I've been very busy of late due to starting a new job (yay!), so I've not had a lot of time to write any reviews or article for this blog. To remedy this I've decided to put my reviews in to a shorter format, once or twice monthly. So welcome to the first of my Movie Roundups! Here are summaries on my thoughts regarding the films I've seen in the last few weeks...
Hotel Transylvania 2
The worst kind of sequel is one that is made purely because its predecessor made money, and this is the prime motivator to make another - even if there aren't the story ideas to justify, or sustain it. Animated films are now the worst example of this, and 'Hotel Transylvania 2' is a case in hand. The first has a couple of amusing riffs on the popularity of 'Twilight', through the prism of the classic portrayals of the Universal Monsters. This one has one idea, and doesn't have enough jokes or visual inventiveness to sustain itself. Kids will be diverted enough by it if you have to go see it over the imminent half-term, but expect to be bored and very rarely amused.
Verdict: Avoid (unless you have kids, then my condolences - you probably won't be able to...)
Macbeth
I'll admit it, I was one of the weirdos who actually enjoyed doing Shakespeare at school. It's a shame that having his works thrust upon you during your GCSE's puts so many people off, because his stories are pretty much the archetype of every great yarn today - full of lust, love, revenge, heroism, villainy, sex, murder and violence. This new take on the Bard's 'Scottish Play' tries very hard to be accessible to a mainstream audience, with its superb, A-List cast (Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine), and really bringing forward elements of the story that feel timely (Fassbender plays the title role as a PTSD-stricken soldier), as well as emphasizing the more shocking plot points. With its mix of violence, sex, murder and infanticide, this really feels like Shakespeare reinterpreted for the 'Game of Thrones' generation. But this has been done without diluting or dumbing-down the Bard's prose or turn of English, and as such this film may be impenetrable to a lot of people. I must admit, following the dialogue takes a great deal of concentration (unless you're a scholar of the Bard), and at times it did feel like trying to watch a foreign language movie without subtitles. However the cinematography is stunningly beautiful, with atmospheric and often haunting imagery, and coupled with the performances means that the viewer is never entirely lost to the plot. This version of the famous play will be the one that will define it for at least this generation, and possibly many years to come.
Verdict: Recommended
The Martian
Following on from the last couple of years' space-based sci-fi movies ('Gravity' and 'Interstellar'), this film drops the philosophical and sentimental elements that some people had a problem with in those films, and instead focuses on the hard science, in its portrayal of a single astronaut (played by Matt Damon), and his struggle to survive after being left alone, for dead, on Mars. Don't let this approach fool you - this film is a ton of fun, it is more flat out entertaining than the aforementioned sci-fi dramas, without ever compromising on it's portrayal of hard science. A very witty script, with a very geeky sense of humour and references, means that this film is never dour or downbeat - despite Damon's Mark Watney frequently being confronted by almost certain death, and being realistic about that fact. Occasionally the plot falls in to some predictable tropes - a scene where NASA director Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) says that Watney will survive until a planned supply drop so long as nothing goes wrong is followed by a scene where - hey! - something goes very badly wrong. But it's easy to overlook these wobbles when the whole thing is skilfully pulled together by Director Ridley Scott (this is certainly his most enjoyable film for several years), a strong cast, and some incredible production and set design (with impeccable attention to detail). It is fun, entertaining and gripping right up until the very end - a sci-fi film that doesn't dumb itself down in order to be a genuine crowd pleaser.
Verdict: Recommended
Sicario
There's a shot during the first act of this film that is a prime example of how this film uses numerous visual metaphors to depict its story of an idealistic law-enforcer being thrust in to a world where laws, and morals, are not as clear or strictly drawn as the one she comes from. At this point Emily Blunt's FBI agent Kate Macer is on a Military base, a stop before heading to Mexico to arrest the leader of a drug cartel, as part of a team with genial but shifty Agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and mysterious figure Alejandro (Bernicio Del Toro) They drive past rows and rows of parked Armoured transports, and grounded Apache gunships, an image that suggests a war is being fought where the normal shows of military force are of no use. This is one of several ways that the film examines the theme of law and order - specifically, how Americans would perceive it - in other parts of the world, other conflicts, where these do not apply. This is a slow building, tense thriller - which sadly has been somewhat mis-sold by the trailers as being a more action-packed film. Instead, the few scenes of gunplay are masterfully crafted moments of stomach-clenching tension that conclude in shockingly brief - and realistically portrayed - bursts of deadly violence. Director Denis Villeneuve's previous film 'Prisoners' was underpinned by an examination of how post War on Terror politics and paranoia have impacted on the collective American Psyche, and this film seems a companion piece: asking to what extent American concepts of justice and order apply in conflicts that - through one way or another - are being perpetuated or exacerbated by US influences. If none of that interested you, then the film is anchored by excellent performances from its cast - especially Blunt, who (following from 'Edge of Tomorrow') is cementing herself as an excellent leading actress.
Verdict: Recommended
Crimson Peak
With this film director Guillermo Del Toro proves that he is both a versatile director, and one possessed of a very distinct artistic vision. Whilst many of the hallmarks of his previous work are present (insect forms, clockwork and machinery, ghostly forms, and quite a lot of blood), this film is much more of a Gothic-tinged period romance than any of his previous films have gone to.It evokes 'Jane Eyre' or Hitchcock's 'Rebecca' or 'Notorious'. Funnily enough, whilst there are ghostly elements to the story, a couple of genuinely horrific touches, and a sweeping romance, this film never quite does enough with each of these elements to mark it as belonging to any one particular genre - and as such it does feel quite a mixed bag. The first act of the film is possibly the weakest, set in 1900's New York state where young woman Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) meets charming English Baronette Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddlestone), who is trying to raise money from her wealthy father to invest in a machine that will revive the Sharpe's ailing fortune. When Edith's father uncovers a secret regarding Sir Thomas and his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain), he warns them away from Edith - before a tragedy throws Edith in to Sir Thomas's arms, and marriage. The film then moves to Allerdale Hall, a fictional mansion somewhere on the same bleak, windswept moors where a Bronte novel might be set. Here the film hits its stride, in the amazing, beautiful and creepy setting of the Hall - a decaying, gothic mansion that is incredibly realised with impeccable design and attention to detail. From the imagination of Del Toro, we would expect no less. The story is a tad predictable, probably because Del Toro's inspirations are so clear, and once the film moves to its Gothic home the highly earnest dialogue feels more comfortable. The cast are effective in roles that are suited to them, even if they are a little archetypal of the kind of story being told; but the role of a charming nobleman, betraying just enough of his desperation, and the darkness behind him, is a perfect fit for Hiddlestone - as is that of Chastain for his possessive and jealous sister. This might not be the best or most effective of Del Toro's films, but it is a visual feast with its incredible design and striking imagery, such as blood-red clay seeping through white snow nuder foot.
Verdict: Worth A Look
That's it for now - I'll be back with more film reviews soon.
