DVD review: Locke
The concept of Steven Knight’s British thriller Locke should, by all rights, fall flat with its single-minded approach to simply film a man driving from Birmingham to London and not a lot else. But when that man is Tom Hardy, it becomes very much worth a watch. Portraying the eponymous construction worker Ivan Locke, the weight of his performance elevates the simplistic plot further than you could imagine. Locke is a complicated yet loyal individual and when a colossal mistake puts his happiness in jeopardy, he sets forth to do all that he can to right his wrong. This makes for a fascinating character study and Knight’s direction illustrates and illuminates the story spectacularly, maintaining a consistently visually interesting style throughout, despite the limited space.
DVD review: The Raid 2: Berandal
There’s no room for sequel syndrome as caution is thrown forcefully to the wind for Gareth Evan’s anticipated follow up to his martial-arts picture The Raid: Redemption. The original saw him thrust his passion for Indonesian cinema to a worldwide audience with an action-packed romp where rookie cop Rama (Iko Uwais) took out hordes of criminals in a tower block to expose police force corruption in a wild flurry of kicks and punches. This demonstrated the director’s knack for exhilarating fight choreography and comic brutality. Berandal kicks off immediately where Redemption finished and this time, Rama, who yearns to reunite with his wife and child, is given a nigh on impossible undercover mission to infiltrate the Jakarta crime family through the boss’ son Uco (Arifin Putra). The ambitious second film has all the qualities of the first in its quick fire clashes and unflinching violence but is expanded in scale to boast cinematic landscapes and stunning set-pieces, all wrapped around an epic plot of greed and power.
DVD review: Divergent
The young-adult genre has been in full flow of late after the global success stories of the Twilight series and more recently, the Hunger Games franchise. Stemming from another trilogy of novels, written by Veronica Roth, comes Divergent; a sci-school adventure drama which follows teenager Beatrice Prior in a dystopian American city. To maintain order and democracy in a post-apocalyptic environment, the human race are divided into five groups, each with different strengths, weaknesses and attributes. It is a system not without flaws and when citizens can’t be pigeonholed into a category, they are hunted and killed so as not to disturb the way of the new world. Directed by Neil Burger, the first is never boring, and does well to cram in a lot filling, laying the foundations for potentially more interesting future instalments.
The concept of the convoluted plot is intriguing yet completely unoriginal. It wildly blends genres and immediately becomes a lot like watching Katniss Everdeen enrolling for her first year at Hogwarts. Kate Winslet is the leader of the Erudite faction, and is the ice-queen pulling the strings, much like Jodie Foster’s role in Elysium last year. Despite the blindingly obvious comparisons, Divergent is a thoroughly entertaining watch. Highlights include the action sequences involving the Dauntless faction, an inter-railing squad of daredevils who make up the ‘brave’ category, are fun and far-fetched as they train-hop around without once buying a ticket to ride. I also liked the main character, who snappily reinvents herself as Tris. She is the latest in a long line of strong female figures in cinema and although her coming-of-age path becomes rather predictable, it is a pleasant stroll which requires very little head scratching. The futuristic set design is well presented and I enjoyed the virtual reality dream scenes which saw members of the faction take on their biggest fears.
Rising starlet Shailene Woodley leads the cast as Tris Prior and has come a long way since escaping the shadow of playing Marissa’s little sister in the OC. Her mix of courage and vulnerability make her easy to root for, and she is a clear stand out amongst an otherwise average cast. The romantic co-star, Theo James, nails the moody mysterious vibe but offers nothing we haven’t seen before, failing to conjure up any real sympathy towards his character Four’s murky upbringing. It is certainly different to see Kate Winslet take on a villainous role, and her screen presence is undeniable. I only wish she upped her game a notch or two as we know she is capable of. Instead, she epitomises the PG baddie and her dark side never gets past grey.
Divergent is a fine introduction to a promising series, set to be separated into four films, stretching the third book Allegiant into two films. This stands alone mostly as a necessary explanation chapter. Neil Burger has found the right tone of the genre from the off, and would relish the opportunity to take the series to the next level, though it’s been reported he is not. For a film with the tagline ‘what makes you different, makes you dangerous’, the narrative unfortunately takes a few safe options where it could have capitalised on risks. That being said, although I don’t fall into the young-adult target market category whatsoever, I am compelled to see how Shailene Woodley and her gutsy heroine will develop.
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DVD review: Starred Up
The complex father and son dynamic at the centre of David Mackenzie’s prison drama ‘Starred Up’ helps raise the bar for behind-bars British cinema. The well established film environment is refreshed by rising star Jack O’Connell who plays lead role, Eric Love; an unpredictable force who is volatile and vulnerable in equal measures. When his reckless, extremely violent tendencies cause him to be ‘starred up’ prematurely from his young offenders institute to an adult unit, he is reunited with his father, Neville (Ben Mendelsohn) offering up a clever twist to the genre formula. As officers struggle to rein in Eric’s explosive outbursts, prison therapist Oliver (Rupert Friend) employs his patient techniques to try in an attempt to become a calming influence in the troubled youth’s life, but will he succeed when Neville is on the scene with his own methods of discipline?
Written by former criminal psychotherapist, Jonathan Asser, the script is raw and affecting, and feels very authentic, crafted through a wealth of experience in the field. The carefully constructed story contains believable, multifaceted characters which avoid stereotyping and are well placed within the claustrophobic grid like confinements of jail. Immediately after his cell door is slammed shut, Eric empties his belongings and meticulously manufactures a deadly weapon by melting a razorblade into a toothbrush and hides it in a strip light. This instinctive survival routine highlights the kind of upbringing he has endured, demonstrating his lengthy relationship with violence. He soon makes his presence known on the wing and by then the prison politics are in full swing, creating an unnervingly tense atmosphere where trouble is brewing around every corner, and could boil over at any minute, and will.
The performances give solid substance to the in-depth inmates, both O’Connell and Mendelsohn are flawless in their harrowing depictions of mixed-up criminal minds. From his breakthrough performance as James Cook in teen-drama Skins to his supporting film roles in Harry Brown and Tower Block, O’Connell is no stranger to playing the wild and unhinged, and sports a ‘Jack The Lad’ tattoo on his upper arm which most of his characters suitably adopt. Here he has taken it to a whole new level. He carries off the difficult feat of displaying smouldering rage whilst evoking an air of sympathy towards Eric’s unfortunate set of circumstances. His scenes with Mendelsohn are thrilling, and emotionally charged, as Mendelsohn himself has a strong knack for parts with similar impulsive characteristics, his memorable work in Australian gangster film Animal Kingdom resonating. His wiser, yet equally flawed Neville Love doesn’t want his son to grow up to be like him but lacks the paternal influence to stop it happening.
Mercilessly dark in its subject matter, and dogged in its execution, ‘Starred Up’ is the 21st century Scum. The camera closely stalks the figures of machismo like that of a wildlife study, waiting for a hapless prey to be torn limb from limb. O’Connell’s central performance is terrific and as strong as anything I’ve witnessed in a long while. This marks his most powerful piece to date and will raise his profile no end. The vicious plot proves to be as unpredictable as the criminals involved it, resulting in a white-knuckle watch trapped in a tight space and making it a sentence worth seeing out to the bitter end.
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EIFF Kat H – McLaren’s Workshop Short
Cinema Perspective presents a locally made film created by Kat Hill. This super short animation was produced using a Norman McLaren workshop app as part of this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. McLaren was a Scottish filmmaker who experimented with various animated artforms. His work has influenced artists and filmmakers alike, from Pablo Picasso to Richard Linklater.
Find out more about Norman McLaren by visiting his website…
DVD review: Noah
Projects which bring biblical stories to the big screen are often shrouded in controversy and Noah has expectedly followed suit. Is there room for creative licence when adapting chapters from the Old Testament? Is it possible to please everyone or are you guaranteed to cause offence? Luckily, the director at the helm is visionary risk-taker Darren Aronofsky, best known for his surreal style in films such as Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream. He makes this epic far more than a dull lesson in religious education but his auteurism is marred by the boundaries of the subject matter. In case anyone is unfamiliar with the story, Noah (Russell Crowe) is a strong family man who receives a spiritual message from God, or The Creator as he is referred to throughout the film. He assumes the responsibility to build an ark to survive an almighty flood, preserve the planet and save it from human destruction. The slant on this version is that there is a villain of the piece Tubal-Cain (Ray Winstone), who wants to kill Noah and have the ark for himself and his army.
DVD review: A Long Way Down
Based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name, Brit-com ‘A Long Way Down’ takes a sideways glance at the morbid area of suicide but through the eyes of fairly likeable characters. Pascal Chaumeil directs the star-studded cast of Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots and Aaron Paul who portray lost souls in London and meet on New Year’s Eve at the top of a tower block, ready to throw themselves to their untimely deaths. Ridiculous in its premise, it becomes quite watchable as long as you don’t take it too seriously. The green screen work as they teeter on the edge is nicely crafted and generates decent suspense early on.
From the initial introductions, the narrative is cut into four slices, giving each character their piece of the pie and a back-story as to why they wound up becoming a member of the ‘Topper House Four’. Its all very fluffy and light-hearted for a film about such mixed up individuals, and bond developed between them is amusing but never quite reaches the big laughs you would hope for. It picks up when the gang of misfits take an unexpected holiday to soak up some sun and forget their troubles, trying the well worn idea best implemented in Sideways that you can run away from your surroundings but can’t escape yourself.
The casting is clever, especially Brosnan as disgraced morning telly personality Martin Sharp. He’s pompous, has a slimy charm and wears converse trainers in his fifties so Pierce seems to be the right man for the job. I also rather enjoyed the dialogue between Poots and Paul, the latter still reaping the buzz and benefits from his Breaking Bad role, his mysterious bad boy image working well for him as troubled pizza boy J.J. I actually think its one of Poots’ strongest roles, and the eccentric spoilt brat Jess whom she portrays brings the most laughs and best one liners to the table. Collette, despite having the darkest story, is probably the most forgettable. Rising star Joe Cole is brilliant for all of five minutes as Jess’ spaced out party-animal ex but unfortunately he doesn’t stick around.
The concept of the piece is an interesting one to digest but it treads too closely between humour and gloom without getting funny or sinister enough. Perhaps it’s a story that works better as a book than a film, as it might be easier to buy such an unbelievable story when you have to conjure up the images in your head of the complex personas involved. ‘A Long Way Down’ is a good bit of fun, if a little throwaway, and will leave you with a smile and no immediate urge to seek out the nearest tenement.
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DVD review: Under The Skin
Under The Skin is a daring envisioning of Michael Faber’s novel, following an alien seductress that goes by the name of Laura, played by Scarlett Johansson, roaming the grids of Glasgow preying on young men. Directed by Jonathan Glazer, whose wealth of experience in glossy ads and music videos is hugely evident in his striking visuals. It is only his third feature, and his first for about a decade, so it is interesting to see his style bleed through into a full-length film wrapped around a fully developed narrative. The haunting sci-fi thriller takes on themes human existence and is by no means easy viewing, leaving the viewer on edge for its entirety due to a deeply unsettling soundscape.
DVD review: Her
Set in the not so distant future, ‘Her’ blends science fiction with romantic-comedy and holds a mirror up to the possibilities of mobile technology. Screwball director Spike Jonze explores themes of love, friendship and artificial intelligence in utopian Los Angeles. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Theodore Twombly, a thirty-something divorcee who makes a living penning love letters for those with an inability to express their feelings, despite lacking confidence with women face-to-face himself. Lonely and raw from his separation from soul mate Catherine (Rooney Mara), he invests in an advanced operating system, who calls herself Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) for companionship and to compartmentalise his working and social calendar. As the OS expands its capabilities, Theodore’s relationship with Samantha develops, asking questions of modern-day romance and its requirements, be it technical or otherwise.
Despite being full of ideas and imagination, I struggled to connect with the central character, and felt slightly patronised and preached upon by the heavy topics raised. The ‘looks or personality’ quandary comes into play in an unorthodox manner as although Samantha has no physical presence, essentially ‘living in a computer’ as she puts it, she does have a personality and later has the mood swings and emotions that come with the ups and downs of a relationship. Without giving too much away, there’s a section where Samantha does arrange for a body to take on her persona and this presents an oddly intriguing threesome dynamic. It reminded me a lot of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror series which also predicted where technological enhancements would take us, but his effort was more effective and thought provoking due to its darker satirical approach.
I admired the ambition, and the film definitely looks the part, the idyllic location serving as a pleasant and interesting backdrop to Theodore’s story. However nice the aesthetics are, the problem lies in the unnatural conversations with Samantha which were cringe worthy at times, the attempts at humour, for me, missing the mark. This could be down to the fact that Johansson was brought into the project late on. Her voiceover was added in place of the unknown original which had been recorded in sync with Phoenix’s lines. In fairness, the recasting in some respects of Scarlett Johansson was a shrewd move. Because of her iconic good looks, her voice is easy to recognise and identify with, and this helps but I didn’t buy into the bond at all. It all still felt very naff and manufactured.
Joaquin Phoenix is no stranger to a complex lead role, so seemed an inspired choice to take on the introvert, Twombly. Unfortunately, he is outshone by his co-stars, even his computerised girlfriend. Rooney Mara is very impressive once again, in a similar role to her Social Network turn, but this time more assured. I could’ve done with seeing more of her character who represents the grounding reality in a world of dreamy ideals, though she steals the moments she appears in. The stand-out performance is Amy Adams as Theodore’s best friend, Amy. They relate through their desire to express themselves creatively, Theodore through his writing and Amy through documentary filmmaking. They are there for each other through their troubles, and the natural friendship plays out very fluidly.
‘Her’ has no shortage of invention but the outcome has mixed results. The slick cinematography works well with the subject matter, as does the soundtrack but it is let down by its feeble cracks at rom-com humour and sentiment. This creates an incoherent narrative and the film doesn’t appear to know quite what it wants to be, though it has no doubt of its own intelligence. If it had focussed on being an investigative sci-fi flick, I think there’s room for a more in-depth study and more challenging material for the experienced cast to tackle, thus giving itself the opportunity to fulfil its potential.
Cinema Perspective 