understand and are not your stereotypical good and bad characters.
All in all a good film that I would recommend on any lazy rainy afternoon.



3-Kickass
Kickass is a true teenage film. It's brutal, shocking and full of the gritty realism of what would happen if people started to pretend to be superheroes yet is still wickedly funny and tender in places which must be hard mix to create. It's unashamedly nerdy and unforgiving which makes for an unforgettable film.
Like Scott Pilgrim this was also a comic book before being a film and also kept the essence of that at the heart of the film however unlike Scott Pilgrim Kickass is gory and full of different weapons and memorable grizzily deaths or injuries.
It has a great cast with the relatively unknown Aaron Johnson leading and Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Nicolas Cage to name a few. A highlight of this is Cage's performance where he does a cameo of Christian Bale's portrayal of Batman by talking with the same guttural voice.
It's a great film and should defiantly be seen.



4-Four Lions
This film is humorous take on terrorism from Chris Morris which could have easily backfired, although if you're easily offended or a reader of the daily mail maybe it's not the film for you. It follows the story of four radicalised Muslim men from Sheffield and their attempts to become suicide bombers and is surprisingly but extremely funny from start to finish yet is sad as well. It is also a very brave film to make and is a testament to the British film industry that they could make it at all.
This film is refreshing as people tend to alleviate stress and fear with jokes and that's exactly what this film does it gives the weighty topic of extremists some needed comic relief without being disrespectful or stereotypical.
A brilliant début from Chris Morris and I look forward to more of his films.
Oh do not watch if you love crows (it'll make sense if you watch it)



5-Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
So there really was no keeping this film out of this list. It's record breaking and begins the end of a series of films that most of us have grown up with. Whilst being good it's not great and drags a little about a third of the way through but it is iconic and when you watch it you know you are watching film history in the making. A good film with the usual great performances especially from Rupert Grint and I eagerly await the final film.