Review: Seven Pounds

Well this isn't an easy film to watch through! Will Smith doing his best to be the ultimate martyr.

Ben Thomas works as a taxman, yet while collecting from those suffering from debilitating or fatal illnesses he is compelled to help them. His utterly selfless acts are fueled by a tragic event in his past.

As a rule I generally dislike "depressing" films; I don't see why anyone would want to spend money, sit in a cinema, only to ball their eyes out and have a miserable time. There is a fine line though, to have this experience but to keep a tiny thread of hope persistent. Seven Pounds is a bleak affair, yet it includes some excellent twists-and-turns that stop it from being utterly soul destroying.

Unfortunately, I would be spoiling it completely to go into how it does this.
Will Smith, as always, does a faultless job here and in overview it is an excellent performance throughout. His character falls into depressive bouts of anger, hopeless loss, restored determination and hope whenever the story demands and you believe it. It is a well paced movie too; subplots evolve in parallel and keeps you hooked as the character tries to resolve everyone's problems, and in doing so the ending comes rushing towards him.

That brings me to my main issue, the ending. As always I won't spoil it, but as I just eluded to, this ending comes rushing up and... like all of Smith's films, it becomes a ridiculous pile of sentimental mush. I saw an ending coming, one quite gratifying yet sad, but Seven Pounds piles on the sentiment. I appreciated everything beforehand, even the sentimental elements, but the ending pushed it too far!

If you don't like Will Smith's rather... sentimental and martyrdom acting roles I suggest you avoid this furiously, as Seven Pounds is the definitive work! But, if you enjoy Clint Eastwood films (Million Dollar Baby etc) real heart-string pullers but with nice characters and the promise of hope, Seven Pounds could be for you.

Review: Django Unchained

After seeing Django Unchained it is a wonder why it took Quintin Tarantino so long to make a Western!

Set in 1858, “two years before the Civil War” we follow the slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) when he is freed by a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) who needs him in identifying some of his bounties who work as slavers. Django, with Dr Schultz's help, seeks to liberate his wife who has become the property of a sadistic and ruthless slave owner.

Watching a Tarantino film is always a mesmerising experience; you never quite know what he is going to do next, and they are always delicately balanced between lengthy dialogue scenes and intense violence. Django is absolutely no exception, perhaps being one of his best paced and... dare I say “traditional” film, yet. Foxx and Waltz carry the first half of the film themselves, Tarantino's witty, sly writing coming strongest from Waltz's performance as the unorthodox bounty hunter; he is instantly likable.

The heroes are given so much screen time that their chemistry grows perfectly as they travel across country and Django shows his skills as a gunslinger. The villains are held back until the end, but the heavyweight performances from Dicaprio and Samuel L. Jackson are awesome and they clearly relish playing real antagonists for once.

The film's use of language gives Tarantino all the controversial weight he could ask for, Django is a film that immerses itself in the time and culture without pulling its punches. Some people may be shocked by the use of language, but it only adds to Tarantino's unrestrained style. Despite the film having the usual trappings of its director, it does have some very sincere, quiet moments, and so it should with such a weighty subject as slavery.

Django Unchained is a great success from Tarantino, the man is only improving with age and experience; showing excellent film making abilities and know-how! I would say it is better than Inglorious Basterds. It is enjoyable, it is bloody and violent and it is surprisingly thought-provoking. Oh, and it has a rocking soundtrack!

Review: Lockout

A mindless science fiction action shooter, while entertaining and fun it isn't intelligent enough for me to appreciate.

Guy Pearce plays a CIA officer named Snow who after being wrongly convicted is sentenced for time onboard a orbital prison space station. As bad luck would have it, the President's daughter is surveying the prison when the inmates break out and take control. Snow is now the only man who can get her to safety.

Lockout got my attention by having Luc Besson's name attached to it, though unfortunately he was only one of three men who worked on the screenplay and the film is "Based of an idea by Luc Besson". Hm. The film therefore is the creation of debut director James Mather.
It looks good, the prison has a robust and functional appearance, the prisoners are psychotic and threatening and Guy Pearce has a great sense of dry wit and cynicism. He never takes things seriously and it looks like he's having fun; a lot of the film's merit comes from Pearce's performance.

However... story and narrative fall very short. Lockout is an entertaining waste of time and little more. True, I have seen worse: I would recommend Lockout over 2012's Total Recall any day of the week, because at least Lockout has the good decency to be an original piece with original characters! It is just a shame this high-octane rollercoaster doesn't slow down a little more to explain how things work and who characters are. It is literally a science fiction video game with the objective: "Rescue the Princess".
I found myself in the final climax wondering why an orbital prison would need automated turrets all over it... or how a state of the art prison falls apart as soon as one prisoner gets hold of a gun. Wouldn't they have procedures and high-tech security against that sort of thing?

But, I appreciated it for what it was, a mindless science fiction action film, and a unique one at that. If you like this sort of genre or just want to waste time, give Lockout a watch.

 
Additional Marshmallows: There is one of the worst CGI sequences within the first ten minutes though... I kid you not, this was Ultraviolet (shudder...) levels of awfulness. Fortunately you can forget it almost immediately.

Review: Zathura - A Space Adventure

Mostly known as "Space Jumanji", I ignored this film with the belief that it would be inferior, silly and full of ghastly CGI. But how wrong could I be??

Walter and Danny are two young brothers staying with their father after their parents divorced and while there they find an old board game. Upon playing the game, the boys find themselves thrown into outer space and must stop fighting between themselves to survive the wondrous adventure.

Okay, do you want to hear my initial reactions to the film?
"Hm, Jumanji in Space? Not convinced."
"Directed by Jon Favreau?? Now I am interested!"
"Starring Kristen Stewart...?"
"NOooooooooooo!"

Now I have to address this. Amazingly, this is Kristen Stewart's best movie. It is. Seriously. I almost don't want to give anything away, but it's hilarious what they do with this insufferable, obnoxious airhead of a character. If you are like me and don't like Stewart, watch this, I guarantee you will thank me for it.
Zathura is a simple enough premise: it is Jumanji in space, and while some of the designs are simplistic (the board game and creatures are both styled as very 1960s sci-fi anyway) the practical effects got me. I love practical effects, and the late Stan Winston himself worked on the film, so the aliens and robots looked far more amazing than I was expecting. The film was made in 2005, the same year Lucas released Revenge of the Sith, there could have been all sorts of horrific CGI nastiness, but not here!

Sure the two boys take a little time to get used to, the first fifteen minutes feels a little long since... you know... we are expecting them to go into space! But they aren't overly frustrating or too badly written, they are at an acceptable level. I'm sure most boys of similar ages (eight through ten) could relate somewhat. I think Tim Robbin's bit part as their Dad (credited as) goes a long way to keep adult audiences watching. Plus, its Jon Faveau, the director of Iron Man, he knows how to make characters entertaining!

The film itself is relatively harmless and would be good fun for all the family, I think this is something of a buried gem in this regard and should get more appreciation! (whispers: in some respects it could be better than Jumanji... but I'll need to watch that again to be sure...)

If it is ever on TV, or you want something light and silly, give it a try.

Additional Marshmallows: Don't worry, my appreciation of Kristen Stewart in this film is purely driven by the venom I have for her as an... "actress". I find this part of the film hilarious not because she's any good, but because I took it as poking fun at her!

Review: Repo Men

So I've spent months tracking down this film, this gory near-future thriller, yet Repo Men doesn't quite do as much as it could have.

Jude Law and Forest Whitaker are two ex-soldier buddies working for The Union as “Repo Men”. The Union is a corrupt government repossession organization, but instead of just housing repossession and other regular things, this future involves body parts. Have a failing lung? Get a new one and simply pay for its service. Stop paying for any reason and the Repo Men will find you and take whatever it is back.

The story begins and investigates Law's character's dividing loyalty between his dangerous, bloody work and his family. He wants out, yet his colleagues don't want him to give up with the skills he has. After an accident with a client, he finds his world turned very much upside down...

The premise of Repo Men is quite compelling, if a bit ludicrous, and as a science fiction fan I was curious. The film has rapid pacing, which is good; it chucks you around with a simple plot and predictable twists and turns. The gore involved is very sickly and can make you squirm at times.

My problems with it though... is its tone. This film doesn't have a clear identity to me; it goes from playful black comedy (the Repo Men enjoying their day-to-day work) to very straight and sincere, taking its reality as genuine. The latter makes the film's climax (what could only be described as scalpel-fetish? Surely the most talked about scene in the movie...) both sick and more than a little silly.

I was quite disappointed, this is no Looper, Minority Report or even In Time. The soundtrack is uninspired and the visuals are (except for a couple of short moments) drab and uneventful. When the plot is quite standard and the twists this deliberate, there isn't much else; I'd say Repo Men is for Science Fiction fans only.

Review: White Heat

James Cagney stars in what could be one of his most prominent roles from 1949, and having not seen any of his other films, I can believe it!

(I know, some of you might be shaking your heads at the fact I've not seen many older films... I do try!)

Cagney plays a criminal named Cody Jarrett, a sadistic and crazed leader of a gang of thieves. He suffers from fierce self-deluded headaches which only his supportive but aggressively protective mother can cure. His wife, played by Virginia Mayo, is often pushed aside in this relationship and is swept up between Cody and Ed, one of his men looking to take control of their operations.

How refreshing it is to watch an older film that does so many things right that modern films seem to have forgotten. White Heat is a short but excellent well paced crime drama, and is surprisingly involved for such a simple concept. Cagney's psychotic leading man is central to the film as he battles betrayal and the tightening noose of the police hounding after him. He is eccentric and tough, and his strong bond with his mother gets your attention immediately; here is a character who is both emotionally bound to family in one scene, but then locks a man in a car boot before riddling it with bullet holes in the next!
Following the villain, a straight up villain, is unusual! But the uncontrolled nature of the man just keeps you watching to see where the story takes him next.

The film goes from one location and one scenario to the next, we have train heists and prison breaks, all with some excellent physical action and set pieces, fitting neatly into under two hours! It doesn't drag with over-explaining, it simply takes you along for the ride.

It hasn't even aged too badly either, any fan of 1940-50s American gangster stories must apply. I was pleasantly surprised by this dive into the past.

Review: Punch-Drunk Love

I have no idea how to summerise this film, what a bizarre yet strangely poignant romantic comedy with a seriously strange twist.

We follow Adam Sandler's character who can only be described as "psychologically disturbed", as he runs a small business and tries to break free of insecurities thrown on him by his seven sisters. He is a bizarre, unorthodox man in unorthodox surroundings, who finds himself blackmailed by a sex hotline he once called and the mattress store manager who runs it. Can true love with Lena (Emily Watson) allow him to recover his own self esteem and respect?

I knew next to nothing about the film going in, and I have to say it was nothing that I expected it to be! Frankly I was just looking for a good Adam Sandler performance, and I found more than that. It is like watching a different actor! In a very different film!

I will admit though, within the first thirty minutes I was pretty lost. There was a miniature piano, a weirdly aggressive sister, Barry himself is unlikable and odd, he buys loads of pudding in a deal to get air miles he never uses... I was in a bizarro nexus of oddities. However, sticking with it I realised this was an American film doing what European films usually do in the genre; this isn't far off what Jean-Pierre Jeunet might direct. Maybe not quite as quirky, but certainly unique!
It is a strange film and no mistake, but is surely worth a watch! Emily Watson and Phillip Seymour Hoffman give great supporting roles, and Sandler is downplaying his usual talents to an acceptable level, and it works wonders. The final act of the film is surely its best; everything culminating to a final, gratifying pay off.

Sure, there are some issues I had with it, it did take a bit of getting used to at first, and Lena's persistence to have a relationship with such a bizarre man felt a little odd, especially given how level headed she was herself. But there were signature moments, clever payoffs and as it continued I found myself more and more interested in it.

Weird, but very unique, highly recommended I'd say!

Additional Marshmallows: For all the praise the director, Paul Thomas Anderson, gets, I didn't like There Will Be Blood, I thought it was tedious. Punch-Drunk Love is probably the first of his films that I actually got and enjoyed!

Review: Despicable Me (2D)

A cutesy, fun-loving and brightly coloured animation about an evil villain discovering his softer nature.

What can be said about Despicable Me? I must admit I am grateful I knew next to nothing about what happens in it because honestly... not much! This is storytelling 101 stuff, and even giving you a simple synopsis will probably spoil it. Gru is an evil villain, in a world where super-villains are expected, and when he is superseded by a young villain who steals an entire pyramid, he vows to redeem himself as top villain! His plan: to steal the moon.
Unfortunately things go wayward when he needs the help of three orphan girls to aid him. Keeping his evil secret (and evil nature) might be difficult!

The film is very, very cute to look at. The colours and designs pop and shine with vivid colours and the action and slapstick comedy are powered by a child's sugar rush, yet it doesn't go so far as to be obnoxious or unpleasant. In fact the film's first half is surprisingly mellow at times; the camera slowly follows our brooding, dare I say despicable, villain (voiced well by Steve Carell) and the visual gags are given time and pacing for full effect. There's a sense of shot composition too, which is nice.

But... the story is mind-numbingly simple. In the first ten minutes the two worlds of super-villain and innocent children looking for parents scream the blatantly obvious pay off. I continued to watch of course, the film's bouncy energy holding my attention (and attention of all children, no doubt!) but nothing else really happened. It is a basic premise, it could even have been a short film! Briefly in the middle I found myself wondering... "I know what you are doing, get on with it" when we are given various superfluous distractions.

This reminded me of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, a good fun time with lots of colour and vibrant life. It is always nice to see original concepts getting big screen attention, perhaps the sequel this year can improve on the story-telling.

Additional Marshmallows: And yes, the minions are awesome. I especially liked the one that was hit by the shrinking ray and squeaked when squeezed!

Maybe a little too much "oh look, we can do 3D now!" effects and an awful pop song, over the end credits.

The Best and Worst of 2012

2011 had its fair share of total duds in terms of films, but 2012 has reset the balance with a spectacle of impressive movies!
There were a lot from my favourite genres and several returning and recurring franchises that I have enjoyed, so I want to stress how tight the top fifty or so films really are! In fact, there are very few films this year I would qualify as bad (expect some of the "worst" to simply be "deliberately bad") and so I've had to be strict with the higher levels! We are talking personal opinion and nitpicking galore here, and I know there are a couple that the general public would rage about!

It has been a year of high anticipation and gallons of hype what with Avengers, Skyfall, Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit and Prometheus, let's see how it has resolved for Cinema Cocoa! The top ten and worst ten in descending order, along with the other seventy-seven films I have seen (both in the cinema and on DVD!) a total of ninety-seven films this year!

1. Skyfall
A defining moment in the franchise's fifty year history! Sam Mendes directs one of the most stand-out, kinetic and character based Bond films ever! I cannot fault it; characters are well written, the action is tight and streamlined, soundtrack is solid, and it honors its traditions with delicacy!
Could the best of Bond continue into the future??

2. Avengers Assemble (2D)
They said it could not be done, that comic continuity and bizarro-combinations could not make the transition to the big screen. Yet director Joss Whedon finally gets the recognition he deserves as a writer and director! Marvel Studios (and Disney!) combine several years' development and films together into a fun action romp! 

3. Drive
I didn't know how I would feel about Drive, after everyone raved about it, but at the end of the day I cannot shake the mood and tone of the film from my mind. Ryan Gosling plays it cool as a heist driver, while a retro soundtrack fills your ears and glossy, dark and neon visuals sweep over you. A great thriller.

4. Senna
It is hard to rate a documentary beside films like Drive and Skyfall, but in terms of capturing a sport such as Formula 1, you cannot go wrong with Senna. The social and political dramas that ensue are shown using entirely stock footage from the sport, overlaid with voice-overs. It is a compelling and emotionally charged piece of storytelling.

5. Chronicle
In a time of such over-saturation of comicbook superheroes and stories in the film industry, it is nice to see an independently made film become so successful! Chronicle from the outside may appear generic (American High School, you say?) but the payoff and where the film takes its characters is unbelievably intense!

6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (HFR 3D)
Looking at The Hobbit's sixth place honestly you can see this as a terrible loss. Following the jaw-dropping Lord of the Rings films with the same film-makers, The Hobbit should be at the very top! But while it is an extraordinary show of film making (and it should be seen!) and a visual feast, this first installment has split the crowd!

7. Looper
Like Chronicle, it is nice to see unique and non-franchise based science fiction getting some attention, and Looper is suitably up my alley in terms of themes, atmosphere and visuals! It uses time-travel in ways previously unexplored, and while it can never be perfect, I found it very convincing. Good to see old Bruce Willis can still pick his films well!

8. Dredd (3D)
A visual treat! Stunningly bloody, gory and oh-so violent, yet as it is often the case with these things, Dredd does not come off as cheap or phony; it becomes a piece of art. Much like the comics that it is based off, the film reeks of the 1990s grunge era, and it is so encased that you cannot help but admire its blood splattered, drug-abusing spectacle!

9. The Woman in Black
At last, a traditional horror/chiller movie that works. Daniel Radcliffe bounces easily away from the Potter franchise in this bump-in-the-night Haunted House movie by Hammer Studios. While some of the scares might be typical jump-scares, I was immersed, and I was also glad the film managed to shut up restless 12A teens in the audience!

10. Brave (2D)
My tenth place was extremely hard fought for. You could place any of the next four or five here, but... I don't know, I enjoyed Pixar's Brave a great deal. Yes, it is packed with Scottish stereotypes, but it has such a beautiful look; the atmosphere is thick with mysticism and... and damnit that hair! Just look at it!



The Artist
Bunraku
The Raid
Argo
Snow White & The Huntsman
The Dark Knight Rises
Prometheus (3D)
The Cabin in the Woods
Rise of the Guardians (2D)
Tyrannosaur
Arrietty
Into the Wild
Invictus
War Horse
Lawless
John Carter
Super 8
Real Steel
Captain America: The First Avenger
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Ted
The Muppets
The Conversation
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Men in Black 3 (3D)
Puss in Boots (2D)
Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (2D)
Iron Sky
Fahrenheit 451
The Grey
The Expendables 2
The Amazing Spider-Man (2D)
Sinister
Catfish
The Guard
End of Watch
In Time
Another Earth
THX 1138 (2004 Director's Cut)
Attack the Block
Win Win
Arthur Christmas
Adventureland
Fright Night
Borat
Haywire
Warrior
Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
Everything Must Go
The Great Debaters
Limitless
Tetsuo: The Iron Man
50/50
Chico & Rita
The Thing (2011)
Trick 'r Treat
The Bourne Legacy
Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter (3D)
Total Recall (2012)
Wrath of the Titans (3D)
Unknown
Super
Broken Embraces
Mirror Mirror
Conan the Barbarian (2011)
Catch-22
Anonymous
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2D)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
A Christmas Carol 2D (2011)
The Hunger Games
Submarine
The Town
Hostel
I Am Number Four
Subway

10. The Rum Diary
Described as a comedy, yet lacking completely in humour, Johnny Depp's return to Hunter S. Thompson's material proves to be directionless and totally disengaging. A non-threatening antagonist, choppy editing and perhaps made more "tasteful" for general audiences unlike Fear and Loathing. This rum has no kick.

9. Red Lights
Three of my favourite actors in one place, a great setup for an intense thriller, and yet... so... so tedious. Red Lights suffers from an asinine script, moving from blatant exposition drawl to simply missing any and all good sense; the film has no identity, what genre does it want to be a part of?? Dialogue that is heavy on jargon does not help either.

8. Cars 2
Hello, Pixar. I've not seen you down here before. I liked Cars, I think I am one of the few who did, but no I didn't think it needed a sequel. Here is the evidence! Cars 2 is an obnoxious waste of time. It is noisy, abrasive, frustrating and unintelligent, for some reason focusing on the character of Mater! Four words not associated with Pixar at all!! 

7. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Ugh. In light of recent events, could the Clone Wars movie actually be George Lucas' film swansong of franchise ownership? If it is... I cannot think of anything more suitable. An uninspiring kiddie-friendly romp through the Star Wars universe, sticking safely and soundly with familiar faces and settings with mediocre to poor CGI animation.

6. Season of the Witch
With the potential combo of Ron Perlman and Nicolas Cage, the film somehow squanders its opportunity by becoming a predictable bore. Somehow the fun is sucked out of it. Watch Sorcerer's Apprentice or Black Death instead! Uninspired and defused of excitement.

5. Species 4 - Awakening
Early in the year I went looking for a bad film, where better to look than the ludicrous Species series? While it is better than Species 3.... (that... isn't saying much) Awakening still has none of the get-up-and-go silly hilarity of the first film, none of the 1990s lovable nonsense. Ultimately, it is (obviously) poor and irrelevant.

4. Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus
Something of a cult favourite, and it put The Asylum studios on the map, this film has to be this far down simply because... well... its really really bad. It is deliberately bad to the point it is funny, and if you haven't seen Mega Shark attack an airborne plane yet I suggest you find it now on Youtube! Do it.

Now.

3. Insidious
Ugh... So, Insidious was stupid. Very stupid, to the point where it is laughable. I don't think I once found this sideshow attraction the least bit scary! Predictable and with some of the worst secondary characters I have seen in a horror film that is trying to take itself seriously. I wish it wasn't, but they are definitely playing this one straight!

2. The Machine Girl
A bit like Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus, The Machine Girl is a deliberate gore-fest involving a Japanese school girl with a machine gun for an arm. Now, I did watch this, and I expected more. It is just an hour of people with red paint squirting out of fake arm stumps. I was hoping for some decent gore, not student-level budget (even that is doing a disservice to student films...)

1. Devil
I won't get these eighty minutes back. Thank god it was only eighty though. What a load of timid, blatant lack of scares. This is meant to be scary?? The idea could have been an intelligent look at humanity, but instead it is a ham-fisted attempt at a generic horror cliche. It has no intelligence, no merit. Yes, the Japanese school girl making red paint burst out of people was more compelling than this!



There you have it! I am sure there will be plenty of arguments today about how Devil is your favourite film of all time, or that Drive really wasn't that good! But, this is my opinion, and I share it with you because it is entertaining to see the varying viewpoints of art.

Plus, this year has been surprisingly difficult with so many top quality films! Just because Dark Knight Rises didn't make the top 10 doesn't mean it is bad, it just means I felt it was missing that special something to elevate it as high as the others.

I was super excited for 2012's film line up and it has paid off in spades! 2013 I think we will get some more unique movies. Tarantino's Django Unchained, Lincoln, A Good Day to Die Hard, Iron Man 3, Oz: The Great and Powerful, and that's just naming a few! 

It looks like it will be a year for variety!