Heroic Failures: Giving Ang Lee's 'Hulk' a re-appraisal...

For a little while now, I've been thinking about running an occasional series here on my blog looking at films which you could describe as 'Heroic Failures'; by that I mean films which were in some (or a lot) of ways disappointing - but at the same time have elements which are still greatly laudable.  I'm talking about films which aspired to break out of genre or creative boundaries, but didn't quite manage it; or films that tried to evoke a different era or genre in a new or reverent way, but couldn't pull it off.

HEROIC FAILURES:

ANG LEE'S 'HULK' (2003)

To kick this off I'm going to write about one of the 'black sheep' of the recent Super-hero/Comic Book adaptations - Ang Lee's 2003 'Hulk'.  Although a reasonably sized hit at the Box Office when it was released, audiences didn't seem to warm to it, and since then a lot of negativity has grown up around it.  A lot of people's problems about it are understandable; firstly, there is a long build up to finally revealing the titular monster, in fact it is reasonable to say there isn't as much of the Hulk in this film as people would assume or expect.  Secondly, I'm not sure if the film's leads are miscast, but Eric Bana's Bruce Banner and Jennifer Connelly's Betty Ross aren't particularly easy to warm to; while Bana does brooding and angst well, it's not quite enough to get audiences invested in to the tragedy of the character.  Finally, the final act of the film is pretty anti-climactic, thanks to a villain that doesn't particularly feel threatening or consequential, beyond the fact that he's Banner's father.  While it made sense to include a version of comic villain 'Absorbing Man', I think comic fans were underwhelmed by the portrayal in this film, as well as the lack of an impressive show-down between the two.  I think audiences would have appreciated a longer and more spectacular battle between the two, instead of the brief scene where Banner lets his father take his powers before he appears to be nuked out of existence...

A bitter confrontation between an estranged father and son is not how most people would expect or want a comic book superhero movie to conclude..!

I will happily admit this film is flawed, but at the same time I can't help but admire it - because this is a film which had great ambition, even if it didn't succeed.  To start with, I really applaud the studio's choice of Ang Lee to direct this film.  At the time, and even now, a lot of people expressed uncertainty of his suitability, being best known for art-house films rather than big-budget blockbusters.  But prior to Hulk he had just directed the Oscar Winning Chinese Martial Arts Action Epic 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', and the under-rated American Civil War film 'Ride with the Devil'.  Both of these films combine spectacle, whether it is action or beautifully realised period and location detail, with a strong attention to character.  Both films feature characters who are marked by conflicting desires that they try to keep buried and hidden from others.  Hiring Lee shows that the producers were taking the source material seriously and treating it with respect, paying particular attention to the psychological aspects of the character.  And I think Lee had fun making this movie - whilst there is a seriousness to it (some would argue too much), at times he lets his hair down - during one scene there is a playful nod to one of the most memorable scenes in 'Crouching Tiger'.  Lee also acknowledges the materials' comic book origins by incorporating shots featuring multiple 'panels' in some scenes; this is something that, again, a few people didn't take too - I think you can argue reasonably that in trying to evoke comic book layouts the film undermines it's serious, dramatic approach.  However I think it shows the respect that Lee has for the source material on an artistic level - there is something special about the way comics lay out the panels to tell the story, and I believe Lee wanted to acknowledge and capture some of that.

The 'Hulk-dogs' aren't an entirely successful idea, but they do lead to a particularly fun moment in the film, if you're familiar with Lee's other films...

The film itself is a hybrid, of sorts - a psychological drama with comic book action, married together with a kind of 'monster movie' ethos.  Seeing as the film was released by Universal, built on the success of its productions of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolf-man during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this makes perfect sense.  And yet it is possible to see the problems with this, angsty drama is a strange bed-fellow to a big green monster smashing things; it works at some points, but does create an uneven tone at others.  But I still can't help but admire that the film attempted to do this at all - compare this to Marvel Studio's first attempt with the character, 2008's 'The Incredible Hulk', which is a straight-forward comic book action flick, but in some ways is uninvolving because of a relative lack of psychological characterisation.  Thankfully, with 2012's 'Avengers Assemble' the studio finally nailed the portrayal of this signature character on the big screen.  Having said that, Ang Lee's version of the titular monster is no disaster - impressively realised by CGI, it resembles the actor playing his alter-ego (something that 'The Incredible Hulk' didn't, and I found to be a bit jarring, to be honest), and succeeds in being quite emotive and expressive.  Clearly, almost a decade later the technology available to film makers to realise a character like Hulk has improved exponentially, so Lee's version is always going to pale in comparison with the Avenger's version; but considering when it was made, it is an effectively realised character.

The CGI realisation of the Hulk wasn't too bad by 2003's standards, and at least it looked like the actor playing Bruce Banner!

Even though the characterisation doesn't quite hit the mark, you can't fault the cast assembled by the studio - another indication of how seriously the studio took this film.  You have heavy hitting award winning or nominated actors like Sam Elliott, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Connelly, and in the lead, Eric Bana, an up-and-coming actor who had garnered great reviews for performances in films such as 'Chopper' and 'Black Hawk Down'.  In retrospect their portrayals of their characters weren't quite sympathetic enough, but if you wanted to make a thoughtful drama, with elements of inter-familial conflict, then at the time you couldn't have picked a stronger cast.  In fact, if I had to pick, I'd say I preferred Elliott's General Thaddeus Ross to William Hurt's (who kind of looks a bit lost behind those eyebrows and that moustache!) - though whether we're likely to see that character again in a future Marvel movie is yet to be seen; but if they decide to do a Hulk spin-off, comic fans will know that there's potential for this..!

Another element for which I don't think this film gets the credit it deserves is its score, composed by none other than Danny Elfman.  If you wanted to summarise Elfman's work, perhaps unfairly you could say that he's the guy who scores Tim Burton and Superhero films.  No doubt because he composed such an iconic score for Burton's 'Batman', for a while he was the go-to composer for Hollywood big screen comic adaptations: following Batman he was tasked with scoring 'Dick Tracy', 'Darkman' (alright, it's not based on a comic but it's clearly inspired by superhero comics!), and Sam Raimi's (so far, superior) Spider-man.  One of the things about his work, up to this point, is that he had developed a clear and identifiable signature sound, as epitomised on his scores for several Tim Burton films.  This is no bad thing, but it always perks my interest when a musician, whether it's a group or if they're writing for film scores, push themselves and step beyond the areas they're most associated with and add new elements to their sound.  Although it might sound like a back-compliment, I think 'Hulk' is one of Elfman's best scores because it sounds so little like many of his previous scores.  There are elements that he had rarely incorporated before then, such as ethnic/world music instruments, and the result is a score that is as brooding and mysterious as his previous works, but in a different way; less gothic, more ethnic!

Although it is flawed, I do feel that Ang Lee's 'Hulk' is unfairly maligned by a lot of people. It aims high, but doesn't quite achieve what it clearly sets out to; but it takes the source material seriously and treats it with respect.  I think the biggest problem is that it just wasn't the Hulk movie people wanted - although I don't think anyone REALLY knew what sort of Hulk movie they wanted, until they saw 'Avengers Assemble'!  But there's still plenty to like about this film, even if it is one that you merely 'admire', rather than 'enjoy'.  Besides, you not only get a fun cameo from Stan Lee, but also one from the TV Hulk, Lou Ferrigno.  And seeing as he used to make me hide behind the sofa as a child, I wouldn't want to argue with him about it..!

Movie Review - Pride: the feel-good movie you won't realise you've been waiting for!

I saw Pride the day after it was announced that the people of Scotland narrowly voted in favour of remaining part of the United Kingdom, and it immediately felt to me that this is a film that has arrived at the right moment.  It tells the true story of how, during 1984's bitter Miner's Strike, members of London's Lesbian and Gay community raised money to support the communities of the striking miners.  After a number of knock backs (essentially, Miner's groups and community groups hanging up the phone when they mention they're calling from 'Lesbians & Gays Support Miners'), they eventually find a mining town in Wales willing to accept the money they have raised.  This film charts the cultural and lifestyle gap that the two groups close as they form a bond from the support of 'LGSM', obviously encountering but overcoming prejudice as they do so; it finds a great amount of humour along the way, and manages to tell this story in a rousing and uplifting way.

On the one hand, this film is filled with exactly the sort of story tropes you'd expect to find in any that touches on these subjects, especially the elements focused on the gay community.  You've got the tale of a young man who daren't come out to his family, the spectre of AIDS/HIV, 'queer-bashing', tearful reunions with estranged families, the one family in the community that won't put prejudice aside, and the odd bout of disco dancing.  When the story treads in to these areas beyond the central narrative, you can see exactly where each is going.  But whilst this might have been the film's downfall, the great cast, each bringing warmth and humanity to their (not always deeply scripted) roles, prevents the clichés from overwhelming the heart of it.  And this film does have a tremendous cast, ranging from national treasures like Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton; the cream of the current generation like Paddy Considine and Dominic West; and rising talent such as Andrew Scott, George MacKay, and Faye Marsay.

This film will probably make you want to cheer, too..!

The script is effective at firstly making the most of the humour in situations it arises from (one scene in particular is possibly the funniest I've seen this year); but also in making sure that each rousing, emotional moment truly hits its mark.  Who cares if it's daft that a rallying speech at the Mining Union's club bar provokes an impromptu bit of communal singing?  Chances are you'll be covered in goosebumps, or wiping away a speck of sentiment from the corner of your eye, so you'll completely excuse it.  This film is so uplifting and rousing audiences have been giving it standing ovations, and there are plans to turn it in to a musical.

It is because this film hits these marks so well - the moments of joy and humour - and that the cast is uniformly brilliant (as well as, naturally, the attention to period detail - if you're a fan of 1980's music you'll really enjoy this film), that despite its adherence to well established formulas, it is still a resounding success.  Every so often a British film comes along that the film goes of the UK can really get behind and cheer on to success - this then is THE essential British film of 2014.  Funny, joyful and rousing, it is a great crowd pleaser.

You'll probably find yourself laughing as much as these ladies...

And going back to what I was saying at the beginning, I personally feel that this is a film we need for our country at this time.  I couldn't help but draw parallels with nowadays: the Lesbian and Gay community are inspired to help the miners after seeing them vilified by the national media, and bullied by the police and authorities, in the same way they had been for decades.  Today, rather than tackling problems head on, it is easier for the tabloid press to whip up fear and hatred of people on benefits or immigrants - much the way they did with the gay community and miners in the 1980's.  But this film shows that it is possible for two very different groups to overcome potential divisions and not only support, but also befriend each other.  Things can be better when people work together - and I think that if people would stop listening to fear-mongering media and press that seeks to divide us and stop us seeing bigger problems, then maybe we can make our country a better place.

Emotive rhetoric for sure, but if you don't come out of watching 'Pride' in some way inspired or optimistic, then I wonder if you've really been watching the film at all..!

Movie Review - The Boxtrolls: not just cute for the kids, but smart enough for grown ups, too..!

It might be that recently the news has been dominated by the Scottish Independence Referendum (at least, it has here in the UK), but when I went to see two films at the cinema this weekend I couldn't help but look at them in terms of political messages.  With one of these films it wasn't a great surprise, as it is set during a specific moment of not-too-distant British history.  But the other is something of a surprise seeing as it's a children's (well, let's call it a family) film.  I'll start by reviewing this one first - but if, after the 'Indy Ref', you've had enough of politics for a while, you might want to approach this review with caution...

 

On the surface, you might look at The BoxTrolls and almost think for a moment that Laika - genius stop-motion artists behind the dark fairytale 'Coraline', and fun '80's inspired Kids & Zombies flick 'ParaNorman' - are losing a bit of their, well, darkness and edginess.  This film has been marketed upon the titular little monsters - so called because they 'wear' boxes, and each are named after the object pictured on them; they're actually quite cute, growling, gurgling and babbling in their own, infant-like language.  Given the success of a certain other animated franchise featuring an extremely popular bunch of similar sounding characters, on one level it makes sense that these are being marketed as the main attraction to this film.  Indeed, children will possibly be charmed by them as much as they have been by those other, highly marketable creations.

However, there's much more going on in this film than your standard, kiddie friendly babbling, raspberry blowing, and prat-falling.  Parents of younger children especially should be aware, because despite the first impressions, that Laika edginess is still present: there are grotesque villains, some infernal looking contraptions, and in a couple of scenes, some unpleasant looking, allergy based disfigurements; these might be a bit too much for toddlers, though my 7 year-old son didn't seem bothered.

The BoxTrolls themselves actually turn out to be quite cute and charming...

But that's part of what makes Laika great at what they do - they don't shy away from those moments of darkness or grotesqueness that, when you come down to it, have been present in Children's stories since even before Fairy Tales even existed.  They know that there is at once a squeamish glee in details such as eating a plateful of bugs (the BoxTrolls' staple diet), or in seeing a really dastardly villain come to a suitably sticky, or even gooey, end..!

'The BoxTrolls' tells the story of Eggs, apparently 'taken' by the eponymous monsters as a baby, raised by them a one of their own; by day they live in their home under the city, but by night they come above ground to look for interesting things they can take to repair or mend.  They're certainly not doing any harm to anyone, but the people of the city live in fear of them, believing them to be child-snatching, flesh eating monsters.  So the City Council have allowed the vicious Snatcher and his henchmen to round up and destroy all the BoxTrolls.  Even though the people have rarely seen or encountered the BoxTrolls, Snatcher has convinced them that they are a danger to them, but when Eggs accidentally meets Winnie, the Daughter of the ruling Lord of the City, together they stumble across Snatcher’s real plan for the BoxTrolls, and realise who is the real threat to the city.

Winnie, Eggs, and the BoxTrolls uncover a nefarious and villainous plot...

Laika's artistry - the designs of the characters and backgrounds, the animation, and the steam-punk(ish) setting - is as flawless as their previous films.  They've assembled an excellent voice cast for this, too: Sir Ben Kingsley, Jared Harris, Elle Fanning and new-comer Isaac Hempstead Wright lead with more than able support from the likes of Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade (seriously, why has no one ever thought to put his voice to an animated character before?  It’s absolutely perfect for the medium!) and Tracy Morgan - as well as an enjoyable and non-distracting cameo from Simon Pegg.  The script raises itself above the usual kid's animated fare, thanks to some interesting characterization - especially Snatcher's henchmen, whose debating over whether they're the good guys or in fact the villain made for several amusing moments.

In fact, I believe parents taking their kids to see this film will be surprised that there is a level to this film that will speak to them, as well as the children.  For me, this film had a subtext which I believe is hugely relevant - especially in Britain.  You have a ruling class who are too wrapped up in their wealth and status, and enjoying the trappings thereof (in this case it's copious amounts of cheese), to effectively carry out their responsibilities to the people they're governing.  One scene sees them choose to put money in to a giant cheese round, instead of a much needed public hospital!  Then you have a villain whose agenda is to become part of the ruling class, and to do this has created a culture of fear amongst the ordinary people, singling out and turning them against an 'underclass' (in this case, literally, because they live underground) - even though the BoxTrolls, with their recycling activities, are actually a potential benefit to society.  I couldn't help but think of how tabloid newspapers, owned by billionaires such as Rupert Murdoch, are quick to promote fear and hatred of the poor (people on benefits) and outsiders (immigrants) - whilst promoting policies that protect their wealth but hurt the prospects of the people who buy their papers; or, no less insidious, are hiding their own hypocrisy (such as having billions in potentially taxable wealth hidden away in overseas accounts.  It has been pointed out that undeclared/un-paid tax far eclipses the amount that goes paid in benefits - just bear that in mind the next time you see a Daily Mail headline decrying people on benefits).

I'm not sure how well that translates outside of the UK at the moment, but ultimately there are truths in the way the cities rulers and the villains' intentions are portrayed in this film.  Having seen the trailers, which really played up mayhem and mischief around the BoxTrolls, I expected something that really skewed towards younger children.  While your kids will enjoy this (so long as they’re not too young or easily frightened), like me you may find this film as thought provoking as it is amusing.  So this is quite a different film to their previous offerings, but it’s pleasing to see that Laika's quality is as high here as it has been in their other films; and again, they've provided a film that has something for all ages.

Movie Review - The Guest: something wicked (and quite fun) this way comes...

 

It's hard to believe that the 1980's could be considered a 'golden age' of movie making, but perhaps due to the people who grew up or came of age during that decade, there is no small amount of nostalgia for the era of the video nasty, Spielberg-Amblin Blockbuster, and the synth-driven soundtrack.  This is at its most evident in 'The Guest', from up-and-coming cult genre director Adam Wingard (director of fun slasher-horror satire 'You're Next'); it has the synth-driven score, some lo-fi and neon lit scenes, and - on occasion - the same wryly gleeful approach to sex, violence and blood that most straight to video b-movies from that era did.  I'm going to be straight to the point here - how taken you are with this movie will, for a large part, be down to how much you subscribe to this overt '80's vibe.  If you appreciate the style the director is deliberately evoking here, then there's very good chance you will have a lot of fun with this film.

'The Guest' of the title is David (played by Dan Stevens, who Downton Abbey fans will recognise straight away), who visits the home of a family who have lost their eldest son in the war.  Telling them he was a close friend of their loved-one, he is welcomed in, and very quickly gains the trust of each family member in turn.  But not long after we first meet him a single shot of David sat on his own, silent, a menacing look on his face, tells us that this man is not quite what he appears.  To say more would give too much away, but if you're clued up on '80's genre films - the director admitted the inspiration for this came after viewing Friday the 13th and The Terminator back-to-back - and those films especially - you might be able to guess where the story is heading.

Stevens said he wanted to move away from the 'nice-guy' image of his Downton role; he does this in menacing, anti-heroic style in 'The Guest'

But before the plot takes these twists, the opening act presents a marvellous turn from Stevens as David - he is charming, and when it comes to dealing with anyone threatening to cause trouble for his dead comrade's families (such as the bullies targeting his kid brother at high school), he is quite the bad-ass.  Often in the same scene he can suddenly become menacing and threatening - even only for an instance.  Stevens' portrayal of David makes for a memorable anti-hero, to the extent that big things have been predicted for this actor in future.  It's just as well his performance is so good, as the film is anchored upon it; without such a memorable turn, this film would be far less effective.

The supporting cast are by no means poor in contrast - indeed, their turns are spot on: Sheila Kelley as grieving mother Laura, Leland 'that guy from that thing!' Orser as border-line alcoholic father spencer, Brendan Meyer as the bright but bullied teenage son Luke, and Maika Monroe as resourceful older sister Anna.  I liked that this film doesn't dwell upon the effect that the loss of their son and brother has had, but economically - through the script and performances - there are suggestions of how the family is fraying, and each member has dealt with their grief in their own way in almost isolation from each other.  This also feeds in to the set up - this makes it easier for David to get alongside each member of the family in turn, gaining their trust and opening up to him.

Siblings Luke (Brendan Meyer) and Anna (Maika Monroe) are won over by David, but suspicions soon arise, and Anna proves resourceful...

But once the plot begins to expand, and we learn the truth about David, the film very much steps up to the '80's genre mark.  Whilst there is fun to be had with this, the cinematography - which never really captures the grit and grime of those low budget straight-to-video B-movies from the era this film is trying to evoke - seems too polished in places.  Ironically, despite that the final act tips a respectful wink to '80's slasher-horrors, I had the feeling that in reaching this point there was a compromise made - either because the premise was running out of steam whilst the script was being written, or because budget limitations held it back; either way, this seems at odds with the feel of many '80's cult classics that seemed to achieve a lot more story-wise whilst relishing in their low-budgeted shortcomings.  Also, it is possible to argue that this film could have done more with some of the ideas underlying the story - the impact of war and loss on families left behind, combat-stress related disorders - but this film doesn't aspire to be anything other than a celebration of genre movies; something that a few viewers might find a bit disappointing, perhaps.

Whilst there are few who would argue that a whole-scale 1980's movie revival is required, if Wingard's intention was to celebrate the films of this era that influenced him and many other film-makers - as well as being highly regarded by those who grew up watching them - then 'The Guest' achieves this.  It is helped in no small part by a magnetic and memorable turn by Dan Stevens - who seems set for some big roles after this - that, for once, actually leaves the audience wanting to see more.  Buoyed along by great supporting turns, and one of this year's coolest soundtracks, 'The Guest' is guaranteed a devoted cult following.  If you're on the same wave-length, you'll be happy to join these ranks...