As The Cult Den celebrates one of the most famous faces in film, I remember my five favourite Bruce Willis performances.
Looper
The most recent of my selections, Rian Johnson’s time travel flick ‘Looper’ was a mind-bending success. Set in 2044, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) plies his trade as an assassin picking off targets sent back in time. Confused? Bruce Willis plays an old Joe sent back to be killed by his younger self, which would in turn also mean his younger self would cease to exist. If you don’t want to think about it too much, you can at least enjoy the efforts of the make-up team transforming JGL into a young Willis.
Die Hard
When you think of Bruce Willis, there’s a good chance the first film you will think of is Die Hard. As officer John McClane, his far-fetched antics wowed audiences around the world and despite the varying success of the various sequels, it will always go down as one of his crowning moments. Yippee Ki Yay!
Armageddon
Who can forget Bruce Willis’ performance as Harry Stamper, the leader of the Freedom shuttle drill team? Michael Bay’s sci-fi disaster thriller was big, bold and ridiculous, as was the all-star cast. However, that takes nothing away from the powerful closing scenes which see Willis make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. What a hero!
The Sixth Sense
The surprise ending so publicised that it sort of failed to surprise anyone, Bruce Willis gave a memorable performance as child psychologist Dr Malcolm Crowe in M. Night Shyamalan’s supernatural chiller The Sixth Sense. When he meets nine year old patient Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), he tries to help him with his unusual problem, leading to the much parodied line ‘I see dead people’.
Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino’s crime epic quickly became a cult classic but sadly Bruce Willis’ part as boxer Butch Coolidge is often overlooked. In an famously structured non-linear narrative, his section entitled The Gold Watch is wedged in between tales of a dysfunctional contract killer duo but despite perhaps not being as iconic, for me it showcases Willis at his very best. When Butch double crosses the local mob boss, his carefully planned getaway plan goes sodomitically awry!
In the film production industry, big budgets are becoming increasing difficult to come by but not having the financial weight behind a project doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a weak film. Director Jeremy Saulnier sacrificed a lot to bring his revenge thriller Blue Ruin to fruition, and it is a clear example of successful small budget creativity. Macon Blair stars as dishevelled drifter Dwight who returns to his hometown to settle an old score with the Cleland family, raising the question of whether or not two wrongs make a right or in taking the law into your own hands, are you then equally to blame as the initial perpetrators?
The plot cleverly deconstructs the revenge genre in showing not only the vengeful act, but putting more emphasise on the repercussions of Dwight’s actions. The style of the film is extremely visually led, and is very light in dialogue. It refuses to spoon feed the story to the audience, and focuses on its lead character and his flawed morals. He gets around in a car even more worn out than he is; his baby blue battered Pontiac is the titular Blue Ruin. Where the anti-hero differs from the calculated killers we are used to seeing onscreen is that he goes about his ways so unconfidently and clumsily, reflected in the shaky-cam technique implemented as he stumbles around with his borrowed firearm.
On the shoestring budget Saulnier had to work with, no recognisable names are to be found in the cast list, but one familiar face as Buzz from Home Alone, Devin Ratray, makes a cameo appearance as Dwight’s gun-loving school friend Ben. The performances are understated and impressive, Blair commanding the screen, relying on an unhinged glazed stare to give an aura of unpredictability. There are some pacing issues, possible down to monetary restraints, and gaps in the story and filled with some aesthetically pleasing sequences that don’t add an awful lot to the film. At times, it appears more time is spent carefully ensuring that blue props are consistently used than there is telling the story. A scene involving garden sprinklers could be an ominous symbol in homage to surrealist filmmaker David Lynch who also famously creates thought provoking cinema and used the same method in his beguiling drama Blue Velvet.
Blue Ruin is a film that is not always entertaining, but always interesting and demonstrates craft at relatively low cost, making a monumental profit at the box office as a result. The sparingly used violence is well handled alongside the suspenseful score and solid acting, all cumulating in a very respectable genre movie that takes the common formula and distorts it to great effect, tackling larger themes of the justice system in the process.
From the guys that brought you Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express, This is the End…the list goes on and you know what to expect by now. This new wave of stoner comedy is producing films as thick and fast as the cheap knob-gags in Seth Rogen’s new comedy ‘Bad Neighbours’, or just simply ‘Neighbors’ in the US. Directed by Nicholas Stoller, the plot sees Rogen and Rose Byrne, as married couple Mac and Kelly, move into their first family home with newborn daughter, Stella. They have embraced their new ‘grown-up’ family lifestyle but still have the urge to party, so when a fraternity fronted by Zac Efron’s ringleader Teddy moves in next door, they are reminded of the carefree existence they used to have, leaving them less than impressed. This sets up a neighbourhood rivalry filled with jealousy, resentment and ridiculous pranks.
There is perhaps a little more going on than you’d expect from the Goldberg-Rogen pairing as ideas are raised around the changes in a young person’s life when they take on the responsibilities of parenthood. It’s like a delayed coming-of-age tale concerned with the transition into thirties rather than twenties. Does bringing a life into the world end the life of the parents, or a certain aspect of it at least? This theme runs through the film but is disguised by silliness that doesn’t quite get funny enough. The smaller jokes work best, and there are a few nicely written one-liners but laugh-out-loud moments are too few and far between.
Seth Rogen is on form playing essentially another version of himself, and his trademark laidback personality is as watchable as ever as he delivers his pop culture loaded dialogue. Rose Byrne is equally as good, and is a natural within the improvisational style associated with films of this ilk. Zac Efron also puts in a solid performance, and doesn’t seem out of his comfort zone among the experienced comedic actors. The usual faces crop up in the supporting cast, such as Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Dave Franco and to an extent, they fit their purpose but from the smaller parts, it is British rising star Craig Roberts who impresses the most as the laughing stock known as Assjuice. As the momentum dips around halfway, his cameo helps pick it back up again. His understated manner of black Brit-comedy finds an odd but pleasurable match with the bolder, eccentric Yiddish approach.
‘Bad Neighbours’ has a smartly written script and a great use of physical humour and because of this, it will slide in nicely amongst other films of its kind. By now, the aforementioned ‘guys that brought you…’ have finely tuned their target audience and know exactly which buttons to push to wedge a lot of sniggers and immature laughs into a neat 90 minute movie. There are moments when the film hints at a slight change in direction, showing signs of mature undertones, but then, right on cue, sneaks out for a crafty J when the boss isn’t watching.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
Cinema Perspective 