Private Peaceful, On The Road, Hit & Run

Private Peaceful

After the success of Spielberg's War Horse, here's another Michael Morpurgo book adaptation. It's a rites of passage, anti-war drama about two brothers who fall for the same girl, at the onset of World War One. It has a low budget, made for TV look, but the performances are excellent, including support from Frances de la Tour and Richard Griffiths.

UK release date: 12th October 2012
Rating: 3/5

 
On The Road

Difficult big screen adaptation of Jack Kerouac's cult novel. It's a long and tedious journey, there's plenty of sex, drugs, alcohol and great 40s jazz, and yet it feels tame and boring at times. Garrett Hedlund is really good as the free-spirited Dean Moriarty, but I'm not sure the film really captures the book that well.

UK release date: 12th October 2012
Rating: 2/5

 

Hit & Run

Another poor attempt at a "crazy" road comedy genre, written and co-directed by Dax Shepard. It's littered with annoying and idiotic characters, including the lead couple (Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard) and is just painfully unfunny. Even Bradley Cooper and Beau Bridges can't save this banger. Nice muscle cars but it ain't no Smokey and the Bandit!

UK release date: 12th October 2012
Rating: 1/5

Ruby Sparks

Ten years after achieving great success with his first novel, Calvin (Paul Dano) is under pressure to produce his next masterpiece with huge expectations from his fans and publishers. He is also terribly shy and lonely, and struggles with writer's block. His only piece of inspiration comes from a dream where he meets his ideal woman, named Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan). Encouraged by his therapist Dr. Rosenthal (Elliot Gould), he writes about her. Then one day she magically appears in his house just the way he saw her in his dreams. Is she real or a hallucination? Has Calvin gone mad?

 

Directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton finally follow up their hit Little Miss Sunshine with this delightful indie fantasy / psychological drama / love story, written by Zoe Kazan who also stars in the film as Ruby. Kazan's script is a beautifully written, smart piece of work that looks at the difficulties of the creative process as well as the dynamics of a new relationship, controlling behavior fuelled by insecurity and jealousy, and learning to accept people for who they are.

Calvin gets his wish fulfilled and wakes up to the "perfect" girfriend who worships him, but as soon as Ruby displays a personality trait he doesn't approve of, he seeks to manipulate her by literally typing out what happens next, with often humorous and at times unsettling consequences. At his whim she speaks French, barks like a dog, etc. Without spoiling the rest of the story, I'll just say it keeps you guessing all the way along. It builds to a frenzied climax, followed by a more conventional, perhaps crowd-pleasing, resolution.

Dano and Kazan's on screen chemistry is excellent, no doubt helped by the fact that they are a couple in real life, four years together at the time of filming. Elliot Gould, Annette Bening and Antonio Banderas breeze through their supporting roles, Chris Messina is very good as Calvin's suspicious sibling (though he looks nothing like him!) and only Steve Coogan's slimy author Langdon is a bit of a distraction (couldn't help but think of Alan Partridge in one particular scene!) Overall, it's hard not to fall in love with Ruby Sparks. It's a charming little film and it easily makes my top 10 of the year.

UK release date: 12th October 2012

Pusher

Small-time London drug dealer Frank (Richard Coyle) gets a chance to do a big money heroin deal with a new customer. His supplier and good friend Milo (Zlatko Burić) provides the drugs but the deal falls through when police are tipped off. On the run, Frank dumps the heroin in the nearby pond destroying the evidence, and the cops let him go. Milo however is not amused and still wants either his drugs back or the promised cash from Frank. Meanwhile Frank's junkie pole-dancer girlfriend Flo (Agyness Deyn) piles on the pressure demanding a more serious relationship from him. As Frank's life spins out of control he becomes more and more desperate to make some money quickly and pay it back, before Milo's henchmen catch up with him.

There have been several Scandinavian remakes in recent years, from Let the Right One In, to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, all pointless in my opinion. And here's another one, the English language "update" of the first Pusher film, directed by Luis Prieto and exec produced by Nicolas Winding Refn, Danish filmmaker who made his name with the original Pusher trilogy.

Something about this just didn't grab me, like a fake ecstasy tablet, it has the looks but not the desired effect. The plot is dead simple, and when it runs out of plot there's a hefty amount of drug-taking and violence to fill the time. I was bored by the end and wished I'd taken some chemical to keep me interested. A valiant effort by Richard Coyle in the lead role, but as things keep going pear-shaped for Frank, the unluckiest and most inept criminal in London, you don't feel much sympathy for him and just want to see him put out of his misery.

Paul Kaye appears briefly as one of Frank's customers, and Bronson Webb (Frank's sidekick Tony) provides a bit of humour to start with, but sadly all that quickly goes out of the window, and things turn darker and more violent. Drug lord Milo is the nicest baddie ever, highly entertaining thanks to the brilliant Croatian actor Zlatko Burić, who weirdly enough played him in the original film back in 1996. An odd casting decision but you can't argue with Burić's screen presence and charm.

As for Agyness Deyn, she is bland and distant, with the personality of a metal pole. Was she cast due to her "celebrity" status, instead of giving genuine acting talent a chance? Someone like Carey Mulligan for example, who added so much depth to Drive? Oh well. On the plus side the score by British electronic band Orbital is pretty good, but overall this is a mediocre crime thriller not worth bothering with. Have a couple of beers and rent the original instead!

UK release date: 12th October 2012

Liberal Arts, Sinister, The Knot

Liberal Arts 

Nostalgic drama / rom-com from Josh "How I Met Your Mother" Radnor. Gently paced, bittersweet and thought-provoking, though it offers no great revelations. Elizabeth Olsen shines, Zac Efron's campus drifter is amusing and Allison Janney's cynical maneating professor steals every scene she's in! Didn't like how it ended.

UK release date: 5th October 2012
Rating: 3/5

Sinister

A pretty decent chiller featuring Ethan Hawke, neat set-up, but didn't scare the pants off me unfortunately. Pants still fully intact. Only jumped a couple of times when there was a sudden loud noise, oldest trick in the book! I liked the score, I didn't like the very noticeable Apple product placement.

UK release date: 5th October 2012
Rating: 3/5

The Knot

Screenwriters Noel Clarke, Geoff Carino and Davie Fairbanks should hang their collective heads in shame. The Knot is a dire attempt at comedy. A series of unfunny sketches, pranks and toilet humour as we follow the bride and groom on their big day. Utter shit. Possibly the worst film of the year.

UK release date: 5th October 2012
Rating: 0/5

Holy Motors

A wonderfully bizarre French arthouse curveball from writer / director Leos Carax, in which the enigmatic Monsieur Oscar (played by Denis Lavant) is chauffeured around Paris in a white limo by his driver Celine (Edith Scob), as he attends "appointments" in various disguises over the course of one day. Using his dressing room in the back of the limo, he transforms himself as required into different characters, first an old lady begging in the street, then a motion capture actor performing an erotic dance with a female counterpart, then a one-eyed ginger-haired tramp gatecrashing a fashion shoot, and so on. The beauty of it is that we never quite know what the hell is going on, or what's coming next!

Featuring an amazing central performance by Denis Lavant, Holy Motors is a surreal, hypnotic two-hour head scratching experience, all the way to the end with the hilariously bonkers final scene involving the limousines and a supernatural twist. It's magical and awe-inspiring, baffling and disturbing, and guaranteed to leave you with more questions than answers in the same way recent films like Kill List and The Tree of Life may have done (i.e. "WTF just happened?").

Eva Mendes gets one of the coolest segments as the speechless supermodel, kidnapped by a grotesque figure and dragged back to his filthy cave. Kylie Minogue's brief cameo / musical interlude on the other hand is probably the lowest point in the film, but at least she makes a swift exit in the most satisfying manner.

Undoubtedly there will be impatient multiplex regulars who will sneer, call it pretentious crap and walk out. It's their loss. Holy Motors may be an audacious and infuriatingly cryptic cinematic puzzle, but it's a welcome change of pace. To try and make too much sense of it is perhaps missing the point. Just sit back and enjoy the ride, one like this doesn't come around too often!

UK release date: 28th September 2012

Killing Them Softly

A gritty gangster thriller from director Andrew Dominik, based on the 1974 crime novel Cogan's Trade by George V Higgins. A pair of junkies, Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) hold up a Mob-protected poker game run by Markie (Ray Liotta). Previously unreliable Markie becomes the prime suspect and soon Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) is in town to arrange retribution, along with the heavy-drinking assassin Mickey (James Gandolfini) and the Mob's messenger Driver (Richard Jenkins).

This is a bleak, violent, slow-burn thriller, quite talky with a lot of cynical dialogue infused with black humour, and some patience is required as the film takes its time to get to the admittedly rather awesome pay-off in the final third. By the time Brad Pitt delivers the last crushing line, you'll be enthralled. The direction is assured, the cinematography stylish, with memorable slow-motion executions while sweet old-fashioned music plays gently in the background. It's just a shame Andrew Dominik leans a bit too heavy on the symbolism and political satire to ensure the message is understood. Less is more Andrew!

Brad Pitt brings his usual charisma to the role of a smiling assassin, with a subtle, nuanced performance that should see him collect a few acting nods come the awards season, while Ray Liotta is also very enjoyable bringing back his best Goodfellas persona to the proceedings. In fact the entire cast is fantastic. Bloody and gripping, Killing Them Softly may not be perfect but it's still worth the gamble!

UK release date: 21st September 2012

Untouchable

Wealthy quadriplegic widower Philippe (Francois Cluzet) lives in his luxurious Parisian mansion with an adopted daughter and an army of servants. Paralysed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair after a paragliding accident, he requires round the clock care. While interviewing new applicants for a live-in carer position, he meets Driss (Omar Sy), a Senegalese ex-con from the ghetto. Driss expects rejection and just wants his social security papers signed, proving he's looking for work. He doesn't mince his words, joking with Phillipe about music and flirting with his female assistant Magalie (Audrey Fleurot) during the interview. His sense of humour and direct no-nonsense approach is a breath of fresh air for Philippe and just what the jaded and lonely millionaire needs. Tired of pity and bland politically-correct professional nurses, Philippe employs Driss on a trial basis despite warnings about his criminal past.

Strangely it has taken ten months for this film to reach our shores, having come out in France last November. Since then it has become a worldwide hit, and it's easy to see why. Based on true events and wonderfully acted by the two male leads with superb chemistry, this is a moving and heartwarming story about friendship, second chances and new beginnings. It exceeded all my expectations, even if the concept of two people from entirely different backgrounds becoming best buddies and learning life lessons along the way is nothing new (Driving Miss Daisy, The King's Speech, Trading Places, etc).

The old pro Francois Cluzet (Little White Lies, Tell No One) puts in another great performance as Philippe, but it's Omar Sy who steals the film with his natural charm, deservedly winning a Best Actor César last year for his troubles. Life-affirming, uplifting and incredibly funny, this is a feel-good comedy you should make every effort to see. Don't wait for the inevitable Hollywood remake!

UK release date: 21st September 2012

The Sweeney

Another week, another reboot. This time it's the much loved 1970s cop TV series that gets the big screen makeover with the all-new cast, featuring detective partners Ray Winstone as Jack Regan and Ben Drew as George Carter. As members of London's Metropolitan Police "Flying Squad", Regan and Carter are tasked with investigating an armed robbery that results in a seemingly needless murder. Owing to their unorthodox methods, the team are also facing an internal investigation led by Ivan Lewis (Steven Mackintosh), whose estranged wife Nancy (Hayley Atwell) is Regan's secret squeeze. Blimey Guv'nor, there's gonna be some conflict there!

Set in present day London, this feels nothing like the original TV series. Still, all the usual police drama cliches are there: the rogue cop who plays by his own rules, the loyal sidekick eager to prove his worth, the police chief breathing down their necks and the cartoonish baddie we all want to see go down for "a long, long time, sunshine". Ray Winstone's Regan is a more ruthless Cockney beast but one which lacks the charisma of the late John Thaw, the original Jack Regan. The ever-so-serious Ben Drew fares even worse as Carter, with his sleepy monotone delivery.

The film looks glossy and dark, action scenes (including a frantic Trafalgar Square shoot-out) are handled fairly well, and there's even a dash of humour to start with, but the script is a regular by-the-numbers procedural with minor plot holes and no surprises. Lorne Balfe's intense score is good but at times ill-fitting, sounding like out-takes from Hans Zimmer's Inception (which Balfe produced!). An unlikely love affair and a drawn out final act seal the deal, and sadly this "update" amounts to no more than forgettable brainless entertainment.

UK release date: 12th September 2012

Dredd 3D

It was a real privilege to be present at a very early Dredd 3D screening at Soho Hotel last Thursday, hosted by 2000AD. About a hundred or so very lucky fans crammed into the small screening room and watched the film in the presence of Dredd co-creators John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra. Support actor Domhnall Gleeson was also hiding somewhere in the corner of the room, and following a brief intro by writer/producer Alex Garland and Judge Dredd actor himself Karl Urban, the film got under way.

In this new adaptation of the iconic comic book (thankfully unrelated to Stallone's '95 film), legendary Judge Dredd (played by long-term Dredd fan Karl Urban) is given the task of evaluating Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie cop with powerful psychic abilities. When they answer a call to investigate a gruesome triple murder at a 200-storey vertical slum, they stumble upon a ruthless drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her gang. Trapped in the tower and low on ammo, they must battle against the odds to survive and bring the criminals to justice.

Combining the oppressive vibe and claustrophobic tower block setting of The Raid, with dystopian crime-ridden metropolis of Escape From New York and Robocop, along with a dark foreboding Terminator-style score, this is a gritty, brutal and fast-paced Sci-Fi thriller that ticks all the boxes. It's super-violent and unapologetically old-school, and I loved every minute of it.

Made on a modest budget, it's a beautifully shot film with stunning action scenes, vertigo-inducing high above ground shots and excellent use of 3D and special effects (watch out for bullets ripping through flesh in slow-motion). The violence is relentless but not that shocking (I've seen much worse 18 cert. films!), and although the plot is fairly light, Dredd-heads out there should be satisfied. A definite must-see!

Karl Urban (Dr. Bones McCoy in Star Trek XI) perfectly captures Judge Dredd with the grizzled cold-blooded grimace, husky voice and the sarcastic humour. He keeps his helmet on and delivers those crushing one-liners in style, channelling Snake Plisken and Dirty Harry. Olivia Thirlby is also very good as Judge Anderson, an academic failure but youthfully optimistic and determined to make a difference, a positive change in the world. Lena Headey's horribly scarred ex-prostitute drug lord Ma-Ma makes for a suitably menacing villain, with good support from Domhnall Gleeson as her terrified tech wizz-kid assistant.

Should this first instalment prove to be successful, there is certainly plenty of material to inspire further films or even a TV series. I certainly hope so.

UK release date: 7th September 2012