So many films seen in such a short period of time - here's the first of the reviews for them!
Los Angeles, late 1940s. Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) reigns as the gangster king, a rule of terror and corruption that the police force have put up with for too long. Sgt John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) is assigned a mission that Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) hopes will end Cohen once and for all: they will create the Gangster Squad...
What director Ruben Fleischer did for horror in Zombieland and the heist movie in 30 Seconds Or Less he tries to do with gangster films in Gangster Squad. When the title "Inspired By True Events" flashes up on the screen at the start one couldn't help but remember another classic gangster film based on true events, The Untouchables. That had Robert DeNero playing Al Capone, another real life gangster, just as this film does; sadly, it made me really want to watch The Untouchables, and towards the end, LA Confidential.
That is not to say the film is bad at all, but it is very much a case of style over substance. It's the kind of gangster film you'd show to someone watching their very first one. It has all the bare essentials: crooked cops, honest joes, stereotypical bad guys and a sexy dame to boot (Emma Stone, doing her best to play a Gilda type smoker but just not given enough screen time to create a decent chemistry). These bare essentials are just not given enough time to breathe and develop. You want to learn more about the characters because they are interesting - particularly Robert Patrick's ageing gunslinger-type cop and his relationship with Michael Pena's fan.
Brolin growls nicely but is overshadowed by the underplaying of Mireille Enos as his long suffering wife. Ryan Gosling also underacts superbly, giving a cool drifter vibe to the film that never takes over the picture. For full scene chewing, Sean Penn nails it as Cohen - his is a berserk character, dangerous and quiet, perhaps every so slightly insane. It's a wonderful interpretation, though again perhaps a little two dimensional.
The film looks fabulous, and this is where the true triumphs of the film lie. The scenery, the costumes (from Stone's gorgeous dresses to the men's suits), they all add together to create that period of the turning point in the 1940s. However, it's clear that quite a lot was done via computer, again one trick that you cannot accuse LA Confidential of.
The theme of war filters through the story; these gentlemen are all fighters, survivors of the Second World War, adrift in a city that has changed from ideal paradise to frightening hell. This is a world where Land is still on the Hollywood sign - things have to change. Cohen cannot be killed simply because his empire would still exist. These guys aren't fighting Nazis anymore; these are their own flesh and blood, and previously safe families and friends are now threatened. It's a nice touch but again you want it to go deeper into this war like theme.
Not a great film, but a decent starting point nonetheless.
7/10
Friday, 25 January 2013
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Oscar Predictions 2013
So, with the announcement of this year's Oscar nominations, the awards season truly is now about to kick off - the Golden Globes taking place on Sunday night being the first major date on the calendar.
There were a few surprises and quite a few obvious choices in the nominations this year. The one absentee, most notably, in the Oscar list is Skyfall, The Culture Section's Film of 2012. However, as with the Harry Potter franchise, this blog feels that the Bond franchise will never win a major Oscar such as Best Film. It was a slight shame not to see Javier Bardem nominated for Best Supporting Actor from it, however, as he has been in quite a few other lists. Still, the first prediction is that "Skyfall" the song by Adele has a very good chance of winning.
The Screenplay Prizes are anyone's guess - they are such a mixed bag of talents, genres and writers, a very good thing for the season we've had. It's nice to see the Indie hit of the year, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, up for a prize here, though one suspects Life Of Pi might just nail it in that particular category - the book was supposed to be unadaptable, after all.
Foreign Film - everyone's favourite has to be Amour, Michale Haneke's sensitive, heart breaking portrayal of old age that's won pretty much every prize it can including the Palme D'Or at Cannes last year. It could also be a very worthy winner of Original Screenplay.
There are five Animated films up for a gong this year; one of the surprises was to see Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists up there; sadly, it might just be there for Aardman's sake- it hasn't been nominated for any other award ceremonies. One would guess that Brave has the upper hand, though Frankenweenie could surprise people.
Best Supporting Actress - Everyone is saying Anne Hathaway, Anne Hathaway - in this blog's books, she would be a worthy winner, though her work in Les Miserables that she is nominated for is yet to be seen. Still, she would the fave to win.
The Best Supporting Actor is trickier to call - in fact, one could argue that these are the more genuine of acting awards, as they really are a mixed bag. If Lincoln is going to be the love in that people might predict, Tommy Lee Jones would need to win this one to get the ball rolling. However, this blog predicts that Robert DeNero will take the upper hand in this particular fight for Silver Linings Playbook.
There are five powerful men on the list for Director this year, Kathryn Bigelow a notable admission despite her latest film Bravo Two Zero being praised. Though Spielberg could win his third gong for his passion project, as seems to be the case for when he makes a passion project, The Culture Section picks Ang Lee as the winner for his work on Life Of Pi.
Though it is nice to see Hugh Jackman pick up a nod for Best Actor in Les Mis, the only name on people's lips for this category is Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln. Looking at stills and clips, you cannot blame them - this is a transformative performance, one such as Charlize Theron took on in Monster where the prosthetics, wig and make-up (a shoo in for win, by the way) only come alive because of the actor underneath it all. Daniel Day Lewis it is then.
One name has been banded about more than any other; Jennifer Lawrence. Her work in Silver Linings Playbook could guarantee her the Best Actress nod this year. However, she faces stiff competition with Emmanuelle Riva in Amour. Still, Lawrence just clinches it for this blog's choice.
Finally - Best Film. What a list to choose from. Lincoln is the blockbuster with the most nominations, yet we know that is never a guarantee of ultimate glory (case in point: Avatar, The Colour Purple) It would be nice for Les Mis to take the crown- the Academy is quite fond of a musical every now and again, and it's been at least ten years since Chicago won. Still, for pure spectacle and innovation, The Culture Section predicts that Life Of Pi will win the Best Film Oscar.
But what do I know?
There were a few surprises and quite a few obvious choices in the nominations this year. The one absentee, most notably, in the Oscar list is Skyfall, The Culture Section's Film of 2012. However, as with the Harry Potter franchise, this blog feels that the Bond franchise will never win a major Oscar such as Best Film. It was a slight shame not to see Javier Bardem nominated for Best Supporting Actor from it, however, as he has been in quite a few other lists. Still, the first prediction is that "Skyfall" the song by Adele has a very good chance of winning.
The Screenplay Prizes are anyone's guess - they are such a mixed bag of talents, genres and writers, a very good thing for the season we've had. It's nice to see the Indie hit of the year, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, up for a prize here, though one suspects Life Of Pi might just nail it in that particular category - the book was supposed to be unadaptable, after all.
Foreign Film - everyone's favourite has to be Amour, Michale Haneke's sensitive, heart breaking portrayal of old age that's won pretty much every prize it can including the Palme D'Or at Cannes last year. It could also be a very worthy winner of Original Screenplay.
There are five Animated films up for a gong this year; one of the surprises was to see Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists up there; sadly, it might just be there for Aardman's sake- it hasn't been nominated for any other award ceremonies. One would guess that Brave has the upper hand, though Frankenweenie could surprise people.
Best Supporting Actress - Everyone is saying Anne Hathaway, Anne Hathaway - in this blog's books, she would be a worthy winner, though her work in Les Miserables that she is nominated for is yet to be seen. Still, she would the fave to win.
The Best Supporting Actor is trickier to call - in fact, one could argue that these are the more genuine of acting awards, as they really are a mixed bag. If Lincoln is going to be the love in that people might predict, Tommy Lee Jones would need to win this one to get the ball rolling. However, this blog predicts that Robert DeNero will take the upper hand in this particular fight for Silver Linings Playbook.
There are five powerful men on the list for Director this year, Kathryn Bigelow a notable admission despite her latest film Bravo Two Zero being praised. Though Spielberg could win his third gong for his passion project, as seems to be the case for when he makes a passion project, The Culture Section picks Ang Lee as the winner for his work on Life Of Pi.
Though it is nice to see Hugh Jackman pick up a nod for Best Actor in Les Mis, the only name on people's lips for this category is Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln. Looking at stills and clips, you cannot blame them - this is a transformative performance, one such as Charlize Theron took on in Monster where the prosthetics, wig and make-up (a shoo in for win, by the way) only come alive because of the actor underneath it all. Daniel Day Lewis it is then.
One name has been banded about more than any other; Jennifer Lawrence. Her work in Silver Linings Playbook could guarantee her the Best Actress nod this year. However, she faces stiff competition with Emmanuelle Riva in Amour. Still, Lawrence just clinches it for this blog's choice.
Finally - Best Film. What a list to choose from. Lincoln is the blockbuster with the most nominations, yet we know that is never a guarantee of ultimate glory (case in point: Avatar, The Colour Purple) It would be nice for Les Mis to take the crown- the Academy is quite fond of a musical every now and again, and it's been at least ten years since Chicago won. Still, for pure spectacle and innovation, The Culture Section predicts that Life Of Pi will win the Best Film Oscar.
But what do I know?
Oscar Nominations 2013
A great deal of speculation is going to be headlined today by the announcement of this year's Oscar nominations.
I shall be making our annual predictions later today after the ceremony, presented by Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone takes place. That's after I stop laughing at MacFarlane's joy at being there and being slightly unprofessional at the gorgeous Miss Stone. Ahem.
I shall be making our annual predictions later today after the ceremony, presented by Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone takes place. That's after I stop laughing at MacFarlane's joy at being there and being slightly unprofessional at the gorgeous Miss Stone. Ahem.
Saturday, 5 January 2013
The Pirates In An Adventure With Scientists! Review
Shiver me timbers, pieces of eight and yah me hearties - the Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) is the most beloved pirate captain by all his crew: The Pirate With A Scarf (Martin Freeman), The Surprisingly Curvaecious Pirate (Ashley Jensen), The Pirate With Gout (Brendan Gleeson), etc. But sadly the love is not felt throughout the pirate realm; in fact, the Pirate Captain is something of a laughing stock. So he and his crew go out to search for booty; their search finds them meeting a rather lovesick Charles Darwin (David Tennant) and coming face to face with their arch nemesis, Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton)...
If there was one studio who could pull off bringing Gideo Defoe's very funny series of books onto the big screen, it's Aardman. The studio who brought us Wallace And Gromit and Chicken Run have a sense of humour that matches the franchise perfectly, their love of sight gags and odd British humour combining brilliantly. Interestingly, they had originally pitched the idea as CGI, until they fell in love with the prototype sets they built.
This is one of the triumphs of the film; claymation is, sadly, a very rarely seen art, which adds to the sheer spectacle of the movie. So many animated films are CG now it might have struggled to stand out from the crowd- one thinks of their other attempts, Flushed Away and Arthur Christmas for example, good films but not ones that immediately spring to mind when you think of Aardman. The size of the film, the constantly strict attention to detail in everything is a winning formula that they tirelessly push to pursue.
Grant plays the Pirate Captain to perfection, allowing his trademark poshness to deepen and occasionally snarl; he's obviously having a lot of fun. The same applies to all the cast, not least Tennant, whose Darwin has to compete with Mr Bobo, a silent Monkey butler who gets the biggest laughs of the film, and Staunton, whose Queen Victoria is a brilliant mixture of Delores Umbridge and Mrs Tweedy, Aardman's other great villainess.
Sadly, there are a few who are wasted; you feel as if not enough time is spent in the presence of the other pirates, particularly Salma Hayek's Cutlass Liz in such a male dominated film, despite Staunton's presence. Brian Blessed makes a winning cameo as the Pirate King, but again could possibly have appeared one more time.
The script by Defoe, though full of fantastic one-liners for the Pirate Captain and others, also occasionally feels rushed, but maybe that's the point. It never feels long; in fact, it could have even been slightly longer. The script is also surprisingly dark for Aardman, though admittedly a lot of their brilliant short films have an edge to them; still it's actually a refreshing thing to see, Aardman not talking down to their audience at all and still remembering that the majority of the people who have read the books will be older readers.
Though it does not quite match the sheer brilliance of Wallace And Gromit, The Pirates...is still a winning, funny, brilliantly animated film with just the right sense of humour to poke fun at itself, and makes you wish, surprisingly, that Grant were given more chances to shine as much as he does here.
8/10
If there was one studio who could pull off bringing Gideo Defoe's very funny series of books onto the big screen, it's Aardman. The studio who brought us Wallace And Gromit and Chicken Run have a sense of humour that matches the franchise perfectly, their love of sight gags and odd British humour combining brilliantly. Interestingly, they had originally pitched the idea as CGI, until they fell in love with the prototype sets they built.
This is one of the triumphs of the film; claymation is, sadly, a very rarely seen art, which adds to the sheer spectacle of the movie. So many animated films are CG now it might have struggled to stand out from the crowd- one thinks of their other attempts, Flushed Away and Arthur Christmas for example, good films but not ones that immediately spring to mind when you think of Aardman. The size of the film, the constantly strict attention to detail in everything is a winning formula that they tirelessly push to pursue.
Grant plays the Pirate Captain to perfection, allowing his trademark poshness to deepen and occasionally snarl; he's obviously having a lot of fun. The same applies to all the cast, not least Tennant, whose Darwin has to compete with Mr Bobo, a silent Monkey butler who gets the biggest laughs of the film, and Staunton, whose Queen Victoria is a brilliant mixture of Delores Umbridge and Mrs Tweedy, Aardman's other great villainess.
Sadly, there are a few who are wasted; you feel as if not enough time is spent in the presence of the other pirates, particularly Salma Hayek's Cutlass Liz in such a male dominated film, despite Staunton's presence. Brian Blessed makes a winning cameo as the Pirate King, but again could possibly have appeared one more time.
The script by Defoe, though full of fantastic one-liners for the Pirate Captain and others, also occasionally feels rushed, but maybe that's the point. It never feels long; in fact, it could have even been slightly longer. The script is also surprisingly dark for Aardman, though admittedly a lot of their brilliant short films have an edge to them; still it's actually a refreshing thing to see, Aardman not talking down to their audience at all and still remembering that the majority of the people who have read the books will be older readers.
Though it does not quite match the sheer brilliance of Wallace And Gromit, The Pirates...is still a winning, funny, brilliantly animated film with just the right sense of humour to poke fun at itself, and makes you wish, surprisingly, that Grant were given more chances to shine as much as he does here.
8/10
Friday, 4 January 2013
Sound Of 2013
The BBC's Sound Of...polls are usually bang on the money; it doesn't necessarilly mean that the winning artists will be huge or be around forever (does anyone know where Little Boots has gone? She was great!), it's up to them and their management to add to the status that winning the poll gives them - Ellie Goulding, Jesie J, Adele, etc.
This year's winners are a three-girl band called Haim. As with most winners they've been around for a while, but this win pushes them further into the mainstream. They seem to be a mixture of Fleetwood Mac and the more electronic-fused bands we know of today - Friendly Fires, The xx. Their song "Don't Save Me" is catchy after a couple of listens, but shows how good songwriters they are. They're not going to write very catchy pop licks, that's not their thing.
These girls will be a quiet presence in the coming year - which is good, because they can build up more and more support by doing this.
Can I also quickly mention Sons And Lovers? A brilliant band who opened for Ellie Goulding in Brixton a couple of weeks ago. They sounded better live than they do here, but their songs seem more anthemic and even arguably youthful than Haim.
Btoh awesome groups - bring on 2013 for them.
This year's winners are a three-girl band called Haim. As with most winners they've been around for a while, but this win pushes them further into the mainstream. They seem to be a mixture of Fleetwood Mac and the more electronic-fused bands we know of today - Friendly Fires, The xx. Their song "Don't Save Me" is catchy after a couple of listens, but shows how good songwriters they are. They're not going to write very catchy pop licks, that's not their thing.
These girls will be a quiet presence in the coming year - which is good, because they can build up more and more support by doing this.
Can I also quickly mention Sons And Lovers? A brilliant band who opened for Ellie Goulding in Brixton a couple of weeks ago. They sounded better live than they do here, but their songs seem more anthemic and even arguably youthful than Haim.
Btoh awesome groups - bring on 2013 for them.
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
The 2013 Film List
Happy New Year!
If you've stumbled upon this blog, or if you happen to be someone who's crazy enough to have followed this blog for a certain amount of time (sometimes I get 4 views on an entry - 4 whole views!!) you are more than welcome, and I wish you a Happy New Year!
As is tradition, my resolutions will always, always invole the wish to see more live theatre and more films in the cinema. This will usually fall apart in early February, but there's still hope!
So here, as always, is the Film List for 2013 - the ten films I really, really want to go and see in the cinema - not in any particular order, just ten of them. Bring it on.
1. Les Miserables - The big screen adaptaion of the blockbuster musical - early prediction here that Anne Hathaway will be nominated and may even win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at least, according to early reports. Plus a mate of mine was an extra in it. I could have been but my beard wasn't as impressive.
2. Gangster Squad - Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin take on Sean Penn, who looks like he's on full scenery-chewing mode in the trailer. Could be The Untouchables for the 21st Century.
3. Django Unchained - Tarantino is back, with his take on a revisionist western - he's been on fire recently (not literally) and with Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and his pal from Inglorious Basterds, Christoph Waltz, this looks to be very decent indeed.
4. Monsters University - Pixar always like to do something a little different; this time they're taking on the prequel. They haven't had the graetest couple of years recently, nothign to match the glories of Wall-E, Up and Toy Story 3; plus a prequel, as history dictates, is notorious in its difficulty at pulling off. But it will be good to vist Mike and Sully again - if anyone can do it, surely Pixar can.
5. Oz: The Great And Powerful - Speaking of prequels, Disney are hoping to do to the classic American legend of Oz what they tired (and sadly failed) to do with Narnia - this is so obviously a franchise starter, it reeks of it. But with a trio of lovelies like Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and the always watchable Rachel Weisz, they may be on to a good thing.
6. Hitchcock - Yes, it's Oscar bait, but at least star Anthony Hopkins is making no song and dance about it for this film, snubbing the usual Academy ass kissing that accompanies such bait. A look into the making of arguably his second greatest work (after Rear Window in this blog's humble opinion), Psycho, this could be a very interesting biopic.
7. This Is 40 - Judd Apatow revisits two of the supporting characters from his excellent Knocked Up, looking at life for those hitting mid-life. It could just be the start of a more mature catalogue of films from the director/producer/hit maker.
8. The Great Gatsby - Baz Luhrmann's film should have been released last year, but because of studio involvement, it went away from the Awards season and into the Summer Blockbuster pool for this year. This could sink the film or it could be a triumph - the book has an awesome status that the film needs to live up to.
9. The World's End - Finally, finally, we get to see the concluding part of the Cornetto Trilogy of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright; the two films previously, Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz, took irreverent looks at genre classics and gave them a brilliantly Brittish twist. Here's hoping that they can do the same with the Apocalypse. They'll make it more cheerful, anyway.
10. Star Trek Into Darkness - I am not a Trekkie. This is not a Trekkie blog. If you are a Trekkie, respect and honour to you. I am not one. The last Star Trek, J. J. Abrams game changing, franchise renewing blockbuster, was one of the most fun and enjoyable sci-fi films I've seen for a long while. It was a Trek film for Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike. And Benedict Cumberbatch is in this one. He's the bad guy. Win.
Honourable Mentions:
Wreck-It Ralph; Cloud Atlas; Man Of Steel; Jack Ryan; Passion; Hyde Park On Hidson; A Good Day To Die Hard; Pacific Rim; The Place Beyond The Pines; Byzantium; The End Of The World; White House Down; Movie 43; Robot & Frank
If you've stumbled upon this blog, or if you happen to be someone who's crazy enough to have followed this blog for a certain amount of time (sometimes I get 4 views on an entry - 4 whole views!!) you are more than welcome, and I wish you a Happy New Year!
As is tradition, my resolutions will always, always invole the wish to see more live theatre and more films in the cinema. This will usually fall apart in early February, but there's still hope!
So here, as always, is the Film List for 2013 - the ten films I really, really want to go and see in the cinema - not in any particular order, just ten of them. Bring it on.
1. Les Miserables - The big screen adaptaion of the blockbuster musical - early prediction here that Anne Hathaway will be nominated and may even win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at least, according to early reports. Plus a mate of mine was an extra in it. I could have been but my beard wasn't as impressive.
2. Gangster Squad - Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin take on Sean Penn, who looks like he's on full scenery-chewing mode in the trailer. Could be The Untouchables for the 21st Century.
3. Django Unchained - Tarantino is back, with his take on a revisionist western - he's been on fire recently (not literally) and with Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and his pal from Inglorious Basterds, Christoph Waltz, this looks to be very decent indeed.
4. Monsters University - Pixar always like to do something a little different; this time they're taking on the prequel. They haven't had the graetest couple of years recently, nothign to match the glories of Wall-E, Up and Toy Story 3; plus a prequel, as history dictates, is notorious in its difficulty at pulling off. But it will be good to vist Mike and Sully again - if anyone can do it, surely Pixar can.
5. Oz: The Great And Powerful - Speaking of prequels, Disney are hoping to do to the classic American legend of Oz what they tired (and sadly failed) to do with Narnia - this is so obviously a franchise starter, it reeks of it. But with a trio of lovelies like Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and the always watchable Rachel Weisz, they may be on to a good thing.
6. Hitchcock - Yes, it's Oscar bait, but at least star Anthony Hopkins is making no song and dance about it for this film, snubbing the usual Academy ass kissing that accompanies such bait. A look into the making of arguably his second greatest work (after Rear Window in this blog's humble opinion), Psycho, this could be a very interesting biopic.
7. This Is 40 - Judd Apatow revisits two of the supporting characters from his excellent Knocked Up, looking at life for those hitting mid-life. It could just be the start of a more mature catalogue of films from the director/producer/hit maker.
8. The Great Gatsby - Baz Luhrmann's film should have been released last year, but because of studio involvement, it went away from the Awards season and into the Summer Blockbuster pool for this year. This could sink the film or it could be a triumph - the book has an awesome status that the film needs to live up to.
9. The World's End - Finally, finally, we get to see the concluding part of the Cornetto Trilogy of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright; the two films previously, Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz, took irreverent looks at genre classics and gave them a brilliantly Brittish twist. Here's hoping that they can do the same with the Apocalypse. They'll make it more cheerful, anyway.
10. Star Trek Into Darkness - I am not a Trekkie. This is not a Trekkie blog. If you are a Trekkie, respect and honour to you. I am not one. The last Star Trek, J. J. Abrams game changing, franchise renewing blockbuster, was one of the most fun and enjoyable sci-fi films I've seen for a long while. It was a Trek film for Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike. And Benedict Cumberbatch is in this one. He's the bad guy. Win.
Honourable Mentions:
Wreck-It Ralph; Cloud Atlas; Man Of Steel; Jack Ryan; Passion; Hyde Park On Hidson; A Good Day To Die Hard; Pacific Rim; The Place Beyond The Pines; Byzantium; The End Of The World; White House Down; Movie 43; Robot & Frank