DVD & Digital

DVD review: This Is The End

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A comedy apocalypse film featuring a host of actors playing themselves. The premise for ‘This Is The End’ is ridiculous but somehow, it is genius. Based on the 2007 short ‘Jay and Seth Versus the Apocalypse’ by Jason Stone, this also stars Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel but is co-directed by Rogen and frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg who also worked on Superbad, Knocked Up and 50/50. When Jay visits Seth in LA, they are invited along to a housewarming bash thrown by James Franco, and although Jay doesn’t feel welcomed into the Hollywood scene, he reluctantly accepts. When disaster strikes, he and a selection of other guests including Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson are forced to stick together and ride it out with hilarious consequences.

Now when in a cinema in front of the latest comedy, it’s the norm to find parts incredibly funny, admiring the jokes and the delivery, though in recent years good comedies have been very few and far between. It is however unusual, for me personally anyway, to physically laugh consistently and at times uncontrollably, almost from start to finish. ‘This Is The End’ delivers in a big way, from its self-parodying gags to the deliberately shoddy CGI. There are, as expected, hordes of knob jokes and a lot of childish humour but the chemistry between the stars makes it extremely watchable. After the initial OTT burst of destruction in the opening third of the film, the focus changes to a survival theme, the gang gathering their resources and putting together a plan, rationing supplies of water, beer, hallucinogens and a Milky Way. They go on to discover that it is Judgement day, and only a show of sacrifice would allow them access to be ‘sucked up’ into heaven, leaving only the selfish egos of LA behind to die.

Rogen is as effortlessly fun as he always his, this time happily joining in with making fun of the typecast hash smoking roles and the ‘Seth Rogen laugh’ which have become synonymous with his work. His slowly flowing dialogue links nicely with the rest of the players, particularly James Franco, and this is built upon when they playfully discuss a Pineapple Express sequel. Baruchel takes the ‘straight man’ role, which is needed in the midst of the surrounding jokers and he gets it down to a tee. The rest of the cast runs off like an Apatow conveyor belt of names in the initially party scenes, Jonah Hill reuniting with Michael Cera and Christopher Mintz-Plasse for a brief, but fantastic segment. Jonah Hill is the stand out, taking centre stage in a comical Exorcist spoof sequence, though Robinson and McBride also provide bags of laughs. The bit part cameos recur and without giving anything away, a poster boy gives us his career best performance.

The more I think about ‘This Is The End’, the more I love it and I am still finding myself quietly chuckling over certain moments. I recommend this highly, but it is not for the easily offended and requires a certain mindset, so that the audience can take the film as seriously as those involved, which is not a lot at all, but that is not to say it has been taken lightly. Just when the Rogen/Goldberg writing bromance was thought to be running its course with recent hiccups such as The Green Hornet and The Watch failing to achieve the critical acclaim of their earlier pieces, they’re back again reminding us what they can do with the funniest film I’ve seen in years.

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DVD review: Now You See Me

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Magic is an art form that can work brilliantly intimately, and can be taken to a larger arena scale and still have the same effect. But to adapt it to film has proved tricky for director Louis Letterier in Now You See Me, where four magicians from different disciplines form ‘The Four Horsemen’. When they appear to rob a Parisian bank by magic, an FBI investigation begins led by Dylan Rhodes and as he follows their every move trying to bring them to justice, they always seem to be one step ahead. The battle of wits becomes over complicated, leaving no room for much needed character development. Even the Nolan-esque inclusions of veteran actors Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine couldn’t save the floundering plot, leaving it feeling too much like it wanted to be The Prestige but wasn’t smart enough to pull it off.
  The opening segment introducing each of the horsemen was nicely done, giving a little bit of background and showing us their individual areas of expertise where it be street magic, mentalism or escapism. There is a card trick shown early on which works well onscreen, performed by the smug Daniel Atlas, which showed a lot of promise from the outset but once the allegiance is formed, the magic is lost and none of the characters achieve any sense of likeability. The cat and mouse chase with the FBI livens it up boasting an acutely choreographed fight sequence but aside from this standout scene, the rest is a glossy mess with too many subplots. An unconvincing FBI romance is wedged in about halfway through, played out in a typical fashion and adding nothing to the key concept of the film, which on paper should really have made for a much more interesting story.
  For a film with such an impressive cast, it is a shame that none of the characters are given enough depth to be likeable. Jesse Eisenberg does another Zuckerberg turn as the cocky Daniel Atlas but where he was arrogant yet charismatic in The Social Network spitting quick witted dialogue, here his know-it-all front becomes irritating very quickly, possibly down to a much weaker script. Woody Harrelson is meant to be the comic relief as mentalist Merritt the Hermit, but offers only a few cheap laughs at most whereas Fisher and Franco are practically in the background making up the numbers. Morgan Freeman used to be a reliable force, and seeing his name attached to a project would nearly always make it watchable but his portrayal as Thaddeus Bradley is tired, as is Michael Caine’s performance as insurance magnate Arthur Tressler. It seems they were written in to offer some credibility to proceedings but neither cope particularly well in the muddled production. It is disappointing to see the big screen icons slumping into trash such as this, but it has been a recurring theme of late.
  Maybe the key to making good magic movies is to keep them light and fun, such as The Incredible Burt Wonderstone or even Mitchell and Webb’s effort, simply titled Magicians, which don’t take themselves seriously. ‘Now You See Me’ was perhaps too ambitious, cramming in elaborate tricks then explaining how they were done thereby losing the mystique and illusion, which you would imagine to be a vital component. In trying to show how intelligent it is, by unravelling the complexities to the viewer, it comes across more cocky than clever, much like the protagonists. As magic flicks go, it misses a trick.
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DVD review: The East

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TheEast
 Before writing ‘The East’, director Zal Batmanglij and star Brit Marling spent two months practicing freeganism for research purposes which they described as ‘eating discarded food in the pursuit of a moneyless existence’, going onto base the screenplay on their experiences. This dedication to filmmaking pays off hugely with a tense thriller which ask questions of the viewer, forcing morals under the microscope. Marling plays Sarah Moss, a former FBI agent who goes undercover for a private intelligence firm, immersing herself in the eponymous anti-consumerist terrorist organisation ‘The East’, who attack corporations in shocking stunts which they refer to as ‘jams’. Whilst in the cult den of the anarchists, she encounters leader Benji (Alexander Skarsgård) and Izzy (Ellen Page) who have ulterior motives behind their rebellious actions, as do most of the group, each of them with their own personal vendettas. The twisting narrative and biting script compliment each other, making it increasingly difficult to know who to root for but maintaining a strong interest in an engrossing plot.
  Moss represents another link in the recent chain of powerful female leads in both film and television, carrying the torch on for the likes of Zero Dark Thirty’s Maya and Homeland’s Carrie Mathison, though to me Moss has greater likeability. Like Maya, she  makes substantial sacrifices for her work but where Maya’s personal life and background are kept well hidden in ZD30, here we see the flipside to Moss’ lifestyle and the strain that her driven attitude puts on her relationship with her boyfriend. Also, where Carrie Mathison follows her investigation into terrorist activity, her judgement is often not to be trusted due to her bi-polar disorder whereas Moss acts almost as the moral compass to this piece, and as her mindset begins to sway off kilter, we as an audience go with her, or at least that was my perception. These factors combined, Moss is more worthy than her aforementioned predecessors and the emotional attachment to her character holds focus throughout, particularly in the sections behind enemy lines where she adapts to an unsettling new way of life, reminiscent of Elizabeth Olsen’s cult scenes in Martha Marcy May Marlene. The initially chilling clan cautiously welcome Moss but she earns there trust and becomes ‘one of them’, sharing tales with the key figures then sneakily feeding information to her employers, Hiller Brood, but as she becomes more involved forming close connections with her peers, her loyalties are put to the test.
  Marling works well with Batmanglij, this being their second collaboration after the successful Sound of my Voice in 2011. Her passion for the project is obvious, and is reflected in her glorious performance. Skarsgård and Page are equally good, his charismatic intensity and her punchy delivery perfect for their roles, and I particularly enjoyed Page’s creeping opening sequence voiceover which was used prominently in the trailers, sticking it to the man stating ‘you spy on us, we’ll spy on you, you poison us, we’ll poison you’, introducing the film with real style and bags of spirit. Even the supporting cast are up to the highest of standards with veteran Patricia Clarkson taking control in moments, displaying screen presence as the influential Paige Williams and British talent Toby Kebbell as Doc, an excellent asset to the cast and yet another interesting, well developed character with a suitably horrific back story. There are no bad parts, and no bad portrayals, a chemistry binding which shines through especially well in parts involving the core members of the ‘The East’ when their strength is challenged by a shocking catastrophe.
  For only his second feature sitting in the director’s chair, ‘The East’ is an ambitious film that offers something very different to the wash of unnecessary sequels bombarding screens this year. The vision of Batmanglij and Marling is at the forefront and their enthusiasm is exciting to watch, giving an extremely intelligent, yet alarming picture of the world we are living in today, packed into a twisting piece with characters that are so easy to care about. It’ll be intriguing to see what they do next because on the back of this, I don’t see why they wouldn’t want to work together again. A disconcerting indie gem pulled off with brilliant storytelling, ‘The East’ is low budget filmmaking at its best, with a top drawer cast and a hard hitting story that will stay with you long after the closing credits, evoking a darkly complicit nature to the controversial subject matter.
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DVD review: Breathe In

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Written and directed by Drake Doremus, ‘Breathe In’ muses over female lead Sophie (Felicity Jones), a British foreign exchange student with a passion for music, who moves in with a family in suburban New York. To the non-inquisitive eye, head of this family Keith (Guy Pearce) is living an idyllic existence with his loving wife and daughter, teaching piano as a day job whilst enjoying his cellist duties for a local orchestra. It soon appears that Keith is in mourning of his lost youth, having been forced to settle down too soon for the sake of his child. He stashes old band photographs in his desk and yearns for a chance to break free from his humdrum routine. So when Sophie, an attractive young musician enters the fray, he is inspired to pursue his previously disregarded ambitions.
  This is artistically shot, a dulled watercolour palette washing over us to create a shadowed setting, shrouded by missed opportunities, which seems separated from the real world. The orchestral soundtrack compliments the visuals, and is apt yet predictable given the subject matter and the vocations of our leads. The longing stare is used a little too frequently as a suspense builder as Keith and Sophie grow closer, and having adoringly studied Jones previously in Like Crazy, it poses the question if director Doremus himself wants to be the romantic male lead alongside the pale skinned beauty. In one scene, the two sit side-by-side playing the piano, and the direction felt all too obvious, and remarkably similar to a moment in Park Chan-Wook’s psychological take on the dysfunctional, Stoker, but unfortunately carried off with less conviction.
  Guy Pearce certainly looks the part as the middle-aged family man, wishing he was twenty years younger again, and he and Jones do what they can with a rather stilted script. An on-screen chemistry slowly presents itself but the surrounding plot lacks originality, fizzling out after the preliminary ‘will they, won’t they?’ opening third. Amy Ryan puts in a fine turn as Keith’s wife, Megan, satisfied with the quiet uninteresting lifestyle, collecting cookie jars and attending grown-up dinner parties, or gatherings. Mackenzie Davis fits in well as the OC-esque spoilt teenager, drinking too much and falling for the wrong boys. Her shallowness is a nice contrast with Sophie’s deeper, mysterious personality but Felicity Jones really only has to look good on camera for the most part and with Drake Doremus pulling the strings, she can do no wrong.
  ‘Breathe In’ feels very personal, and is gift-wrapped in pretty aesthetics. Well acted and dressed up in striking cinematography, it challenges the idealistic family set-up, presenting the conflict and fine lines between a middle aged man’s fantasy and reality, whilst also commenting on the importance of age gaps in relationships. It touches upon these topics and shows ambition, much like the central character, but resumes normality when the initial excitement runs out too soon.
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DVD review: The Liability

Garry Arnot1 Comment
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 ‘The Liability’ sees camera man Craig Viveiros take a seat in the director’s chair for the first time and he certainly wears his influences on his sleeve. Unsurprisingly, it is a joy to watch. After the young and reckless Adam (Jack O’Connell) writes off his Step Dad’s prized motor, he agrees to repay him by driving Roy (Tim Roth) on a routine job. As the carefully laid plans go awry, the pair are soon on an entirely different journey. As enjoyable as it is aesthetically, with slick cinematography, a striking use of colour and some cracking slow-mo sequences aided by an interesting soundtrack, it seems the direction lets it down in the final third, or essentially a lack of direction, as the plot lulls, failing to follow through the opening which promised so much.
  Beginning with a brutal murder, the thread of darkness originates in the opening frames and continues through to the final shots. This violent streak interweaves with humour in Tarantino-esque fashion, the tight witty script well suited to Tim Roth’s dulcet tones but as a Brit flick, the jokes could be said to be more aligned with the Guy Ritchie back catalogue than those of QT which matches O’Connell’s style perfectly. The balance is spot on as these two set out on their road trip, Roth’s Roy with an effortless smoothness, smoking Cubans and donning shades whereas driver Adam blasts urban music, chaotically chewing on Twix bars with an appealing naivety, soaking up the thought of the adventure but secretly overwhelmed by the reality of it. This is brought out exceptionally when at one point at the height of his terror he whines ‘I’m just a kid’. This visual juxtaposition between the two central characters is a real treat, as is the dialogue breezing along building suspense albeit slowly but creating a solid fountain to build on as the narrative develops. The story hops along frantically, taking a change of pace not unlike Ben Wheatley’s The Kill List, also set in the North of England, where the conventional gangster film goes surreal, as boss Peter’s murky world starts falling in around him reaching a somewhat predictable conclusion.
  The small cast perform as well as can be expected despite the characters feeling underdeveloped. Veterans Roth and Mullan are at ease in their roles, showing the vast experience they possess in the field of the smaller budget production, both also having taken director roles previously. Roth has this aura of attitude that is so easy to watch, perhaps playing off his associations with the big films that undoubtedly had a hand in the making of this such as Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. At times during certain driving scenes, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to turn the clock back twenty years and imagine Keitel behind the wheel alongside Roth, the on screen relationship with shades of White and Orange. O’Connell is the big talking point of the cast, unwilling to be overshadowed by the bigger names on the posters. He comes out firing on all cylinders as his characters so often do, playing an equally unhinged but perhaps more innocent version of Cook, the Skins character with who O’Connell made his name. With an impressive CV boasting roles in Harry Brown, The Weekender and Tower Block, get used to him because there will be a lot more to come. The disappointment of the cast is Kierston Wareing but through no fault of her own. She is perfect for the role of the gangster’s mistreated partner, having played similar roles to such a high standard in the past, most notably in Martina Cole adapted TV series’ The Take where she was superb as the long suffering wife of Tom Hardy. Sadly, here she is criminally underused, her character barely coming off the page it was written on.
  When the strong copycat blend of influences goes a little sour, the film is left with an aftertaste of unfulfillment, the characters lacking the depth and substance they deserve. The film is brave in its ambition and despite being somewhat one dimensional in the execution, it provides a lot of fun and exciting camera work. After all, the filmmaker is a cinematographer by trade. This is where it becomes clear that although Viveiros has a brilliant eye and an active imagination, his directorial vision falls short of those he aims to replicate but as a first outing, it is far from being unforgivable.

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DVD review: The Iceman

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the iceman
 ‘The Iceman’ tells the true story of mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski, based on the book ‘The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer’ by Philip Carlo. He is said to have murdered over one hundred people, mostly contract killings but some for pleasure or just because he could; all of which he kept hidden from his wife and two daughters, with whom he lived with up until his arrest in 1986. Michael Shannon stars as Kuklinski, alongside Winona Ryder as wife Deborah, and Ray Liotta as crime boss Roy DeMeo. The relatively unknown Ariel Vromen directs with a clear, yet unoriginal vision, the style brooding but slick, the violence bold and frequent, but does it stack up alongside the many gangster films that have come before it?
  To think a man can keep his dark line of work completely unnoticed from his loved ones suspends disbelief, which can lead us to forget we’re watching an adaptation of real events. Kuklinski initially balances life as a caring family man, and as an evil assassin with relative ease but the moments where his two lives bleed together lend the film its most memorable scenes. Notably, as the journey home from a family ice skating outing is interrupted by an argumentative foul mouthed motorist, Kuklinski sees red when his wife is threatened, showing a glimpse of his hidden persona, but not enough to garner suspicion of the true depth of his disturbed state of mind. The character study raises the question of whether or not he was truly mad. This is alluded to when he visits his jailbird brother, imprisoned for killing a little girl. Is the destructive sickening condition genetic, or brought on by an upbringing filled with ill-treatment and abuse? Instead of exploring these issues in full, ‘The Iceman’ choose a more conventional gangster film structure, a loose biopic stitched into familiar plot. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this, and as an addition to the heavily used genre, it is well above average.
  Borrowing from crime drama masters such as Scorsese and Mann, the violence is strong and bloody, but handled well and without overdoing it. A lot of visual contrast is effectively implemented, dark silhouettes in doorways of light, aesthetically representing the constant crossovers between his two facades. Due to the complex central character and Shannon’s portrayal, the story maintains a bubbling intensity throughout, and although the dialogue is less than wordy, and at times from Kuklinski, monosyllabic, when the tension boils over, it is a delight. Taking aspects from his troubled Boardwalk Empire character, Nelson Van Alden,  Michael Shannon steals every frame he is in, and furthers his reputation as a magnificent villain. Despite his questionable facial hair, he can be forever taken seriously in his role, chillingly dispatching of victims, earning the ambiguous title he was given by the media. The name coming partly for his unnerving expression, and partly for his trademark of freezing corpses only to dispose of bodies years later to prevent traces of his crimes. By the end, the deaths do become repetitive, but this maybe cleverly deliberate, showing that violence was a career choice for Kuklinski, the recurrence reflecting the day-to-day nature of his actions.
  Aside from the eponymous role, Ray Liotta reminds us how good he can be as organised crime boss DeMeo. Fondly remembered for his depiction of Henry Hill in Goodfellas, here he switches sides, taking on a role more closely associated with the De Niro or Pesci ‘made men’ figures in the Mafia. After a string of average turns in one dimensional parts, Liotta is back on form, as a conflicted leader, torn between his Mafioso principles and his loyalty to weak link foot soldier Josh (David Schwimmer) of whom he feels responsible, having raised him as if he was his own son. Also impressive is Chris Evans, as Mr Freezy, a manipulative killer who forms an alliance with Kuklinski, introducing him to the use of cyanide as well leading him to earn his nickname. Mr Freezy, as you may suspect, also kept his victims cold, using an ice cream van as cover, serving from a freezer with human remains stored under the sugary snacks. Leading the support cast in Kuklinski’s not-so-violent segments as his loving but utterly clueless wife is Winona Ryder who put in a decent performance but alongside her co-star she appears rather anonymous, as she buckles under Shannon’s screen presence. The two daughters also struggle under the weight of their father, serving as an annoyance but are nonetheless important to the development of the story.
  As a gangster flick, ‘The Iceman’ is entirely watchable. It may be predictable in where it ends up, but that does not take away from the path it takes to get there. The brutal killings are a joy, and the host of interesting side characters carry a lot of weight. Kuklinski is given a slight back story which could have been built upon, and although the character arc features a definitive beginning, middle and end, the potential is there to offer just a bit more if the character study was left to thaw a little longer. With Shannon, he’s shown he can do the multi-layered with past credits including Take Shelter and the aforementioned Boardwalk Empire, and we will soon see how he interprets the ‘superhero villain’ as the deadly General Zod in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Even if somewhat hollow in its investigation of the man, ‘The Iceman’ is carried out as immaculately as one of Kuklinski’s many executions.

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DVD review: The Great Hip Hop Hoax

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great hip hop hoax

 A fascinating and hilarious true story of two Scottish rappers who pretended to be American to pursue their dream to be the next big thing. Jeanie Finlay directs, documenting through interviews and shaky archive footage shot by the lads themselves. Back before the UK hip hop scene had taken off with the likes of Plan B, Dizzee Rascal and Wiley, Gavin McBain and Billy Boyd met at Dundee University and instantly formed a connection, however there was no room for Scottish hip hop – it wasn’t marketable. After a disastrous 2002 audition in London where they were stereotypically branded ‘the rapping Proclaimers’, they thought they had blown the big chance for a breakthrough into the industry. Months later, ‘for a laugh’, Boyd put on an American accent when trying to secure a gig claiming to be over from California to promote an EP and to his amazement, it worked. From then on, they were no longer Bill and Gav from Arbroath. They were Silibil n’ Brains from LA. ‘The Great Hip Hop Hoax’ takes us on their unique journey through the dizzy heights of Sony record deals and appearing on MTV, to the inevitable combustion, and carries it off with style, humour and most importantly honesty, creating an intriguing watch that has you questioning how on earth they pulled it off.

  What makes this piece so interesting is the lie that holds it all together, and this is what drew Jeanie Finlay to the project. To completely assume new identities for what was a number of years is astounding to the point that most guys lost sight of who they were and why they were doing it. The talking head segments from Billy’s fiancée, friends and the music moguls who were taken in by their creation are really key in shedding light on how dedicated they both were, never breaking character and even avoiding phonecalls from parents to maintain the new facades. The well developed new characters are also given wacky cartoon personas, the cleverly made zany animation offering a different aspect to the film. There is a great sense of authenticity running through the whole production, Billy and Gavin telling it how it was, ahead of the release of their new EP ‘Eat Your Brains’ which is available to download now on iTunes.

  After the screening, I had the pleasure of attending a Q&A session and after party with the director, Billy and Gavin, and it was staggering to see how driven they both still are. Perhaps Gavin more so than Billy as he has now settled down and had a couple of kids. Whilst performing at the after party, Silibil n’ Brains were as captivating as ever, now openly Scottish and proud but keeping up the Beastie Boys attitude and accents, spitting comedic lines to extremely catchy beats. Maybe they haven’t achieved what they set out to originally, but they are treated with respect now in the industry they longed to be a part of, having a lot of fun at the same time and ‘The Great Hip Hop Hoax’ documentary is a worthy account of the brilliant story.

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The Adjustment Bureau: Making a Philip K. of it

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Film Title: The Adjustment Bureau
It is never an easy feat to develop a book into a successful film, maybe because of one’s closer attachment with literature as you would spend longer with that medium. In saying that, the films adapted from the works of American novelist Philip K. Dick tend to go down well such as Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report which have all translated relatively well to the big screen. In 2005, Bourne screenwriter George Nolfi directed The Adjustment Bureau which is based, albeit loosely, on the short story The Adjustment Team. This was said to have been Dick’s ‘tunnel under the world’ themed tale in which our day-to-day existence is manipulated by an unknown higher power. His directorial debut, Nolfi clearly had a vision but it is a far cry from the complexities of Dick’s, taking the unique concept and running with it to Hollywood convention, squeezing a political action thriller and a rom-com into the mix, whilst trying to stay true to its science fiction origins.
  Matt Damon stars as reckless Brooklyn Congressman David Norris alongside Emily Blunt as aspiring dancer Elise Sellas. After failing in his run for United States Senate, David has a chance encounter with Elise and typically, it is love at first sight, which doesn’t bode well with the manipulative Adjustment Bureau. They have a set path for everyone, and watch over from city rooftops as the world goes by, stepping in to tweak as need be, to ensure the human race get the predetermined future they are meant to. For such a menacingly dark premise, there is room to explore the matters further on a cinematic format but instead The Adjustment Bureau plays it safe, which is enjoyable enough but doesn’t take advantage of the original notion.
  The romance angle feels forced and unconvincing despite the best efforts of the leads, and this true-love-conquers-all mentality dominates the plot, which leaves the interesting sci-fi stuff looking cool but underdeveloped. The poster tagline reads ‘Bourne meets Inception’ which instantly sets the production up for a fall as by trying to be the best of both, it never matches the quality of either. The action sequences are few and far between with David lacking the charisma of action man Jason Bourne and where Nolan’s dream delving narrative asked questions of its audience, here we are almost led through step-by-step with members of the secret society, explaining the twists as they come and go. When the feared Thompson is mentioned in hushed tones and introduced as villain of the piece, expectations rise but in walks Terence Stamp who looks like he would be more likely to offer David a Werther’s Original than to cause him any great torment. It promises so much and delivers little possibly due to the 12 certificate restriction.
  The Adjustment Bureau will, for me, go down as a wasted opportunity, as it fails to capitalise on the potential of Dick’s intriguing twisted conspiracy theory. With so many avenues to venture down, a television series or even a film trilogy probably could have offered enough hours to satisfy the idea rather than glossing over in a film that doesn’t do it justice.
DVD & Digital

DVD review: Mud

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mud

I have avoided the work of Matthew McConaughey in the past, his associations with romantic comedies have put me off to the point that when I see his name attached I tend not to show any interest at all, but as his career has since taken an expected twist, I was intrigued to see ‘Mud’, a story in which two young boys meet a dishevelled man living in a boat come tree house on a deserted island on the Mississippi Delta. Citing Mark Twain as an influence, writer director Jeff Nichols attempts the great American film where adolescent intrigue and curiosity steer the teenage friends Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) to meet Mud (Matthew McConaughey) befriending and assisting him, despite the ‘wanted’ posters in town bearing his face.
  Beginning as a Stand By Me-esque adventure tale, Ellis hopping on the back of Neckbone’s dirt bike for a summer of fun, romance at the forefront of the formers pubescent mind, and ‘titties’ on the agenda of the latter. The friendship is magnificent to watch, capturing the humour to a tee but with a genuine essence, and Ellis’ idealistic but naive notion of love holds the narrative together. Though the light-heartedness is short-lived, hinted at early on with symbolic shots of spiders and eerie suspenseful score. The cinematography sweeps us off to the ominous island, crucifixes in the sand leading to the suspenseful encounter with Mud, who with his dirty exterior and scraggy features earns his title. Striking a bond with Mud, going back to the island alone providing food and drink, Ellis escapes from his home life difficulties. His parents are in a turbulent marriage, he has an unrequited crush on the ‘popular one’ in the neighbourhood, and when Mud recounts his quest for happiness with Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) it triggers his true-love-must-prevail attitude which pits him against his family and the criminals searching for Mud.
  The performances in Mud are of the highest order throughout, with McConaughey delivering straight from the top drawer. Initially coming across as arrogant, and perhaps a little over confident, as his character develops, his past unravelling, the portrayal continually keeps up, climaxing with a gripping finale. Unwilling to be outshone completely are the two youngsters, Sheridan and Lofland, who are outstanding. It is the norm for these kind of performances to either seem overplayed, or rather flat but the two get the balance spot on, and I think their chemistry helps boost one another, both giving heartfelt, and at times hilarious. With Sam Shepard, Reese Witherspoon and usual Nichols collaborator Michael Shannon filling the back seat in supporting roles, the towering stature of the cast is undeniable. Shannon, for me, was a little underused, as I really enjoyed him in a less serious role, taking the part of Neckbone’s deep sea diving, womanising uncle, offering words of wisdom. It was also very interesting to see Witherspoon used with a different approach, a darker, beautifully trashy side shown, clashing with her customary ‘girl next door’ depictions.
  The only criticism I have of Mud is that it overstays its welcome somewhat, the pace dragging along through certain segments, the two hour ten minutes running time perhaps could have benefited with twenty or so shaved the sides. Despite lagging through the domestic scenes in Ellis’ broken home, which I felt were quite heavy handed, the script is at its best during the interchanges between Ellis, Neckbone and Mud, the dialogue exceptional with acting to boot, and it is the connections between these characters and between these three which are long lasting and pull you in, immersing us in their adventure.

4stars

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DVD review: The Look of Love

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the-look-of-love-steve-coogan-613

Having previously worked together on a number of projects, including ’24 Hour Party People’ and ‘A Cock and Bull Story’, the friendship between director Michael Winterbottom and leading man Steve Coogan is evident. The latest collaboration ‘The Look of Love’ displays this wholeheartedly, both clearly enjoying themselves in their representation of Soho’s seedy seventies backdrop, following porn mogul Paul Raymond , revolutionising the sex industry, whilst juggling relationships with wife Jean (Anna Friel), mistress Fiona (Tamsin Egerton) and beloved daughter Debra (Imogen Poots). This tale offers a glossy insight into his world, but without getting fully beneath the cracks.

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