Once again this is a film I have been steeling myself to watch, this time not because of the disturbing factor, but because I am a massive wuss when it comes to blood and guts and gore. If it is gory (and not by Tarantino) I am more than likely to never watch it. So knowing full well the true story behind this film it has taken many months, a mute button, and the ability to fast forward for me to watch Danny Boyle's latest masterpiece.
I am a huge Danny Boyle fan (with the exception of The Beach), ever since I saw Trainspotting many years before I was actually legal to. Boyle does not shy away from tough stories, and uses his fair share of graphic violence, but I have never found it to be gratuitous, and yes I realise Tarantino is often gratuitous with his violence and gore but it is done with a huge smile. I think Boyle has an incredible ability to bring a new dimension to the genre of film he decides to make, his take on Science Fiction with Sunshine is so trippy you almost forget it is in space, and his version of a zombie film in 28 Days Later is scary but also thought provoking.
But I digress.
My real purpose here is of course to review 127 Hours, a film focused on a particularly traumatic and life affirming set of days of adventurer and generally reckless human being Aron Ralston. It is the true story of how his trip to Utah 'canyoneering' resulted in becoming trapped by a rock and having to cut his arm off in order to escape. I have seen him in interviews, know he is okay, and yet because this is real and actually happened I was a little unnerved right from the start.
I cannot fully comment on the actually cutting-the-arm-off soon as like I have previously stated, the mute and fast forward button were definitely my friends tonight. What I saw was so freaking realistic I did the whole girly squeal and jump around the room thing some people do when they see a spider. The rest of the film was kinda brilliant, not as good as Into The Wild (brilliant film starring Emile Hirsch), but perhaps that was because it did not have the amazing Alaskan landscape, though Utah is pretty stunning in the canyons.
The film stars James Franco (Spiderman, Pineapple Express) as Aron, and he does the detached selfish guy who is slightly nuts very well. From what I have heard Franco is quite an intense guy so you imagine he must have swallowed the script and studied the real Aron Ralston in minute detail. His performance was Oscar nod worthy but probably not winner material quite yet (last year was Colin Firth's turn, though it should have been for A Single Man not the Kings Speech). The intensity of the scenes trapped in the canyon make you yourself feel trapped, and I didn't for a second think "well its okay cos James Franco isn't really trapped by that rock" I mostly thought "hold on Aron!" Knowing his efforts to chip away at the rock, to raise it with a pulley system, or to shift it with his body weight are ultimately futile makes the film that much more intense.
The beginning of the film and Aron's meeting with two girls taking a walk through the canyon (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) is filled with so much life and laughter and beauty that you almost forget where this is going, and it is literally minutes after that the falling rock traps him. I was under the impression that there was going to be a lot of flash backs to Aron's life but actually there was less, but this worked to the films advantage. Had it been mostly of scenes prior to the event then you would almost forget about the situation he is actually in and concentrate on exactly how selfish he was before. The key to the film is Aron told nobody where he was going, which is why he spent over five days trapped in the canyons with only a small chance he would even be reported missing. Something that Amber Tamblyn's character says after they part ways with Aron is very important to his character prior to the event "I bet we didn't even factor into his day". And yet the memories and footage he has of the three of them keeps Aron's spirits up through the ordeal.
It is undoubtedly a very good film with a horrific few minutes of graphic arm cutting off. The performance of James Franco is to be applauded, and even the minor roles are played out well. But I think what truly makes this film is the visionary direction of Danny Boyle. The intense performance by Franco could only be so because it was filmed with several cameras from all directions in the small gap of the canyon. Then the flashes of memory mixed in with his reality show you a glimpse of Arons character and behaviour, unthinking and unable to grasp what you want from life is someone to share it with, be they friends, family or lovers.
It is a very cleverly made film; brilliant direction, fantastic performances, and a true story to boot. If you are squeamish I recommend seeing this the way I did and utilize the remote control, if not then be prepared for the most realistic limb removal of your life on screen. And never go anywhere without telling someone first.
Sunday 29 January 2012
Friday 27 January 2012
Hard Candy ☆☆☆☆
This is yet another film I have wanted to see for a while now, actually years as it was released in 2005, but put off because I thought it would be too disturbing. I am now of the firm belief that Buried has scarred me for life and will never find anything else disturbing again.
So, I braved Hard Candy. It stars Ellen Page (Juno, Inception) and Patrick Wilson (Phantom of the Opera, Watchmen) as a fourteen year old girl and the potential paedophile she is going to destroy.
Sandra Oh gets an appearance for a few minutes, but like all decent intensive dramas the focus is on the main characters with little interference from the outside world.
It begins 'innocently' enough with some Internet chat, then a meeting in a coffee shop where a very young and naive looking Page childishly flirts with a seemingly caring and almost harmless Wilson. Things go well enough that Page tells Wilson she feels safe enough to go to his place and listen to a bootleg of a band she adores and missed in concert because she was too young to be out that late. Then the real fun begins as Page turns things around on Wilson and becomes the one in charge, all part of her quest to destroy the man who has killed a young girl.
Ellen Page is extraordinary in this film, only probably 15 or 16 when she made it her youthful looks and and mature demeanour as fourteen year old Haley are in conflict as you try to take in her actions while she bounces around the screen. Her eyes are perhaps the most persuasive feature of her acting, they are completely dead at times in the most threatening way, and then they sparkle as she takes delight in making this man pay for his apparent crimes.
What I found truly clever about this movie is that I was left unsure if Wilson was actually guilty of anything for quite a while, and then to wonder if maybe it was just voyeurism without committing a physical crime. Patrick Wilson makes a very convincing wronged man, his fear and his confessions feel absolutely real, and a very small part of me for the briefest of moments veered toward feeling sorry for him. It was an exceptionally brief moment. But this is a testament to Wilsons acting ability, who I have never heard lauded in the sphere of film and television, and yet to be able to play this man so convincingly deserves a big pat on the back. He is possibly overlooked because of the outstanding performance by Ellen Page, of whom I was already a big fan of because of her work in Juno and Smart People.
This is not a slasher movie, it is an intense portrait of what SHOULD happen to predators on the internet, and a lesson for all who meet strangers. It reminded me of a recent Channel 4 documentary called talhotblond about the misrepresentation that can occur online and the sometimes tragic consequences from this, although Haley and Jeff are from the start explicit about their ages and identities...to a point.
You cannot help but cheer Page's little psycho on, and there is no doubt she is psychotic - but a vengeful and righteous one. There are twists and turns as you try to decipher who is in the wrong, and then a slow build of fear which culminates in one of the most satisfying endings I have seen for a while.
The acting is superb, the story is horrific but played out wonderfully, and the direction by Brit David Slade is akin to a horror film without the gore. It reminds me a lot of the rather wonderful and terrifying Misery, but in reverse where the bad guy is trapped and the good guy keeping him there.
I really enjoyed this, but like I said at the start, Buried may well have scarred me into not finding it quite so terrifying as I was lead to believe. It is scary, but also rather beautiful and poetic at the same time, a definite recommend.
So, I braved Hard Candy. It stars Ellen Page (Juno, Inception) and Patrick Wilson (Phantom of the Opera, Watchmen) as a fourteen year old girl and the potential paedophile she is going to destroy.
Sandra Oh gets an appearance for a few minutes, but like all decent intensive dramas the focus is on the main characters with little interference from the outside world.
It begins 'innocently' enough with some Internet chat, then a meeting in a coffee shop where a very young and naive looking Page childishly flirts with a seemingly caring and almost harmless Wilson. Things go well enough that Page tells Wilson she feels safe enough to go to his place and listen to a bootleg of a band she adores and missed in concert because she was too young to be out that late. Then the real fun begins as Page turns things around on Wilson and becomes the one in charge, all part of her quest to destroy the man who has killed a young girl.
Ellen Page is extraordinary in this film, only probably 15 or 16 when she made it her youthful looks and and mature demeanour as fourteen year old Haley are in conflict as you try to take in her actions while she bounces around the screen. Her eyes are perhaps the most persuasive feature of her acting, they are completely dead at times in the most threatening way, and then they sparkle as she takes delight in making this man pay for his apparent crimes.
What I found truly clever about this movie is that I was left unsure if Wilson was actually guilty of anything for quite a while, and then to wonder if maybe it was just voyeurism without committing a physical crime. Patrick Wilson makes a very convincing wronged man, his fear and his confessions feel absolutely real, and a very small part of me for the briefest of moments veered toward feeling sorry for him. It was an exceptionally brief moment. But this is a testament to Wilsons acting ability, who I have never heard lauded in the sphere of film and television, and yet to be able to play this man so convincingly deserves a big pat on the back. He is possibly overlooked because of the outstanding performance by Ellen Page, of whom I was already a big fan of because of her work in Juno and Smart People.
This is not a slasher movie, it is an intense portrait of what SHOULD happen to predators on the internet, and a lesson for all who meet strangers. It reminded me of a recent Channel 4 documentary called talhotblond about the misrepresentation that can occur online and the sometimes tragic consequences from this, although Haley and Jeff are from the start explicit about their ages and identities...to a point.
You cannot help but cheer Page's little psycho on, and there is no doubt she is psychotic - but a vengeful and righteous one. There are twists and turns as you try to decipher who is in the wrong, and then a slow build of fear which culminates in one of the most satisfying endings I have seen for a while.
The acting is superb, the story is horrific but played out wonderfully, and the direction by Brit David Slade is akin to a horror film without the gore. It reminds me a lot of the rather wonderful and terrifying Misery, but in reverse where the bad guy is trapped and the good guy keeping him there.
I really enjoyed this, but like I said at the start, Buried may well have scarred me into not finding it quite so terrifying as I was lead to believe. It is scary, but also rather beautiful and poetic at the same time, a definite recommend.
Monday 23 January 2012
Buried ☆☆☆☆
It has been a little over five minutes since Buried ended and I still feel sick. A film hasn't traumatised me so much in years. In fact I believe this is the worst I have ever felt after seeing a film.
This was, don't get me wrong, a fantastic piece of filmmaking. It is also a great showcase for the talent of Ryan Reynolds, whose career I have followed avidly since Two Guys, A Girl, and A Pizza place was continously repeated on the long forsaken channel Trouble. He is mesmerising, which is good because you see one other person in the entire 90 minutes and that is for a few seconds.
The concept for this film is Paul Conroy, an American truck driver working in Iraq, has been taken hostage and buried alive. He has on him a phone, lighter, canteen of alcohol, and an empty wallet.
From the beginning you are involved in Paul's experience, I watched this alone in a dark room and I think it affected me more because I was focussed on the screen entirely. My frustration was building as Paul's was, that he could not contact his family, that the people he made contact with were seemingly unhelpful and putting him on hold.
There are breakthroughs as he makes contact with the outside world, but also awful reminders of the evil that is out there who aren't holding you hostage. Corporations are not given any kind of decent lighting. Frankly it made me feel sick at times.
I know and agree with the policy not to negotiate with terrorists, it makes sense to me in the coldest of my blood that once one person is paid for you cannot help but pay for the rest, and many innocent people have died because of one groups desperation and the others firm stance on the subject. You should know then that there are only two outcomes for Paul in this film, one where he lives and one where he dies. I will not spoil the end, it is a traumatic concept whatever the outcome.
The way the film is shot is so unique, one man in a box, no cuts to his memories of life outside the box, just a man and his phone. Ryan Reynolds as I said before is brilliant, you absolutely believe he is trapped here, frightened and alone, doing the best he can to get out. The film is so cruel, as life in these situations often is, and there is one moment of gore that I could not look at. There was a particular few minutes that I was so scared I'm not sure I breathed properly, and that is owing to a certain phobia of mine crossed with the mild claustrophobia I sometimes experience.
The film is definitely a piece of genius, I have never experienced anything like it, nor do I want to ever again. It has left me overwhelmed and wanting a chick flick really badly. Luckily Ryan Reynolds has a whole back catalogue of those, along with two other serious films that should be seen, The Nines and Chaos Theory.
I'm off to see if Netflix has The Proposal.
This was, don't get me wrong, a fantastic piece of filmmaking. It is also a great showcase for the talent of Ryan Reynolds, whose career I have followed avidly since Two Guys, A Girl, and A Pizza place was continously repeated on the long forsaken channel Trouble. He is mesmerising, which is good because you see one other person in the entire 90 minutes and that is for a few seconds.
The concept for this film is Paul Conroy, an American truck driver working in Iraq, has been taken hostage and buried alive. He has on him a phone, lighter, canteen of alcohol, and an empty wallet.
From the beginning you are involved in Paul's experience, I watched this alone in a dark room and I think it affected me more because I was focussed on the screen entirely. My frustration was building as Paul's was, that he could not contact his family, that the people he made contact with were seemingly unhelpful and putting him on hold.
There are breakthroughs as he makes contact with the outside world, but also awful reminders of the evil that is out there who aren't holding you hostage. Corporations are not given any kind of decent lighting. Frankly it made me feel sick at times.
I know and agree with the policy not to negotiate with terrorists, it makes sense to me in the coldest of my blood that once one person is paid for you cannot help but pay for the rest, and many innocent people have died because of one groups desperation and the others firm stance on the subject. You should know then that there are only two outcomes for Paul in this film, one where he lives and one where he dies. I will not spoil the end, it is a traumatic concept whatever the outcome.
The way the film is shot is so unique, one man in a box, no cuts to his memories of life outside the box, just a man and his phone. Ryan Reynolds as I said before is brilliant, you absolutely believe he is trapped here, frightened and alone, doing the best he can to get out. The film is so cruel, as life in these situations often is, and there is one moment of gore that I could not look at. There was a particular few minutes that I was so scared I'm not sure I breathed properly, and that is owing to a certain phobia of mine crossed with the mild claustrophobia I sometimes experience.
The film is definitely a piece of genius, I have never experienced anything like it, nor do I want to ever again. It has left me overwhelmed and wanting a chick flick really badly. Luckily Ryan Reynolds has a whole back catalogue of those, along with two other serious films that should be seen, The Nines and Chaos Theory.
I'm off to see if Netflix has The Proposal.
Sunday 22 January 2012
Little White Lies ☆☆☆☆
I think I will carry on the theme this year of not putting a jokey sub heading in with the review, just as it normally takes up most of my time thinking of one!
This latest review is of a French film Le Petit Mouchoirs (Little White Lies), about a group of friends who go on their annual holiday despite their friend Ludo being involved in a near-fatal collision.
The film follows this group as secrets are told, lies created to hide the secret, and everyone pretends to be normal while actually coming apart at the seams. Marion Cotillard is most likely the face that brings in a wider European and World audience as she has starred in such films as Inception and won an Oscar a few years ago for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose. Cotillard plays Marie, a single filmmaker who spends many months of the year abroad, has brief relationships with men and women that she curtails before they have a chance to grow. Marie also is a former lover of Ludo, and so her grief at his accident is most prominent.
Among the rest of the friends are Max, the one who bankrolls the holiday each year and is now making comments about it, and spends the majority of the holiday hunting down the weasels in his dry wall and being a grumpy old man. The reason for Max's tense state is a secret he has been told by Vincent, another of the friends who like Max is married with small children. I won't reveal his secret as if you are likely to see this film it may ruin any atmosphere that is created by the revelation.
There are also the wives of Max and Vincent struggling with their own unhappiness and the lies they are forced to tell. Plus two men quite different from each other as one pines for a former love and the other seeks to ruin his relationship by any means.
The drama is built up well and the story is evenly laid out. There is no rush to the end as the 150 minute time count will tell you, but for the genre of essentially a family-drama it would be no good if it had been told in 90 minutes. Guillaume Canet (Love Me If You Dare, Last Night) wrote and directed this film with a steady hand upon the helm. There is no deviance from the idea that everybody is lying to each other, but nor are the lies so truly shocking (possibly with one exception) that it overwhelms the audience member. I was engrossed in the twisty lives of these people, and found them to be funny and tragic - a combination that is rare to achieve in filmmaking.
This reminded me of another French film called Summer Hours and starring Juliette Binoche. That was actually about a family and the complications of relationships within them, how to deal with the death of their matriarch and what would happen once she had gone, do they still come together as often or would they drift? This i think is a key part of Little White Lies, although Ludo appears briefly throughout it is clear he is the Patriarch of this family of friends, and his absence causes ripples of anxiety.
As the film plays out the drama intensifies in some lives while it subsides in others. There are happy conclusions amidst tragedy, and a real feeling of togetherness one could only hope for your friendship group. This is a genre the French excell at, and you cannot blame them for protecting their film industry as they do, because these films you would not want to be diluted by an American influence.
I really enjoyed this film and I think if you enjoy watching drama there is little to not like about this film. I only wish I could speak French.
This latest review is of a French film Le Petit Mouchoirs (Little White Lies), about a group of friends who go on their annual holiday despite their friend Ludo being involved in a near-fatal collision.
The film follows this group as secrets are told, lies created to hide the secret, and everyone pretends to be normal while actually coming apart at the seams. Marion Cotillard is most likely the face that brings in a wider European and World audience as she has starred in such films as Inception and won an Oscar a few years ago for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose. Cotillard plays Marie, a single filmmaker who spends many months of the year abroad, has brief relationships with men and women that she curtails before they have a chance to grow. Marie also is a former lover of Ludo, and so her grief at his accident is most prominent.
Among the rest of the friends are Max, the one who bankrolls the holiday each year and is now making comments about it, and spends the majority of the holiday hunting down the weasels in his dry wall and being a grumpy old man. The reason for Max's tense state is a secret he has been told by Vincent, another of the friends who like Max is married with small children. I won't reveal his secret as if you are likely to see this film it may ruin any atmosphere that is created by the revelation.
There are also the wives of Max and Vincent struggling with their own unhappiness and the lies they are forced to tell. Plus two men quite different from each other as one pines for a former love and the other seeks to ruin his relationship by any means.
The drama is built up well and the story is evenly laid out. There is no rush to the end as the 150 minute time count will tell you, but for the genre of essentially a family-drama it would be no good if it had been told in 90 minutes. Guillaume Canet (Love Me If You Dare, Last Night) wrote and directed this film with a steady hand upon the helm. There is no deviance from the idea that everybody is lying to each other, but nor are the lies so truly shocking (possibly with one exception) that it overwhelms the audience member. I was engrossed in the twisty lives of these people, and found them to be funny and tragic - a combination that is rare to achieve in filmmaking.
This reminded me of another French film called Summer Hours and starring Juliette Binoche. That was actually about a family and the complications of relationships within them, how to deal with the death of their matriarch and what would happen once she had gone, do they still come together as often or would they drift? This i think is a key part of Little White Lies, although Ludo appears briefly throughout it is clear he is the Patriarch of this family of friends, and his absence causes ripples of anxiety.
As the film plays out the drama intensifies in some lives while it subsides in others. There are happy conclusions amidst tragedy, and a real feeling of togetherness one could only hope for your friendship group. This is a genre the French excell at, and you cannot blame them for protecting their film industry as they do, because these films you would not want to be diluted by an American influence.
I really enjoyed this film and I think if you enjoy watching drama there is little to not like about this film. I only wish I could speak French.
Tuesday 10 January 2012
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo ☆☆☆☆
It is rare that I don't want to make up an amusing (if only to myself) sub-title for my review, but this film doesn't warrant any humour. Not that it means I hated it, quite the opposite in fact.
This is the English language adaptation of Steig Larssons bestseller. All three in the Millenium trilogy have already been made in the original Swedish, but as is the case now rather than badly dub the film and expect English speaking audiences to accept it, a remake is now the order of the day. As with the series Wallander the film stays in Sweden, with slight accents from the English speaking cast. You couldn't possibly have translated the story into the UK or USA, unlike the Danish series the Killing, and though I've been told the Swedish original is superior I wanted to see the English version so I could concentrate every ounce of my being on the action and not subtitles.
Rooney Mara (The Social Network) plays Lisbeth Salander, a girl who has had a rough life and is distrustful of people and their motives, sometimes with pinpoint accuracy and awful results. She is noticeably different, punk hair, piercings all over her face, and tattoos all over her body. But Lisbeth is a fantastic investigator, mostly due to her expert computer hacking skills, and makes a living from it with a reputable company run by Goran Visnjic (ER).
Daniel Craig (do I need to say it? OK then, James Bond) is Mikael Blomkvist, a recently disgraced journalist who has been called upon by Henrik Vanger, the patriach of a large and wealthy family, to investigate the disappearance of his niece almost forty years previously. And here our two protagonists' stories meet.
This is all I'm going to say storyline wise as I fear ruining it for those who read this and have not had the pleasure of the books or the film yet.
I have read the books and loved them, which is strange for a person who can normally only stomach books that have at least one element of the supernatural. The plot is gripping as you are sucked into this world of family feuds, murder, rape, and the quest for justice. The film lives up to the book and though I knew what was coming I still was tense and on the edge of my seat at the appropriate moments.
From the very beginning it is stylish and violent, and I recommend if you think you might miss the first few minutes to not bother and go see the next showing as you will miss one of the most creative opening credits with the best Zepplin cover I've heard (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kn7bgGd-Wk).
The music throughout is fitting to the tone of the film, it builds suspense and knocks you for six (just wait for Enya to pop up and you'll see what I mean).
The direction is tight, but with David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) at the helm it was never going to be anything but.
The casting is superb. Emma Stone officially has a rival in my actress crush in the shape of Rooney Mara - she is fearless and created exactly the Lisbeth Salander I had in my imagination. Daniel Craig too was fitting as Blomkvist and I was happy that he did not attempt an accent. The rest of the cast too were excellent, especially Stellan Skarsgaard (Mamma Mia) who seemed to relish his role as the brother of the missing girl.
I am looking forward to seeing the Swedish films, but I also am really hoping Fincher has the go ahead to make the rest of the trilogy because he has done such a fantastic job with this first film.
If you have read the book then I'm not sure there is much you could find wrong with this adaptation. If you have not read it then I recommend it anyway, just be prepared for graphic violence and sex, it is an 18 for a reason.
This is the English language adaptation of Steig Larssons bestseller. All three in the Millenium trilogy have already been made in the original Swedish, but as is the case now rather than badly dub the film and expect English speaking audiences to accept it, a remake is now the order of the day. As with the series Wallander the film stays in Sweden, with slight accents from the English speaking cast. You couldn't possibly have translated the story into the UK or USA, unlike the Danish series the Killing, and though I've been told the Swedish original is superior I wanted to see the English version so I could concentrate every ounce of my being on the action and not subtitles.
Rooney Mara (The Social Network) plays Lisbeth Salander, a girl who has had a rough life and is distrustful of people and their motives, sometimes with pinpoint accuracy and awful results. She is noticeably different, punk hair, piercings all over her face, and tattoos all over her body. But Lisbeth is a fantastic investigator, mostly due to her expert computer hacking skills, and makes a living from it with a reputable company run by Goran Visnjic (ER).
Daniel Craig (do I need to say it? OK then, James Bond) is Mikael Blomkvist, a recently disgraced journalist who has been called upon by Henrik Vanger, the patriach of a large and wealthy family, to investigate the disappearance of his niece almost forty years previously. And here our two protagonists' stories meet.
This is all I'm going to say storyline wise as I fear ruining it for those who read this and have not had the pleasure of the books or the film yet.
I have read the books and loved them, which is strange for a person who can normally only stomach books that have at least one element of the supernatural. The plot is gripping as you are sucked into this world of family feuds, murder, rape, and the quest for justice. The film lives up to the book and though I knew what was coming I still was tense and on the edge of my seat at the appropriate moments.
From the very beginning it is stylish and violent, and I recommend if you think you might miss the first few minutes to not bother and go see the next showing as you will miss one of the most creative opening credits with the best Zepplin cover I've heard (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kn7bgGd-Wk).
The music throughout is fitting to the tone of the film, it builds suspense and knocks you for six (just wait for Enya to pop up and you'll see what I mean).
The direction is tight, but with David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) at the helm it was never going to be anything but.
The casting is superb. Emma Stone officially has a rival in my actress crush in the shape of Rooney Mara - she is fearless and created exactly the Lisbeth Salander I had in my imagination. Daniel Craig too was fitting as Blomkvist and I was happy that he did not attempt an accent. The rest of the cast too were excellent, especially Stellan Skarsgaard (Mamma Mia) who seemed to relish his role as the brother of the missing girl.
I am looking forward to seeing the Swedish films, but I also am really hoping Fincher has the go ahead to make the rest of the trilogy because he has done such a fantastic job with this first film.
If you have read the book then I'm not sure there is much you could find wrong with this adaptation. If you have not read it then I recommend it anyway, just be prepared for graphic violence and sex, it is an 18 for a reason.
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