Review: Super 8

I'm finding my opinion of J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg's collaboration Super 8 a little divided.


Set in the late 1970s, Super 8 follows the perspective of Joe, a young boy who recently lost his mother in a terrible accident, and his father who is Police deputy of their small town. Joe and his friends are making a film for a school competition when they accidentally witness a massive train crash. While Joe struggles with his feelings for a local girl, something otherworldly had escaped from the train wreck and causes chaos throughout the town.


Spielberg and Abrams make a good combination here; Super 8 has a glossy and real look about it, while the entire cast are excellent in their roles. It has been a while since I've seen so many child actors on screen and not been irritated by the lack of acting skill, they worked well together.


The divide I spoke of comes in the film's second act, where we have intensity brewing within the characters, specifically between Joe and his father and between Alice and her father. All great stuff, but juxtaposed with this we have a fifteen foot tall alien tearing up cars, scaring dogs and kidnapping people. It feels a little awkward. Don't get me wrong, this is way, way better than Abrams' other alien/monster movie Cloverfield (at least I care about these characters) but even Super 8's ending might feel a little too vague and "happily-ever-after" for some people. It ties up the two jarring stories as best it can, but it can feel a little... off.


I enjoyed it well enough; acting was great, visual effects were not overused and well done, a focus on characters but kept things simple and straight forward (a nice running time of under two hours!) so I'd give it a watch.

Review: Avengers Assemble

There are four films this year I am banking on being at the top of my list and Avengers Assemble was the lesser. My god this is going to be a good year for movies!


Marvel Studios colossal gamble in combining four of their major comic brands into one film was subject to feeling clustered and failing, yet having gotten each hero's back story and characteristics out of the way in previous films, Avengers can go all out. No brakes.
"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) is teamed up with Doctor Bruce Banner (The Incredible Hulk) Steve Rogers (the super soldier Captain America) and Thor, the god of thunder, to protect the world from a hostile invasion led by Thor's brother Loki. They have to learn to put their personal demons aside and work together if they are to succeed!

Avengers Assemble is another landmark in cinema after Harry Potter; keeping firm continuity on a franchise makes it stronger. The actors already know their characters, the film's first act dips wonderfully into "character moments", one minute it is a new Iron Man film, then it is Thor's movie, Avengers simply revels in their clashing personalities, a geeky "what if Thor, Tony Stark and Captain America were in a room together?". I cannot stress the credit due to Joss Whedon, co-writer and director, he brought is A-game here; the wit and stinging dialogue is here in abundance. The cinema I was in was roaring with laughter at all the right points.
There are several short signature fights, giving each hero and villain a chance to fight another, though this does not feel forced. Instead each battle feels unique, memorable and is certainly eye catching.


The film's heart and soul is with the superheroes, and while their personal demons are less defined here (for obvious reasons, there are six of them!) the battles they wage show them struggling, Marvel's ethos of "human superheroes" is not completely lost here. By the end, the heroes are quite worse for wear.
Loki is the signature villain, and one should watch Thor (and Captain America) to fully appreciate what's at stake. The villains are pushed aside overall, but only for the excellent team-building theme the film is about anyway.

Definitely worth seeing, for the great dialogue alone, never mind the frantic and characterful battle sequences on top of it!

"But he is my brother, he is family"
"He just killed over eighty people!"
"He was adopted..."

Review: Bunraku

Unearthing little gems like these from obscurity always makes me feel good!


Bunraku tells of a future where guns no longer exist after terrible wars nearly destroyed the world, but of course now battles are fought with swords. A lone drifter, a barman and a young samurai find themselves joining forces to take down a tyrant and his band of nine assassins.
What is most arresting about Bunraku is its visual style, east-meets-west, bright contrasting colours and an origami, paper and pop-up book theme runs throughout. It has more than just a comic, manga feel about it, and I was immediately drawn to it.


It is heavy with violent action sequences, reminding me of Kung Fu Hustle a little, and while some of the choreography is simplistic, the Hollywood stars involved do not look out of place doing it. The direction is strong and the settings for various battles are unique to each other; a prison break that reminded me of Old Boy's corridor fight, and a fist fight on a springy trapeze safety net! Yes, there is a satirical edge throughout the film.

A surprisingly star-studded cast leads this unique experience: Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Ron Perlman and Demi Moore, and while their roles are very straightforward (Moore has very little screen time) they give more than enough to be convincing. Scottish actor Kevin McKidd as the vicious Killer No.2 was both amusing and impressively dark.
I think my one gripe was the soundtrack, while it was present and (from what I could tell) sounded great, it wasn't loud or bombastic enough to fit with the bright, contrasting imagery, it didn't shake me and felt a little underused.


However, this film was a great little gem! It goes up there with other underrated favourites of mine such as Franklyn. Its simplicity might not be for everyone, but its a fascinating action film to watch, constructed with an artistic vision.

Additional Marshmallows: The director, Guy Moshe, has only directed one other film and a further short movie. I am very interested to see what else he might create in the future.

Review: Mirror Mirror

I finally get around to seeing 2012's first Snow White offering, though the result is somewhere between fun and lukewarm.


Directed by Tarsem (once again he returns to Cinema Cocoa since I started this blog!) creator of The Cell, The Fall and recently Immortals, Mirror Mirror is definitely his first family film, throwing a ton of quirkiness and light-hearted humour into the classic fairy tale.
Need I explain the plot? Well, here the evil Queen has the land taxed into despair, and when the shut-in Snow White escapes to find her late father's land so impoverished she opts to take back the kingdom. With help of seven dwarf bandits and a Prince who has both the Queen's and Snow White's affections.


Tarsem's signature costume design is present, there are many occasions for flamboyant dresses and head pieces, full and vibrant colours, as well as some nicely designed interiors. Lily Collins makes an excellent Snow White, even though the film never gives her the chance to set up as a "bandit leader".
Julia Roberts as the evil Queen? Well... she isn't so much evil as she is bitchy. She wants things her way, but doesn't actively pursue them herself, making her out as a spoilt brat than anything menacing. 


A personal dislike of mine is the total disregard of the apple, it is barely in the film! The Queen resorts to attacking Snow White with monsters instead. While the light-heartedness was often genuine, and the dwarves were good fun, the film felt a little sluggish. It becomes clear that it merely parries from forest setting, to palace, forest, palace, forest, palace, forest.. Etc. It feels quite pantomime.


It is one for the family, for the kids (which is saying something for Tarsem and his filmography!) it is innocent and light. Will I prefer Snow White and the Huntsman? That depends on one factor alone... whether Kirsten Stewart is bearable or not...

Review: The Cabin in the Woods

Looks like Buffy creator Joss Whedon has found a big screen playground all for himself!


*I am making this as spoiler free as possible!*


I was intrigued to see Cabin in the Woods, but not obsessed; unlike some people I didn't realise this has been in the works for some time now, and I merely knew "it does things differently". That's enough for me.
I see a lot of films, an awful lot, and some times they start to look and sound the same. Cabin in the Woods is a Scream-esque homage to the horror genre, but less of a parody and more of an actual twist on the genre. Five young friends go off on a road trip to spend a weekend in a woodland cabin, but when they arrive they awaken evil and uncover the multiple layers of secrets behind it.


It is very hard to talk about this one without giving away the linchpin of its originality. So I recommend seeing this, it is a gore fest full of Joss Whedon humour (seriously, fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity should probably check this out!) and has a punchy subtext about every generic horror movie ever made. If you are a fan of your horror films, I'm sure you'll pick up on this.

Some might see its deliberate clichés as exactly that, clichés, but that is in fact the point of the thing. Is that in itself uninventive? Well, that's up to the viewer, but Whedon always likes to have underlying ideas in his works, and doesn't beat you over the head with them.
While I wasn't blown away by it as the hype was suggesting I should be, it was one of the more entertaining and original takes on the teen horror movie genre.


In a nutshell, watch and read as little as possible. This review cannot express what goes on, but I can say that even watching the trailer gave away too much! Perhaps when the popularity dies down, and it becomes one of many random horror rentals, it'll shine all the brighter.


Not as chilling or jump-scary as Woman in Black, but fun, gory and witty with its originality.

Review: Chico & Rita

Best Animated Feature Oscar Nomination proves to be simplistic but also charming.


Chico & Rita follows a young but extremely talented piano player in Havana who falls in love with a singer with big dreams. When Chico's agent Ramon tries to get Rita to perform with him, things get complicated and fate seems destined to keep them apart. The story takes the characters from the alleys of Havana, the streets of Paris to the glamour of Las Vegas. 


At first I wasn't sure about the animation style; I initially believed it had been rota-scoped, but upon investigation that isn't the case. The style certainly grows on you, especially after an exciting car chase in the first act. It should also be mentioned that Rita herself must go on the list of sexiest animated women.
The animation is quite adult orientated, not just with the occasional nudity but in its mellow pacing. I can't say I felt as moved as I maybe should have been; Chico and Rita's relationship yo-yo's frequently and I couldn't quite see them together.


But the best part of Chico & Rita has to be the soundtrack, set in 1948 Cuba the music is bebop, a style of jazz, and it makes all of the characters and animation style come to life. I might be seeing the obvious similarities to Japanese anime's Cowboy Bebop (a personal favourite) but the music here is excellent.


It might not be as memorable as it should be, mostly because it's a simple story, I just enjoyed the soundtrack.

Review: Wrath of the Titans

Just ninety minutes of massive CGI monsters and "epic" battles.


The old gods, Zeus and Hades find their powers and influence waning as mortals cease their prayers, and in a desperate act Hades opens the Underworld prison of Tartarus, freeing the titans and their ancient father Kronos. Now every immortal and demigod must choose a side, and Perseus must fight for the mortal life he chose.
All this talk of titans being released might remind you of last years Immortals, and there are plenty of similarities (except for Mikey Rourke in a silly hat) only Wrath feels slightly more in keeping with the mythology. Slightly.
I was a little saddened how the titans themselves were still underdeveloped or non-existent, the promotional images for Wrath suggested more diversity between them, yet most focus was given to the colossal Kronos battle. Cinematography used that irritating shaky camera once more, making the Minotaur fight a particularly lukewarm experience!
The story's surprise focus on Perseus' brother Ares, yes, the God of War, was gratifying and hammered home (no pun intended) the concept of mortal prayers empowering and weakening certain gods. It almost felt like there was underlying subtext at this point!


I could have used twenty minutes more though, to solidify some of the characters further and make it less like one long action sequence. Watching it beside Clash of the Titans might improve this however.