When South African science fiction filmmaker Neill Blomkamp burst onto the cinema scene with District 9 in 2009, he was hailed as one of the most promising directors in the industry. His mainstream follow-up was dystopian epic Elysium, which was met with a contrastingly frosty reception. Is he a one trick pony or was his second feature a mere hiccup in his path to further critical acclaim? His third film, titled ‘Chappie’ continues the sci-fi pattern and returns to Johannesburg, the setting of his debut. Set in a future where a robotic police force known as ‘scouts’ have been introduced to reduce high crime rates and regain order on the chaotic streets of Joburg, the narrative follows the inventor of these law enforcement machines, Deon Wilson, played by Dev Patel. Against the orders of his boss Michelle (Sigourney Weaver) and angering office rival Vincent (Hugh Jackman), he tests his home-made AI program on a disused robot, his experiment resulting in the birth of Chappie, voiced by regular Blomkamp collaborator Sharlto Copley. However, when he and Chappie are forced into forming an alliance with a local gang of criminals, the potential threat of his conception is unveiled. Can he raise his creation to fight crime rather than commit it?
Like his previous efforts, the premise of Chappie is one with real promise and as a director, Blomkamp expresses his striking visual style which is well suited to the genre he continues to place himself in. The opening sequence sets the scene in a documentarian manner, much like District 9 did with footage of news channels and talking heads thrown together. The similarities with what we’ve seen from him before drives home his lack of creativity, and it is almost as if he is trying to redo his past films to improve them rather than attack a new idea with a fresh approach. The problems lie mainly in the heavy-handed storytelling as the story becomes cluttered with one-dimensional, motiveless characters. The triumphs in scientific achievement are glossed over by lazy montages more than once, with just a combination of one energy drink and taking off your glasses for a quick think resulting in the most significant of breakthroughs. When he finally arrives, the eponymous android is a joy to watch as he finds his robotic feet in the world but not enough screen time is spent between him and his beloved ‘maker’, which belittles the attempted father/son connection between the two when the conclusion nears.
Dev Patel is probably the only actor who comes away unscathed from the project, making the best of the material he has to work with and maintaining his likeable image. Hugh Jackman’s character is given the back-story of a devoted, decorated military man but is quickly reduced to a snivelling snitch who carries around a rugby ball for the whole film as a symbol of his masculinity. The aforementioned thugs that try to take advantage of Deon’s intellect are weirdly played by South African rave-rap group Die Antwoord, going by the aliases Ninja and Yolandi both on-screen and off. Devoid of acting talent, their personality traits change drastically from scene to scene, and they appear far more interested in their distractingly fluorescent image and the promotion of their back catalogue, than adding any depth to their villainous alter-egos.
For a film about intelligence, artificial or not, ‘Chappie’ is really rather dumb and the narrative shortcuts lessen the value and the impact of the initial idea, which is interesting in the first instance. As a filmmaker, Blomkamp has obvious strengths in building intelligent plot foundations and also in the way he directs and constructs big-budget action set pieces. We see signs of this in Chappie but the lethargic script proves to be his downfall. Surely now it’s time to draw the line under the man/machine sub-genre that he’s tried so desperately to master and move onto another strand of science-fiction. Director Alex Garland already topped his attempts in that area with the thought-provoking Ex Machina earlier this year. Not to be swayed from the field completely, Blomkamp is set to undertake the unenviable but nevertheless exciting challenge of directing the next chapter of the cult sci-fi horror Alien franchise. No pressure.
Julianne Moore is arguably one of the best actresses of her generation and has worked with a plethora of the best actors and directors in her illustrious career. Despite her strengths and her numerous nominations in the past, she has lacked in awards success until now, winning a BAFTA and an Academy Award for her latest role in ‘Still Alice’. Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland and based on Lisa Genova’s novel of the same name, the drama centres around linguistics professor Dr. Alice Howland who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at the age of fifty. With her family around her, including caring husband John (Alec Baldwin) and youngest daughter Lydia (Kristen Stewart), she faces up to her illness bravely as her grip on life and her memory disintegrates.
The process of Alice’s deterioration lends a slow, meandering pace to the film and it is largely uneventful in terms of the narrative. Instead, it is very much a character driven plot, and anchored by Julianne Moore’s performance as we see Alice come to terms with her condition. When she is on the ball, she is as sharp as they come and is very eloquent, articulated and professional is the way she presents herself. This means that the minute signs of weakness in her memory are easily spotted when they begin to creep in and each stage of her mental downfall is filled with emotion. In an attempt to combat the decline, Alice uses her smart-phone as a helpful tool. This can be heavily related to one of the directors Glatzer who relies on an app to communicate because of his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The relationships within her family dynamic aren’t straightforward, and take the strain as Alice becomes increasingly dependent on her loved ones. I felt as though casting Alec Baldwin as the husband was strange as his characters usually possess negative qualities. On the whole, here he is the doting partner despite a few selfish flaws. Kristen Stewart impresses as Alice’s wayward teenage daughter, shedding her twilight skin to give a mature, moving performance, coping with the loss of the one person who seems to understand her. At the forefront of the success of the film though is Moore’s frighteningly good acting, keeping the frustrations of her character bottled up initially for them to burst out with a flooring impact.
Performances whereby the lead is diagnosed with an illness or disease tend to be popular around awards season, so it makes perfect sense for Julianne Moore to take the gong this time around, given that she had never received this kind of recognition before. After all, the opposite award for best actor went to Eddie Redmayne across the board for his portrayal of MND sufferer Stephen Hawking. She noticeably lifts what without her would be more suited to the TV movie format but in all honesty, I’ve seen stronger turns from Moore. Even in the past year she put in what I thought was a more powerful performance in Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars though that film didn’t have the same Oscar bait clout that ‘Still Alice’ does…and as Oscar bait goes it’s catch of the year.
Of late, young heroines have been the subject of adventure franchises representing a new age of strong female leads in cinema but as shown mostly through US television programmes, not all women are as switched on and focussed in their lives. Struggling to find herself is twenty-something Iranian-American bisexual Brooklynite Shirin in Desiree Akhavan’s comedy drama ‘Appropriate Behavior’ where she writes, directs and stars in the central role. With the pressures of both modern life and her controlling family, Shirin feels she has no comfortable place to fit in, but on her snarky and sarcastic surface doesn’t appear to want to be categorised within contemporary society despite the aforementioned labels attached. Though not entirely a new idea to follow a city slicker en route to self-discovery (a very Woody Allen-esque concept), the added religious overtones combined with her open-minded attitude towards sexuality offers plenty of fresh ground to cover and explore.
With the use of a non-linear structure, we witness Shirin’s relationship with ex-girlfriend Maxine in its messy entirety, showing the range of emotion the character goes through and contrasting it with her current state of unfulfillment. Because of this flashback technique, the development of Shirin is rich and complex and we are with her every misguided step of the way. Scenes with her parents are amusing as her awkward jokes go over heads and she manages to successfully pass Maxine off as a flatmate, not a sexual partner, even though they inhabit a one bedroom apartment with only one bed. In the present, she attends trendy parties, tries to maintain her unsteady job in haphazardly teaching filmmaking to small children, and continues to lead a somewhat experiment love life. Each scenario is played out with comical social insecurity and Akhavan’s charm soaks into every frame.
‘Appropriate Behavior’ is funny, current and brutally honest, and as a debut feature from Desiree Akhavan is promising. The tight script openly contains culture references which allude to the clear influences involved in crafting the vision so even though it is largely derivative material, it is at least aware of this, and very much so. If it was anymore self-aware, it’d break the fourth wall. What the character-driven narrative does so well is dig behind the wacky hipster exterior, peeling back the pretence to reveal a genuine, well-meaning person who is yearning for a sign to put her on the right path in life. As Shirin herself wittily puts it, she is ‘one bad romantic encounter away from moving to France and changing identity’. Let’s hope it doesn’t go that far because this is a woman everyone should get to know.
One of the many challenges in modern filmmaking is to achieve originality, perhaps even more so in the horror genre which has its own array of cliché and trademarks. ‘It Follows’, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, is an indie chiller that plays up to expectations and subverts them, carrying on the recent up shift in modern suspense films. The plot centres around a sexually transmitted curse which is passed on to lead character Jay (Maika Monroe) in the backseat of her new boyfriend’s car. Faced with the terror of being stalked by creepy entities who take form in all shapes and sizes, she is told to quickly sleep with someone else to ‘pass it on’. Will this rid her of the horrific plague or will she be followed forever, always looking over her shoulder? This intriguing premise plays out with style, creative flair and a thrilling synth-heavy soundtrack, bringing eighties-like scares into the present day.
After seeing the trailer for German film ‘Vincent Wants to Sea’ in 2010, Los Angeles-based writer and director Gren Wells was instantly inspired to do a US remake, and her version, titled ‘The Road Within’, screens at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. The indie drama explores how young adults manage their mental health disorders, and stars Robert Sheehan as Tourette’s sufferer Vincent who is sent to a behavioural facility following the death of his mother. Whilst trying to settle in, he meets OCD patient Alex (Dev Patel) and anorexic Marie (Zoë Kravitz), and they bond over the constant day-to-day struggles they encounter. When the three mixed-up teens embark on an ad hoc escapee adventure together, their road trip heads in the direction of self-discovery and living life to the fullest, in spite of their problems.
At the best of times, the filmmaking partnership of Judd Apatow school of stoner comedy graduates Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg isn’t to everyone’s taste. Their latest collaboration though, due to its controversial storyline, has caused a stir like no other leading to distribution complications with Sony Pictures Entertainment and the much publicised talk of nuclear threat against America. Whilst Rogen’s writing and directing bond with Goldberg continues off-screen, his bromance with James Franco grows on it, and the two play the leading roles of TV producer Aaron Rapaport and talk show host Dave Skylark respectively. When their show Skylark Tonight is lambasted for being cheap and only interested in throwaway celebrity culture, they set their target on a more serious news-piece to silence the critics and before long, an opportunity presents itself for Dave to interview supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un. CIA Agent Lacey (Lizzy Caplan) then intervenes, giving instructions to ‘take him out’.
An uneasy mix of politics and toilet humour, the style and the substance of the narrative couldn’t be further apart. The comedy often works but apart from the opening segment involving an excellent Eminem cameo, the strength is contained within the little gags and quippy one-liners rather than the more over-the-top setpieces. As crazy as this sounds, the plot actually gets more ludicrous as it develops, the two friends splitting off into their separate paths as Dave bonds with Kim Jong Un over their mutual love of Katy Perry while Aaron enjoys a lustful pathway with Kim’s regimented propagandist Sook Yung Park. Performance wise, I’ve seen Rogen and Franco on better form and though some of the dialogue is lazily written, it’s fun to see them bounce off one another. Lizzy Caplan brings her Masters of Sex sauciness to the table effectively, tossing herself into a minefield of innuendo. Credit should also go to Randall Park who takes the part of Kim Jong Un. His turn is brave despite essentially being a caricature and figure of ridicule.
For the film that could’ve started World War III, or so Sony would like us to believe, it is largely anti-climactic. More silly than side-splitting though it does have the odd moments of hilarity as well as surprisingly stunning cinematography when the story moves into Asian territory. Perhaps the ambitious premise is a step too far for the masters of juvenile joviality as it just wasn’t funny enough. Their next team project is a 3D animated comedy called ingeniously titled Sausage Party, which from the sounds of it will be much better suited to their line of work. ‘The Interview’ isn’t in the same league as Pineapple Express or the apocalyptic hit This is the End, but for avid fans of this knob-joke laden brand of cinema, it is worth downloading to watch in the comfort of your own home, or wait until it’s on Netflix.
The initial bewilderment around how to say the title of Argentinean filmmaker Lisandro Alonso’s latest film is little compared to the confusing elements featured throughout it. ‘Jauja’ (pronounced how-ha) is a Danish-language quasi-western in which father general Gunnar Dinesen (Viggo Mortensen) treks through fantastical desert landscapes in search of his fifteen-year-old daughter Ingeborg (Viilbjørk Malling Agger), after she wanders off with a local soldier. It has impressed in its extensive trail across the festival circuit, from Cannes to this year’s Glasgow Film Festival and is an example of unbridled cinematic escapism, where one man journeys into a mythical unknown shrouded in surreal symbolism.
Narratively, the project has been compared to John Ford’s epic tale The Searchers where John Wayne’s character seeks out his missing niece, but where the camera work there was expansive and unrestricted by boundaries, the framing here is neat and compact, filmed unusually at a 4:3 aspect ratio. Because of this experimental artistic approach, the scenes are picturesque and the tight use of depth and mise-en-scene is fascinating, and at times masterful. However, in contrast to the distance travelled by Gunnar, the storytelling is mostly static, not moving very far or very fast as the running time wears on. The lack of plot development and minimalistic dialogue eventually frustrates and chooses to puzzle its audience at every turn rather than offer any sense of clarity. A second viewing would maybe help solve the sequence of visual riddles it poses.
Viggo Mortensen, best known for his heroic portrayal of Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings film series, must have been an absolute shoe-in to take the leading role given his unique multilingual talents, having childhood roots in the filmmaker’s homeland of Argentina as well as his Scandinavian heritage. It’s a rare Danish speaking part for Mortensen though and also unheard of for writer-director Alonso to work with a well established acting name. The nuanced central performance is key to the film’s enjoyment as we bear witness to a range of fatherly emotions when his vast search descends into sheer peculiarity. His star quality gives the film the boost it requires to carry it through the painfully slow stages, and just about makes the lengthy expedition worthwhile.
When it premiered at Cannes festival last year, Ryan Gosling’s hotly anticipated directorial debut ‘Lost River’ was panned almost unanimously, which, as a fan of him as an actor only made me more intrigued to see it. Since the negative initial reaction, it has been tweaked and tinkered for its cinema release with a little shaved off the running time. The title refers to the environment in which the film takes place, a warped wasteland where the American Dream has gone horribly sour. The intertwining plotlines follow three main characters in struggling single mother Billy (Christina Hendricks), her eldest son Bones (Iain De Caestecker) and their neighbour Rat (Saoirse Ronan) as they desperately try to better themselves and their lives, looking for a way out of a decaying habitat with no economic promise. Plucking apparent influences from his pool of experience within the industry, the first-time filmmaker forges his own vision of fractured dreams peppered with fantasy neo-noir elements and striking imagery.
Swapping dystopia for his own brand of utopia, Alex Garland, the writer of 28 Days Later and Never Let Me Go presents his intelligent debut as director ‘Ex Machina’. Continuing the run of thought provoking science-fiction in contemporary cinema, his intimate story follows geeky computer programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) to the isolated lair of his employer Nathan (Oscar Isaac), after he receives an invite as a prize to a competition. Whizzed off to the secret location by helicopter, he has no idea what to expect and is thrilled when informed that he is to take part in a Turing Test experiment with the highly advanced robot that his boss has built. The machine in question is named Ava (Alicia Vikander) with the test taking place over one week, across several monitored encounters. These meetings, where Caleb and Ava get the chance to ‘know’ each other, form the structure and pacing of the film, giving a steady, if at times repetitive, platform in which to handle the ever-expansive psychological and technological themes.
Set in only one slickly futuristic yet somehow cold creepy environment with only three predominant characters, the fixed set up lends the film an unnerving sense of claustrophobia that lurks throughout. The relationships between the three are never simple, always transforming and simmering with complex tension. The script is sharp and intellectual and makes every conversation that takes place interesting and full of acumen. Regular power cuts in the building serve as a plot device as Caleb, Nathan and Ava try and stay one step ahead of each other, and in turn keeps the audience not only guessing what will happen next but also pondering the all encompassing questions that it poses of humanity, artificial intelligence and the blurred lines in between.
Because we are trapped in a tight space with only a few faces to keep us company, it is even more important that the acting is up to scratch. Gleeson certainly works as the wide-eyed inquisitive central figure, and his casting brings out comparisons and similarities with a certain episode Charlie Brooker’s sci-satirical series Black Mirror in which he plays a man who dies and is rebuilt through his virtual personality on social media. This could easily be mistaken for a feature length sequel. As good as Gleeson is though, he is third best behind Isaac and Vikander. The former is menacing and controlling in his role, but also brings black humour with excellent delivery and a shockingly good dance sequence. Alicia Vikander portrays the humanoid Ava with such careful precision, every expression and every step is measured to perfection and I could listen to her talk all day.
Alex Garland brings his already accomplished novelistic craft to the project, as well as flexing his directorial muscles, bringing refreshing creativity and visual flair. In ‘Ex Machina’, he sets and establishes a scary setting in which his absorbing concept can be explored, and though a couple of minor plotholes leave things unanswered, his ideas are given ample room to develop. What stands out and has a lasting effect though are the actions of the fascinating characters, and the consequences of them. Gleeson and Vikander’s man and machine connection make this glimpse at what the future may hold far more human than Her, as Oscar Isaac pulls the strings of reclusive genius Nathan, the manipulator of this modern monster of a film.
Mark Wahlberg continues his questionable vein of form, taking the titular role in British director Rupert Wyatt’s remake of 1974 film ‘The Gambler’. Mimicking the great James Caan who had the lead in the original written by James Toback, he plays literature professor by day, compulsive risk-taker by night Jim Bennett. Set in a greasy depiction of Downtown Los Angeles, Bennett recklessly lands himself in debt with both the proprietor of an underground casino and menacing mob boss Neville Baraka (Michael Kenneth Williams). Turning to wily loan shark Frank (John Goodman) and befriending impressionable student Amy (Brie Larson), he aims to dig a way out of the mess he got himself into, but like a petulant child refuses to take responsibility for his actions. With his fate likely to be decided on the turning of a card, can he turn his luck around and get everything he has ever wanted or is he destined to lose it all?
With an intriguing premise and an impressive cast, the foundations were laid for an exciting watch. In the gambling den scenes with the background clinking of the chips and whirling of the roulette wheel, a suspenseful buzz is achieved. Unfortunately, the buzz soon wears off and the disappointingly William Monahan’s shoddy script allows the protagonist to continually spout off quasi-intellectual speeches about his philosophies on life and how unfair the world is. Somehow, his garbling brings about an unfeasible romantic subplot that has about as much sexual tension as a trip to the chiropodist. The incoherent narrative isn’t helped by the distracting shuffle-all soundtrack, tacky visual effects and a series of odd camera tricks and weird angles that look as though they’ve been compiled for a cinematographer’s show reel.
Mark Wahlberg is horribly miscast as Bennett, and you never quite understand or see any reasoning behind anything that he does, meaning that his character arc is virtually a straight line. The veteran actors supporting do offer some respite from the intolerable central performance, in particular the aforementioned John Goodman and also Jessica Lange, who plays Bennett’s wealthy mother who appears to have bailed him out one too many times in the past. Brie Larson, who is usually so good if you take her appearances in Short Term 12 and The Spectacular Now as examples of her talent, is vacant in a role that serves purely as a bad storytelling device.
The main problem behind ‘The Gambler’ is that we, as an audience, should always be rooting for Jim Bennett’s gamble to pay off eventually despite his flaws but by the final act, I really didn’t care. The idea of the self-loathing addict has so much potential and there are countless possibilities to exploring the themes and dissecting the psychological torment of someone who never really feels like a winner, choosing to chase the unreachable dream. For me, Wyatt’s glossy, haphazard execution is ultimately a wasted opportunity that should have been odds-on for success, and no matter how much Bennett appeared to hate himself, I think I hated him just that little bit more.
