True Grit

This review is going to be short and sweet!

When I heard that the brilliant Coen Brothers directed this remake of the heralded western 'True Grit' I was intrigued as to what they'd do to the old classic to put their mark on it. The result?
NOTHING...

There is no point in explaining the plot as I'm sure most people will have seen the original. It hasn't changed in this 2011 version.
Jeff Daniels portrays the character Rooster Cogburn, played in the original by the enigmatic (and rather annoying) John Wayne and the usually watchable Matt Damon is miscast in the Glen Campbell role.

I never seen the big deal with the original True Grit when I was a kid but watched this version with an open mind. There are no clever Coen Brothers quirks nor is the direction by any means outstanding. In fact, the whole thing is totally pointless. They have basically made an average update of an already average film. They could have done so much here as by the looks of it they were given plenty of money by the studio.

The only redeeming factor the movie has is the stunning performance by 14 year old newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as the gutsy Mattie Ross seeking the help of Cogburn to track down her fathers killer. She acts Daniels off the screen and carries the
film.

The Coen Brothers totally disappoint here and were obviously bored and killing time. I can't think of another reason. There are lots of good film makers out there crying out for a decent budget to match their original scripts but yet the studio execs continue to dish out big bucks to high end well known directors. It doesn't always work and True Grit is a prime example. No doubt it'll make money for the studio, especially in the States. The audience however don't gain from this.

Save your money for the next Coen Brothers offering and give this dud a miss!

Score: 3/10

Bleak Swan!!!

There are not many films that leave me totally lost for words when I leave the cinema. Black Swan is without doubt a very classy movie but is it any good?


Natalie Portman plays Nina the aspiring prima ballerina obsessed with getting the lead in her company's new production of Swan Lake. Nina lives with her mother (Barbara Hershey), herself a former ballerina who fuels Nina's passion for ballet in a domineering and controlled manner.

When the current prima ballerina Beth played by ( Winona Ryder) announces her retirement, Nina sets hers sights on taking her role regardless of the consequences.
After the company director Thomas (Vincent Cassel) announces Nina as his first choice, both Nina and her mother are ecstatic.
However, there is a new kid on the block in the shape of the beautiful Lily (Mila Kunis) which means Nina has competition.

The lead role requires the dancer to play both the roles of the white swan and the black swan. Nina is the perfect white swan but Lily is equally perfect as the black swan. Reluctantly, Nina becomes a friend of sorts with the effervescent and social Lily, much to her mothers disgust.

So intent is Nina on emulating her new ally's performance as the black swan and achieving perfection that she becomes totally paranoid and somehwhat schizophrenic with fatal results.



There is no doubt that Portman's performance is incredible and it's the role of a lifetime for her. She portrays the eerie character with such class and intrigue. The always watchable Hershey is excellent as the over protective, if somewhat creepy mother. Cassel and the stunning Kunis provide great support along the way.
The other plus points are the costume design, the music and the direction.


My problem with Black Swan however is that about 70% of the movie makes for very uncomfortable viewing. It's a lot scarier than expected but not in a good way, it's also quite gory. Many parts were stomach churning and some may argue that this was necessary to the storyline. Fair enough, but for me the whole thing was a bit of a mess.
I perceived it as film noir with classy A Lister's being brought to a bigger audience. What the creators ultimately give us, is a darkly confused 70's style horror B movie that leaves a very bad taste in the mouth.

What a shame!

Score: 5/10

Tron 32 / 127 Hours / The King's Speech

Excuse my tardiness with these reviews and my absence from updating this blog but it's been a busy time. Anyway, I'll have to keep it sharp and brief and summarise the last 3 movies I've seen. Not ideal but here goes....

Tron 3D:
Not a remake of the original Jeff Bridges movie but more of a sequel. Jeff Bridges stars in it and it is based around his son trying to figure out his father's disappearance and how to access the digital world he may have have been sucked into. The movie is all about the graphics and the storyline is secondary. For me, the story worked really well and I am surprised at some of the mediocre reviews it has got. The 3D effects were not up there with Avatar or Alice in Wonderland and in fact I don't really think it was necessary to have it in 3D as the graphics were so brilliant. The acting is what you'd really expect from a sci-fi movie, and the performances are all fine. Although there is a stand out 'Mighty bootish' performance from Michael Sheen as a flamboyant club owner which is hilarious. The soundtrack by Daft Punk is incredible and they even make a cameo appearance as dj's playing their own music. Class!

Score: 7/10



127 Hours:

Based on a true story about Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who becomes trapped under a boulder whilst on a a expedition in Utah. I'm sure every movie fan is fully aware of the story by now. James Franco, who is fast becoming the man of the moment portrays Aron and the story impeccably. The film is fast paced and in fairness it kinda has to be as the viewer is obviously awaiting the inevitable to happen. This is the disadvantage of knowing the story in advance.
The overall footage of Ralston's time trapped are very upsetting and uncomfortable to watch. Franco has the screen presence to carry the movie on his own and manages to even bring some humour to an otherwise harrowing situation. Danny Boyle's music videoesque direction elevates the movie to cinema viewing level thus preventing it from being a made for TV movie/documentary. Not for the squeamish...

Score: 7/10


The King's Speech:

Nobody does a period drama like the Brits. This particular story is a relatively recent story as far as major Royal stories go. Set in and around the lead up to World War 2 Colin Firth plays Price Albert who would eventually go on to become King George VI - Yeah, sounds confusing but it's not really. Albert (or Bertie as he's known) has a severe stutter and has a fear of speaking in public. This would obviously hinder his responsive duties should he become king. He doesn't have the backing of his brother or his father and the only people showing him some sympathy are his beloved wife (Helena Bonham Carter) and his new ally - a back street speech therapist played by Jeffrey Rush.
It's a bit of and old style bromance movie between the heir to the throne and the speech therapist. There are some really funny and heartfelt moments. It also shows how sad and lonely the Royal lifestyle actually is.
Colin Firth is outstanding and will definitely win an Oscar for this. He should have won last year for 'A Single Man'. If there is any justice, Rush should win a gong for his supporting role. There are lots of excellent cameos by a mainly British cast and Guy Pearce pops up as Albert;s odious brother. Maybe not a winner for best movie among Oscar voters but the acting should be well rewarded.

Score: 8/10

The Social Network

Facehooked

The Social Network is David Fincher's first movie since 2008's snoozefest that was 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button'. Thankfully there is no room for yawning with his latest offering.

In 2003 Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is a highly intellectual computer whiz studying at Harvard. After being deservedly dumped by his girlfriend he hastily decides to create a website rating the attractiveness of the local female students by hacking into databases. He names the site 'Facemash', an action that initially has hilarious results and causes a frenzied excitement around the campus.

Zuckerberg becomes a local hero and catches the eye of the wealthy Winklenoss twins, Harvard's star members of the rowing team. They approach Zuckerberg with a pitch on how to further develop 'Facemash'. He accepts on the spot and sets about the redevelopment. Zuckerberg however, has his own ideas and with the help of his best pal Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) he creates 'Facebook'.

Saverin agrees to to finance the initial launch and take a 30% shareholding. Zuckerberberg would be the main shareholder and the brains behind the site. 'Facebook' goes live successfully throughout the main American universities and eventually across the pond to the UK and most of Europe.

During his time developing the site, Zuckerberg has been ignoring all contact attempts made by the Winklenoss twins, who are obviously livid and feel he stole their original idea. They eventually decide to sue.

Zuckerberg and Saverin are introduced by a mutual friend to the charming Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). Parker was co-founder of Napster, an on-line live music sharing service established in 1999 but closed down in 2001 due to copyright violations. He is broke but still living the highlife and has an unusual interest in Zuckerberg and 'Facebook'.

Zuckerberg is naively taken in by Parker, whereas Saverin is sceptical of his sinister character and his overeager interest.

From here on in there are shady dealings, wrongdoings, drug busts, treachery, disloyalty and two court cases. All because of greed and fame.

In this case, Fame soon becomes Notoriety and there are several culprits contributing to this.

For many reasons, it's difficult not to feel sorry for both Zuckerberg and Saverin. What is apparent is that all the academic know how doesn't always carry you in the real world - billionaire or not.

The performances are all good and Justin Timberlake can actually act! Eisenberg and Garfield are excellent as the young talented entrepreneurs.

'The Social Network' will definitely appeal more to Facebook users, especially seeing where Zuckerberg get's the inspiration for Facebook's many tools. It doesn't look at all like a Fincher directed movie but that is neither a criticism nor a compliment. It's always exciting to see what he brings to the screen and he doesn't disappoint here.

So why not Facebook your mates and arrange to see it for yourself!!!

Score: 9/10

The Town

Boston Illegal....

Ben Affleck has had an erratic career since his Oscar win for original screenplay in 1997 for Good Will Hunting. Along the way he's had duds like 'Gigli' and 'Jersey Girl' to name but a few. In recent years he would be more likely to be a Golden Raspberry nominee than an Oscar nominee. That all changed in 2007 when he turned his hand to writing and directing his first feature film 'Gone Baby Gone'. It went on to have both critical and commercial success.

'The Town' his second directorial offering is once again sat in in Affleck's birth place of Boston. It centres around four working class bank robbers. Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the ringleader who's father is serving life in prison for similar crimes to his son. MacRay (Affleck) has a major hang up over his childhood. His mother abandoned him at an early age and his father never fully explained why!

During a botched heist, the gang temporarily take a female bank manager called Claire (Rebecca Hall) hostage. Upon her release they decide to monitor her movements for a couple of weeks to give themselves peace of mind. MacRay decides to take on this task.
Inevitably, a love story of sorts evolves. MacRay is looking to escape from his violent/criminal life and yearns to leave Boston for Florida with Claire. She is beautiful and educated and seems to fit the criteria for his new beginnings.

His right hand man and childhood friend James (Jeremy Renner) throws a spanner in the works. He has other plans about his friend absconding to Florida for a quiet life. He demands MacRay do one last job in lieu of favours owed to him. MacRay has a dilemna, does he run out on his pal who has stood by him all his life or does he risk his dream of an idyllic future on one last heist.

'The Town' is generally fast paced and is at it's most engrossing when Renner is on screen. He was, in my opinion the reason 'The Hurt Locker' was elevated to and Oscar award level. The same may just apply for this movie. Things do fall flat at times when Affleck and Hall share the screen as there is very little chemistry. The last half hour is thrilling with car chases and shoot out scenes, and culminates in MacRay uncovering the real reason his mother walked out on him and how he goes about avenging the source.

There are a couple of strong supporting performances, notably Blake Lively who tears her 'Gossip Girl' character to shreds playing a drug addict and the wonderful Chris Cooper as MacRay's estranged imprisoned father.

As an actor Ben Affleck can be whiney and wooden and has to work hard to demand screen presence. However, as a writer/director he seems to have found his niche. He has once again delivered an original, entertaining drama.

It seems that 'Gone Baby Gone' was not a fluke!

Score: 7/10

Inception

in·cep·tion (n-spshn) n. The beginning of something, such as an undertaking; a commencement. See Synonyms at origin.

The caption above is the Oxford English dictionary's meaning of the word Inception. Ignore it, as it has no bearing on how to understand or decipher this roller coaster script.

Director Christopher Nolan, follows on from his hugely successful Dark Knight to give us his best movie and most complex movie since 2000's Memento. Dom (Leo DiCaprio) is a thief who steals the thoughts/secrets from the human mind through dream invasion to benefit him financially. It's clear at first that Dom is a tortured sole carrying a huge burden on his shoulders and it soon becomes clear why!

He is given a final chance to return to his native America and be re-united with his two young children. In exchange for this, he must pull off one last job - an Inception. Dom knows he cannot achieve it alone so he puts together a team of talented individuals for this enigmatic heist.

His team is a stellar cast including the brilliant brit actor and one to watch out for - Tom Hardy, Ellen 'Juno' Page, Joseph Gordon Levitt and our very own Cillian Murphy. There is also a return to mainstream screen for the 'very badly aged' Tom Berenger.

Each of the team has a key role in Dom's mission ranging from solving mathematical riddles to cloning. I shouldn't really compare Inception to other movies as it is quite unique but think Ocean's Eleven meets Existenz.

Marion Cottilard is wonderfully eerie as Dom's estranged wife. Although, why Edith Piaf's No Regrets is used as the gang's wake up call throughout the movie is lost on me considering Cottilard's recent Oscar winning portrayal as Piaf. More corny than irony!

The dream sequence's in the movie are stunningly novel and the action is relentless. DiCaprio has had a busy year and must be rightly confused from enduring so many flashback and dream scenes in both Shutter Island and this movie.

There is no doubting that Inception will go down as the most innovative movie this year and has definitely given us movie lovers something to marvel about this Summer in light of all the disappointing blockbusters that we had to endure. It is a gem of a film and Nolan and the cast deserve all the accolades they receive.

Apparently the script took 8 years to write and it shows, as at times it seems over thought and self indulgent. There are scenes depicting dreams within dreams which although are clever, are also unnecessary and result in the viewer incurring excessive confusion.

These are minor gripes in what is an overall stunning cinematic experience!

Score: 8/10

Sex and the City 2

Sex and the City - what a pity!

Well it's official! The Sex and the City writers have run out of steam at long last. It has taken them 2 years to write what really is 5 very average TV episodes , stuck them together and hoped for a decent follow up to the hugely successful and entertaining 1st movie. They should've left it alone as this movie will disappoint even the most loyal of fans.

It gets off to the worst of starts, with a totally unrealistic OTT gay wedding. It's so gay it's straight! No gay man would go for this, regardless of how many female hormones he was born with. From there on I'm afraid it just doesn't get much better. It turns all comic caper verging on the Carry On movies when they get a lucky vacation in Middle East. Thank god for Samantha's antics and one liners. Carrie has got even more annoying as she realises that her marriage to Mr Big has gone stale. It seems that she wants to be running around NYC in hot pants with a giant sized flower in her hair when she's nearly 50. The ground breaking stylist on the show 'Patricia Fields' reaches an all time low with some down right silly hats and outfits for Carrie. They are more circus freak than fashion chic!

There are some laugh out loud moments along the way but with a running time of two and a half hours long, it's just not enough. Miranda's deadpan personality is rarely seen and Charlotte is as anal as ever. There is a great cameo from the queen of camp - Liza Minnelli. There are also some silly cameos from old flames of the girls coming back for no reason other than to fill in the huge lulling gaps in the film. The big problem here is that none of the characters new lives are as interesting as they were when the girls were single and looking for Sex in the City. Even women nowadays who have found their Steve or Mr Big still want to be entertained and see what the single girl gets up to, not what it's like to have a difficult marriage or several kids that hinder your social life.

Girls all over the world will flock to see this in their droves and sink several cosmos along the way. Enjoy it while you can as on this evidence, there will not be a 3rd movie.

Buy the TV box set and remember Sex and the City the way it used to be - ground breaking, influential, and a right good laugh!!!

Score: 4/10