Category Archives: Drama Reviews

Feb 4 2012

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Viewed – 03 February 2012  Blu-ray

In the run up to the awards season, this has become one of the most talked about movies around.  With a heavy weight cast of top British thesps and a gritty cold war storyline, this is the movie many people are putting all their hopes in.  Call it this years The King’s Speech, if you like.  Adapted from the novel by John LeCarré … Gary Oldman stars as a former M16 agent who is persuaded by an old friend to come out of retirement in order to investigate the possibility of a Russian mole in the organization.  The movie jumps back and forth between time lines and shows us the history behind such suspicion after former boss John Hurt sends field agent Mark Strong to Budapest in hope if discovering the identity of the mole from a Russian contact.  In the present, Oldman must piece the clues together and line up the suspects, whilst uncovering a wealth of shady dealings.

For such a talked about movie, I admit to finding it extremely difficult to follow.  It is told in such a vague and scatter shot way, that I kept hoping for a narration to fill me in on who is who and what’s what.  But no, this is the sort of movie where you the viewer are left pretty much in the dark, and everyone on-screen seems much more well-informed.  Sometimes people would say things and the other person would look shocked, whilst I would respond with ‘huh?’.  I don’t know.  Other movies have played the trick of showing you something, making you believe its one way, then later revealing it wasn’t quite what you thought.  That can be cool, but here it was simply frustrating.  Gary Oldman is very good as the veteran MI6 agent ‘Smiley’ but doesn’t ever really have a moment to stand out, neither does John Hurt, who apart from an acceptable performance, is barely in it.  I actually warmed much more to underrated actor Mark Strong, as I felt his story was the most intriguing, but like everything here, it never really delves enough to totally satisfy.

Tomas (Let The Right One In) Alfredson’s direction, on a technical level is sublime and very stylish.  He makes the mostly London-set locations look gorgeous, and there’s no doubt he’s a genuine talent.  However the material he has been given is confusing, a little too sure of itself and ultimately … boring.  Really, when a movie can be summed up as two hours of stiff upper collar British chaps sitting in rooms looking confused, that can’t be good, can it?

Verdict:  2 /5

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Feb 1 2012

The Grey

Viewed – 31 January 2012  Cinema

In recent years, Irish-born actor Liam Neeson has enjoyed a resurgence in mainstream popularity following the hit kidnap thriller Taken.  Now Neeson is the new poster boy of cool, and with this man vs the elements plane crash drama, he’s not pitted against terrorists, but that of nature itself.

As one member of an oil drilling team, Neeson must use his skills as a hunter to survive the harsh wasteland of the Alaskan wilderness, following a horrific plane crash.  As the group of men battle the raging blizzards and try not to freeze to death, they must also try to outwit a pack of wolves that begin to hunt them, and are soon picking the men off one by one.  What got to me about this movie was not the setting, nor the wolves, but the realistic emotion on display as the surviving men bond, open up about their families, and change over the course of their journey.   In many ways it touched me, which I wasn’t expecting.  Neeson of course is brilliant, lending real weight to the story; hung up on thoughts of his wife and the responsibility he finds thrust upon him.  Aiding him are several recognisable faces and the different characters are all well realised.  The wolf attack scenes are done well, even if some close-ups give away their animatronic counterparts, but this is barely noticeable.

Director Joe (The A Team??) Carnahan’s movie is expertly shot however, making the harsh Alaska setting quite beautiful at times, and there’s many clever camera tricks and subtle effects to enhance key moments, like the very real plane crash.  Smatterings of humour also work well to break up the tension, and along with a ballsy ending that will linger in your head (and heart) for a good while afterwards … this was powerful and surprising.  A must see.

Verdict:  5 /5

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Jan 19 2012

500 Days Of Summer

Viewed – 19 January 2012  Blu-ray

Romantic movies sometimes have a funny effect on me.  Perhaps it’s because Hollywood’s idea of love is often fairy tale and perfect, when in real life, it can be anything but.  Do we really need another movie about some loved up couple and their perfect life together?  Then I began to realise this movie was different.  It’s not your conventional boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, things are fine for a bit, then things go wrong … before finally, it all gets going again, and happily ever after … yada yada yada.  No this quirky, cleverly written romantic drama takes a keen look at a modern relationship and paints what you might call a uncnventional but wholly believable interpretation of love … and all the confusion that can come with it.

Inception’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt is very good as the love struck office worker who falls for a girl who doesn’t have his rose-tinted idea of love, played perfectly by the very likable Zooey Deschanel (Yes Man, Elf).  Their story takes place over 500 days, and the movie jumps back and forth and in between to give the viewer an entertaining and often very clever story full of good dialogue, a convincing romance, and plenty of keenly observed ups and downs.  Director Marc Webb has delivered a sharp and often surprising drama (the post-coital dance number a particular highlight), that although lacking the comical spark of the similar High Fidelity … still managed to leave this viewer with a knowing smile on his face.

Verdict:  4 /5

Jan 14 2012

Arrietty

Viewed – 13 January 2012  Blu-ray

I have to admit, I am a great admirer of the movies from acclaimed Japanese animation masters Studio Ghibli, with Spirited Away and Ponyo being two of my favourites.  This latest entry tells the tale of a tiny girl, who along with her mother and father, live under the floor boards of a huge house, unbeknownst to the humans occupying it.  At night they creep out to scavenge for supplies in order to survive … but it’s not stealing, they are Borrowers, as in the classic children’s books by Mary Norton.  Stepping into the shoes of recently retired studio head Hayao Miyzaki is Hiromasa Yonebayashi in his directing debut, and let’s just say, the studio is in good hands.

From the start, this is magical stuff.  The way the world of Arrietty and her family is captured, from their perspective is stunning, with as expected from Ghibli, wonderfully detailed animation and gorgeous art, making you feel like you are right there with them in a huge world.  The sound design is also exceptional and greatly adds to the atmosphere.  Arrietty’s story, that of a little girl who befriends a human boy suffering from a heart disease, is touching and well observed.  The voice casting is generally good, especially from The Lovely Bones’ Saoirse Ronan in the lead, although the boy proves less interesting, with a very bland, wooden performance … which does lessen the movie’s emotional impact.  The story also lacks the sort of peril you might expect, and it’s not all that exciting either.  Even when the house keeper makes an alarming discovery, and a rescue is set into motion – you never feel anyone is in particular danger.

Don’t get me wrong however, this is a movie that despite such gripes, is still filled with wonderful imagination and bags of personality, as well as beautiful animation and a very memorable theme tune.  I found the ending to be a bit of a let down, but overall … this still enchanted the hell out of me.

Verdict:  3.5 /5

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Dec 25 2011

Super 8

Viewed – 24 December 2011  Blu-ray

Current hot property J. J. Abrams (TVs LOST, Star Trek re-boot, Mission Impossible 3) is probably one of the most reliable director around at the moment, with obvious skill and cinematic knowledge going into everything he puts his name to.  Combine this with Producer Stephen Spielberg, and this one promises plenty.  Hyped as a throwback to eighties kids adventure movies like The Goonies and E.T. this offers up a cast of likable child actors and a small town setting that immediately feels familiar.

Set in 1979, a group of friends are making an amateur movie and witness a (very over the top) train crash during the filming of one scene.  Yet this was no freak accident and something not of this world was being transported onboard – and now its loose.  As the military step in to clean up the wreckage, the kids begin an investigation of their own whilst attempting to finish their movie.  This has a very nostalgic feel and captures the wonder of childhood innocence well, if not necessarily as timelessly as Spielberg has done in the likes of the aforementioned E.T. and even Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.  Something is missing, that much is evident, and although Abrams nails the performances and feel, the imitation of such material is probably done a touch too well, and at times feels very old-fashioned and dare I say it, clichéd.  Also what the movie is ultimately about is underwhelming, lacking that essential ’magic’.  The child actors were all good though, and special mention should go to  Joel Courtney in the lead and Elle Fanning as his sort-of love interest.

This works however as a fun adventure movie, and perhaps unlike me if you don’t have a good knowledge of the movies this is clearly copying, then on its own merits, it’s good entertainment.  It must be said however that Abrams movie is lacking its own identity, and although things come together quite heart-warming at the end … I was left disappointed.

Verdict:  3 /5