Fantastic Mr. Fox review
As with all Wes Anderson films, Fantastic Mr. Fox has few laugh-out-loud moments but many giggle-inducing quirky moments. Quirky is the key and, like the retro stop-motion animation, Anderson’s unique style, as prevalent here as it is in live action, is very Marmite.
Playing Guess the Celebrity is a lot of fun, whatever your tastes, though. George Clooney and Meryl Streep are more than suitably accompanied by some familiar Wes Anderson cohorts and some great special guests as well as commendable relative unknowns. The characters are rich and fun with Michael Gambon’s Franklin Bean making a particularly strong impact.
Annoyingly, the story is incongruous with, effectively, three very separate parts; Mr. Fox steals stuff, Mr. Fox gets chased, Mr. Fox rescues a family member. The transitions could have been a little smoother and a more concrete central arc would have been welcomed.
Love or hate Fantastic Mr. Fox, it is, at least, refreshing to see a high-profile alternative to in vogue computer generated animation. A commercially successful Mr. Fox could open the doors to more experimental animated tales and that’s no bad thing.
28th Oct 2009 | 1 Comment | Official site | On IMDb
Up In The Air review
Jason Reitman is really making a name for himself as a director of quality, intelligent, quirky, not to mention commercially successful, comedy. After Thank You For Not Smoking and the brilliant Juno comes Up In The Air with a bigger budget, a bigger star, and bigger expectations.
Like his previous films, UITA has been cleverly cast and features very impressive acting performances. George “Cary Grant mk.2” Clooney is a consistent, versatile actor but he shines most brightly in comedic roles, here, perhaps, at his best, without a Coen Brother in sight. He is joined by a superb cast and the three leads interact with truly convincing chemistry.
Although there is some great dialogue and very funny one-liners the film hits a stumbling block at the story level. The characters’ extreme professions are original but they are crude devices used to push the story towards a conclusion that is evident from the get-go.
Up In The Air is a good film with many merits but, at the same time as being hard to dislike, it is also hard to get particularly excited about.
Shown at the London Film Festival. Currently due for general release 15th January.
22nd Oct 2009 | Comment | Official site | On IMDb
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus review
Few can bring fantastical tales to the screen with more style and utter originality than Terry Gilliam and with The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus he has yet again conjured an exquisite fairytale land for us to immerse ourselves in.
The story, however spectacular, is actually quite simple and progresses more like a chaotic dream than a structured narrative tale but, although it doesn’t come close to the likes of Twelve Monkeys, Brazil, or even Time Bandits, it is an improvement on his more recent films (notably The Brothers Grimm and Tideland).
The acting performances are OK (Lily Cole being the surprise package) but the end result of replacing Heath Ledger, who died during a break in shooting, with Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell is just odd and only makes sense in the context of what happened. It is a shame for all involved that the film is, and probably always will be, best known for the circumstances that took place during its production because although it isn’t the most well-rounded of films, the images from The Imagination of Terry Gilliam remain quite a brilliant, unique sight to behold.
20th Oct 2009 | Comment | Official site | On IMDb
The Portuguese Nun review
With film festivals come a healthy dose of arty oddities that tend to appeal to the tiniest population of hoity-toity cinephiles. Hello, The Portuguese Nun.
I’m cautious to call it pretentious. It could well be but giving it the benefit of the doubt director Eugene Green has tried something different, which is commendable, it’s just that it doesn’t work as an interesting, entertaining or discernibly quality film. I take that back; it’s interesting in so far as trying to figure out what the hell the filmmaker is trying to achieve.
The slow, minimal film revolves around the pathetic lives of a handful of dull, cardboard characters over a few weeks (or is it days? I can’t remember and I don’t care) in Lisbon. There are some positives. It looks nice. Sometimes.
Maybe I’m missing some almighty intellectual relevance and if I am too naïve to get it or too mainstream to enjoy it, then so be it.
Showing at the London Film Festival on 23rd and 24th October.
Pixar: Best to Worst opinion
- Monsters, Inc (2002)
- Up (2009)
- Ratatouille (2007)
- Finding Nemo (2003)
- Wall-E (2008)
- The Incredibles (2004)
- Toy Story (1996)
- A Bug’s Life (1999)
- Toy Story 2 (2000)
- Cars (2006)
Let’s face it, Pixar aren’t very good at making bad films. Accompanying breathtaking animation are superb scripts that keep them well ahead of their competition.
Everyone’s got a favourite but if only for the sheer originality of it, Monsters, Inc wins for me. Up comes close.
13th Oct 2009 | Comment
Don't Worry About Me review
Turning to directing, actor David Morrissey does a decent job with a drama about an encounter between two lost souls in his home town of Liverpool.
Helen Elizabeth’s first acting performance is commendable but her co-star, James Brough, another first-timer, is less convincing, playing gormless to perfection but emotions with less aplomb. As writers of the film and with an obvious attachment to it, the angle might have been attractive but I’m not convinced it was the best option and professional actors could have added another dimension.
Morrissey clearly loves Liverpool but, as interesting as some of the city’s sights are, they tend to get in the way of the story instead of support it as the characters too often talk about them in tourist board detail. There’s a nice enough story, though, and, the Liverpoolaphilia aside, it is nicely rounded and well told. In many ways it is a welcome change to the more prevalent grittier feel-bad Brit flicks and will surely prove to be a popular movie. When it hits TV screens.
Showing at the London Film Festival on 24th, 26th, and 29th October.
Up review
Over 4 months after its American release, the UK is finally graced with Pixar’s latest feature. Their films are one of the safest bets of the year for your cinema ticket money and even for those who know all about it by now, Up is still attractive and, as it turns out, is not only a safe bet, but a runaway winner.
Largely thanks to Pixar spoiling us over the years (still noticeably more so than Dreamworks), quality animation is now a given and although decreasingly a talking point in itself, it remains remarkable with amazing attention to the smallest of details.
But it is the highly original concept, fantastic mix of oddball characters and thoroughly engaging, mature story that win the day for Up and firmly establish it as one of their very best. It is surely no coincidence that the film’s development was lead by Pete Docter who directed arguably the best, and certainly most original and conceptually challenging, of all Pixar movies, Monsters, Inc.
11th Oct 2009 | 1 Comment | Official site | On IMDb
Surrogates review
Oh, Sci-Fi, you’ve been doing so well this year: Timecrimes, Star Trek, Moon, District 9. Did you just have an off-day when it came to Surrogates?
A clunky, obvious story isn’t helped by a lack of detail in the design and mediocre special effects. A canny, spoiled audience demands much more sophistication nowadays, especially in an apparent bubblegum big-budget blockbuster. Frankly, both the film’s concept and execution feel ten years out of date.
A number of unintentionally comical elements provide some entertainment: robots that bear an uncanny resemblance to Mars Attacks aliens, soldiers who appear to be closely related to Red Dwarf’s Kryten, and the side-parting in Bruce Willis’ hilarious blonde wig.
Although it feels like the filmmakers haven’t cared for their baby as much as they should, maybe we should hold back on giving the NSPCC a call. Maybe Surrogates is more suited to a younger audience. A younger audience that isn’t particularly demanding. And enjoy men in blonde wigs.
2nd Oct 2009 | Comment | Official site | On IMDb
Creation review
It is ridiculous that the subject matter of this film continues to cause controversy but the historical significance of Darwinism aside, as an artistic, dramatic piece of work, Creation is a well made and surprisingly entertaining film.
Too much attention is paid to Darwin’s seriously embellished descent in to apparent madness and a greater contribution from supporting characters could have added more depth and historical interest (although there’s plenty for Darwin geeks to get off on, with references to numerous influential figures such as Lyell, Malthus, Owen and Wallace), but this is possibly expecting too much in what is, ultimately, a film about Darwin’s relationship with his family. Still, perhaps at least a wider prologue (Darwin’s history and his expedition on The Beagle) and epilogue (Darwin’s later years and the impact of his work) would have made it a more well-rounded tale.
It remains an interesting story, however, and it is told with impressive visual flair, throwing numerous images of the natural world and subtle CGI into the atypical costume drama. Jennifer Connelly is excellent but Paul Bettany, in the lead role, is absolutely superb and it is worth seeing the film for his performance alone.
1st Oct 2009 | Comment | Official site | On IMDb
