I think I may have fallen in love with Ryan Gosling all over again.
Aaaaaaaaand that is all I can say without MAJOR SPOILERS. Lets just say: surprisingly violent, interesting musical score that meant a half a star down from me being desperate to watch again, utterly engaging, and beautifully acted by all those involved - but especially Ryan Gosling and his smile.
So don't read the review below if you haven't seen the film, I'm not even going to put a synopsis up because I feel if I had known less about the plot I would have enjoyed it more.
***********************************************************************
I had a pretty good idea I was going to enjoy this film, didn't think I would become quite so hooked as I did which was really quite naive of me considering I have mentioned in past reviews about the power of Ryan Gosling. When that man smiles I smile. He is a beautiful actor and not just aesthetically, he hardly speaks at all in this film but even just saying 'hi' creates so much atmosphere.
The film did surprise me with the level of violence, though its 18 rating should have given me some clue. The juxtaposition of the calm beauty of his first and only kiss with Irene, with the Driver's brutal take down of the unnamed bad guy and the smashing of his skull had such power over me. I was lost in the moment, as Irene was too, then I saw a man's head disintegrate which brought me sharply back into the violence and reality of what has been happening.
I really loved that we never find out the name of the Driver. As with Kill Bill a lot of curiosity is created by not naming a person, making the audience question every move they make, how they came to be in this situation, and why the hell can they fight like that?! Evidently Driver has a dark past, living in a grey present, and has a potentially black future ahead of him. The shards of light in his present are of course in the form of a love interest, the lovely Irene played by the equally lovely Carey Mulligan.
Mulligan is a star in young British talent. Along with Emily Blunt she can do funny, romantic, and heartbreaking. She can also do a convincing American accent, and was in quite possibly my favourite Doctor Who episode ever - Blink. I loved Irene in this film, she was trapped in a marriage to a felon and she falls for the boy next door. The boy next door accidentally assists in the murder of her husband and reveals himself to be quite a capable killer himself - poor Irene. And yet, she still knocks on his door at the end though he tells her he will be gone, because she wants the boy next door for herself no matter what he has done. If a boy ever kisses me in an elevator like Gosling does and slows down time, even if he smashes in peoples skulls for a living I would still knock on his door....I think. I'll get back to you on that.
Ryan Gosling was quite simply extraordinary. He carries this film with broad shoulders and an understated brilliance. I just love him. Yep that's it, I love him, he acts well, he makes me smile, and was scary violent in this film.
The death scenes were vivid and shocking and actually seeing Christina Hendricks get her head blown off was awful. Where other directors would cut away from the scene to keep the rating down and therefore get a bigger theatre going audience, Nicolas Winding Refn keeps all the blood and gore in. It would look ridiculous if the tone of the film were not so dark, and I imagine arterial blood really does spurt like that.
The musical score was sometimes a little heavy handed, hence me not giving this film five stars. Music often indicates what is about to happen and I felt it sometimes gave the game away during this film.
Apart from this I loved the film, to the point I'm considering it to join my DVD shelf as a film to make people pause after they get past all the Disney movies and chick flicks.
Thursday 11 October 2012
Monday 8 October 2012
Looper ☆☆☆☆
Looper's are assassins in the past who take care of 'problems' sent back 30 years through a time travel device owned by the future mob. When their loop is closed its because they have, as per an agreement upon sign up, killed their own future self. This is where it gets tricky for our protagonist Joe whose future self decides this isn't what he wants and goes on the run.
That is all I'm going to say plot-wise because its all you need to know. I'll add a couple of spoiler notes at the end for those who have seen the film but I'm going to attempt a review that doesn't spoil the film!
The concept for the movie is interesting and well produced. It is the first truly original sci-fi film I've seen in a while, well, except for one element that is not exactly unique to my mind. Otherwise the idea of assassins from the past working for the mob in the future I certainly have never seen before. It also involves an extra sci-fi element of telekinesis that some of the population have, but it isn't some amazing gift but more of a cheap trick. That was a nice touch for the story, not making it a huge thing that being a 'TK' had radically changed the world.
I mostly enjoyed the storyline, it does get a bit disturbing for my taste at points though. It is really quite violent, much more so than I had anticipated. Now I am okay with violence so long as it isn't Saw-style I want to make the audience sick - this wasn't trying to make me sick. I think the parts that affected me most were ones where hands got shut in doors or broken, or the violence you didn't witness but had to let your imagination fill in the gap.
As for the acting, I thought it was superb from everyone involved. It takes a bit of time to get used to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's new nose and eyebrows but apart from that his and Bruce Willis's time travelling selves are a convincing pairing. Emily Blunt is fast becoming one of my favourite actresses and she plays her role very well with a decent American accent. I was pleasantly surprised to see Paul Dano in this movie who has failed to quite get the recognition he deserves, at least thats how I see it. He is an extraordinary actor who has been in the more indie side of Hollywood for a while but hopefully from this and his upcoming comedy Ruby Sparks he will start getting more centre-stage roles. Dano was part of one of the more disturbing elements of this film but he was, for me, one of the stand-outs of the whole movie.
The writer/director Rian Johnson previously made another of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's movies you must watch, Brick. He does not let the film slip out of his grasp and carefully blends the sci-fi with the human interest. I felt the balance was right between the two but I know that my friend felt there was too much focus on JGL and Blunt and not enough on Willis. Johnson has made a film that contributes something new to the sci-fi shelf, but it was the latter half of the film and the ending that has left me a little disappointed, much in the same way Duncan Jones' Source Code was so almost a five star film for me but the end left me annoyed enough to not want to see it again.
The scenery and the special effects however were fantastic. The future looks entirely bleak in parts but also there is colour and life, leaving you thinking this is probably how the world will end up if time travel, telekinesis and the mob start changing all the rules.
Undoubtedly original, exceptionally well acted, an interesting concept. It just didn't blow me away like I thought it would and disappointed me greatly in parts, which meant I cannot give it five stars, but it definitely deserved four.
*********************************************************************
Now, for MAJOR SPOILER time (I cannot stress enough to NOT read this before seeing the film):
So first on a positive note, though disturbing I thought the special effects of how the past shows up on the future selves was extraordinary, especially what happened to poor Seth whose decision to run and put his trust in Joe left him mutilated. It actually still makes me feel a little sick seeing his face collapse and his inability to speak meaning he must not have a tongue. Just horrific, but clever, and likely to appeal to many.
Like I said above I loved Blunt, when she runs scared from her own son to hide in a safe you realise quite how demonic that little boy is. Which leads me on to what disappointed me in this film.
Cid, the boy who is to become the rain-maker with his exceptional telekinesis, was too much of a Damien character. This was the part that was not unique, there have been many incarnations of the small child with too much power who gets hurt or wants to protect those around him and loses control. The kid who plays Cid was super cute and I had seen him in One Tree Hill previously, and he does very well frowning at the bad man come to kill him. It was just too disturbing that Joe's future self would go so far to kill children to stop the rain-maker from becoming a reality and allowing him to continue living with his wife. It was too selfish a motive.
And of course that is what young Joe realises and so stops Cid from losing his mother by killing himself, his young self. NO! Not what I wanted and not fair. Too sad, and far too confusing. As my friend put it the whole time travel, space-timey wimey ball makes no sense and leaves you with more questions than answers which just wasn't satisfying.
This film had put me through a lot and I wanted a happier ending than the one I was presented with. Maybe that is me just being a romantic but I can't help it, I never want to see JGL die. I wanted him to change the fate of himself and the world by killing Bruce Willis, moving in with Blunt, and raising Cid to be a decent human being who would put his TK skills to good use.
I'll end on a positive though. The part of the film that completely stood out for me was the life of Joe after he kills his future self, closing out his loop as was meant to be. The life he lives being such a waste for so many years, taking drugs and killing people. The transformation too from JGL to Willis was also great, the moments at the beginning where JGL looks in a mirror and notices his hairline is receding, Willis with his wig. Then Joe finally beginning to live life, falling in love and getting married. You can see why he feels so strongly about saving her and his life with her. I wanted more of that romance, but I guess what I was given was a man fighting to save it, which is romantic too even if the methods are not to my taste.
That is all I'm going to say plot-wise because its all you need to know. I'll add a couple of spoiler notes at the end for those who have seen the film but I'm going to attempt a review that doesn't spoil the film!
The concept for the movie is interesting and well produced. It is the first truly original sci-fi film I've seen in a while, well, except for one element that is not exactly unique to my mind. Otherwise the idea of assassins from the past working for the mob in the future I certainly have never seen before. It also involves an extra sci-fi element of telekinesis that some of the population have, but it isn't some amazing gift but more of a cheap trick. That was a nice touch for the story, not making it a huge thing that being a 'TK' had radically changed the world.
I mostly enjoyed the storyline, it does get a bit disturbing for my taste at points though. It is really quite violent, much more so than I had anticipated. Now I am okay with violence so long as it isn't Saw-style I want to make the audience sick - this wasn't trying to make me sick. I think the parts that affected me most were ones where hands got shut in doors or broken, or the violence you didn't witness but had to let your imagination fill in the gap.
As for the acting, I thought it was superb from everyone involved. It takes a bit of time to get used to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's new nose and eyebrows but apart from that his and Bruce Willis's time travelling selves are a convincing pairing. Emily Blunt is fast becoming one of my favourite actresses and she plays her role very well with a decent American accent. I was pleasantly surprised to see Paul Dano in this movie who has failed to quite get the recognition he deserves, at least thats how I see it. He is an extraordinary actor who has been in the more indie side of Hollywood for a while but hopefully from this and his upcoming comedy Ruby Sparks he will start getting more centre-stage roles. Dano was part of one of the more disturbing elements of this film but he was, for me, one of the stand-outs of the whole movie.
The writer/director Rian Johnson previously made another of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's movies you must watch, Brick. He does not let the film slip out of his grasp and carefully blends the sci-fi with the human interest. I felt the balance was right between the two but I know that my friend felt there was too much focus on JGL and Blunt and not enough on Willis. Johnson has made a film that contributes something new to the sci-fi shelf, but it was the latter half of the film and the ending that has left me a little disappointed, much in the same way Duncan Jones' Source Code was so almost a five star film for me but the end left me annoyed enough to not want to see it again.
The scenery and the special effects however were fantastic. The future looks entirely bleak in parts but also there is colour and life, leaving you thinking this is probably how the world will end up if time travel, telekinesis and the mob start changing all the rules.
Undoubtedly original, exceptionally well acted, an interesting concept. It just didn't blow me away like I thought it would and disappointed me greatly in parts, which meant I cannot give it five stars, but it definitely deserved four.
*********************************************************************
Now, for MAJOR SPOILER time (I cannot stress enough to NOT read this before seeing the film):
So first on a positive note, though disturbing I thought the special effects of how the past shows up on the future selves was extraordinary, especially what happened to poor Seth whose decision to run and put his trust in Joe left him mutilated. It actually still makes me feel a little sick seeing his face collapse and his inability to speak meaning he must not have a tongue. Just horrific, but clever, and likely to appeal to many.
Like I said above I loved Blunt, when she runs scared from her own son to hide in a safe you realise quite how demonic that little boy is. Which leads me on to what disappointed me in this film.
Cid, the boy who is to become the rain-maker with his exceptional telekinesis, was too much of a Damien character. This was the part that was not unique, there have been many incarnations of the small child with too much power who gets hurt or wants to protect those around him and loses control. The kid who plays Cid was super cute and I had seen him in One Tree Hill previously, and he does very well frowning at the bad man come to kill him. It was just too disturbing that Joe's future self would go so far to kill children to stop the rain-maker from becoming a reality and allowing him to continue living with his wife. It was too selfish a motive.
And of course that is what young Joe realises and so stops Cid from losing his mother by killing himself, his young self. NO! Not what I wanted and not fair. Too sad, and far too confusing. As my friend put it the whole time travel, space-timey wimey ball makes no sense and leaves you with more questions than answers which just wasn't satisfying.
This film had put me through a lot and I wanted a happier ending than the one I was presented with. Maybe that is me just being a romantic but I can't help it, I never want to see JGL die. I wanted him to change the fate of himself and the world by killing Bruce Willis, moving in with Blunt, and raising Cid to be a decent human being who would put his TK skills to good use.
I'll end on a positive though. The part of the film that completely stood out for me was the life of Joe after he kills his future self, closing out his loop as was meant to be. The life he lives being such a waste for so many years, taking drugs and killing people. The transformation too from JGL to Willis was also great, the moments at the beginning where JGL looks in a mirror and notices his hairline is receding, Willis with his wig. Then Joe finally beginning to live life, falling in love and getting married. You can see why he feels so strongly about saving her and his life with her. I wanted more of that romance, but I guess what I was given was a man fighting to save it, which is romantic too even if the methods are not to my taste.
Sunday 7 October 2012
The Cabin in the Woods ☆☆☆☆
This is one of those films I can't review without spoiling EVERYTHING because that was exactly how Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard intended it to be. So just to sum up I thought this slasher movie was innovative, well acted, interesting, and so gory I screamed into a cushion several times. It's a horror film for Whedonites, he is my god and to me everything he touches is golden.
I did go into hysterics once the film was over though, and I mean proper hysterics where you can't breathe properly for several minutes and laugh so hard it hurts your body without being overly sure what you are laughing at...
Now for my review with aforementioned SPOILERS.
Now I know many reviews gave this film one less star than I have, also friends of mine have mentioned that they thought it was 'ok but not the best'. As previously stated Joss Whedon is a god to me and I really appreciated his touch with this film. The humour was evident throughout and the bloodbath at the end was akin to the ridiculous edge that the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie had (which Whedon wrote as well as creating the iconic TV series).
Goddard on the other hand is most famous for writing Cloverfield but this is his first foray into directing. However you imagine Whedon was never far away for guidance, especially as he co-wrote the film with Goddard.
That said I thought the direction and writing were tightly woven, the film never lost focus and remained weird, funny and scary throughout.
Weird is the optimal word for this film because, let's be honest, it's bat shit crazy. Well produced madness, but completely nuts nonetheless. I enjoyed the blend of cliches from all 'college kids in the woods' movies and the innovative ideas behind the reality TV style production. It was like the Hunger Games really with the puppeteers pulling the strings like TV executives, worried about putting on a good show.But it also cannot be directly compared to the Hunger Games because, although humans were pulling the strings, the mysterious gods were the reason behind such an elaborate ritual sacrifice.
I think that is what stood out for me, that the slashing of these young people was to appease mysterious Titans that would rip the Earth apart if not sated by a blood offering. Also the manipulation of the kids (I know they are meant to be late teens/early twenties but 'kids' is quicker to describe them from now on) was brilliant, from infusing the blond hair dye of one of the girls with chemicals to make her stupid, to infecting the house and surroundings with pheromones and decision altering gases to prevent them being sensible and making the decisions viewers often scream at the idiots on the screen such as "DON'T SPLIT UP!"
I loved the group of college kids going off to the cabin, not just because of Thor (aka Chris Hemsworth) but also Fran Kranz and Jesse Williams (Greys Anatomy). To be honest at the beginning I was rooting for the boys to survive. And I forgive stoner Marty for putting himself before the Earth because he was a fantastic character, and I'm kind of in love with Fran Kranz...for those who have no idea who he is watch Dollhouse and I dare you not to fall for Topher Grace.
The fact is the college kids fall into every pitfall and cliche category possible.They carry on to the cabin even after meeting the scary as feck Mordecai, go into the cellar when it just bursts open, read the Latin poem that raises zombies from the dead (sorry they were murderous redneck zombies, totally different category). The zombie did scare the crap out of me, I was actually screaming into a cushion because they were pretty horrifying. But then Whedon does what he does best, and makes them funny. The zombie hand that Marty had dismembered with a trowel 'saves' Marty and Dana, which he praises as if it were a dog that has caught a stick.
I laughed a lot, and out loud. OK so I was watching this movie on my own in my house with a cushion to protect me so I was a bit more vocal than I would be in a cinema or if I was watching it with another human being. Nevertheless I still think I would have laughed, from that opening where Sitterson and Hadley are conversing about fertility treatments and what they are up to at the weekend and its suddenly comes up CABIN IN THE WOODS in startling red letters that fill the screen, to the bird of prey flying along after the college kids but gets disintegrated by the protective wall that encases the cabin in the woods, and even the bloodbath. Yes I laughed a LOT at the bloodbath. That may have been the hysterics kicking in, but it was just SO ridiculous and funny. More importantly it felt like it was on purpose. Amy Acker (Angel) being eaten by a giant...snake? Hadley being eaten by a longed for Merman, a cruel irony which he acknowledges before his death scream.
Sitterson and Hadley were the kinds of characters you do find yourself sort of rooting for. Just doing their jobs, but doing them well. Manipulating the kids into making bad decisions and just trying to not make the world end. Sitterson was played by Richard Jenkins who seems to get small parts in a great deal of films, but is probably best known for playing the dead father in Six Feet Under (you'd also recognise him from Dear John and Friends With Benefits). Hadley is played by Bradley Whitford who was in the West Wing (something I never watched), but I loved him in this film. He showed compassion for the kids, especially Dana. Though I particularly enjoyed his final, meaningful speech to his team being interrupted by the prospect of tequila and a big party.
Like Hadley I also began to root for Dana, she'd had her best friends head thrown at her by a zombie, seen her friend motorcycle into an electric wall of death (funniest death scene because you knew what was about to happen and they all still had so much hope), and a potential love interest be spiked through the neck whilst driving where she ends up in the lake, only to be met by the super scary zombie when she struggles out. Which is why I, though I didn't want him to die, felt I understood when Dana pulled a gun on Marty at Sigourney Weaver's behest (she gets great small, evil roles in movies now which is fab). She also is the one who works out what prompted the horrors of the redneck zombies, where the kids chose their deaths - another facet of this film that I really liked.
Apart from the humour, the horror, the script and direction, the best thing by far was the acting. Joss Whedon is lucky to have an arsenal of actors who fall over themselves to be part of his work, even if the role is tiny. Most important though everybody played it straight, no-one was in this movie thinking 'this is actually a bit of a spoof and a comment on horror cliches so I'm gonna ham it up' they were all serious about their roles. When Dana goes crazy in the cube of death you really feel for her because her connection with the crazy chainsaw guy in the next cube feels quite powerful. Then she decides everyone in this underground facility of horrors should get a taste of their own blood and you can't help going 'yeah you go girl'.
I enjoyed this film far more than I thought I would, which is most likely because I am a supreme wuss when it comes to horror so cannot compare it to a lot of other slasher movies. But it was also funny whilst being gory and horrific, and the humour wasn't from forced one-liners or deliberately funny scenes. No-one could say that a bloodbath is intended to be funny, but the design and the deaths were ridiculous enough for me to both squirm and laugh at the same time.
The end was a moment of brilliance and I think the cause of my (continuing) hysterical laughter. Marty and Dana sit sharing a spliff, wishing they could be witnesses to the apocalypse rather than just causing it, when a huge molten hand erupts from the earth to smash the cabin to bits. End.
I couldn't breathe for quite a while and the memory of it is making me tear in laughter once more. I don't know, maybe I'm just weird or too easily pleased? I guess I called myself the Friendly Film Fan for a reason, and I don't come much more friendly than when reviewing a film from Midas himself, Mr Joss Whedon.
I loved it. I laughed, I screamed. Its pretty much all I want from a horror film.
I did go into hysterics once the film was over though, and I mean proper hysterics where you can't breathe properly for several minutes and laugh so hard it hurts your body without being overly sure what you are laughing at...
Now for my review with aforementioned SPOILERS.
Now I know many reviews gave this film one less star than I have, also friends of mine have mentioned that they thought it was 'ok but not the best'. As previously stated Joss Whedon is a god to me and I really appreciated his touch with this film. The humour was evident throughout and the bloodbath at the end was akin to the ridiculous edge that the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie had (which Whedon wrote as well as creating the iconic TV series).
Goddard on the other hand is most famous for writing Cloverfield but this is his first foray into directing. However you imagine Whedon was never far away for guidance, especially as he co-wrote the film with Goddard.
That said I thought the direction and writing were tightly woven, the film never lost focus and remained weird, funny and scary throughout.
Weird is the optimal word for this film because, let's be honest, it's bat shit crazy. Well produced madness, but completely nuts nonetheless. I enjoyed the blend of cliches from all 'college kids in the woods' movies and the innovative ideas behind the reality TV style production. It was like the Hunger Games really with the puppeteers pulling the strings like TV executives, worried about putting on a good show.But it also cannot be directly compared to the Hunger Games because, although humans were pulling the strings, the mysterious gods were the reason behind such an elaborate ritual sacrifice.
I think that is what stood out for me, that the slashing of these young people was to appease mysterious Titans that would rip the Earth apart if not sated by a blood offering. Also the manipulation of the kids (I know they are meant to be late teens/early twenties but 'kids' is quicker to describe them from now on) was brilliant, from infusing the blond hair dye of one of the girls with chemicals to make her stupid, to infecting the house and surroundings with pheromones and decision altering gases to prevent them being sensible and making the decisions viewers often scream at the idiots on the screen such as "DON'T SPLIT UP!"
I loved the group of college kids going off to the cabin, not just because of Thor (aka Chris Hemsworth) but also Fran Kranz and Jesse Williams (Greys Anatomy). To be honest at the beginning I was rooting for the boys to survive. And I forgive stoner Marty for putting himself before the Earth because he was a fantastic character, and I'm kind of in love with Fran Kranz...for those who have no idea who he is watch Dollhouse and I dare you not to fall for Topher Grace.
The fact is the college kids fall into every pitfall and cliche category possible.They carry on to the cabin even after meeting the scary as feck Mordecai, go into the cellar when it just bursts open, read the Latin poem that raises zombies from the dead (sorry they were murderous redneck zombies, totally different category). The zombie did scare the crap out of me, I was actually screaming into a cushion because they were pretty horrifying. But then Whedon does what he does best, and makes them funny. The zombie hand that Marty had dismembered with a trowel 'saves' Marty and Dana, which he praises as if it were a dog that has caught a stick.
I laughed a lot, and out loud. OK so I was watching this movie on my own in my house with a cushion to protect me so I was a bit more vocal than I would be in a cinema or if I was watching it with another human being. Nevertheless I still think I would have laughed, from that opening where Sitterson and Hadley are conversing about fertility treatments and what they are up to at the weekend and its suddenly comes up CABIN IN THE WOODS in startling red letters that fill the screen, to the bird of prey flying along after the college kids but gets disintegrated by the protective wall that encases the cabin in the woods, and even the bloodbath. Yes I laughed a LOT at the bloodbath. That may have been the hysterics kicking in, but it was just SO ridiculous and funny. More importantly it felt like it was on purpose. Amy Acker (Angel) being eaten by a giant...snake? Hadley being eaten by a longed for Merman, a cruel irony which he acknowledges before his death scream.
Sitterson and Hadley were the kinds of characters you do find yourself sort of rooting for. Just doing their jobs, but doing them well. Manipulating the kids into making bad decisions and just trying to not make the world end. Sitterson was played by Richard Jenkins who seems to get small parts in a great deal of films, but is probably best known for playing the dead father in Six Feet Under (you'd also recognise him from Dear John and Friends With Benefits). Hadley is played by Bradley Whitford who was in the West Wing (something I never watched), but I loved him in this film. He showed compassion for the kids, especially Dana. Though I particularly enjoyed his final, meaningful speech to his team being interrupted by the prospect of tequila and a big party.
Like Hadley I also began to root for Dana, she'd had her best friends head thrown at her by a zombie, seen her friend motorcycle into an electric wall of death (funniest death scene because you knew what was about to happen and they all still had so much hope), and a potential love interest be spiked through the neck whilst driving where she ends up in the lake, only to be met by the super scary zombie when she struggles out. Which is why I, though I didn't want him to die, felt I understood when Dana pulled a gun on Marty at Sigourney Weaver's behest (she gets great small, evil roles in movies now which is fab). She also is the one who works out what prompted the horrors of the redneck zombies, where the kids chose their deaths - another facet of this film that I really liked.
Apart from the humour, the horror, the script and direction, the best thing by far was the acting. Joss Whedon is lucky to have an arsenal of actors who fall over themselves to be part of his work, even if the role is tiny. Most important though everybody played it straight, no-one was in this movie thinking 'this is actually a bit of a spoof and a comment on horror cliches so I'm gonna ham it up' they were all serious about their roles. When Dana goes crazy in the cube of death you really feel for her because her connection with the crazy chainsaw guy in the next cube feels quite powerful. Then she decides everyone in this underground facility of horrors should get a taste of their own blood and you can't help going 'yeah you go girl'.
I enjoyed this film far more than I thought I would, which is most likely because I am a supreme wuss when it comes to horror so cannot compare it to a lot of other slasher movies. But it was also funny whilst being gory and horrific, and the humour wasn't from forced one-liners or deliberately funny scenes. No-one could say that a bloodbath is intended to be funny, but the design and the deaths were ridiculous enough for me to both squirm and laugh at the same time.
The end was a moment of brilliance and I think the cause of my (continuing) hysterical laughter. Marty and Dana sit sharing a spliff, wishing they could be witnesses to the apocalypse rather than just causing it, when a huge molten hand erupts from the earth to smash the cabin to bits. End.
I couldn't breathe for quite a while and the memory of it is making me tear in laughter once more. I don't know, maybe I'm just weird or too easily pleased? I guess I called myself the Friendly Film Fan for a reason, and I don't come much more friendly than when reviewing a film from Midas himself, Mr Joss Whedon.
I loved it. I laughed, I screamed. Its pretty much all I want from a horror film.
Tuesday 2 October 2012
Untouchable ☆☆☆☆☆
Funniest film I have seen in YEARS.
The film is based upon the true story of a rich tetraplegic (paralysed from the neck down) and his rough'n'ready carer who comes from the council estate area of Paris. It follows the friendship that is created and the truly heart warming story of how these two figures from completely opposite ends of Paris come together and vastly improve each others lives.
So we have Driss, played by the simply gorgeous and extraordinary Omar Sy, who comes into wealthy Phillipe's life (played by Francois Cluzet who is a stalwart of French cinema) as a man who has just come from a six month stint in prison for robbery and needs a third job interview to turn him down so he can claim benefits from the State. Driss' unpitying attitude toward Phillipe intrigues the tetraplegic who decides to hire him as his carer to test if this young man can cope with having a job rather than claiming from the State. Most importantly, Driss made Phillipe laugh.
The story unfolds as Driss becomes a caring and focused individual, learning to work for his money (whilst dabbling in a little artistry) and Phillipe finds light and laughter where before he had been engulfed with pity.
This film is HILARIOUS with all the capitals. It finds humour in the most awful situation and, like the film makers themselves have said, it is very British in its comedy as it is very very dark. I'm not sure I have laughed at a joke about a disabled person without feeling a tiny bit guilty, but today I laughed so much my throat hurt from trying not to guffaw in the 7 person filled cinema.
The music too is wonderful, blending 70s Funk with classical masterpieces with ease as Driss and Phillipe introduce each other to their musical worlds. The dancing scene was particularly wonderful and unscripted, they just said to the cast 'do what you feel'. Boy does Omar Sy have some dance moves.
Most importantly though the chemistry between the two leads is phenomenal. Though Cluzet only has his head to move he acts with his entire body - par example he almost falls out of his chair but moves not a single iota and that was itself impressive, whilst also being laugh out loud funny. His eyes too are extraordinary, so expressive, which is something that can be lost in comedy when people are prat-falling across each other.
Omar Sy is just a beautiful man, incredibly funny, and heartbreaking too. I have found a new crush.
The story is incredible, and the fact that it is true lends itself more to the comedy rather than make you back away from laughing. It is refreshing to watch a film that wants you to laugh with the disability rather than at it.
This is truly one of the funniest and heartwarming films I have ever seen, and I'm still giggling from the memories it has given me.
The film is based upon the true story of a rich tetraplegic (paralysed from the neck down) and his rough'n'ready carer who comes from the council estate area of Paris. It follows the friendship that is created and the truly heart warming story of how these two figures from completely opposite ends of Paris come together and vastly improve each others lives.
So we have Driss, played by the simply gorgeous and extraordinary Omar Sy, who comes into wealthy Phillipe's life (played by Francois Cluzet who is a stalwart of French cinema) as a man who has just come from a six month stint in prison for robbery and needs a third job interview to turn him down so he can claim benefits from the State. Driss' unpitying attitude toward Phillipe intrigues the tetraplegic who decides to hire him as his carer to test if this young man can cope with having a job rather than claiming from the State. Most importantly, Driss made Phillipe laugh.
The story unfolds as Driss becomes a caring and focused individual, learning to work for his money (whilst dabbling in a little artistry) and Phillipe finds light and laughter where before he had been engulfed with pity.
This film is HILARIOUS with all the capitals. It finds humour in the most awful situation and, like the film makers themselves have said, it is very British in its comedy as it is very very dark. I'm not sure I have laughed at a joke about a disabled person without feeling a tiny bit guilty, but today I laughed so much my throat hurt from trying not to guffaw in the 7 person filled cinema.
The music too is wonderful, blending 70s Funk with classical masterpieces with ease as Driss and Phillipe introduce each other to their musical worlds. The dancing scene was particularly wonderful and unscripted, they just said to the cast 'do what you feel'. Boy does Omar Sy have some dance moves.
Most importantly though the chemistry between the two leads is phenomenal. Though Cluzet only has his head to move he acts with his entire body - par example he almost falls out of his chair but moves not a single iota and that was itself impressive, whilst also being laugh out loud funny. His eyes too are extraordinary, so expressive, which is something that can be lost in comedy when people are prat-falling across each other.
Omar Sy is just a beautiful man, incredibly funny, and heartbreaking too. I have found a new crush.
The story is incredible, and the fact that it is true lends itself more to the comedy rather than make you back away from laughing. It is refreshing to watch a film that wants you to laugh with the disability rather than at it.
This is truly one of the funniest and heartwarming films I have ever seen, and I'm still giggling from the memories it has given me.
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