Film Review: Event Horizon

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

A 1997 science-fiction horror movie which marked a flurry of mid-90's sci-fi movies which investigate strange occurrences in deep-space. The movie was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson who is from Newcastle and unfortunately this marked probably his most high profile movie with many other B-movie type productions following of a similar genre.

The Gravity Drive inside the Event Horizon

In 2047, the rescue vessel Lewis and Clark is dispatched to answer a distress signal received from the Event Horizon, a starship that disappeared during its maiden voyage to Proxima Centauri seven years prior. The crew is lead by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) and also has on board Dr. Weir (Sam Neill) who designed the Event Horizon. Once they arrive they find strange goings-on surrounding the gravity drive which generates an artificial black hole to use the immense gravitational power to bridge two points in spacetime, greatly reducing travel time over astronomical distances.

The film is quite formulaic in plot, with the premise generally setup by the long explanation by Dr. Weir to the crew (that is really just an explanation for the audience) before we have the tense middle section where we are unsure what is happening before the final act slowly reveals what happened to the original crew. In its defence it does avoid falling into the lazy slasher genre like the later film Sunshine.

A hallucination?

Naturally most science fiction movies tend to fall into two brackets for me, the Alien bracket focused more on tension and action or 2001: A Space Odyssey based more around special effects and aesthetic beauty. Event Horizon falls into the former category with much of the relationships between the crew having similarities to that of Alien whilst the plot itself seems to be a slight re-working of the Russian film Solaris (discounted the George Clooney remake).

The links to religion and the concept of heaven and hell add a depth to the film but its just not that engaging throughout. The characters don't seem to share much rapport which means the moments when they try to help and save each other feel forced. The ending itself was different than I expected but a certain character going rogue was far too predictable and it left the film feeling stretched in terms of plot.

1.5/4 Ambitious but ultimately disappointing sci-fi horror flick.

Film Review: Steel Magnolias

Director: Herbert Ross

Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama directed by Herbert Ross. It is the film adaptation of Robert Harling's 1987 play of the same name about the bond a group of women share. The film follows a group of six very different women from a small town in rural Louisiana, Annelle Dupuy (Daryl Hannah), a recent beauty school graduate, is hired by Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton) to work in her home-based beauty salon. M'Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field) and her daughter, Shelby (Julia Roberts), arrive at Truvy's to prepare for Shelby's wedding which is taking place later that day. With Clairee Belcher (Olympia Dukakis) and the hostile Ouiser Boudreaux (Shirley McLaine) arriving later for the wedding preparations

The group of Women chatting

Its an entirely female dominated film with men very much secondary to everything that happens. The strong women of Louisiana, although some of them come off as more Hollywood than Louisiana, spend their time discussing the key topics of the day and sharing cutting criticisms mostly about other people. Whilst there are some funny lines, especially where Ouiser Boudreaux is concerned, there just isn't enough throughout the film for it to work on a comedic level. The script is ambitious in being able to entertain you for the majority of the film but falls well short.

The drama itself ramps up in the second half and produces an interesting lead into towards the final scenes, which just dragged on towards the conclusion. Whilst it is slightly predictable what will happen this doesn't necessarily detract from the film as much as other elements. The brushing aside of husband Jackson (Dylan McDermott) was quite bewildering for example. It has some good ideas but at times these become lost and confused, overall it just didn't entertain me with its humour or blow me away with is emotional drama.

1.5/4 Capable drama gets bogged down in over ambitious script

This week's releases

Chef: John Favreau decides to cook his own brand of food with his family after being sacked for a bad review from a critic.

Full preview here

Mrs Brown's Boy D'Movie: Britain seems to have become obsessed with turning TV comedies into feature films to cash in, Mrs Brown's Boys being the latest as her stall is threatened with closure so she fights to keep it open in this "comedy". If that wasn't bad enough it is apparently the beginning of a trilogy of films based around the foul mouthed Mrs Brown.

Third Person: A romantic drama with a stellar cast: Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, Adrien Brody, Olivia Wilde, James Franco, Maria Bello and Kim Basinger. The film tells three inter-connected love stories that take place in Paris, New York and Rome.

Film Preview: Chef

This film marks the first non-Ironman collaboration between Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr who came on board near the end of the casting process. With many other impressive names already added (Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt and John Leguizamo) he jumped at the chance. Chef has started to be advertised quite heavily in the UK with adverts starting to pop up and is hoping to be a lighthearted feel-good comedy for the summer.

Carl Casper (Favreau) gets a bad review from a critic after cooking a menu designed by restaurant owner Riva (Dustin Hoffman) so is fired. He decides this is the opportunity to cook the food he wants so starts a food truck to sell his cuisine round the city with his family.

Chef is released in the UK on 25th June 2014 and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Dancer in the Dark

Director: Lars von Trier

Danish director Lars von Trier has always been a controversial director of sorts, the subject matter of many of his films have been the topic of much debate. The reviews of his films are always incredibly varied as his films polarize critics and Dancer in the Dark. which was released in 2000, was no different. My favourite quote came from Jonathan Foreman at the New York Times, who sums up everything I would like to say in one sentence, "(a film) so unrelenting in its manipulative sentimentality that, if it had been made by an American and shot in a more conventional manner, it would be seen as a bad joke."

The Icelandic singer Bjork played the lead role of Selma, a role which won her the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival and a nomination for Best Actress at the Golden Globes. I'm truly stunned because her acting was some of the worst I've seen since I started this blog, rarely has a performance drawn a character so forgettable and unrealistic.

Selma (Bjork) and Kathy (Catherine Deneuve)

In 1964 Washington State, Selma (Bjork) is a Czech immigrant who moved with her son Gene (Vladica Kostic) and works in a factory for poor wages with her friend Kathy (Catherine Deneuve). Selma and her son live in a rented trailer on the land of town policeman Bill Houston (David Morse) and his wife Linda (Cara Seymour). She works hard and saves her money because she is suffering from hereditary degenerative disease which is gradually causing her to go blind and she wants to pay for her son to have it treated before it affects him.

The common theme surrounding von Trier's work is that many claim he is sexist and a misogynist. These claims weren't helped when Bjork argued with von Trier about the ending of the movie and claimed he was sexist. She did claim that she wasn't interested in acting but made an exception for von Trier. The plot itself is thinly stretched over the prolonged running time with the interwoven dancing and singing sequences which should provide light relief become long drawn out stretches of utter tedium. Whilst the ending is an exercise in how much over the top emotion you can try to force from a scene that you don't really care about to begin with.

0.5/4 Manipulative, poorly acted and bizarre camerawork add to an immense disappointment

Film Review: The Jeffrey Dahmer Files

Director: Chris James Thompson

An independent documentary about the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer from 2012, it toured some film festivals in North America before being released to the general public through Video On Demand by IFC. The result is a more haunting and un-nerving account of Dahmer's crimes and arrest rather than dwelling on the gruesome details. The film was directed by Chris James Thompson and stars Andrew Swant as Dahmer in fictionalized re-enactment segments which are interwoven with interviews of the medical examiner assigned to the case (Jeffrey Jentzen), the lead detective (Pat Kennedy), and Dahmer's next door neighbour (Pamela Bass).

Andrew Swant as Jeffrey Dahmer

The film focuses heavily on interviews with people involved where they describe Dahmer as a person and the surrounding furore after he was arrested. The monstrosity of his crimes and the graphic details are mainly omitted in favour of discussions about what Dahmer was like during the interviews with lead detective Pat Kennedy. The aura about Dahmer made him a particular eerie character as he was "disturbingly normal". Its very much a film for people familiar with Dahmer's crimes already, rather than an opportunity for somebody without any knowledge to learn about him.

2.5/4 Intriguing short documentary about one of America's most notorious serial killers

This week's releases

The Fault in our Stars: Based on the novel of the same name by John Green, starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in this romantic drama. Hazel (Woodley) is suffering from terminal thyroid cancer that has metastasized to her lungs so goes to a cancer support group where she falls in love with Augustus (Elgort).

3 Days to Kill: The latest film from Luc Besson and starring Kevin Costner as he continues to churn out the films this year. Costner plays CIA agent Ethan Renner who is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer which has now spread to his lungs but still has one last mission to complete before being able to enjoy his last days.

Jersey Boys: Based on the smash hit musical from Broadway, Clint Eastwood directs as we follow the four young men from the dark side of New Jersey came together to form The Four Seasons. Christopher Walken stars with a small role for Clint Eastwood's daughter, Francesca.

Film Review: A Time to Kill

Director: Joel Schumacher

Based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham, A Time to Kill was released in 1996 with a star studded cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConnaughey and Sandra Bullock to name just three. The film was the subject of much controversy in Europe though with the French in-particular taking offence at its attempts to make an apology of the death sentence and the right to self defence. Les Inrockuptibles described the film as "nauseating", "stinking", almost "fascist", with a script "ultra-populist" that makes you want to "vomit".

Lawyer Jake Brigance (McConnaughey) with Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson)

After two white racists rape and attempt to murder a young black girl in Mississippi, a trial is set but with racism still rife in the state Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) is desperate for revenge for the rape and savage beating of his daughter. Unconvinced that justice will be served to the two white man, he cites a previous case to Jake Brigance (McConnaughey) where four white men walked free despite overwhelming evidence due to deep-seated racism in the state, Hailey takes the law into his own hands and kills the two men in the courthouse as they are due to make their appearance. He then asks Brigance to represent him in court as he is put on trial for murder which splits the town and brings about a return of the Ku Klux Klan lead by Freddie Lee Cobb (Kiefer Sutherland) whose brother was killed.

A genuinely thrilling and thought provoking drama about the issues of race in society, not just in the deep-south but in the world as a whole. The issue here is about the treatment of African-Americans in Mississippi but the same holds true throughout the world in the way that different races and religions are treated by others in different countries. Its honestly terrifying to believe that justice wouldn't be served to guilty parties because of the skin colour of the offenders and the victim. A Time to Kill eloquently explores these issues in one of the most well known states in America for racism and inequality.

Brigance with trainee lawyer Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock)

The acting within the film is very impressive, this was Matthew McConnaughey at his peak before he descended into the rom-coms and Samuel L. Jackson is a man of great upstanding despite his crimes here. The relationship McConnaughey has with Sandra Bullock's character and the same with Donald Sutherland's as his mentor throughout the buildup and trial. They all help provide a truly authentic feel to the town that makes you believe this could have been a real case. It does have its moments where its overly "Hollywood" and righteous that let it down as the plot progresses but it doesn't detract from an incredibly compelling legal drama.

3.5/4 Fascinating drama in the deep-South

Film Preview: Snowpiercer

A joint venture between American and South Korean film-makers based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. A science fiction film which like many predecessors shows a bleak future for our planet, this time at the hands of climate change and shows that despite the brink of destruction the class system still seems to remain. Chris Evans, John Hurt and Tilda Swinton star alongside Koreans Song Kang-ho and Go Ah-sung.

In 2014, an experiment to counteract global warming causes an ice age that kills nearly all life on Earth. The only survivors are the inhabitants of the Snowpiercer, a massive train, powered by a perpetual-motion engine, that travels on a globe-spanning track. A class system is installed, with the elites inhabiting the front of the train and poor inhabiting the tail.

Snowpiercer is released in the UK on 22nd June 2014 at the Edinburgh Film Festival and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: 22 Jump Street

Director:

The recently released follow-up to the 2012 movie 21 Jump Street that opened to good reviews and was immensely popular at the box office. It is the sequel to the 2012 film 21 Jump Street, based on the 1987 television series of the same name by Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh. Once again Jonah Hill was part of the writing team that produced the script and screenplay.

Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum)

With the Koreans taking back their church at 21 Jump Street, Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) moves the gang to 22 Jump Street inside a Vietnamese Church with a much bigger budget after their earlier success. Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) are now sent to college to infiltrate the dealers and find the suppliers after an earlier mission goes awry. They look for a new party drug called "WhyPhy" after the death of a student who was taking it.

The film follows in the footsteps of the original but for me was actually funnier and more entertaining. With the characters and format now set it blossoms with some wittier jokes as well as the inevitable toilet humour. But its a film that somehow gives you a guilty pleasure feel at times for laughing at the bad base humour without needlessly pushing it too far, it quickly follows a crude joke with a more subtle one. With a joke around Cate Blanchett's name being a major highlight.

The American Football helmet golf cart

The bromance between Hill and Tatum is what really holds the movie together though, they are two very likable characters but between all the craziness they do actually feel quite real. Ice Cube really comes into his own in this film as well, he features more prominently in the film and also adds plenty of humour to the mix. I have to admit I'm a sucker for random humour and a few jokes breaking the fourth wall were actually well timed. Although often a little uneven at times as the film peaks and troughs in terms of interest but it guarantees a smile on your face when you've finished.

2.5/4 Funnier than the original without doubt

Note: Its definitely worth staying for the credits, hilarious.

This week's releases

The Hooligan Factory: A comedic take on the hooligan football films about gangs and ultras from the UK, although Danny Dyer's acting performance in The Football Factory was pretty hilarious. Jason Maza and Nick Nevern star as the lads caught up in the wrong crowd in this British production.

Devils Knot: Based on a true story from the book of the same name. A ritualistic killing of three eight year old boys makes this small town in Arkansas the centre of attention with satanic forces believed to be at work but when it appears three teenagers were involved things quickly change. Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon star.

Belle: An illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle. Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Matthew Goode and Emily Watson in a film that has toured the film festivals before finally being released to the public.

Film Review: Changeling

Director: Clint Eastwood

A 2008 drama film partly based on the 1928 "Wineville Chicken Coop" kidnapping and murder case in Los Angeles, California. The film was released during one of the best periods of Eastwood's work as a director with Gran Torino being released shortly after and Million Dollar Baby being released just a few years before. The film saw nominations for Angelina Jolie as the Best Leading Actress at the Oscars, BAFTA's and Golden Globes but she failed to win at any of these awards with Kate Winslet beating her for The Reader (god knows why, the whole film was abysmal) and at the Golden Globes where she won for Revolutionary Road. 

Los Angeles, 1928. Single mother Christine Collins (Jolie) returns home to discover her nine-year-old son, Walter (Griffith), is missing. After a long search over many months, the LAPD says they have found her son alive and well. Believing the positive publicity will negate recent criticism of the department, the LAPD organizes a public reunion. Although "Walter" (Conti) claims he is Christine's son, she says he is not. Captain J. J. Jones (Donovan), the head of the LAPD's Juvenile Division, insists the boy is Walter and pressures Christine into taking him home. Christine is still adamant that her son is still missing and gets into trouble as she pressures the LAPD to continue searching.

Christine with "Walter" after he disappeared

Angelina Jolie is incredibly impressive as the driven Christine who searches to find her real son against a tide of negativity from the LAPD. Jolie was at times weak and vulnerable as she reached her lowest ebbs and showed a different side to her acting abilities that I hadn't seen before. Arguably the films best feature is the impressive cast surrounding Jolie, especially John Malkovich and Jeffrey Donovan.

At the heart of this dark film is more than just a search for a missing boy, Changeling produces a scathing critique of big politics in the 1920's in the mold of Chinatown. The cover-ups produced at the top level of the police force and city government are monumental whilst it also portrays a time when women were still fighting to be treated as equal citizens even in America. Christine's fight for her son also leads to her being silenced and discredited because she is seen as a female threat in a male dominated society. A rich compelling film which is backed up by impressive acting performances.

3.5/4 Tense engrossing drama with a political edge.

Film Review: Edge of Tomorrow

Director: Doug Liman

This recently released science fiction movie is based a big budget version of the Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. The filming process was quite arduous especially for Emily Blunt as each of the battle suits weighed around 39kg which was hard to act in for long periods. Between takes, the actors would be suspended by chains from iron frames to take the weight of the suits off their shoulders. The films budget was $178 million.

For 5 years, humans have been at war with an alien species called Mimics. They have taken most of mainland Europe so the humans are planning an all out attack from the beaches in Northern France. Major Cage (Tom Cruise) is ordered to cover the battle on the beaches against his protests and he wakes up at Heathrow Airport ready to deploy the next day. But after landing on the beach and battling the mimics he dies then wakes up again at Heathrow Airport the day before, slowly realising that he has the power to continue living the same day.

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) and Sergeant Rita Vratask (Emily Blunt)

Tom Cruise's latest Hollywood blockbuster is reasonably impressive, for an action movie it has an intelligent side and Emily Blunt adds a lot as his battle partner. For me this was a completely different change of direction for Emily Blunt as an actress but she more than pulls off the macho female Sergeant whose the human hero of the war. Aside from this the action is strong as you'd expect but there is a decent comedic element to the script as well.

Director Doug Liman produces impressively choreographed scenes with the gripping tension of his previous film The Bourne Identity. It avoids the pitfalls of many previous action movies with the usual clichés and a bloated running time, why most movies are needlessly over two hours still baffles me. Unfortunately the ending did become apparent before it was played on the screen before me but it still represented a fun and surprisingly good film.

2.5/4 Intelligent action movie is better than expected

Film Review: Godzilla

Director: Gareth Edwards

The recently released blockbuster is another re-booting of the famous monster franchise, this time it was British director Gareth Edwards who scored with his debut movie Monsters. An impressive cast was also pulled together with Ken Watanabe, Aaron Johnson and Bryan Cranston hot off the success of Breaking Bad. The film was produced on a budget of $160 million in the hope of turning a good profit and possibly setting up a a sequel.

In 1999, Project Monarch scientists Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) investigate a strip mine in the Philippines where a colossal skeleton and two egg-shaped pods are discovered. One hatched and escaped to the sea. In Japan, plant supervisor Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) sends his wife Sandra and a team into the core to check the sensors after seismic activity. When the team is inside, an explosion occurs, threatening to release radiation to the outside. Sandra and her team are unable to escape, and the plant collapses into ruin. Fifteen years later and Joe is still trying to find answer as to what caused his wife's death.

The destruction caused in Hawaii

This was like a Hollywood blockbuster version of the cheap Syfy disaster movies that are often released, Mega Python V Gatoroid being just one example. But the redeeming feature of those movies is that they don't take themselves seriously which is more than can be said about this incarnation of Godzilla. The premise descends into farcical proportions by the end and with a script ridden with the usual corny cliché lines from these movies its hard to take it seriously at all.

Bryan Cranston does his best with what he has here and is helped able by an impressive cast who don't really do much wrong. But if you have a poor plot and script it doesn't matter who you get to star in your movie. The special effects do help to save this film with some impressive shots especially the scene where the troopers parachute into the city with the red flares. But beyond this the early promise drawn on by Joe Brody uncovering the mystery is washed away with a shockingly poor second half.

1/4 Reasonable opening act completely falls away into a farcical finale

Film Review: Captain America 2: The Winter Solider

Director: Anthony and Joe Russo

The latest instalment in the MARVEL comics franchise and the second in the Captain America series. After a slightly underwhelming first film we see an excellent bounce back film as Steve Rogers returns to face the latest threat to the planet that has been growing since his creation during the Second World War. Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson also reprise their roles with Robert Redford also making an appearance. The film is already a huge commercial success with profits over $500 million and a third film has already been commissioned with the Russo brothers returning to direct.

With the members of SHIELD at odds after Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are sent on the same mission but with different tasks by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). In the midst of this lack of trust, the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) ambushes Nick Fury as he goes to meet him someone and they realise they have a large threat within SHIELD to battle against.

The Winter Solider battles Captain America

As stated above, this was a very accomplished second film which certainly elevates the Captain America series to the level of Iron Man leaving Thor trailing in his wake. Admittedly Chris Evans is no Robert Downer Jr especially in the charisma department but he's more than strong enough here with the help of Scarlett Johansson and Anthony Mackie as Falcon. The story has a lot of well placed action with an intriguing story with the battle being against more than just a rogue villian in the Winter Soldier. Some plot elements are slightly predictable as the film develops but it still provides more than enough thrills to last the over two hour run time. The script is witty and sharp at times which elevates it from the rest in genre.

3/4 Impressive second instalment sets the tone for future sequels

This week's releases

22 Jump Street: Having moved from 21 Jump Street to 22 Jump Street, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill return as the bumbling undercover cops who this time are sent to college to fight crime.

Full preview here

Fruitvale Station: Why its taken nearly a year to officially release this gem of a film I don't know. Michael B. Jordan plays Oscar Grant whose life was tragically cut short on New Years Eve at Fruitvale BART station in San Francisco. This film follows the last 24 hours of his life.

My review is here

Film Preview: Foxcatcher

Released at this years Cannes Festival, it wowed critics with its dark tale of schizophrenia in the competitive world of Olympic Sports. Based on a true story, Bennett Miller won the Best Director Award at Cannes but the film itself was edged out by Winter Sleep which was an epic Turkish film. The film stars Steve Carell as John Eleuthère du Pont the trainer with Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo playing the brothers.

The story of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum), who sees a way out from the shadow of his more celebrated wrestling brother Dave (Ruffalo) and a life of poverty when he is summoned by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont (Carell) to move onto his estate and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Foxcatcher is released in the UK at the end of 2014 and trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Divergent

Director: Neil Burger

A 2014 science fiction action film following in the footsteps of The Hunger Games in looking to a dystopian future with the world split into different factions by oppressive governments. The film is based on the series of books by Veronica Roth which was published in 2011. The sequel Insurgent has already been scheduled for release in March 2015.

The story takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago where people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues. Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) is warned that she is Divergent and thus will never fit into any one of the factions and soon learns that a sinister plot is brewing in her seemingly perfect society as she tries to learn to fit into one of the factions.

Beatrice (Woodley) with Four (Theo James)

The comparisons to Hunger Games were inevitable given the similarities in the lead actresses character and the bleak depiction of a future world controlled by governments. Unfortunately it doesn't compare favourably with plot feeling rather like a re-tread and with Shailene Woodley struggling to produce the strong yet caring lead performance you get from Jennifer Lawrence. Woodley and Theo James in particularly work hard with the tired script to stop the film being a complete washout but it doesn't reach the highs that you'd hope for.

The overall plot suffers as the focus is too narrow in blindly following the character of Beatrice rather than looking at the factions as a whole. So when the plot develops its hard to care for anyone but the main character, as her family are all sidelined very quickly for example. I'd be intrigued to know how faithful the film is to the novel but the early reports seem to be that it has pleased the fans of the books but for me it really lacked that killer punch.

1.5/4 Unremarkable and formulaic opening film