Movieblaze

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, John Hamm. Pete Postlethwaite, Blake Lively, Chris Cooper, Titus Welliver

Director: Ben Affleck

Writer(s): Peter Craig, Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard, Chuck Hogan (novel)

Cinematography: Robert Elswit

Original Score: David Buckley, Harry Gregson-Williams

Running Time: 123 mins.

Consider for a minute Ben Affleck circa. 2003, Gigli marked what looked like the beginning of the end for a man once marked out as a big action star and a rather great writer (Armageddon and Good WIll Hunting) alas he made bad choice after bad choice, with flop after flop. Some salvation came during a supporting role in the little seen but rather great Hollywoodland and his reputation, if not star wattage, was on the rise again. Then out of left field Gone Baby Gone hit cinemas, directed by Ben and starring brother Casey it was the best film of that year by some way, made all the more pleasant a surprise given that Ben Affleck now looked to have found his true calling in the film world, something which left only one question…was Gone Baby Gone a one-off or was this only the tip of the iceberg.

With this in mind and hearing that his second film would be set in his beloved hometown of Boston once more and would concern bank robbers The Town looked to be a solid choice to over-come that difficult second film syndrome, though on the evidence of The Town I have a feeling Affleck’s eye for direction could easily stretch to whoever or wherever he chose to point the camera, of course it helps that with Boston he has personal ties and clearly knows the neighbourhood and its people and machinations inside out. Setting really is the only shared factor between Affleck’s two directorial efforts, showing the mark of a truly great director he confidently differentiates in visual style while retaining the same skill set that proved Gone Baby Gone to be so expertly made. The key difference this time round is that Affleck sr. has himself decided to take the lead role in front of the camera, a brave move that pays of dividends for he is as capable in front and centre as he is behind the scenes, reminding us why he was once a big star and should (on this evidence) most certainly continue to be.

Afflecks is a convincing and involving performance in a film that is full of them, on a base level this is a heist movie in the same mould as Michael Mann’s Heat, sharing many of that films beats it never glamourises any aspect of the characters lives, and like heat it is a story about relationships between law and order and crime and the implications of life growing up in Boston where bank and armoured car robbery is handed down from father to son, like any profession might be. Affleck’s Ray is one such man to inherit this unfortunate and dangerous profession, one that is seemingly becoming more any more dangerous by the job.

Add to this the complication of a hostage (taken against Ray’s wishes) whom he falls for when he is meant to be following her and you can see there are more than a few plot strands and relationship to balance over the course of two hours, and thats before Ive mentioned Blake Lively as a trailer trash single mum, Pete Postlethwaites florist/gangster and the police investigation led by Jon Hamm who proves himself to be a formidable acting talent and a worthy opponent for Affleck. The plot strands are woven through the familiar ”lead character wants to escape his life of crime after one last job” beat but escape the clichés bound to this by focusing on character and a constant, seemingly effortless, grounding in th reality of the situation helped by some of the years best and most intimate action scenes.

it would seem that Afflleck’s ample time spent following direction from old school style Kevin Smith has afforded him the ability to conjure great performances from some snappy dialogue, but more so in the action beats there is a strong sense of a toned down and much more attuned Michael Bay as the camera pans around characters and a car chase at the mid-point is dramatic, thrilling and ultimately cinematic without being grandstanding, this may sound gushing but the excellence from such a fledgling director is refreshing.

To find fault in The Town seems folly but there are one or two discrepancies, things that given the running time are unavoidable, many of the supporting characters are reduced to mere background details which is a shame given the calibre of a handful of them and inevitable some plot threads feel disregarded for a time while others take president but upon the conclusion they are all suitably wound up, not so much happily but within the realms of the events leading to that point and in a big budget studio film an original yet great ending is a luxury, particulary when it is preceeded by such an embarassment of riches in filmic terms.

VERDICT

Ben Affleck has done it again, a film that proves his chops as both one of the best directors around and an acting force that he once threatened to be, made good here. The Town is a heist film, and so much more proving that Gone Baby Gone was certainly no fluke…Oscar beckons if the omens are right.

Starring: Chris Messina. Logan Marshall, Geoffrey Arend, Bojana Novakovic, Jenny O’ Hara, Bokeem Woodbine 

Director: John Erik Dowdle

Writer(s): Brian Nelson, M. Night Shyamalan

Cinematography: Tak Fugimoto

Origianl Score: Fernando Velazquez

Running Time: 80 mins.

Across the pond there is rumour that the (actually rather good) trailer for Devil was met with groans and booing upon the arrival of M. Night Shyamalan’s name onscreen, a rather unfair response given that Devil sees Shyamalan returning to the genre he has quite frankly proved himself to be a master of, the supernatural thriller/horror. As The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs proved he is capable of truly great things and it is a shame that due to a downward spiral in quality and an unfortunate slip into self-indulgence he has churned out two downright stinkers, The Happening and The Last Airbender and one and a half misunderstood gems, The Lady in the Water and The Village (being the half), all of which seems to have resulted in a universal hatred for a man who was at one stage a Hollywood golden boy!

Alas cast aside those misgivings and prepare for a return to form for the twist-meister with the first all out horror he has produced and devised since The Sixth Sense, sharing that films growing sense of doom kudos must be given to Shyamalan for recognising this is not a film to be lavished with long scenes of conversation and character building, something which he excels at when seated in the director’s chair. Devil is part one of a proposed trilogy of Night Chronicles films, films that have been conceived and produced by Shyamalan which means that director duties fall to John Erik Dowdle of The Poughkeepsie Tapes and the unnecessary [Rec] remake, Quarantine. This may not sound like a recipe for success but believe me when I say that Devil proves to be one of the best horror thriller’s in some time.

Directed with efficiency by Dowdle it undoubtedly has Shyamalan’s fingerprints on each and every frame but replaces his ponderous direction with something much more urgent and snappy, exactly what the film needed. Set largely within the confines of an office block and its elevator shaft there are 5 strangers trapped, one of them is essentially the Devil. As the strangers attempt to control the fears they have and their suspicions about one another a police detective attempts to piece together what is happening, we know from the opening voice-over that demonic forces are at work but the beauty is in how the plot unfurls, not so much with originality (this really is pure B movie stuff when you boil it down) but through a combination of great direction, performance and some inspired visual flourishes.

That said, Devil is far from showy, we open with a landscape shot of Philadelphia (of course) zooming into an office block via the air vents, the twist being that the shot is upside down, giving a very strong air of foreboding coupled with what can only be described as an immersive experience, something that continues throughout as you feel the plight of those in the elevator Dowdle shoots in such a way that you feel like a fly on the wall enveloped in the ever mounting terror. Very little is seen (another Shyamalan staple) but a glimpsed face here, an eerie noise there and scenes taking place largely in the dark that usually precurse a death are really quite nail-biting, all leading to the expected twist(s) that don’t turn the film on it’s head, but reveal the machinations of an evil at work that scarily feels totally feasible.

VERDICT

Devil offers a return to genuinely creepy, nail-biting  horror, Shyamalan haters should repent as the man has conceived a superb and tight film that pushes all the right buttons thanks to some excellent direction by Dowdle, parts 2 and 3 of the Night Chronicles are a more than welcome prospect.

Starring: Chris Massoglia, Nathan Gamble, Ali Cobrin, Teri Polo, Haley Bennett, Bruce Dern 

Director: Joe Dante

Writer(s): Mark L. Smith

Cinematography: Theo van der Sande

Original Score: Javier Navarrete

Running Time: 92 Mins.

So while Sly Stallone harks back at the 80′s action genre and Oliver Stone takes us back to Wall Street, Joe Dante continues this year’s 80′s revival by returning to the genre he is most famous for, the family friendly horror film with a suburban setting, so after Gremlins, The Burbs and Small Soldiers, all hugely entertaining films and all deeply creepy in their own right. So it comes as little surprise that The Hole goes a long way to emulating his past successes which is a relief to all movie-lovers after he ventured into more mainstream territory and the bugbear of studio interference with Looney Tunes: Back In Action.

That The Hole isn’t preceded by a big studio name gives a lot of weight to the hope that it won’t follow the usual teens/kids making a discovery and overcoming them while mom/dad is away (see last years Aliens In The Attic for an example of this setup by-the-numbers) and I can happily report that while not quite breaking the mould it certainly pushes boundaries and all the right buttons to be adequately creepy, tellingly more so than in most of the gore-drenched horror output for “adults”, for example compare Billy the puppet from Saw, to a clown puppet in The Hole and you have a hands down winner in the clown!

Dante knows how to elicit likeable and realistic performances from child/teen actors and does so once more here, Massoglia and Cobrin and perfectly likeable but far from perfect and both endure hardship upon the film’s close that would unlikely be greenlit in a mainstream family film, taking in child abuse and death in a non-cloying way to make the film shocking enough but not at the cost of entertainment and pure enjoyment, this is a family caper lets not forget and it is in this balancing act that Dante is most successful, building the tension around the characters whilst building up the characters themselves, heck even the younger brother doesn’t prove to be irritating and cutesy, a minor triumph in itself.

All of this character work is hung around a very simple concept, there’s a hole in the basement of the kids new house, they join forces with the neighbour and open the hatch to the hole which then unleashes “something”, it is this something that is the conundrum of the film. Hardly a taxing proposition if you have seen the trailer but even if you guess to some extent what is going on the fright factor is persistent. Keeping things hidden, limiting it to a glimpse here, a drop of blood there, and creepy glimpses of that dreaded clown puppet, something which means that those with coulrophobia will undoubtedly find this the scariest film since Stephen King’s It prowled the screens.

Sadly all Dante’s hard work collapses when the hole is entered in the final 20 minutes, and what is down there is less scary and more disturbing in context while the set design reeks of low-budget, something which only proves to be an issue when a good idea is deemed in need of a bigger pay-off that doesn’t meld with the rest of the film. What is good about The Hole will likely be left slightly tarnished by this and the largely needless and gimmick laden 3D lavished upon these closing scenes, but do not let that put you of what is undoubtedly one of the creepiness 60 or so minutes you will spend in a cinema this year.

VERDICT

Scary, fun and well acted by a fledgling cast, The Hole is likely also one of the creepiest films you will see all year, then there’s that final 20 minutes..,. 

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Shelley Waggener

Director: Debra Granik

Writer(s): Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Daniel Woodrell (novel)

Cinematography: Michael McDonough

Original Score: Sickon Hinchcliffe

Running Time: 100 Mins.

Some films are so gritty, so harsh, you can’t help but get embroiled in the story, not so much because it is a compelling story but rather we are empathizing with the character’s plight, sucked into the world they inhabit, not that you’d want to live there but their tale is deeply gripping, involving and intimate. Winter’s Bone is undoubtedly one of “those” films, each frame smeared with authenticity and shot by a director with a keen eye for both cinematic and realistic visuals, Granik, not a well-known director shoots like the slightly shabbier sister of the Coen’s with winters bone calling to mind the slow burn intensity of No Country For Old Men though it owes a much larger debt to the likes of Deliverance and in particular The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Ree is a 17-year-old, yearning to join the army but burdened with caring for her young brother and sister owing to her mother’s comatose state and, much more pressing to the plot, the disappearance of their father however more important than finding him to act as a father figure is the need for him to turn up to a court date otherwise the families land and livelihood will be taken by bail bondsmen, cue Ree’s search for her father, a search which uncover’s secrets the Ozark community in which she resides to wish to keep hidden. A plight which see’s Ree spiral closer to something much more sinister than she expected…

This is a plot which in work-man-like hands could have produced a straight-forward thriller, one which may have pushed some buttons but not given the facets that mark Winter’s Bone out as something special, of course it helps to have an accomplished cast and Jennifer Lawrence in convincing as the determined and ultimately good mother figure to her brother and sister, not afraid to push buttons and anger all the wrong people, not for the truth about what happened to her father but simply for proof of his whereabouts to save her family home. It is the determination by Ree that keeps you on a knife’s edge for the film duration, pushing closer to a denouement that suggests we are heading for horror film territory in the most “real” sense.

This reality is wrought two-fold, firstly from the cast of look like far from film-stars, in fact it is as if a documentary film maker (albeit a very skilled and artistic one) was at work, creeping in and out of these people’s lives, the second and key point is the choice to shoot in real locations around the Ozark mountains, this is where the grime of fingerprints are to be found on every frame. Not since the original Texas Chainsaw film has a film looked this authentic yet still retain its (great) filmic qualities. Something which should be held as a benchmark in modern film-making, though if there were more films like this the difficulty is the dulling of those that are marked out as unique, and in that I would implore everyone to watch Winter’s Bone.

VERDICT

Winter’s Bone will pull you in and not let go until long after the credits roll, authentic and gripping you will share Ree’s (Jennifer Lawrence) plight until the bitter end.

Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan

Director: Adam McKay

Writer(s): Adam McKay, Chris Henchy

Cinematography: Oliver Wood

Original Score: Jon Brion

Running Time: 107 Mins.

Anchorman, Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, three films that all have three things in common, director/writer Adam McKay, star/writer Will Ferrell, and their status as some of the funniest comedies to have been produced in the last 10 years. Obviously of the three one of them sits head and shoulders above the other two as a bona fide classic but this is not to discredit the others as shining examples of the genre poking fun at a scenario without liberally tearing into it as to make it seem too spoof-like, so when you know that the same talent is behind The Other Guys you will be unsurprised to learn it is marked with the same stamp of comedic quality, alas it never really comes close to challenging the reigning champ as the duo’s best.

Opening with an action scene Michael Bay would be proud of, we see New York’s “hero cops”, Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson, take down some perps for a rather minor misdemeanour leaving millions of dollars worth of damage in their wake, not to worry though as this is their prerogative as those everyone else look up to, leaving the titular “other guys” to fill out the rather dull and beaurocratic paperwork. These pen-pushers are Ferrell’s Officer Hoitz (an auditor promoted out of the basement) and Wahlberg’s Gamble (demoted to desk work after an accidental shooting of a baseball star), one is happy with his lot whilst the other yearns to get back on the beat, suffice to say it’s not long before Gamble’s dream comes true as the hero cops bow out early…

Johnson and Jackson are at the tip of the films comedic iceberg, and while the laughs don’t necessarily get bigger they certainly become more regular as the rather (intentionally?) convoluted plot leads Hoitz and Gamble around New York via a hilarious but very brief trip to Las Vegas giving the relationship between the mis-matched pair given the time and space needed for their characters to feel rounded and not just comedy foils. It may well come as a shock to know that Ferrell all but erases his man-child act that all too often sees him overplay a little bit too much and leaves Wahlberg with as many, if not more, crazy moments that provide the real belly laughs, it has to be said that it is refreshing to see a double act that doesn’t simply reduce one of the two down to the straight guy and in this sense The Other Guys is unexpectedly subversive and original.

As the villains (Ray Stevenson and Steve Coogan) scheme unfolds the end draws near and the pace slows a little too much allowing time for a handful of rather needless scenes, notably those involving the central pair’s love interests, but just as yout brain may start to wander there will be another jolt of funny right around the corner with the support cast ably backing up Ferrell and Wahlberg, however it is Michael Keaton as their boss who comes out with the best lines, even if they are all TLC lyrics. As is typical of McKay and Ferrell some of the running jokes hit in a big way while others miss the mark after the second run-through but this is a nominal casualty in the comedy genre and one that is destined to never fully be resolved!

The main issue I took with The Other Guys was the rival team up opposing Hoitz and Gamble, Rob Riggle and Damon Wayans prove to be just far too annoying to be funny, something which Riggle particularly seems to be cursed with in all his roles. This though is not problem enough to deter from the positives exuded by all others involved for McKay and Ferrell have once again managed to tread that fine line between comedy and spoof, one on which a comedy can live of die, suffice to say The Other Guys well and truly lives as well as living up to the duo’s previous films slotting in there between Talladega Nights and Step Brothers.

VERDICT

Keeping up the quality and reputation of a good film-making partnership is not easy, especially on the comedy circuit, all of which means I can say with great pleasure that with The Other Guys they have achieved a quartet of great comedies…though Anchorman still remains the crowning glory.

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Scout Taylor Compton, Stella Maeve, Alia Shawkat

Director: Floria Sigismondi

Writer(s): Floria Sigismondi, Cherie Currie (novel)

Cinematography: Benoit Debie

Original Score/Music: The Runaways, Various 

Running Time: 106 Mins.

Rock biopic’s are nothing new, from The Doors to Walk the Line you know the score, singer/band is discovered, usually overcoming insurmountable odds and hit a couple of bumps on the road to uber-success with the filmic version of said stories usually choosing the potent combination of sex, drugs and rock’n'roll as a third act to heighten the dramatic elements before finally seeing the singer/band come right in the end with eventual success to provide said film with a (relatively) happy ending. The Runaways, unsurprisingly, follows this formula to a T though it does so with a little spark and a trio of great performances.

What The Runaways likely won’t have is the same level of interest as many other biopic’s given that as a band they were only together for 4 years, and add to that the fact that they never truly made the same kind of long-lasting appealing that would leave their names (band or solo artists) seared into worldwide public consciousness as say Johnny Cash, The Sex Pistols or Jim Morrison have been. As a byproduct of this their musical output is likely only going to be recognisable to big fans of the 70′s rock/punk movement or, more obviously, those who lived through the period. This somewhat clashes with the casting of Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, both current hot young things that have a predominantly teenage fan base brought up on Twilight and Radiohead, something which will leave a mixed target audience and cries of Joan who? or Kristen who? … delete as applicable!

This problem will likely only be an issue for the money men as The Runaways is as likely to flop here as it did in America purely for that reason, mixed marketing, which is a great shame as Kristen Stewart’s Twi-hard fans could learn a lot from The Runaways, not least how to make a film that has actual acting and some excellent direction.

Shot with the grain of a 70′s film, imagine The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s cinematography and you will understand, we open on a drop of blood falling from Dakota Fanning as she has her first period, somewhat shocking and wholly unexpected it’s a fair representation of whats to come, raw girl power before The Spice Girls arrived and made it palatable for the masses. Joan Jett (Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Fanning) were figures for female empowerment long before the world of po music got hold of them and neutered them down to what they ultimately didn’t want to be, sex symbols.

The introduction’s to Currie and Jett are brief, all the boxes are ticked, troubled childhood, weak or no parent role models and a disregard for the opposite sex the bordered on disgust, the thing was these were young girls (15 and 16) and it is that that manager and producer Kim Fowley (masterfully played by Michael Shannon) uses in crafting what he cites as the worlds first all girl rock’n'roll band, initially allowing their independent wiles to shine through before ultimately clashing as they see through his get rich scheme, in the end as with all music it boils down to the age old question of “do you sell out for the money?” and in this instance, as with most, the sparks fly as fast as the clichés.

Overlook the inevitable plotting though and savour Shannon, Fanning and in particular Stewart who once again proves she can do more than pout and sulk, while Fanning slowly makes the ascension from child actress to a fully fledged leading lady, and based on this evidence she is more than capable of both heading up a strong cast and standing out as the fine actress she was destined to be. Add to this some great singing courtesy of the lead pair and it makes for an entertaining and involving drama, even if you have a clue who Joan or Kristen are!

VERDICT

The Runaways was never going to be a smash hit, but that shouldn’t deter anyone from seeing it for some good flourishes in both direction and performance, even if you haven’t a clue who those involved in front or behind the camera are!

Starring: Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Bill Camp, Dominic Cooper, Luke Evans 

Director: Stephen Frears

Writer(s): Moira Buffini, Posy Simmonds (graphic novel)

Cinematography: Ben Davis

Original Score: Alexandre Desplat

Running Time: 111 Mins.

A comedy by Stephen Frears, really a comedy? If Tamara Drewe is predominantly a comedy I couldn’t find more than 2 titters in between the lazy and rather dull plotting that consists mostly of drama focused around the title character’s love affairs. I’m fully aware that comedy is more often than not universal, an acquired taste and to each his own I say but the comedy (or attempts at) here all revolve around the tired and rather clichéd big city girl in the country kind that are aimed at us middle class Brits, something which suggests that expectations have well and truly been lowered since the likes of Four Weddings and a Funeral meaning on a comedic level Frears has failed and at a drama level he has failed even more dramatically rendering each character (caricature?) rendered dull and lifeless, quite some feat considering the capable cast at his disposal.

Gemma Arterton has proven time after time that she is both a good actress and a charming screen presence, the ultimate movie star tools, which begs the question as to why she keeps turning up in dross like this. As the central character you would expect Arterton to dominate the film in a good way but alas she seems there to simply act as a catalyst for the rest of the stock characters, which means, this being a small village set film and all, that we have the busy-body, the sleazy writer, the harried house-wife, the hunky handyman and the inevitable fish-out-of-water rocker!

This kind of character roster is not a precursor for a dull film, quite the opposite, it could all add up for a fun romp, clichéd maybe but funny none-the-less. As it is Frears seems unsure what to do with the strange source material (a graphic novel that appeared in episodes in The Guardian), maybe this is why the characters are so broadly and lifelessly drawn with only Dominic Cooper apparently “getting” the tone that the whole production should have been pitched at. Plot wise the episodic structure shines through, there is little doubt that much like Frear’s last big release (The Queen) Tamara Drewe would be much better at home with a Sunday night slot though even that would likely prove too lively for the bereft run of non-activity.

Not a big fan of the British film scene as a whole, one which largely churns out kitchen sink (Mike Leigh) style dramas or fumbling Brit-coms that used to star Hugh Grant but thankfully seemed to have dried up in favour of something a great deal more witty (thank you Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright!). Tamara Drewe, on the basis of the trailer, want to reach for Richard Curtis heyday but as it is the director has other ideas using the basic point and shoot method to catch the milieu of a fictional small country village. Tone, it would seem, was Frear’s main problem as he forgot whether he wanted to ape Curtis or something less akin to Mike Leigh and more attuned to a less raunchy Footballer’s Wives, scandal in the hedgerows if you will!

Throughout there are strange hints at a misplaced darkness and it is only then that your interest is likely going to pique, but purely because it seems so out-of-place especially in the final 10 minutes as so much happens including a tragic death unsure whether it is being played for laughs as the victim is such a scumbag, or tragedy in the face of the revelations that come out as a result. Once again a rather dull and uneasy sequence tonally all over the place and leaving the wonderful Arterton with little to do but stand by and watch, much like the previous 100 minutes.

VERDICT

What should be a lighthearted and fun film is reduced to a dull and lifeless one that plods around unsure what it is trying to be, and all the while a the wonderful Gemma Arterton, as Tamara Drewe, is reduced to a spectator, in that sense I’m sure she would sympathise with us!

Starring: John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, Catherine Keener, Matt Walsh

Director(s): Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Writer(s): Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Cinematography: Jas Shelton

Original Score: Michael Andrews

Running Time: 91 mins.

This is it, mumblecore has made its way into the mass market, directors Jay and Mark Duplass are festival darlings having wowed critics with their low-key films The Puffy Chair and Baghead but here they have attracted the talents of John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, and just for good indie measure, Catherine Keener, the one thing that is likely going to double the takings for this film is the inclusion on frat-packer Jonah Hill, darling of the most recent crop of Apatow laugh-a-thons and quite frankly he is the most mis-leading ingredient in this oh-so-indie picture, downplaying to perfection with the rest of the cast do not enter Cyrus expecting the next Get Him To The Greek or Superbad for you will be in for a rather nasty shock.

As is the nature of mumblecore the actors are fed a very loose script and encouraged to improvise, not such much for comic effect (though naturally that comes given the right actors) but rather for realism and authenticity of a situation. The situation in point here being the simple setup of divorce John (Reilly) meeting the delectable and also single Molly (Tomei) at a party thrown by John’s ex-wife in order to a.) celebrate the impending wedding of said ex-wife and b.) to set John up with a new woman, predictably it’s not plain sailing and for a while (two days to be precise) John and Molly are all hunky-dory…enter stage left Molly’s grown up son Cyrus, suffice to say a battle of wits between Cyrus and John ensues for the attention of Molly.

If this sounds like a potential set-up for many hilarious set pieces, it isn’t, at least not in the hands of the Duplass brothers, down-played to the point where the comedy on comes spontaneously rather than from forced gags, intelligent maybe but it is likely going to prove a little too “subtle” for the majority. What is left to savour is the drama of this family dynamic, one which allows plenty of room for some great acting, and I don’t mean De Niro style method acting, rather the nuanced character led type that have become synonymous with the films of Noah Baumbach on a more commercial level, although many directors on the festival circuit take this approach.

None of the character’s are played for likeability, with a sense of realism again coming to the fore and it is in the scenes between Cyrus and John that both the biggest laughs and best acting is to be found, from Reilly this proves typical of a man who has continually proved his worth regardless of the material be it a Will Ferrell comedy, such as Step Brothers, or something more serious like Boogie Nights. From Hill it is surprising, not so much because of his resume but rather that he hasn’t had the chance to play it down or allow for character tics rather than much broader Apatow-esque humour, this is a welcome revelation and Cyrus is afforded a rounded personality, not likeable but not an all out cretin.

Where Cyrus falls on a base level is in the direction that remains low-key throughout but has a tendency to use the zoom-in jump cuts that have become common-place with low budget horror of late (The Last Exorcism/Paranormal Activity) something which here takes away rather than adds to scenes, it is a device that can build tension appropriately but when it is used in the course of normal conversation it’s like watching your friend with an unwieldy DV camera, not big or clever, and often robbing the dialogue of focus, not good when minds can easily wander in using this conversational and unfocused style of scripting.

VERDICT

Cyrus won’t be for everyone, and most will likely walk away having not got what they expected, while a handful will likely appreciate it for what it is mean’t to be, a character study of a dysfunctional (read “real”) relationship that has funny moments despite rather than because of the set-up.

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Sienna Guillory, Boris Kodjoe  

Director: Paul W. S. Anderson

Writer(s): Paul W. S. Anderson

Cinematography: Glen Macpherson

Original Score: Tomandandy

Running Time: 97 mins.

Resident Evil: Afterlife (can anyone tell the films apart?), is the fourth entry in the cash-cow franchise and the second Paul W.S. Anderson has directed following dropping back from only scripting and producing credits on parts 2 and 3, presumably the draw was simply the (much vaunted in the trailers) possibility of being the first film to follow Avatar in using the Cameron-Pace 3D camera, in other words this is the second full Real-D 3D film using the technologies Cameron himself claims were designed to give a film depth, ironically depth is something Resident Evil: Afterlife has no sign of in any shape or form.

Like a child with a new toy Anderson wields James Cameron’s 3D camera as a child would wield a gun, erratically and undisciplined, (which could for the sake of brevity describe the film as a whole), there is no denying some of the effects are well rendered in three dimensions but it is fast approaching the stage now where 3D gimmicks of blades, guns, bullets and blood flying at you out of the screen is becoming rather tired especially when the whole point of Cameron’s cameras was to stop the gimmick and focus on the so-called depth, clearly Anderson neglected to take heed of this as 3D or no 3D his settings are flat and lifeless.

Picking up from where the last episode left off two of the fundamental “plot developments” are written off in an extended and largely pointless action scene set in yet another faceless underground facility, so all the clone Alice’s are disposed of and the actual Alice is relieved of her previously gained super-human powers taking us right back to the start effectively, this in itself is not a bad thing but considering Anderson continues to basically retell the first film again and makes all the same mistakes you wonder why he bothered returning to direct, oh yes, to use the cameras!

The worst thing about Resident Evil: Afterlife, as with all the films, is that they neglect anything that made the games the success that they were, of the four film entries none have managed to be scary, thrilling or represent the characters of the games in such a way that they become either likeable or iconic, in fact quite the opposite, the lucky ones are forgettable (Chris and Claire Redfield, Miller and Larter) while Jovovich is dependably awful delivering lines that are robotic at best making her the single most dull and un-enigmatic heroine.

What should redeem a film based on a franchise famed for its zombies of all shapes and sizes is the realisation of said zombies, alas they prove totally lacking in threat en masse while the “bosses” pinched from the array of games which all have a different setting feel completely out-of-place in the futuristic world the films have been set within, only a fight in a shower block resonates mildly but come the inevitable death scene I had spent more time wondering why a character from a small gothic village setting had been placed in a futuristic prison complex, baffling and a damn waste!

Some may say that Resi films are all about the action, and for those who like endless post-Matrix slo-mo that seemed old 5 years ago you may find something to enjoy, anyone else will likely gasp a couple of times at the opening sequence (actually well directed and reminds you that Anderson is capable of good work, Event Horizon for one) then spend the next 90 mins checking their watch, this is surely a real problem when so many gimmicks are unable to hold your attention against the rehashed plot and just plain dull cast.

VERDICT

Unsurprisingly Resident Evil: Afterlife is, well, erratic and undisciplined, once again eschewing anything that made the game franchise good in favour of endless slo-mo…except this time it’s in 3D, presenting further proof, if it were needed, that an artist cannot blame his tools…

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate

Director: Nanette Burstein

Writer(s): Geoff LaTulippe

Cinematography: Eric Steelberg

Original Score: Mychael Danna

Running Time:

Chemistry, now there’s something you need to get right for a rom-com to work, if your leads don’t have it your up the creek without a paddle as they say. This is a problem Going the Distance overcomes from the off seeing as Barrymore and Long are an offscreen, on/off couple for real, something which works wonders for the film in the same way that Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel did in last year’s (500) Days of Summer, a film which Going the Distance clearly draws on. Alas it doesn’t quite have the same unique script or excellent direction something which marks it down as somewhat inferior, that said (500) Days of Summer is a rather high benchmark.

With this in mind, and when positioned against the glut of rom-com’s we see cluttering up cinema screens (Valentines Day, The Back Up Plan, Couples Retreat…zzzz), Going the Distance is still head and shoulders above them prving to be both consistently funny and romantic without resorting to schmaltzy and sickening lovey dovey scenes, in other words this is a fair representation of real relationships in a real world given a poignant but ultimately entertaining spin. This may seem a little trite but for me a rom-com is made or broken on that mantra and one which has seen the likes of (500) Days of Summer and The Last Kiss feature a some of my all time favourite films.

As with those two excellent examples Going the Distance takes a common problem not often tackled in relationships in film yet still retains the staple ingredients of your avergae rom-com, the first meet, the almost break-up, the collection of close friends, but in truth it is nailing each of these elements that will win an audience over, connecting through likeable characters and a believable script. As we all know Drew Barrymore has the girl-next-door vibe down to a T, shes the tomboy we all want especially when she unleashes that cackling dirty laugh while Long is an actor long overdue a big break, this won’t be it but it sure helps show why he deserves much more credit than he gets, as I said together the pair spark up[ some great chemistry and when they have to make the decisions that will take them miles apart hence the title) you will likely empathise yourself or fully embrace the plight as your own!

Thankfully while the plot itself keeps the couple apart for long stretches we are spared the dull stretches in-between with a plot that whizzes back and forth between an exquisitely photographed San Francisco and New York, the fairytale versions that all young couples yearn to live in, keeping the pair company sane for their solo time are the usual suspects, Long has his crazy, laddish but thoroughly great mates and Barrymore has her over-bearing but well-meaning sister, Christina Applegate as the sister comes across as something of a bitch which maybe the point but if there were a villain, she would be it, which surely was not the intention!

It is in these stock character’s that the film somewhat loses the indie credibility it seems to crave, something which doesn’t undermine the experience but rather makes for a mixed bag, thakfully though the central couple afe always on hand to add some truth to relationships (in the best possible way) in the movies where most fail.

VERDICT

Going The Distance is a mainstream rom-com that strives to be indie and fails on that count yet through this rises to be better than most other’s in the genre, largely thanks to the central pairing.