DVD review: Straight Outta Compton
In the late eighties, gangster rap group N.W.A became pioneers of the hip-hop genre, taking it from the underground to the mainstream with their controversial attitudes and explicit lyrics. With founding members Dr. Dre and Ice Cube producing, their incredible do-rags to riches story receives the cinematic treatment from director F. Gary Gray. The biopic borrows its name from their debut album and stretches from the origins of the clan in Compton, California through the highs and lows of the fame and fortune that followed. O’Shea Jackson Jr, Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell portray Ice Cube, Dre and Eazy-E respectively in an insightful exploration of not only the music movement they forged but their battles with police authority, racial prejudice and each other.
An expectedly enjoyable soundtrack offers a backdrop to an engaging and insightful plot, and for viewers who are not necessarily taken by rap music, there is more than enough genuinely good storytelling to keep you entertained. There are nods and references for the fans, and though they’re not entirely subtle and can appear somewhat heavy-handed, I like that they are there. In the final third, the lengthy running time becomes apparent and a more ruthless edit could’ve been beneficial to the pacing. With Dre and Ice Cube producing hands-on, there is a biasness to their glorification but minor narrative issues aside, it is an enthralling piece of work by director Gray.
The on-point script doesn’t shy away from the big issues behind N.W.A’s message as a group and the dialogue is helped by a quartet of core turns and a masterstroke in casting, particularly in Ice Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr playing him on screen. It’s not just the physical likenesses that are great, the acting is too. Hawkins and Mitchell are equally impactful in their portrayals, and all three are given there moments to shine though it could be said that Aldis Hodge and Neil Brown Jr are there to make up the numbers as the lesser known performers of the gang MC Ren and DJ Yella. Introduced about halfway through as music manager Jerry Heller is the critically acclaimed Paul Giamatti who threatens to steal the show, excelling in a complex role that it seems he was born to play.
‘Straight Outta Compton’ is bold, outspoken and shrouded in hype and controversy, just as it should be given the subject matter. At its centre are young talented friends who want to better themselves and make it against all odds, and that message is universal. Music biopics tend to be formulaic and despite following some genre conventions, the performances are superb and the soundtrack never misses a beat, making it a must-see for fans of N.W.A or hip hop in general, and an education in the amazing evolution of gangster rap culture for everyone else.
See the trailer:
Trailer: Deadpool
Directed by: Tim Miller
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano
Release date: February 2016
DVD review: North v South
I’ve always been fond of good old fashioned British crime films, even when it’s the sort that fail to reach cinema audiences and go straight to disc, so when I heard the synopsis for Steven Nesbit’s feature debut, I was intrigued to say the least. Marketed as a gangster version of Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet love story, ‘North v South’ bears witness to a gangland war between the opposing geographical clans of England. You have the Northerners headed up by hard man John Claridge (Bernard Hill), and the crafty cockneys with cuddly-on-the-outside-evil-on-the-inside Vic Clarke (Steven Berkoff) as their villainous ringleader. A brutal killing adds fuel to the fire between the rival gangs, which brings danger to the ‘star-crossed lovers’ Terry (Elliott Tittensor) and Willow (Charlotte Hope). Will their relationship be exposed to the feuding families they are part of, or will love prevail?
From the off, the low-budget production value of the project became evident due to amateurish opening titles, and there is a cheapness that lets down the film throughout. Flutters of creation show promise but are incoherently flung together around a narrative that is riddled in cliché. There is a string of Guy Ritchie-esque interesting characters alongside the core players in the gang war, such as Alf, a children’s entertainer with criminal associates and Gustave, a cross-dressing deadly hitman, but unfortunately nobody really has anything interesting to say due to a shoddy script. The Romeo and Juliet element is problematic and feels like an overly dramatised afterthought that has been wedged into another film altogether.
Brad Moore raises the acting bar and his performance as the psychotic Gary Little is one of the redeeming features of the film, and could quite happily sit alongside the highest calibre of gangster movies. Elliott Tittensor is strong as well in the romantic lead part and delivers the kind of voiceover you’d hear if Martin Scorsese directed a feature length episode of Shameless. The aforementioned Bernard Hill and Vic Clarke are convincing as the mob bosses, and possess genuinely threatening menace. In fairness, most of the performances are solid enough given the stereotypical character development.
Steven Nesbit takes an ambitious yet appealing concept that could’ve been brilliant if handled in the right way, but doesn’t pull it off. The lack of storytelling structure means that subplots are tossed around and there is an obvious misdirection. There are nice aesthetic moments taking genre influence from films such as Bonded by Blood, Rise of the Footsoldier et al, but the combination of romance and violence never clicks into place. As a crime film, it sort of nearly works and as a love story, it isn’t really given a chance, though in this battle of ‘North v South’, there are no winners.
See the trailer:
Trailer: Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell
UK release: November 2016
Trailer: Star Trek Beyond
Directed by: Justin Lin
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Idris Elba, Simon Pegg
UK release: July 2016
Top 10 Netflix gems you might not have seen…
In the modern world of streaming, Netflix’s suggestions can make it difficult to track down movies that take you out of your comfort zone, and unfortunately means that a lot of really good films can go relatively unseen. Cinema Perspective counts down gems that might have passed you by…
1. Coherence
A mind-bendingly good psychological horror from director James Ward Byrkit.
My review…
2. Short Term 12
Brie Larson has been impressing from supporting roles for some time and is tipped to get the recognition she deserves in Room which comes out in the UK on 15th January 2016. In Short Term 12, she plays a social worker with troubles of her own.
3. In Order of Disappearance
Starring the great Stellan Skarsgaard, In Order of Disappearance directed by Hans Petter Moland is a dramatic yet hilarious watch that combines genres in a satisfying revenge flick.
My review and my interview with the director…
4. Half Nelson
Ryan Gosling received an Oscar nomination for his complicated role in Half Nelson, playing the part of a drug addicted school teacher. This makes the list not for being unseen as such but perhaps forgotten.
5. Creep
Comedy writer, director and actor Mark Duplass takes a horror influenced detour, teaming up with director Patrick Brice for Creep, which more than lives up to its name.
6. Young Adult
Charlize Theron is excellent in Young Adult, a film which explores what happens to the popular high school ice queen when life doesn’t quite turn out as planned. Jason Reitman directs.
7. Mighty Aphrodite
Netflix has a great abundance of Woody Allen films, including Mighty Aphrodite in which he stars alongside Mira Sorvino and Helena Bonham Carter and is at his wittiest.
8. All this Mayhem
As well as films, television and stand-up, Netflix gives a platform to a huge selection of documentaries. All this Mayhem follows the harrowing story of Australian skateboarding brothers Tas and Ben Pappas and is a must-see for anyone who has an interest in extreme sport.
9. uwantme2killhim?
British rising star Jamie Blackley is going from strength to strength, and this is partly down to uwantme2killhim? which featured at Edinburgh Film Festival back in 2013 and is based on a shocking true story.
10. Hyena
Hyena was met with a mixed critical reception but for fans of gritty British crime films, it is well worth looking out. It tackles police corruption in London’s criminal underworld and stars the brilliant Stephen Graham.
Trailer: The Nice Guys
Directed by: Shane Black
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Kim Basinger
UK release: May 2016
DVD review: Ant-Man
As we’ve all seen over the past few years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is quickly expanding, bringing in new faces to meet in every new or rebooted instalment across multiple phases of the film and television franchise. Introducing the smallest citizen of the superheroic world with ‘Ant-Man’ is comedy director Peyton Reed. Cat burglar Scott Lang (Rudd) is determined to go straight following his release from prison, and to be a good role model for his young daughter. When things don’t go his way, he reluctantly agrees to ‘one last job’ in an effort to make a fast buck, leading him to the epicentre of an age old rivalry between retired scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his former protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll). Taking on the responsibility of a shrinking suit developed by Pym, Lang must retrieve a replica of the creation in order to stop Cross running amok with the potentially dangerous technology.
A slow-build origin opening makes for uneventful, and mostly tedious viewing as characters and back-stories are established, but as the superhero element eventually fights its way to the forefront at around the hour mark, the entertainment value is on the upturn. When Lang dons the suit and is micronized, the inventive special effects are impressive enough to distract from the predictable narrative. Changes in writing and directing duties in the pre-production stages of the project offer some inconsistencies in terms of style and the tone of the script. Edgar Wright flourishes appear both visually with playful camera tricks, and in Rudd’s well timed delivery of dialogue but with four men involved in the crafting of the screenplay, I fear it’s a case of too many writers spoil the script. Rudd holds his own in the lead part and although I struggled to accept him as a criminal mastermind, his likeability shines through what is an average at best cast.
It ties in nicely to the aforementioned MCU, and successfully gives scope to the possibilities of a wide collection of films that relate and intertwine with one another through in-jokes and cameos. ‘Ant-Man’ is by no means a poor film, and will sit quite happily in amongst the phases of the cinema Marvelogue. Paul Rudd’s performance as well as the admirable aesthetic mastery are the stand out highlights to this particular piece of the jigsaw, and while it may be good clean fun that will quite easily consume two hours of your hard earned weekend, it is little more than that.
See the trailer:
DVD review: Inside Out
It is a well established staple of Disney pictures to strike just the right emotional chord with audiences, having the ability to make us laugh in one scene and cry in the next. Continuing their hugely successful relationship with Pixar Animation Studios, the next collaboration personifies the emotions themselves to explore the goings on inside the brain of a child. Directed and co-written by Pete Docter, best known for his work on Up, ‘Inside Out’ mostly takes place in the head of an eleven year old girl called Riley whose family up sticks to San Francisco, taking her away from her friends and the home comforts of Minnesota. Dealing with the change from within the conscious mind known as Headquarters are Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling), who work in harmony to keep Riley content. However, when Joy and Sadness are removed from HQ through the memory tube leaving the others to hold the fort, they must find their way back to restore normality.
Cinema Perspective 