The Family!!!!

The Family.

Robert De Niro is obviously known in the world of films for playing gangsters, two most poignant films being in The Godfather II as Vito Corleone and then Jimmy Conway in Goodfella's. Both parts were to gain him BAFTA and Oscar nominations in which he took the Oscar for his role in The Godfather Part II, it's safe to say he is one of the screens best gangsters. But it has to be said that De Niro has lowered his guard with this film as it has all the hints of being a good gangsters film but in the end it just feels flat and bland which is a shame. 

Starting out by telling the story of the Manzoni family you see Giovanni (Robert De Niro) being blown away by a sabotaged barbecue. Driving down a country lane Giovanni and his family, wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer), son Warren (John D'Leo) and daughter Belle (Dianna Agron) are looking for their new home in Normandy, France. Relocated yet again the family have been placed into witness protection after Giovanni decided to tell on his own mod family and have mob boss Don Luchese arrested and imprisoned.

As the family try to settle in things don't go according to plan, Giovanni hospitalising the local plumber, Warren embezzling and blackmailing students, Belle fighting off sleezey boys and Maggie blowing up the local store. The family is of course looked after by FBI agent Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) who is tired of relocating the family and just wants them to all "blend in" but to no avail. 

Soon enough the family are tracked down and Don Luchese's hired men arrive in town and set out to take out the whole family and leave no-one alive. With the family split up and their lives in jeopardy their going to have to work together as a family and use their killer instincts to survive.

The film is ok but is honestly nothing more than a entertaining gangster style comedy film, it could have been alot better but it just seems to skim over the characters and finishes too abruptly and quickly. De Niro you can tell will take any role involving a gangster to get viewers to pick up some of his better older films like Goodfellas. This has to be Luc Besson at his most complacent and feels like he is just making the film to entertain and not really bring anything new to the table. 

Pfeiffer, Agron and D'Leo are all good and add to the film in their own way but they don't impress and only add to the fast paced moving storyline.  The action is fast and slick but again it moves along just too quickly, leaving you satisfied it doesn't have you guessing and feeling you've seen something new and impressive. 

Overall a nice action film that if you want to watch and have on in the background you can do as even if you miss parts of it you'll still understand the ending. 

6/10.

Captain Phillips!!!!

Captain Phillips.

Whenever a film about true life events comes to the big screen I often wonder if it will work, will the true story be told, will it be engaging and most importantly will they choose the right actors for the film. Luckily director Paul Greengrass has pulled it off perfectly and produced a film that sticks to the main story narrative, is thrilling to watch and has a perfect cast. 

Telling the story of the Somali pirates highjack of the freight ship the Maersk Alabama in 2009 it shows how Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) handled the situation on board his ship and the actions he took to save his crew and the ship. The film starts showing the backstory and family life in which Phillips has with his wife and how he is on edge seeing news reports of Somali pirates in the area which he is about to sail through. 

Fast forward to on the ship and you see the hijacking as an almost coincidence moment in which Phillips gets the crew of the ship to do a possible hijacking security run through as to if it was to happen. During this test this is when Phillips sees two small boats heading towards his ship and decides to take evasive action. As the first capture attempt fails with the pirates boats engine cutting out the whole crew is on edge and they know they'll come back eventually somehow. 

As the single Somali boat heads towards the ship Phillips takes decisive action and puts the water hoses on hopefully to sink their vessel and ward of the pirates but to no avail. Their ladder is fixed onto the side of the ship and their heading for Phillips and his fellow officers, Muse (Barkhad Abdi) threatens Phillips and announces "look at me, look at me, I'm the Captain now".

As the film progresses you see the relationship between the Somali's and the relationship between Phillips and the pirate leader Muse who has conflicting thoughts of his own. Showing how Phillips was to be taken hostage by the pirates and kept on board of the escape pod boat the film is kind of split into two. Again the relationships between the pirates and Phillips is shown and how at times they compromise, work together and also sympathise with each other at times, it's a nice little dynamic on screen. 

For a film with the storyline that you would think is quite simple and boring Greengrass has made is look and sound intense and thrilling and have you hooked all the way through. The conflicting personalities all thrown together in a life boat allows each character that time to come through even if it is in a confined space. Like I said the film feels like it was split in two and almost juxtapose each other. The first half being quite fast paced, wide open spaces and an almost cat and mouse game and then the second half being a slowed down tight intense, confined space edge of your seat thriller. 

Setting the film on a real freighter was a perfect decision to make, making the film with green screen just wouldn't have given that size scope to the film and would have hindered the film. Working on real waters gives that almost your really there feeling and transports you to the heart of the film.

Hanks is perfect in the role and the scene which hit me hardest was right near the end with Phillips having a bandanna over his eyes he just screams out and writhes like he has been shot. The sheer emotion and talent of acting from Hanks is just incredible, to when Phillips is checked over for injuries Hanks stays in character and shows the startling effects a traumatising ordeal can be mentally on someone. Credit has to go to the Somali pirates which I understand this was their first film and were normal people picked for the roles, Abdi is impressive portraying the drug addicted and emotionally conflicted Muse. 

A seriously impressive film that I think has topped any of Greengrasses Bourne films as this has everything. No doubt come awards season and I can see Captain Phillips being nominated for quite a few awards. Best film, best director, best lead actor, best cinematography and best supporting actor all accolades I could easily place this film into. 

10/10.

The Fifth Estate!!!!

The Fifth Estate.

A film that struck a chord with me that I looked forward to seeing was this one, the main reason being that I am a Journalism graduate, how this happened I will never know. So being a person who has done a Journalism degree, got the batman cape and the piece of paper it obviously sounded like an interesting idea for a film. 

Starting with some fast moving news images you see how the information can be broadcast around the world from phones to laptops to TV screens. it's a clever little fast paced montage of how images, text and video can be accessed around the world by everyone on the planet. The film of course follows the story of Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he starts up his website WikiLeaks in order to leak important information to the public for them to see the truth and corruption that is happening everyday in politics. As Assange works in various countries to take down powerful leaders he arrives at a conference to be met by Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Bruhl) who is an activist and wants to help Assange with his website. 

As the film progresses more and more information is leaked, a most famous video that shows US military forces gunning down civilians and reuters journalists was to be leaked and hit people hard. With Assange working with the newspaper the Guardian and in particular the editor Alan Rusbridger (Peter Capaldi) they were to work out a deal. As the Guardian redacts some of the thousand documents that Assange has they were to publish pages of this information for Assange to pubish the un-redacted information. 

You see on screen the relationship between Assange and Berg slowly fall to pieces and both of them fighting for what they see is the best decision to make for the information they have. Seeing not only this but part of Assange's up bringing and what he had done to become the person he is today. Obviously we all know what the end result would be and what was to happen to Assange who is now holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy and fighting extradition. 

Cumberbatch plays Assange spookily well and he really does act and have Assange's mannerisms down to a tee. Having Assange e-mail him the day they were to start filming to say that he shouldn't do the film must have been hard but a story that needed to be told. Bruhl is ok but not as strong a character and force as Cumberbatch, both work well together on screen and portray and very tense and fraught relationship between Berg and Assange. 

In my own honest opinion when it comes down to leaking documents I see it that if documents were to leak, change a government and help people for the better then why not. Certainly information that could topple corrupt governments and change a countrys history for the better surely the documents should be leaked and read by all to see. It's when peoples lives are at risk that you have to take into account your own moral stand point and question your own ethics as to whether documents should be leaked. 

Back to the film and I have to say it is a good little thriller film that entertains, informs and lets you decide your own point of view on WikiLeaks. If your after something more meaty and full of information then I suggest you look elsewhere as this film is mainly just basic information and is here to entertain and not really inform much.

7/10

Prisoners!!!!

Prisoners.

A film that took me by surprise this year is Prisoners mainly for the fact it was certainly under the radar and not particularly hyped up by any film or online websites. It certainly is a film that has everything you want from the style of abduction and search film that this is and it has everything and more to keep you hooked. 

Set in the state of Pennsylvania the film sets the scene in a quiet suburbia where two family's are enjoying each others company with two little girls running around outside with their siblings. As the two girls decide to go back home to look for a whistle they set off on their own and soon enough you don't see them again. 

As the film moves along you see the two fathers Keller (Hugh Jackman) and Franklin (Terrence Howard) frantically search for their daughters. A young mentally challenged drifter Alex (Paul Dano) is arrested in his mobile home which was spotted on the street the girls were playing on, searched and forensically checked his mobile home comes out clean and he is released with no charge. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is soon put on the case, a detective that has solved every single case that he's been given. Soon enough Keller see's that Loki isn't doing enough and decides to take actions into his own hands. 

With a storyline that twists and turns it keeps you hooked all the way through the film which I was surprised at. Covering all the characters back story's we see the very American Keller who is a hard working joiner and hunter who stockpiles food for emergency's he's a true hearted American. Franklin is a more reserved straight down the line family man who rarely strays from the path of good. Alex is a loner, mentally challenged young man who is just in the wrong place at the wrong time, he is a victim of circumstance. 

Jackman is intense and at times really scary as he comes across as a desperate man who will do anything to get his little girl back. He is a strange character as you side with him at first then you turn on him and then you side with him again it's very back and forth with him. Dano plays the vulnerable Alex well even though he doesn't have many lines he physically shows the lost character.

For a film that I wasn't too sure of to start with I have to say I was hooked and drawn in, I sided with characters throughout the film, I wished things to happen to characters and I still didn't figure out the ending. It takes a good strong twisting and turning story for me to not work out the ending of the film but it got me I couldn't work it out. A really impressive film that is really dark at times and shows the lengths people will go to to find their kidnapped loved ones. 

9/10.

Rush!!!!

Rush.

It has to be said when you see the name Ron Howard attached to a film as it's director you know that your going to be onto a great film. A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, Apollo 13 and The Da vinci Code are just the main film successes that Howard has had over his career in movies. He always manages to bring a true life story to the screen in a respectful yet thrilling and informative way and get you truly hooked at the same time. 

Rush sees the true life story of rivalry between Britain's James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austria's Nicki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) during the 1976 Forumula One season. Starting off with the backstory of both drivers we see Hunt rise up through the ranks of formula three, two and then gain sponsorship into formula one. Lauda on the other hand starts in formula three and then eventually uses his money to buy himself into the BRM formula one team driving alongside Clay Regazzoni (Pierfrancesco Favino). 

Showing the backwards and forwards rivalry between the two drivers is shown on screen, Hunt being the wild party going guy who had everything to prove. Then Lauda who kept everything serious, was very guarded and worked hard and had nothing to prove to no-one. Then on one fateful day everything was to change, for Lauda especially. At the famous German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring Lauda was to try and reason with the other drivers about the bad weather conditions but Hunt convinced the drivers to drive stating Lauda was doing it to win points and the championship.

What was to happen next was to shock everyone, with the changing of tires on the second lap Lauda's suspension arm was to break causing the car to crash into the barrier and burst into flames before being hit by other cars. Lauda was airlifted to hospital and was to be treated for third degree burns to his face and toxic fumes in his lungs. As Lauda lay in bed in agony and has his lungs pumped of the toxic chemicals he watches a TV and sees James Hunt win race after race and is determined to get back into the car and finish the season. 

The film is seriously impressive as you see the rivalry between the two rise and rise it keeps you hooked as to what happens next. Obviously what happened to Lauda was awful and truly shocking but to get back up and have that courage and strength shows that the human body and spirit can endure and be strong again. Touching upon not only professional but personal relationships of the drivers is a nice little touch as well and gives the film that human soft love element you wouldn't see on the track from the men. 

From the cinematography of Anthony Dod Mantle of wheels spinning in slow motion to Hans Zimmer's amazing soundtrack to keep that tension high everyone involved has produced a great film. A film that is intense and thrilling yet is so respectful of the subject matter at hand. Hemsworth and Bruhl play Hunt and Lauda perfectly and you can really feel the intensity on screen.

The last scene for me showing up to date footage of Lauda looking onto a racetrack speaking about how Hunt was one of a few men he truly respected and felt sad when he heard of Hunt's death at the young age of 45. To me this shows Howard had that respect and heart to finish the film perfectly and maybe for people inside and outside the Formula One world hear what Lauda truly thought of Hunt.

Yet another massive hit for Ron Howard and a film to stand the test of time that no doubt people will talk about for years after and in my eyes a film set to take all the awards come Oscar and BAFTA weekends.

10/10.

Trance!!!!

Trance.

We all know of the man Danny Boyle who choreographed the Olympic ceremony in London in 2012 and wowed million's of people around the world. One thing people didn't know is that between planning and rehearsing the opening ceremony Danny was also off making a film, this one to be precise. 

Described by Danny himself as a mix of Inception meets Memento meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, it's a great combination for a film and it interested me right away. Set in the present day it sees the character of Simon (James McAvoy) working at a auctioneers where he is the main security man. If a robbery takes place he is to take the painting on auction out of the room, into a case and place it into a metal safe. This of course all sounds normal until Frank is called into action and goes through the motions until he is held at gun point by Franck (Vincent Cassell), hitting him on the head Franck flees with the painting.

Soon enough Franck opens the case, picks up the frame and realises that the painting has gone. The story then goes back to Simon as you learn he was in on the robbery and because he was hit on the head suffers amnesia and doesn't remember where he put the painting. 

Trying to get him to remember is proving hard for Franck and so Simon suggests using a hypnotherapist Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) to help he regain his memory and locate the painting. As the relationship between patient and Dr start to become more close and intimate Simon's world spirals out of control as he try's to remember where the painting is and hold onto his sanity. 

As the film moves along you learn about how the three main characters are linked, why Simon can't remember and of course where is the painting?. With some twists and turns mixed into the storyline it adds some great suspense moments and has you guessing what will happen next. 

The pace of the film is nice, it's only an hour and forty minutes long and doesn't have any scenes that feel as if they drag on and it keeps you on your toes. The overall feel of the film is just how Danny described it, it has hints of Inception and Memento to do with memory and the internal memories we have. The twists and turns in the story from the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are there and all three blend well.

James McAvoy as Simon is perfect he plays a distraught, confused man who is doing and using all his brain power to work out whats going on and you do feel sorry for him. Vincent as Franck is a great addition as the desperate hitman who only wants one thing, the painting and will do anything to get it. Rosario as Elizabeth brings in a mysterious feel to the film and you can't quite work her out and what she's up to. 

Set in London for obvious reasons (Olympic Ceremony location) is adds a certain air of darkness as the sets are dark and claustrophobic and really make the film interesting. Being shot mainly at night it gives it that edgy feel. 

A great film addition to Danny Boyle's film back catalogue and another genre of film from the big UK director is ticked off on his list. Psychological thriller, DONE.

8/10.

Side Effects!!!!

Side Effects.

From what is to be Steven Soderbergh's last full length directoral film 'Side Effects' is a film which tackles the subject of what happens when people are put on various medications and what it can lead too in life.

The film starts out with the character of Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) who awaits the release of her husband Martin Taylor (Channing Tatum) from prison. Soon enough the day comes around and she couldn't be any more happier but underneath it all she's depressed and can't cope. After an incident in a parking lot where Emily is hospitalised she is sent to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Jonathan  Banks (Jude Law) where she is prescribed a course of drugs to settle her mind, help her sleep and handle her anxiety. 

As Emily takes more and more different drugs with different "side effects" she starts losing it, as Dr. Banks consults and speaks to Emily's old psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones) he decides to give her a new pharmaceutical drug called Ablixa. With Emily now more active and happier she looks in control, little does she know of how much an effect the new drug is having and Emily's life suddenly spirals out of control.

Without giving too much away Dr. Banks investigates Emily's deterioration and what went wrong in her life. Was it the drug he gave her?, was it all Emily's fault? or was it a culmination of the wrong drug at the wrong time?.

The hows and whys of what happens next in the film is for you to find out for yourself. It is a great twist and turn, suspense filled, thriller that certainly had me guessing what would happen next only to be the total opposite of what I had guessed. It is a smart film that is cleverly thought out and will have you scratching your head even to the very end when the credits role.

Of course this is Rooney Mara's first lead role since her appearance in 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' she plays a depressed Emily with such fragility and vulnerability that you almost think to yourself your watching a real person breakdown on screen. It has to be said that the film is pretty much Jude Law's as he plays Dr. Banks with such intelligence and charm. He holds things together at the start and slowly loses everything but soon enough he comes back up to be the shining light at the end. Catherine Zeta-Jones gives a strong, powerful performance as a stern but at times naive psychiatrist, Channing Tatum stands as the hulking husband to the demure Mara and brings an air of strength and safety to Emily's crumbling world.

Overall 'Side Effects' is a great suspense filled thriller film, a film certainly for the older adults as the twist and turns of the films narrative could be seen as a bit much for a younger audience. With the surprises coming thick and fast during the film it has you on edge and has you guessing which I love as I like a film that challenges me mentally. 

As this is Soderbergh's last feature film that we know of as we lose him to theatre and the TV world of HBO this is a fine film to finish your movie career off with.

8/10.

Stoker!!!!

Stoker.

From the director of the Korean hit film 'Oldboy' comes Park Chan-Wook's first English spoken film and his début into the american movie world. And it has to be said that it is an absolute triumph and a film that is not only visually stunning but it is intense and just plain strange (in a good way).

The story of Stoker is that of the stoker family, mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman), father Richard (Dermot Mulroney) and daughter India (Mia Wasikowska). As the family seem happy enough and everything is going right, tragedy strikes and Richard is killed in a car accident. 

Soon enough the funeral comes around and on the horizon is a dark figure in the sunlight watching the funeral proceedings. The mysterious figure emerges to be Richard's younger brother Charlie (Matthew Goode). With Evelyn striking up a rather intimate relationship with Charlie it's India who is almost infatuated by her uncle and starts to become a little bit obsessed with him. As the two finally start to talk to each other you get a feeling that something lies deep between them both and something strange is going on. 

As people go around to the house to see the mourning and ever more depressed widow Evelyn, they start to disappear and India is the first one to notice this. As the relationship grows and grows the mother catches them and wishes nothing but bad things for her daughter. With India knowing Charlie's full story of where he has been and what he has been doing for so many years she decides to take matters into her own hands. 

In the matter of a story the film does have a nice easy, simple storyline which anyone can easily pick up on and it's a nice free flowing feeling. Nicole Kidman plays the depressive mother well and portrays a woman on the edge and willing to do anything to get back her own happiness. The stars of the film have to be Mia and Mathhew, the daughter and uncle. As perverse as their relationship is in the film it leaves you interested, intrigued yet confused as to what will happen next between them.

With some films you watch it for the storyline and the explosions or the fight scenes but with Stoker you look for something more with it. You can tell that nearly every single shot in the film has been thought about and has a meaning and purpose to it. Scenes like the origin of the blood red coloured flowers in a field is a clever idea, the combing of hair that as you go down the hair blends and melts into a field of reids blowing in the wind. The use a single spider slowly crawling up India's leg to eventually go up her skirt between her legs all have a underlining meaning.

Some scenes are of course weird and can be seen as perverse. A scene where India is in the shower and re-calls a murder she witnessed she masturbates at this memory and climaxes at the image of the person being killed. The playing of a piano, India plays the piano and is soon joined by her uncle Charlie. As they both play the piano and the music becomes faster and more intense India gets more and more aroused and soon enough the final note is played and India lets out a massive sigh of almost inner sexual relief. But for the uncle Charlie to have disappeared it's as if was he really there at all?.

The film in my eyes is something of incredible cinema, every single shot and scene in the film has a purpose and brings tension and suspense. The storyline of the family is great and allows all three main actors to utilise their talents and bring to life these three characters who each have their own problems in life. For anyone who likes the works of the legend Alfred Hitchcock then this film is a DEFINITE to watch as you will be hooked and enticed by it. Terribly disturbing, terribly weird but oh so terribly beautiful.

An amazing edition to Park Chan-Wook's filmography and a great first english spoken film for the Korean director. If this is his first hollywood film then just imagine what his next creation will be like and just how interesting and quirky it will be. 

I don't usually add videos to my reviews but the video below shows some scenes I have mentioned in my review.

10/10.