Review: Whiplash

A tremendous short story following a young drummer student locking horns with his sociopathic but passionate mentor.

Andy Neyman is a young student at a prestigious music school studying the art of drums. But when he catches the attention of a notoriously strict but skilled jazz composer named Fletcher, Andy must drastically improve his skills to match the impossible standards asked of him. At the same time he must lock horns with the bull to prove he is capable, risking self destruction along the way.

J.K Simmons has been dominating the media with his performance as Andy's mentor Terence Fletcher and with very good reason; the man is a dynamo of emotion and anger towards his students and becomes a force of nature with his presence. What seems to at first be quiet precision quickly escalates into a righteous fury, becoming one of the most likeable unlikeable antagonists in recent cinema, making audiences cringe in dread and laugh simultaneously.

The film is short, about one hundred minutes in length, and not a minute is wasted or repetitive. We are thrown into the story immediately with Andy (Miles Teller) quietly practicing only for Fletcher to offhandedly appear and immediately disappear in disinterest. This sparks the inner fire in Andy to become the best drummer at the school.

The entire film hinges on the concept of art from adversity, Fletcher's technique is completely uncompromising and he liberally screams obscenities at his charges if they make even the smallest mistake. His students are literally made to bleed with the amount of effort required to satisfy his demands. He is terrifying at times, redefining the sort of drill sergeant caricature seen in war movies! But as the film progresses, both characters begin to square off as neither wants to back down from a fight. The tone is incredibly tense and the dialogue often blackly humorous.

Some may say J.K Simmons is cartoonish here, but it is all juxtaposed wonderfully with the quieter moments that prove he is genuine, that he has reason to his method.

Very well shot, awesome music as one would expect. If you enjoy jazz music this film will have you not just completely invested but also tapping your foot in time! 

Both Teller and Simmons come from music backgrounds before they began acting, Teller especially played drums, and this can only add to the on screen dedication they show.

As such a simple film about drumming, a subject I know little about but I have great respect for those musically capable, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy the film. But as it stands it is a surprisingly visceral, surprisingly intense and very well realised piece of drama. 

I'd highly recommend it to anyone. I do have a soft spot for jazz music, but J.K Simmons and Miles Teller give such powerful performances it is hard to tear your eyes away from it. I have trouble thinking of anything wrong with it.

Review: American Sniper

Clint Eastwood's directorial step into the Iraq war with this biopic proves to be clunky despite his trademark skill at getting the best possible performances from his actors.

American Sniper is based off the real life heroics of one Chris Kyle, a Texan "cowboy" turn SEAL sniper during the war in Iraq. He was quickly realised to be the most lethal sniper in US history, called by his peers as Legend, with over one hundred and sixty confirmed kills to his name.
The film charts not only his impressive career and the dangers he faced but more importantly his fracturing state of mind and the war's influence on his family life.

This must be the most stoic and intense performance I've ever seen from Bradley Cooper, turning himself from the know-it-all pretty boy into a muscular, patriotic and multi-layered soldier.
You know what to expect going into a film directed by Eastwood; a film driven by stunning performances that drive home heart-string pulling sympathy and emotion, and he certainly rubbed off on Cooper. Kyle's relationship with his wife, played by Sienna Miller, has a lot of chemistry and proves to be the best element of the film.

But for all of this good chemistry (and without spoiling the story if you don't know already) I found the film to be skirting around some of the real issues, issues that Eastwood would have given real gravitas to, instead preferring to show rather classic and archetypal war story beats. Scenes that could provide more emotional weight end before things are fully realised, at least I didn't feel as moved by the characters and their peril as I could have been. A defining moment for this is the ending, literally the last few minutes were the most emotional of the entire movie, to the point were it almost feels forced.

Being based off Kyle's autobiography, and how seemingly patriotic he was as a person, one wonders how accurate the story's antagonists really are, specifically an enemy sniper who's skill could only be matched by Kyle himself. What could have been a moving character study that Eastwood would excel at, becomes a little cartoonishly heroic. It feels more like a movie about his incredible deeds (which are incredible) instead of a biopic about the man himself.

Clunky is the word I would use. It was a decent film for Bradley Cooper's performance and some intense moments, but it didn't do enough to get me completely invested; I came away from it remembering a lot of standard war story beats.

Review: Foxcatcher

A grim tale about some of humanity's worst, albeit more subtle, traits. Great acting all around but does this story really need to be told?

Based off a true story, two brothers are Olympic medal winners in wrestling, but now they are older the youngest brother wants to start out on his own, feeling neglected in his sibling's shadow. When a wealthy company owner contacts him and pledges his unwavering support and chance to escape his brother, he accepts in a heartbeat. But was this decision really the best?

Foxcatcher is not a film I would normally see in the cinema, these stories I feel don't require the big screen. That and I go to the cinema as escapism, for a good time.
Do not go to see Foxcatcher if you are in a bad mood.

But my reason to watch this was the casting. Channing Tatum as the younger brother Mark, graduating from GI Joe and 21 Jump Street into a serious role, Mark Ruffalo and a bleakly transformed funny man Steve Carell. I was intrigued. If anything, this film will be the one you cite in the future when someone says: "Steve Carell never does any serious roles!"

And for these actors yes, the film is incredible and unique, especially Carell who is virtually unrecognisable as the born-to-riches but withered John du Pont. Tatum must be delivering his most severe and emotive performance ever, quite incredible, and Ruffalo cannot be ignored either! They are all powerhouses here and each clashes with the other mercilessly.

The film itself though is a hard, hard watch. Just over two hours it begins with deliberate ambiguity with the two Schultz brothers languishing in their past successes, Mark (Tatum) struggling with self worth and David (Ruffalo) a happy family man. Even upon Carell's introduction little is being suggested, little is being betrayed in terms of motivation. At first I was suffering.
The tone of the movie is suffocating, bleak and with unforgiving stillness (if you brought popcorn, you will regret it!) even when the characters are victorious it feels like a loss!

But perhaps an hour in characters begin to be enlivened (not that they weren't well portrayed to begin with, in fact thanks to the initial "slow boil" these later moments are all the stronger) and they start to show their true colours, consequences are realised and we see how these people really respond. Unfortunately I cannot say without spoiling, but two thirds of the way in this film becomes bombastic and terrible and incredible, all barrelling along towards a bitter end.

But it really, really is depressing. I don't feel as though this story needed to be told; it is a sad, tragic tale of reality and while told through an incredible lens of truth and gravitas, I can't help but ask questions that demean every character involved. Why did they do this? Why did he do that? Surely all of it could be avoided if...?
And sure that is likely the point, the film's theme is clearly about the frailty of the human condition and now things are never truly good and well, that people are dumb and callous and selfish most of the time, and are hurtful and short sighted to those around them.

So yeah, that's this movie: a bleak and depressing but totally realised character study with incredible acting. Enjoy.

Additional Marshmallows: I sort of forgot what with all the doom and gloom, the wrestling is central to the plot and, from my extremely limited perspective, appears to be well represented in the sort of training and skill required.

Review: Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

A film loved by critics and one can see why, but Birdman also had my attention immediately. Unique and darkly humorous, Michael Keaton at his very best.

Riggan Thomson is a washed out, down on his luck actor who once had Hollywood fame as the superhero Birdman. Hoping to reignite his life's significance he writes, directs and stars in a Broadway stage drama... all the while haunted by the voice in his head of the fictional Birdman persona.
Things only get more stressful as he must hire in an egotistical method actor who starts to undermine his relevance even further.

As a child growing up, Michael Keaton was a prominent movie star, namely for Batman, Batman Returns and Bettlejuice, and it always saddened me how he sort of faded away. Seeing Birdman as a metaphor for his own career perhaps I was immediately drawn to see it, and while there are certainly big points of comparison between Keaton's Batman and Riggan's Birdman, this is one of this film's lesser subtexts.

Birdman (and as the title screen adds: "or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance") is a complex and involved look into personal value and the human need for acceptance in an ever changing world. Keaton's character is clearly haunted by ghosts of his past and almost delusional with them, and try as he might we can see his current project is falling apart at the seams.
The performances from an incredible cast, Keaton as Riggan, Edward Norton as his rival Mike and Emma Stone as Riggan's bitter and angst-ridden daughter. Heck even Zach Galifianakis, a man I never credit much for, delivers great effort here! I couldn't help but be completely enveloped by these characters and especially Riggan's plight...
It is hard to not sympathise with our main protagonist's trauma, and a hatred-fuelled speech from Emma Stone really hits home quite how sad and downtrodden Riggan's life has become.

But performances and personal investment aside (as if they weren't big enough reasons for me to like this film) the editing is genius. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has seamlessly folded every scene together and presented it as one single shot; the camera is forever gliding through the rooms and halls of this Broadway theatre house, we don't cut away or clearly jump from one day to the next. It is virtually seamless editing, giving everything a dreamlike quality.

It is something of a critic's movie. It is a black comedy drama about the creative frailties of film-making, the seedy underbelly of personal vendettas this can inspire, and the good people who are blindly swept into it all. The film even takes a joy in depicting critics as monsters.

A very good, humorous movie with a lot of grim and compelling resonance. Anyone who likes film as a medium, or Keaton, Norton or Stone, and quirky dramas need apply.

If you didn't know by now, no it isn't a superhero movie!

Review: Big Hero 6 (2D)

Big Hero 6's poster boy, the robotic Baymax, is the sole reason you need to see this film!

Young tech prodigy Hiro Hamada and his brother build robots, one of which is called Baymax, designed to be the best in the field of medical care. But disaster hits the city of San Fransokyo when a masked villain steals experimental technology from them. Hiro must group together his friends to battle the menace.

Unless you have been living under a rock you should be aware that since Avengers Assemble in 2012, Disney has owned Marvel comics film studios, and as a result Big Hero 6 is the first reciprocation of this agreement. Marvel makes its live action films with Disney funding, while Disney make Marvel property into cartoon movies.
Big Hero 6 is one of the more obscure franchises in Marvel's universe, but you don't need to be too concerned: the similarities between this and comics are mostly in name only!

The film however is a lot of great fun; a bouncy, bright and fast paced. It is gorgeously rendered, designed and animated with characters that really pop and become instantly familiar. Hiro and his friends are geniuses and wizards with technology (except maybe Fred, who is a comicbook geek) and their team behaves like some sort of Marvels junior ensemble.
But easily the greatest thing about the film, as if you need me to tell you this if you have seen the trailers, is the robot Baymax. Designed to be a caring, nurturing medic, the teenage Hiro immediately finds himself with not only a clingy and protective parent, but also a bumbling and slow servant. He has armfuls of personality, the running jokes, sight gags and slapstick are all masterfully done and hilarious. He had the whole audience brought near to tears with laughter, myself included.

But (and there is always a but) this hilarity with Baymax only makes the opening half of the movie, and as good though it is, things get a little bit samey after the team is assembled. Yes, this is a superhero film and complaining that it does the usual antics is a bit far fetched but... there are still problems.
Our team isn't that fleshed out: we have tech they like and names assigned to them and colourful, distinct designs but really nothing else. The villain too, as with so many Marvel films (it is actually getting frustrating now) isn't very interesting and motivations are vague at best. Hiro's parents had died when he was three, but they are never explained or referred to beyond that, we never know who they were or any sense of real relationships. All of this makes the second act quite laborious compared to the amazing opening.
The third act is what you expect, spectacular action sequences that likely work well in 3D (see How to Train Your Dragon) and was very well implemented.

Overall I had a lot of fun with Big Hero 6; it is a "forget your troubles" sort of experience, a comedic, bright, action-driven cartoon that should have the whole family entertained. 

Additional Marshmallows: Just don't go researching the comic for any more understanding... you only get more questions!

Consider this a very good four star rating. It would have gotten 4.5 had there been a little more work done on the supporting characters, and a five had the villain been given more to work with.        

The Best and Worst of 2014!

So another year has ended and I gotta say, personally, this year hasn't been amazing for film, at least not with its blockbusters. Marvel Studios have never been stronger however, both Guardians of the Galaxy and the Captain America sequel being massively successful.

There was a good run of thrillers and dark dramas and biopics though, and some of the best films of 2014 were the films no one expected.

So here is my final leaderboard for 2014! As I describe each year, this is a list of every film I have seen this year that I've never seen before; the films that are "new to me". So as well as theatrical releases I also have rentals that I saw this year.
People ask why I do this, but I believe that in the endless pantheon of film, all films can be compared regardless of when it was released.

(But don't worry,I will have a second list below this one that is exclusively theatrical releases!)

There's a total of 72 films this year!

1. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (3D)

Surprise! 2010's How to Train Your Dragon was a underrated masterpiece that really didn't require a sequel. In fact I was worried this would ruin the joy and novelty of the first film... and while a lot of people forget about this for their top 10 lists (probably due to a huge spoiler in its trailer, tip: don't watch the trailer) I still loved it!
Issues from the trailer were my only grievances, and it isn't fair to judge the movie on that. I felt right at home watching this film; a return to characters that I fully enjoy watching.
It is a joyous, happy and challenging kids movie that maintains the original's quality and style.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy (2D)

Yup, possibly Marvel's biggest surprise; appearing on top lists everywhere and changing so many people's minds. Harking back to old retro sci-fi and action concepts, Guardians is a popping, colourful and ridiculously quotable movie with the best soundtrack of the year!
Why is it second and not first place? It is incredibly close... But Guardians took me a couple of viewings to fully appreciate. I loved it, but at first it can be a total flurry of constant action, and throws a lot at you; if you aren't on board with it, it will leave you behind!

If you like Pina Colada! Gettin' caaaaught in the rain!  

3. Dead Poets Society

The first of my DVD rentals on my top ten list, sadly being the film I watched to lament the late Robin Williams. But Dead Poets Society was an excellent and moving movie and it is criminal I had not watched it until now!
Robin Williams gives such an impassioned performance as the sort of school teacher everyone would love to have; to teach them about how to be creative in such a monotonous and systematic society. Despite being an older film, its messages still ring with truth, and I can forgive some deliberate screenplay writing.




4. The Wolf of Wall Street

Yes, The Wolf of Wall Street was in 2014!
What impressed me the most about Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's latest offering was how for a long (and arguably repetitive) film, I was captivated from start to finish, and never noticed how many minutes were flying by.
This is mostly due to DiCaprio who makes such a corrupt and deplorable lifestyle seem perfectly reasonable and sells his ethics with bold integrity.
Couple all of that with a black sense of humour, it was dynamic and hilarious all the way through. 





5. Captain America - The Winter Soldier (3D)

Probably Marvel's darkest and most violent film with gun play and more realistic brawls and carnage, Captain America 2 delivers a extremely strong punch to the comic book series.
It also does what Captain America 1 and even Avengers Assemble together couldn't manage: make Captain America himself look awesome.
A good supporting cast as well as great action sequences and a good villain/nemesis with the titular Winter Soldier. 

6. Gone Girl

The first of two incredible and dark thrillers that have surprised me this year, Gone Girl for me was a total gear change from the rest of this year's Marvel dominance.
While Ben Affleck is perfectly okay in his role, the show is completely stolen by Rosamund Pike as Amy, playing an incredibly complex character and quite likely a career defining role. Awesome movie!
Sadly I cannot say more without spoiling it, but David Fincher delivers here and if you want a dark, seedy thriller I highly recommend it.

It is only sixth on this list because it loses some of its traction and skill in the final act.

7. Nightcrawler

Basically what I just said for Gone Girl, only with Jake Gyllenhaal completely dominating the show.
Another dark and seedy thriller showing not only the depravity of the media business and their lust for violence, but also how far a human mind can sink to simply be recognised and feel meaningful.

It is a simple story, simpler than Gone Girl's screenplay, but it is extremely effective and very dark.

8. Planet of the Apes (1968)

You are probably thinking: wtf? But upon release of this years Dawn, I wanted to finally watch all of the Apes films.
I was dreading it, mostly for how they may have dated extremely badly, and certainly many of them have (the last few are tragic) but the first film, the original, but this film still has a lot of relevance and great subtext if you can see past some old film making!
Watching this proves to me why the Apes franchise is so effective and how the new films have gripped me, they have a great foundation with this film! 

9. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (3D)

While not as effective as its predecessor Rise of the Planet of the Apes, at least as a character piece, Dawn has incredible action sequences and evolves the story perfectly without missing many of the beats.

I think the moment you see a monkey riding a horse while firing two automatic assault rifles... and you aren't thinking it is completely stupid... you know the film is amazing. 

10. Her

Towards the end of the year I cramped three films of 2014 I hadn't managed to catch in the cinema, and Her was one of them.

Unlike every other film on this top ten, Her is a quiet, morose and sensitive story with a quirky near-future sci-fi twist on your usual love story. I enjoyed its subtly and its performances, but mostly its original setting and ingenuity.
This is an entirely likely future for us as human beings. 





X-Men: Days of Future Past (3D)
The Lego Movie (3D)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2D)
Lucy
Edge of Tomorrow (2D)
Idiocracy
Snowpiercer
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Pain and Gain
I Saw the Devil
Under the Skin
The Raid 2
Fury
The Imitation Game
A Serious Man
Interstellar (2D)
A Most Wanted Man
The Machine
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (3D)
The Zero Theorem
The Men Who Stare at Goats
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Gojira (1954)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Hitchcock
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2D)
The Conjuring
The Guest
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956)
The Amazing Spider-man 2 (3D)
300: Rise of an Empire (2D)
The Family
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2D)
The Purge: Anarchy
Before I Go to Sleep
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2D)
Hummingbird
Safe
Primer
White House Down
Godzilla (2014)
The Boxtrolls (2D)
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Welcome to the Punch
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
Turbo
The Monuments Men
The Babadook
The Heat
Olympus has Fallen
Society

10. RoboCop (2014)

So they remade RoboCop.
They made it a 12A.
Yeah so it crashed and burned: from the total lukewarm action sequences replacing the gory, memorable ultra violence of the original, to the utterly phoned in performances (especially from Samuel L Jackson)
A great example of how pointless and needless 12A remakes really are, providing no originality, nothing memorable and designed simply to soak up some cash with a brand.

9. Battle for the Planet of the Apes

The weakest Planet of the Apes film from the old series (yeah, ignoring the Tim Burton film) but mostly due to worsening budget cuts throughout the series, the concept of making a final epic battle with less than two million dollars was impossible. 
Not only this, but there's roaring great continuity problems which is only comparable to the second worst Apes film, Escape from the Planet of the Apes.
A very disappointing and sad end to the Apes franchise.  

8. Starship Troopers 3: Marauder

Oh yeah, I watched the Starship Troopers sequels in 2014, I actually went there.

Marauder is instantly forgettable, but it does attempt to expand the universe with some integrity unlike the second sequel. It still has a lot of problems and reeks of television budget, but at least the tone and themes here are a little more in keeping with the original film.

7. Insidious - Chapter 2

Ugh... Insidious... again.

So Insidious was at the very bottom of my list, so having its sequel only in the seventh worst spot says something about it by comparison (or says something about the films lower down on this list!)

Chapter 2 is still as bad and not scary as the first film. Oh no, she walked into a child's toy and it made a noise! EEEEEK!
Seriously? But it doesn't have as much stupidity, and doesn't feature Darth Maul, grabbing maybe one or two scares at least...

6. 3 Days to Kill

Kevin Costner tries to do his own Taken to give himself cool points.

It fails.

Amber Heard is also starring, but only proving she cannot act, maybe due to her character being utterly perplexing to begin with.
A phoned in 12A action movie, it kills a couple of hours but certainly not three days, very forgettable. 

5. Maleficent (2D)

I despise this movie. I despise what Disney has done with this movie, and more importantly what they have done to one of their most classic and symbolic villains.
I have so much venom for this film that I actively tell people to watch (or indeed re-watch) the classic Sleeping Beauty. I insist that you do. It is my favourite Disney film, because of Maleficent herself.
This. Is. Not. Maleficent.
Disney have potentially ruined one of their classic characters for future generations, and it physically hurts to think that they are even capable of changing a character as much as this. Polar opposite.
The best thing about this film: Jolie's casting for Maleficent.

4. The Purge

The Purge has a great concept, a fantastic and original concept even. A concept that has endless possibilities and the best to create a franchise out of (unlike say, Paranormal Activity)

Luckily there has been a second Purge film that delivered the premise better... 

... because The Purge is the most phoned in, boring and unimaginative interpretation of the concept imaginable.
A film that fails its own premise is pretty bad indeed.

3. Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation

Starship Troopers 2 was slammed and condemned when it first arrived, with a very low budget the story was held within one location and played out like an Alien-esque, shadowy horror film.
It has nothing of the original film's sense of humour or wit, instead trying to give the franchise a gory horror movie vibe.

That... isn't what Starship Troopers is about.

2. RoboCop 3

Oh RoboCop 3... how... how positively awful you are.

It is sometimes hard to put into words how bad a film is. I guess the best way to explain this one is how RoboCop himself is barely in it! Peter Weller doesn't return for the role, and the screenwriters still haven't worked out how to progress the character of Alex Murphy, so instead we get a ten year old girl for most of the movie!
No, I am not kidding!
RoboCop 3 is perhaps one of the first cases of a franchise getting milked to death for some quick cash.
Wouldn't buy that for a dollar! 

1. Oldboy (2013)

And at the bottom of the pile, the film I boycotted for a year, the film I told myself not to watch, the American remake of my 20th favourite film of all time, Oldboy.
I guess I have no excuses to not watch the Twilight movies now...

This movie is so bad that even if you ignore the fact that it is a remake it is still an awful film. It reeks of Americanisation and the lack of honouring and adaptation that the worst of remakes can provide. It has none of the original's style or blunt force poetry.
It simply exists, like an infectious leech.




And now a quicker run through the THEATRICAL RELEASES ONLY list:

01. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (3D)
02. Guardians of the Galaxy (2D)
03. The Wolf of Wall Street
04. Captain America - The Winter Soldier (3D)
05. Gone Girl
06. Nightcrawler
07. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (3D)
08. Her
09. X-Men: Days of Future Past (3D)
10. The Lego Movie (3D)

Transformers: Age of Extinction (2D)
Lucy
Edge of Tomorrow (2D)
Snowpiercer
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Under the Skin
The Raid 2
Fury
The Imitation Game
Interstellar (2D)
A Most Wanted Man
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (3D)
The Zero Theorem
The Guest
The Amazing Spider-man 2 (3D)
300: Rise of an Empire (2D)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2D)

10. The Purge: Anarchy
09. Before I Go to Sleep
08. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2D)
07. Godzilla (2014)
06. The Boxtrolls (2D)
05. The Monuments Men
04. The Babadook
03. RoboCop (2014)
02. 3 Days to Kill

01. Maleficent (2D)



Ooft, that's right, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is in the bottom ten for theatre releases!