Friday night was date night and we'd narrowed it down to two choices - The Rum Diary or 21 Jump Street. Both movies would have Johnny Depp in them so I was fine with either and left it up to the boy to choose. Being a Hunter S. Thompson fan, he chose The Rum Diary. Mighty fine choice it was too - what a bunch of silly, pointless hijinks - perfect for a Friday night fun flick. This is not a movie with a dense plot or much to say about life.
What is the connection to Hunter S. Thompson, the famed gonzo journalist who wrote pieces for Rolling Stone in the 60s and 70s and a range of non-fiction books? In this movie, Johnny Depp plays a journalist called Paul Kemp who it seems is an idealised version of Hunter in a fictional tale that probably didn't happen. However I read the other day that Hunter did have a sojourn to Hawaii to cover the Honolulu Marathon, so perhaps this tale of a journalist arriving in Puerto Rico to write horoscopes for a failing newspaper and enjoying some jolly japes along the way is not too far from the truth after all?
The plot is pretty much summed up above, although there is a side bar where Paul meets a well connected businessman whose girlfriend just happens to be the hot chick that Paul flirted with at a party the night before. He gets drawn into the business affairs of the guy to help with massaging public opinion, mainly due to his interest in the girl. For the rest of the time, this is just the wacky and entertaining adventures of Paul, his workmate and roommate Sala and occasionally Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi doing an even sleazier version of his "My name is Earl" character). These hijinks take in drinking copious amounts of the titular drink, amongst others, imbibing drugs, a bit of cockfighting (yes, the rooster kind), mixing with the local constabulary and in very small doses having a think about the social issues he has been thrust into with the collapse of the paper. It's really not deep and meaningful in any way though. Johnny Depp is in his fantastic quirky and funny mode, with some awesome faces pulled. Tonnes of fun and a few giggles, particularly in a very funny car "chase". An above average 3.5 stars, add another half a star if you love Johnny Depp or Hunter S. Thompson.
Friday 23 March 2012
Saturday 10 March 2012
Movie #7 - The Grey
The Grey turned out to be a nice little surprise packet for me - a free movie I was starting to feel indifferent about going to see which was actually a solid, tense survival thriller.
A simple tale of seven survivors of a plane crash, based on a short story, has been stretched out into a two hour marathon that probably could have been a bit shorter. The setting is Alaska where a group of workers for an oil rig are on a flight to a job when the turbulence becomes something a bit more.... well it's no secret that the plane crashes, some die and some survive. Liam Neeson's Ottway is the most practical guy in the bunch - as a sniper whose job it is to shoot the wolves and bears that would otherwise snack on the oil rig staff while they work, he has some hunting and survival skills. The others are a motley crew of former crims and hard working men who don't live with their families anymore. As the group of seven survivors gather their wits and try to form a plan to survive in the extreme cold, an extra problem quickly makes itself known to them: a pack of unfriendly wolves who think the guys are in their territory. Ottway soon convinces the men to head across the icy expanse for some distant trees where they will be safer and could even trek towards some kind of civilisation.
Although there are several plot developments that defy credibility (why would they ever leave the plane, they could barricade it and defend it a lot easier and they are more likely to be found with the wreckage than in the woods plus how do they go from struggling to walk through powdery snow up to their knees one minute to blithely running across the snow when the wolves erupt from cover), if you can suspend disbelief at this early juncture then it is quite an enjoyably tense survival thriller. At several points in the film I found my shoulders up around my ear level and even sitting forward, and I had to tell myself to relax and untense the shoulders.
The tale progresses as you would expect with survivors being picked off one by one, however the method and timing of deaths is not exactly as expected which keeps it a little surprising. It also has a refreshing angle that this isn't a group of guys who are close friends and start to turn on each other in difficult circumstances (this is definitely not "Alive"). Instead they start off as virtual strangers and begrudging allies and grow comfortable with each other, if not exactly close, as the journey progresses. Points for trying to put a bit of heart into this and make it not just about creative deaths. I also enjoyed the ending but as I've promised not to give any spoilers I won't say a word about this. I have just discovered there's a scene after the end credits so if anyone goes to see it, can they stay and watch and let me know what it was?
Interestingly there were less scenes involving the wolf pack than I thought there was going to be, and for B there were more wolf scenes than he thought there would be. It is probably best to go in with not much expectation but there is a nice balance of enemies: wolves, cold, injuries, mental strength, mother nature. The wolves are nicely done, not too big or CGI but effectively spooky (when they howl off in the distance) and menacing (up close and personal) by turns. I enjoyed this and it definitely kept me awake and pumped full of adrenalin for a late Friday night flick after a hard week at work. I give this 3 stars out of 5 but it's probably better than a lot of what's on at the moment.
A simple tale of seven survivors of a plane crash, based on a short story, has been stretched out into a two hour marathon that probably could have been a bit shorter. The setting is Alaska where a group of workers for an oil rig are on a flight to a job when the turbulence becomes something a bit more.... well it's no secret that the plane crashes, some die and some survive. Liam Neeson's Ottway is the most practical guy in the bunch - as a sniper whose job it is to shoot the wolves and bears that would otherwise snack on the oil rig staff while they work, he has some hunting and survival skills. The others are a motley crew of former crims and hard working men who don't live with their families anymore. As the group of seven survivors gather their wits and try to form a plan to survive in the extreme cold, an extra problem quickly makes itself known to them: a pack of unfriendly wolves who think the guys are in their territory. Ottway soon convinces the men to head across the icy expanse for some distant trees where they will be safer and could even trek towards some kind of civilisation.
Although there are several plot developments that defy credibility (why would they ever leave the plane, they could barricade it and defend it a lot easier and they are more likely to be found with the wreckage than in the woods plus how do they go from struggling to walk through powdery snow up to their knees one minute to blithely running across the snow when the wolves erupt from cover), if you can suspend disbelief at this early juncture then it is quite an enjoyably tense survival thriller. At several points in the film I found my shoulders up around my ear level and even sitting forward, and I had to tell myself to relax and untense the shoulders.
The tale progresses as you would expect with survivors being picked off one by one, however the method and timing of deaths is not exactly as expected which keeps it a little surprising. It also has a refreshing angle that this isn't a group of guys who are close friends and start to turn on each other in difficult circumstances (this is definitely not "Alive"). Instead they start off as virtual strangers and begrudging allies and grow comfortable with each other, if not exactly close, as the journey progresses. Points for trying to put a bit of heart into this and make it not just about creative deaths. I also enjoyed the ending but as I've promised not to give any spoilers I won't say a word about this. I have just discovered there's a scene after the end credits so if anyone goes to see it, can they stay and watch and let me know what it was?
Interestingly there were less scenes involving the wolf pack than I thought there was going to be, and for B there were more wolf scenes than he thought there would be. It is probably best to go in with not much expectation but there is a nice balance of enemies: wolves, cold, injuries, mental strength, mother nature. The wolves are nicely done, not too big or CGI but effectively spooky (when they howl off in the distance) and menacing (up close and personal) by turns. I enjoyed this and it definitely kept me awake and pumped full of adrenalin for a late Friday night flick after a hard week at work. I give this 3 stars out of 5 but it's probably better than a lot of what's on at the moment.
Thursday 8 March 2012
DVD Gem #2 - Harry Brown
This is the second in my series of "DVD Gems" which is designed to uncover older movies you might have missed or new ones that might not have much of a profile but are worth a watch.
I actually watched this movie on DVD around Christmas time and meant to review it then but ran out of time. But three months on and it's really stayed with me and forced its way out, because it was so powerful. Don't watch if you're about to move to England though!
Harry Brown is also the name of the main character, played by Michael Caine. He is an older fellow (I think his age is given in the movie but I've forgotten, he's well over 70 though) living a quiet life on the pension, visiting his sick wife in hospital and occasionally meeting with his only friend, Len for a beer or game of chess. Harry lives in one of those housing estates you often see in gritty British dramas: drab grey or brown buildings of small apartments populated by losers, crims and kids with no future. Every day he takes the long way to his various destinations to avoid the young thugs who hang out in the tunnel under the road having 'fun' by harrassing passersby. You can tell Harry isn't happy about the situation but he keeps his head down and doesn't want to make trouble. Until one day, something happens to poor old Len. Sick of the police not doing anything about the thugs and their pranks, he decides to take matters into his own hands but ends up on the wrong end of the stick. Two police offers become involved in Len's case but it quickly becomes clear that justice is not going to be done and Harry finds himself unexpectedly fighting back.
The things that make this movie stand out are the grimly realistic setting (seeming particularly so since the riots last year) and just the sheer power of such an old, feeble man finding a way to teach these young crims a lesson and see that justice is actually served. Michael Caine is fantastic as Harry, portraying a steely determination crossed with the frustration of a failing body and shaky hands. The revelation of Harry's former career definitely helps with believability though. I don't think it would have worked anywhere near as well without this former tough guy in the role.
The violence in the movie is fairly confronting, especially a scene at a drug dealer's compound and a riot. Quite a few times during the film I found myself saying "how scary" and I think this is all due to the commitment of the filmmakers to realism. I really could see such things happening in England and that is a very scary thought. Just the other day I read a report that senior police figures are calling for an action plan to clean up a few areas that are almost becoming "no-go zones" for police and law-abiding citizens, which just lends more credibility to this movie which should stand the test of time. Let's hope that things improve over there and they can look back at this time capsule and say "how appalling" but for now, it's a strong eye opener of a gritty revenge thriller. Do yourself a favour and check this movie out.
I actually watched this movie on DVD around Christmas time and meant to review it then but ran out of time. But three months on and it's really stayed with me and forced its way out, because it was so powerful. Don't watch if you're about to move to England though!
Harry Brown is also the name of the main character, played by Michael Caine. He is an older fellow (I think his age is given in the movie but I've forgotten, he's well over 70 though) living a quiet life on the pension, visiting his sick wife in hospital and occasionally meeting with his only friend, Len for a beer or game of chess. Harry lives in one of those housing estates you often see in gritty British dramas: drab grey or brown buildings of small apartments populated by losers, crims and kids with no future. Every day he takes the long way to his various destinations to avoid the young thugs who hang out in the tunnel under the road having 'fun' by harrassing passersby. You can tell Harry isn't happy about the situation but he keeps his head down and doesn't want to make trouble. Until one day, something happens to poor old Len. Sick of the police not doing anything about the thugs and their pranks, he decides to take matters into his own hands but ends up on the wrong end of the stick. Two police offers become involved in Len's case but it quickly becomes clear that justice is not going to be done and Harry finds himself unexpectedly fighting back.
The things that make this movie stand out are the grimly realistic setting (seeming particularly so since the riots last year) and just the sheer power of such an old, feeble man finding a way to teach these young crims a lesson and see that justice is actually served. Michael Caine is fantastic as Harry, portraying a steely determination crossed with the frustration of a failing body and shaky hands. The revelation of Harry's former career definitely helps with believability though. I don't think it would have worked anywhere near as well without this former tough guy in the role.
The violence in the movie is fairly confronting, especially a scene at a drug dealer's compound and a riot. Quite a few times during the film I found myself saying "how scary" and I think this is all due to the commitment of the filmmakers to realism. I really could see such things happening in England and that is a very scary thought. Just the other day I read a report that senior police figures are calling for an action plan to clean up a few areas that are almost becoming "no-go zones" for police and law-abiding citizens, which just lends more credibility to this movie which should stand the test of time. Let's hope that things improve over there and they can look back at this time capsule and say "how appalling" but for now, it's a strong eye opener of a gritty revenge thriller. Do yourself a favour and check this movie out.
Sunday 4 March 2012
Tell me what you want!
For the past two weeks I've been too busy to write my usual Thursday post about what new movies have been released that week and give a quick overview. However I don't actually think anybody is really missing it as there are so many ways to find out what movies are on. I'm thinking about not doing those anymore and re-focusing on reviews of DVDs and movies and more general posts, which I would have more time to do if I drop off the Thursday new release post. So if you still want the Thursday new release post, please let me know by commenting below (if you have trouble commenting, simply select "Name/URL" from the dropdown list and then just type your name into the Name field and leave the URL field blank). Give me some feedback!
Movie #6 - The Artist
Two magnificent movies about the movies in the space of a few months! Spoilt! The Artist is a wonderful movie and very deserving of the Oscars won this week.
For those of you who don't follow the Oscars hoopla, you may not even know what this movie is about. I mentioned going a few times to B and he said "what's that about again?" and I have to agree the title is not really all that descriptive or memorable. But don't worry, the movie definitely is memorable. A warning upfront - it's a silent movie and in black and white. While black and white movies have been scattered amongst releases even up until fairly recently (Good Night and Good Luck being my most recent memory), a true silent movie hasn't been seen for quite some time. There is music for the majority of the time, some well used sound effects in a dream sequence and a handful of words. But this is a throwback to the time of the original silent movies, where story and emotion are expressed through facial expressions and body language, with a few title cards in between where there are conversations between characters that you need to understand. My lip reading skills were surprisingly good in these scenes though.
Fittingly for a silent movie, the plot follows silent movie star George Valentin (French actor Jean Dujardin) whose career is stellar but his marriage seems to be less than happy. At the premiere of his latest movie, he literally bumps into young aspiring actress Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo in a role that was specifically written for her by her husband, director Michel Hazavinicius) and their magical moment lands them on the front cover of all the papers. Peppy then tries out for a movie which turns out to be one of George's movies and they further their acquaintance. However, a dark shadow is looming as a new invention rears it's head: "talkies". The studio is excited to offer George parts in the new talking pictures but George, perhaps fearing change or perhaps too egotistical to realise how popular the talkies would be, refusese to participate. And so begins the decline of a mega wattage movie star which is packed with drama, made all the more so by the rise of Peppy Miller who endeared herself to the public and stars in a multitude of talking pictures. However Peppy finds it hard to forget about her early mentor and possible love match. That's about all I want to give away on plot...
Putting aside the great visuals (beautiful black and white cinematography, gorgeous period costumes, fun choreographed dance scenes and fascinating Hollywood locations) and jaunty soundtrack, the acting is at the heart of the success of this film. Best kept secret in France Dujardin is so charming as George when he's on a high, and really touching in George's low moments. Bereneice Bejo is just so beautiful and sassy as Peppy (very aptly named character) and she has such good chemistry with Dujardin I'd be worried if I was her hubby, director Hazavinicius. Special mention also to Uggie the dog and James Cromwell as George's loyal driver and manservant.
I hope that the Oscar wins (for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Costuming) will keep this movie on our screens for a bit longer and encourage more people to go and have a look. It really is delightful, even when it does go to some darker places than you would expect, and a magical look at the movie business. Five stars!
For those of you who don't follow the Oscars hoopla, you may not even know what this movie is about. I mentioned going a few times to B and he said "what's that about again?" and I have to agree the title is not really all that descriptive or memorable. But don't worry, the movie definitely is memorable. A warning upfront - it's a silent movie and in black and white. While black and white movies have been scattered amongst releases even up until fairly recently (Good Night and Good Luck being my most recent memory), a true silent movie hasn't been seen for quite some time. There is music for the majority of the time, some well used sound effects in a dream sequence and a handful of words. But this is a throwback to the time of the original silent movies, where story and emotion are expressed through facial expressions and body language, with a few title cards in between where there are conversations between characters that you need to understand. My lip reading skills were surprisingly good in these scenes though.
Fittingly for a silent movie, the plot follows silent movie star George Valentin (French actor Jean Dujardin) whose career is stellar but his marriage seems to be less than happy. At the premiere of his latest movie, he literally bumps into young aspiring actress Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo in a role that was specifically written for her by her husband, director Michel Hazavinicius) and their magical moment lands them on the front cover of all the papers. Peppy then tries out for a movie which turns out to be one of George's movies and they further their acquaintance. However, a dark shadow is looming as a new invention rears it's head: "talkies". The studio is excited to offer George parts in the new talking pictures but George, perhaps fearing change or perhaps too egotistical to realise how popular the talkies would be, refusese to participate. And so begins the decline of a mega wattage movie star which is packed with drama, made all the more so by the rise of Peppy Miller who endeared herself to the public and stars in a multitude of talking pictures. However Peppy finds it hard to forget about her early mentor and possible love match. That's about all I want to give away on plot...
Putting aside the great visuals (beautiful black and white cinematography, gorgeous period costumes, fun choreographed dance scenes and fascinating Hollywood locations) and jaunty soundtrack, the acting is at the heart of the success of this film. Best kept secret in France Dujardin is so charming as George when he's on a high, and really touching in George's low moments. Bereneice Bejo is just so beautiful and sassy as Peppy (very aptly named character) and she has such good chemistry with Dujardin I'd be worried if I was her hubby, director Hazavinicius. Special mention also to Uggie the dog and James Cromwell as George's loyal driver and manservant.
I hope that the Oscar wins (for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Costuming) will keep this movie on our screens for a bit longer and encourage more people to go and have a look. It really is delightful, even when it does go to some darker places than you would expect, and a magical look at the movie business. Five stars!
Saturday 3 March 2012
Movie #5 - Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows
This is almost gone but not quite so here is a quick review.
Sherlock Holmes 2 is a rollicking adventure flick that takes the good bits of the first movie and amplifies them. You really should have seen the first film before you see this one, otherwise the significance of certain events early in this movie will be lost on you. In the first movie, the mastermind behind the events was fairly shadowy, but the second movie opens with Sherlock being fairly certain that Professor Moriarty was behind them but has something bigger on the boil. Some time has passed since the end of the first film and Dr Watson has had a break from his boy pal Holmes and is preparing for his wedding. However, after turning up to Holmes' residence for the bucks' night, he is drawn, not as reluctantly as his words might suggest, back into the jolly japes and scrapes of Holmes and his mission to find out what Moriarty is up to.
I think I described the first movie as big dumb fun and there is plenty more of it in this second serve. If anything it's probably even bigger, with a fun set piece around escaping from a train full of goons out to kill our heroes, followed by an even bigger escape through the woods from a weapons factory with more goons and military types in pursuit. However the dumb has been toned down a bit, with a labyrinthine plot to unravel via carefully laid clues. Holmes' detection skills are even more impenetrable than in the first movie, so I'll be renting this out again to watch some bits in slow-motion to catch up. All the tricks from the first movie are back, such as the mystery unravelling flashbacks, slow-mo fight breakdowns before being played at normal speed, and Robert Downey Jr's cheeky portrayal. New additions to the series have a mixed outcome. Noomi Rapace (the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as a gypsy who gets caught up in Moriarty's scheme is okay but doesn't have much to do other than further the plot. However Jared Harris does an excellent job as Professor Moriarty, now out in the open and coming across as both mad and calmly sane at the same time.
Definitely rent this out (along with the first one if you need to catch up) when it arrives on DVD. It's fantastic fun. But don't watch it if you're tired - you'll never keep up with the incredible mind of Sherlock Holmes!
Sherlock Holmes 2 is a rollicking adventure flick that takes the good bits of the first movie and amplifies them. You really should have seen the first film before you see this one, otherwise the significance of certain events early in this movie will be lost on you. In the first movie, the mastermind behind the events was fairly shadowy, but the second movie opens with Sherlock being fairly certain that Professor Moriarty was behind them but has something bigger on the boil. Some time has passed since the end of the first film and Dr Watson has had a break from his boy pal Holmes and is preparing for his wedding. However, after turning up to Holmes' residence for the bucks' night, he is drawn, not as reluctantly as his words might suggest, back into the jolly japes and scrapes of Holmes and his mission to find out what Moriarty is up to.
I think I described the first movie as big dumb fun and there is plenty more of it in this second serve. If anything it's probably even bigger, with a fun set piece around escaping from a train full of goons out to kill our heroes, followed by an even bigger escape through the woods from a weapons factory with more goons and military types in pursuit. However the dumb has been toned down a bit, with a labyrinthine plot to unravel via carefully laid clues. Holmes' detection skills are even more impenetrable than in the first movie, so I'll be renting this out again to watch some bits in slow-motion to catch up. All the tricks from the first movie are back, such as the mystery unravelling flashbacks, slow-mo fight breakdowns before being played at normal speed, and Robert Downey Jr's cheeky portrayal. New additions to the series have a mixed outcome. Noomi Rapace (the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as a gypsy who gets caught up in Moriarty's scheme is okay but doesn't have much to do other than further the plot. However Jared Harris does an excellent job as Professor Moriarty, now out in the open and coming across as both mad and calmly sane at the same time.
Definitely rent this out (along with the first one if you need to catch up) when it arrives on DVD. It's fantastic fun. But don't watch it if you're tired - you'll never keep up with the incredible mind of Sherlock Holmes!
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