Film Review: La Vie en Rose

Director: Olivier Dahn

A 2007 French biographical film about the life of French singer Edith Piaf. The films title comes from the signature song which was sung by Edith Piaf and resulted in an Academy Award for Marion Cotillaird in the Best Actress category. The songs were mimed by Marion Cotillaird and the original music and voice of Edith Piaf was used during the performances.

The film jumps between different timelines but tells the story of Edith growing up just after the war in Paris before she is whisked off to stay in a brothel in Normandy with her grandmother. We then see Edith's rise to fame after being spotted singing in the street and the tragedies that happened during her life that drove her to alcohol and drug dependency.

Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillaird)

Marion Cotillaird is completely unrecognizable in her role as Edith Piaf, I'm not particularly familiar with the life and works of Piaf but I'm reliable informed that Cotillaird is incredibly accurate in her depiction. The scenes when she is playing Piaf near the end of her life as an old woman are stark yet wholly convincing that this 27 year old actress, at the time, is playing a 47 year old alcoholic who looks about 60. Many of the other characters pale into insignificance by comparison.

The non-linear plot was un-necessary in the most part as we jumped into different parts of her life in an almost completely random order. It certainly left me confused as to where in her life we were upto and who some of the other characters were. The whole ensemble would have had a greater flow and been easier to watch for viewers who are not that knowledgeable about her life, such as myself. This plot device also adds to the uneven pace as the film slows dramatically in the second half but finishing with a fantastic finale does save it. This is more a film worth seeing more for the acting ability of its star than anything else.

3/4 Truly amazing performance by Marion Cotillaird but non-linear plot is deeply confusing

This week's releases

Blue Jasmine: Cate Blanchett stars as New York socialite (whatever that means) Jasmine, whose marriage falls apart so she moves to San Francisco to be with her sister Ginger. From there she tests the patience of her sisters family as she tries to get her life back on track.

Prisoners: Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) suffers every parent's worst nightmare when his young daughter and her friend are snatched from under his nose. Driven mad by desperation and frustrated by the inadequacy of the legal system, he kidnaps the man he believes to be responsible for the little girls' disappearance. While Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) is the police man tasked with finding the people responsible and dealing with Keller.

Runner Runner: Another take on the evil world of corruption in big time gambling, Richie (Timberlake) pays for his college tuition using online gambling but believes he's been swindled by Ivan (Affleck). He brings Richie into his operation but then Richie decides he might try and take revenge.

Film Review: Traffic

Director: Steven Soderbergh

A crime drama that was released in 2000 and directed by one of my favourite directors Steven Soderbergh. It follows three stories that slowly come together across Mexico, Calfornia and Washington D.C. With its ensemble cast and impressive plot it soon became a box office hit before winning four Oscars for Best Director, Supporting Actor, Editing and Adapted Screenplay.

Manolo Sanchez and Javier Rodriguez get on the wrong side of someone

The film has three related stories, the first is of Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) and Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas) comes across General Salazar (Tomás Milián) after halting a drug delivery. Javier is hired to find a contract killer related to the Obregon cartel in Mexico. Whilst up in San Diego, Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Luis Guzman (Ray Castro) work for the DEA and interrupt a drug shipment from Mexico. They are then tasked with watching the criminal who has agreed to testify against his bosses which turns out to be Helena Ayala's (Catherine Zeta Jones) husband Carlos (Steven Bauer). Whilst in Ohio, conservative judge Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) is appointed to head the President's Office of National Drug Control Policy but then has to deal with a drug problem at home as his teenager daughter becomes addicted.

Soderberg attempts an ambitious project to try and capture the problem of drugs in modern America. Looking at importing it from Mexico, distributing it in California and the political side in the nations capital whilst whittling the film down to just over two hours is a difficult task. But the film is intriguing from start to finish and the plot moves along at a quick pace as we jump across the three storylines. We see the drugs cartels from the grimy bottom rung in Mexico City to the top where the bosses sit and make millions of pounds. The transformation in the character of Helena, played by Catherine Zeta Jones, is startling to say the least.

Robert Wakefield with his daughter Caroline

The star of the movie without a doubt is Benicio Del Toro as the Mexican cop who always wants to do the right thing despite the huge amount of corruption all around. He may take backhanders for minor offences involving American tourists in Tijuana but in the drugs trade he is all business. Del Toro's character is streetwise after years of working as a cop and really becomes a character to root for throughout the movie. The partnership of Don Cheadle and Ray Castro is also very real and impressive as the movie unfolds. The story involving Michael Douglas' character brings the suburban family into the mix and the end destination of the drugs but it is the least entertaining plot line. But Soderbergh brings together three stories that could be worthy of their own movie alone and pulls them into one beautifully constructed film.

3.5/4 Thrilling and depressing insight into stopping the drugs trade

Film Preview: Gravity

To be presented in 3D, Alfonso Cuarón has been involved in every step of making Gravity from co-writing, producing and editing as well as being the director. He rose to prominence with the Mexican drama Y Tu Mamá También before filming Children of Men with Clive Owen. Initially Robert Downey Jr was slated to be the lead male actor but he was later replaced by George Clooney. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival with James Cameron saying "I think it's the best space photography ever done, I think it's the best space film ever done, and it's the movie I've been hungry to see for an awful long time".

Medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is on her first Space Shuttle mission accompanied by veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney), who is commanding his final expedition. During a spacewalk, debris from a satellite crashes into the space shuttle Explorer, leaving it mostly destroyed, and stranding them in space with limited air. Without means of communication with Earth, they must cooperate to survive.

Gravity is released in the UK on 8th November 2013.

Film Review: The Waterboy

Director: Frank Coraci

As a self confessed American Football addict it seemed right that I should watch The Waterboy, some claimed it was one of the better Adam Sandler films before he descended into making absolute trash. Unfortunately it was indistinguishable from the low grade nonsense he churns out now and with not particularly like The Wedding Singer it means that Sandler will get no more chances from me.....ever.

Bobby Boucher (Sandler) is a socially inept, stuttering water boy with hidden anger issues due to constant teasing and excessive sheltering by his mother, Helen (Kathy Bates). The bullying leads to him finally cracking and he charges onto the practice field and lays a massive tackle on the QB who was leading the mocking. Coach Klein (Henry Winkler) decides to make him a linebacker despite the fact his mother doesn't know because she doesn't want him playing football.

Bobby Boucher (Adam Sandler)

Why does Boucher need to have a stupid high pitched squeaky voice? It isn't needed as we can all tell he's socially awkward and geeky. Even Sandler himself seems to get bored of the voice as he intermittently drops into his more normal voice before returning back. Other characters from the offbeat team serve only to add to the low grade humour whilst the story itself is entirely predictable and cliché even for a sports comedy. If you want an American Football comedy then I wholeheartedly recommend The Replacements.

1/4 Unfunny, crass and uninteresting

Film Review: Glengarry Glen Ross

Director: James Foley

Released in 1992 and based on the famous Pulitzer winning play by David Mamet, was jokingly named "Death of a fucking salesman" due to the profanity-laden script. The ensemble cast comes together brilliantly to portray the cut throat world of being a salesman in real estate. Al Pacino was the only cast member to be nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor.

The film follows the lives of four salesmen: Ricky Roma (Pacino), Shelley Levine (Jack Lemmon), Dave Moss (Ed Harris) and George Aaronow (Alan Arkin). They regularly use dishonest tactics to make sales and push up their commission despite generally being given poor leads by office manager John Williamson (Kevin Spacey). Blake (Alec Baldwin) gives them a long speech berating them at being bad at their jobs and in life as part of a pep talk request by head office. He also informs them that only the best two sellers will be allowed to stay and the worst two will be fired.

Blake (Alec Baldwin) trying to light a fire under the salesmen

The stellar cast produces an excellent display as you would expect but the script produced by David Mamet to adapt it from the play is outstanding. The dialogue is witty, funny and yet purposeful in its direction, you feel like every sentence is meaningful to what is happening. The back and forths between characters when they insult each other is clever and believable whilst the "Coffee is for closers" speech delivered by Baldwin is top notch.

From the minimal scenes and dialogue heavy screenplay you can see how this is a film that has been adapted from a play. it would play out brilliantly on a stage. The direction is notably weak as the characters seem to operate oblivious to their surroundings and rarely interact with anything except each other. The mystery around the missing leads which the salesmen are working for is cleverly revealed and is a satisfying conclusion.

3.5/4 Sharp and slick script the key behind this intriguing film

This week's releases

R.I.P.D: Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds headline the supernatural action-adventure R.I.P.D. as two undead cops dispatched by the otherworldly Rest In Peace Department to protect our world from an increasingly destructive array of creatures who refuse to move peacefully to the other side. Slipped a bit under the radar in coming over from the States.

Diana: Naomi Watts stars in a Daily Mail readers wet dream of a movie, the story of one of the most famous women in the world has been universally panned by critics for a terrible script and uninteresting storyline (real life can be pretty boring). The likes of Watts and Olivier Hirschbiegel (director of Downfall) should know better.

The Last Fall: The story of a journeyman American Football player who is once again cut from the team and has to deal with life without the big pay cheque from professional sports.

Full review here