Review: The Great Debaters

A simple but compelling story based off true events about overcoming racial prejudices in the 1930s with an intellectual perspective.
How intellectual? Well, maybe not quite as rigorous or risky as it could have been with the ideas involved.


Directed by and starring Denzel Washington as a college professor in Texas leading four children in a national debate team, going on to challenge Harvard University's own team. However his own intense political views and determination could threaten the lives of his students.


I cannot say I was greatly surprised by any of the turns of events in the film, and while a great cast do provide the perfect emotional performances, I wasn't as moved here as I have been in other films of this genre.
The film gathers its emotional strength by having younger, more vulnerable actors involved, and this is very effective (especially alongside Washington's crusader) to a point. Forest Whitaker also turns in a good performance as well as his son, who plays the youngest debater on the team, but unfortunately, his role was the most transparent. While the other three took the debate spotlight through the entire film, his character was relegated to the sidelines, even deemed unfit to debate before an audience. Hm, I cannot think what the climax of this story will be. Nope, no idea.


It does its best to be a moving, provocative story, and it does have great tension in particularly dark scenes, but if you let it sink in it feels a little too... deliberate; an intellectual properly made palpable for mass consumption. Was it bad? No. It is a good movie, and I suggest you watch it if you like these sorts of dramas (or are a fan of Washington) it just doesn't feel as challenging or intense as it could have been.

Additional Marshmallows: Wait... Oprah Winfrey was the Producer? What?

Review: Arrietty

I'm quiet sad I missed Arrietty in the cinema as I thoroughly enjoyed this entry for Studio Ghibli!


This outing is a gentle, calming experience, an adaptation of "The Borrowers" books, Arrietty follows a family of four inch tall people living beneath the floors and between the walls of a house. Having lived in peace for so long, the two worlds crash together when a human boy discovers the family's daughter, Arrietty.


The tone of the movie is as far removed from Ghibli's most recent offering, Ponyo, as you can imagine; Arrietty's story is simple and the pacing is slowed right down. We are shown how the borrowers live day-to-day, the fascinating little world behind walls, the use of smaller objects as vital tools, it all lends itself extremely well to Ghibli's detailed, warm art style.
I usually watch their films with the English dub, and I'm happy to say that Arrietty's vocal talent is good and the characters are great, none of them are irritating. There are several animal characters too, from savage crows to a very likeable cat.


My only small gripe with the movie was the shift in tone during one scene. When Arrietty and the boy meet, he goes off on a tangential rant about how lesser "species" are being wiped out all over the world. It was brief, but jarred with the honest storytelling. I've nothing wrong with morals in films, I usually appreciate them, but in this particular scene it just felt awkward.


This is only a very small issue, the rest of the film is packed with charming details and has a wonderful, refreshingly gentle speed. We all need a change of pace sometimes, and Studio Ghibli rarely fails to deliver!

Additional Marshmallows: Hayao Miyazaki had considered adapting the novel for the last 40 years! While he didn't direct Arrietty, there certainly is a sense of care and attention given to it.

Review: Subway

I'm a big fan of Luc Besson's films, but I'm afraid Subway is a little too subtle and underplayed for me...


I knew next to nothing about this film except the odd clip and a seemingly edgy looking poster, however the image depicted only lasts a few seconds! Subway follows Fred, a man on the run who finds himself hiding in a subway station, befriending the odd characters who live there.
That's about all you will know for the first hour of this hour-and-a-half feature.
It is one of Besson's earliest works, even before Femme Nikita and Leon, bang in the middle of the 1980s, and it shows; Subway's soundtrack is often an abrasive mix of guitar, saxophone and synthetic burps.
While I am all for subtle storytelling and films that hold the cards close to their chests, so to speak, I at least expect the substance to come from characters instead. Especially when everything takes place in a subway station. But the characters are shallow too! There's no quirkiness, you aren't certain of people's intentions (at least not until the very, very end).
There is a good character story buried deep down, and unfortunately many will miss it for the barrage of problems I have already listed. The film's apparent lack of confidence and depth comes from the lead character's own harboured feelings for the love interest. Upon reflection (much reflection) I can see it now, but I cannot ignore how disinterested I was for over an hour! The pay off was too brief and too last minute to justify the spontaneous and random scenes and subplots that preceded it.


More unusual, charismatic characters inhabiting the subway would have done wonders to the film, and may have even strengthened the lead's inner troubles. I love many of Besson's films, but this one I won't be remembering.

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...