Arthur, King Of Christmas

The latest offering from Wallace and Gromit studio Aardman is Arthur Christmas which follows the exploits of the Santa family on a particularly hectic Christmas Eve. As with similar films like Fred Claus and Santa Claus The Movie we get to see a contemporary imagining of how the Father Christmas lore operates in the 20^th/21^st century whilst getting an understanding of how things of changed by getting to know the three generations of the clan.

This is a rather splendid Christmas family movie that performs a fantastic balancing act on many different levels. You’ve got modern CGI animation mixed with Aardman’s traditional character designs, there’s a high tech North Pole balanced with the timeless magic of old, there’s a perfect balance between family drama and broad sharp comedy and the unexpected balance of a quirky British story with a more sentimental American appeal. This is well written stuff with a great race-against-time plot and some wonderfully timed visual gags.

The voice cast is exceptional with McAvoy almost unrecognizable as the naïve and enthusiastic title character, Hugh Laurie as his authoritive older brother expecting to inherita the Santa Claus title, bumbling Jim Broadbent as the leader (in title only) of the Santa clan and the scene stealing Bill Nighy as the irrepressible Grandsanta. Witty, clever, warm and charming this is exactly the sort of thing I want to watch post-Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day afternoon.

Krill Or Be Krilled

Happy Feet Two is a bloody mess with some aspects working well while others just end up annoying (although not the stuff you might think). The singing and dancing tribe of penguins are nowhere as irritating as you might think with some songs (Queen’s Under Pressure) being particularly well arranged being powerful and uplifting as a result. As with the first film there’s a clever mixing of live action and animation while the dark, underlying themes commenting on climate change, man’s attitude towards wildlife and even the harmful, corrupting nature of religion are welcoming to be sure. Story wise the stakes are much higher and it’s a sequel which allows secondary characters to step forward and shine whilst also being a visual feast for the eyes.

Unfortunately Mad Max director George Miller doesn’t know when to calm the fuck down and the film often feels chaotic with Miller’s restless swooping camera frequently pissing the audience off. The film does work in the quieter moments and when the story takes a grip but it’s too infrequent for the film to gel. Happy Feet Two is notable for the humorous subplot involving Brad Pitt and Matt Damon as two curious and adventurous Krill (yes Krill, I freaking kid you not) which ultimately impacts on the story in a meaningful and significant way. If only the whole film had followed their adventures.

Lily Is The Fairest Of Them All

The Cell director might very well be the most striking visualist working in modern cinema since Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam came onto the scene, but his grasp on storytelling still needs work. Following his striking work on Immortals late last year, Tarsem is back with Mirror Mirror, a reworking of the Brothers Grimm story Snow White with rather mixed results.

As expected the film is magnificent to look at (it has that stagy/theatre feel) and is the antithesis of Immortals being bright, colourful and family friendly, but the director never quite nails the tone while the writers fail to get anywhere near the level of wit required. Mirror Mirror is a light, breezy and whimsical pantomime…and that perfectly fine. But what it’s aiming for is a blend of an old fashioned Disney romp and the contemporary irreverence of Tangled, and while it succeeds at the former it dramatically misses the mark with the latter.

Julia Roberts hogs the screen as the Evil Queen, Armie Hammer is an adequate Prince Charming, the impossibly cute Lily Collins is perfectly cast as the doe eyed, softly spoken heroine Snow White (although she lacks depth as an actress) and Nathan Lane is left alone to ‘get‘ what‘s required of the story. Beautiful looking but irredeemably witless, Mirror Mirror feels overlong at 95 minutes long.

Going Through A Carpenteresque Phase

Venturing into the oddball world of international horror films I discovered Phase 7 (or Fase 7) a Carpenter-esque siege movie from Argentina. Although it has the set up of a classic Zombie film, Phase 7 chooses to go with a straightforward pandemic story focusing on a young couple holed up in their modern apartments block after government forces impose a strict quarantine.

As with all good films of this nature, the suspense comes from the interaction of the paranoid and frightened characters trapped within the location and not so much the virus that threatens them. There’s a welcome helping of splatter, some offbeat characters, a smart, socially relevant subtext and cool direction and musical score that riffs off John Carpenter movies circa 1988. Suspenseful and atmospheric.

(Don’t) Meet The Parents

Mum & Dad is a low budget, British horror movie that has no right being as good as it is. After befriending a co-worker in her new airport cleaning job, a Polish immigrant is taken back home to meet her new pal’s family…with unfortunate consequences. Riffing on the cannibalistic family motif of Texas Chainsaw, this is a well made and fresh reworking of the over-familiar horror story.

The cast are strong, the direction tense and unsettling, there a nice line of darkly black humour and the focus on the sick, twisted family unit allows the film makers to explore the ‘values’ a family can impose on it’s kids, especially in a sheltered environment. You can strike UK airports off the list of places I’d be willing to take employment.

Republican Frankenstein

It’s pretty unusual for a director to undergo a complete change of direction so far into a successful career but that’s what’s happened to Jay Roach. The man behind three hit Austin Powers movies and two stellar Meet The Fockers films switched to political TV movies back in 2008 with HBO’s acclaimed drama Recount. It was a change that was also strengthened by Roach’s disinterest in making his next comedy, the disastrous Steve Carrell starrer Dinner For Schmucks, a comedy in any way, shape or form. Fortunately Roach happens to be a dab hand at the ol’ political drama as proved by his Recount follow up Game Change.


This time Roach is interested in the John McCain Presidential Election campaign of 2008 where the Republican candidate chose the infamous Sarah Palin to be his running mate for the Vice Presidency, mainly told from the perspective of the Woody Harrelson’s campaign team. This is riveting stuff showing the choices that lie before a political candidate when navigating their opponent’s strengths, the perception of malleable population and the restraints and reality of the election system. Into this mix comes Palin, a major gamble designed to rally the Republican base and inspire women voters to come and vote for a conservative, right wing agenda. In an award baiting performance, Julianne Moore bring Palin to life in a mix of over confidence, loving mother and wife, and clueless bimbo forced into a situation way beyond her intellect and understanding.

A fascinating behind the scenes story of the making of a monster…not Palin herself necessarily…but the arrogant, lying, God fearing, creationist, fact lacking, greedy, fundamentalist, uncompassionate and dangerous ideologists the modern Republican has become.

Girl Power With Fire Power

The great thing about director Steven Soderbergh is that no matter what type of story he turns his hand to, you know he’s going to make it his. Haywire, Soderbergh’s take on spy thrillers, is no exception with the twisty, action packed tale utilising his art house approach to storytelling from colour coding the story strands, minimising the dialogue, a retro David Holmes score, a classy ensemble of top of the line acting talent all pulled together by a magnetic central performance.

In this case Gina Carano might not be the most natural actress in the world but her sheer physical presence, undoubted fighting ability and calm, direct and confident persona means we’re transfixed on her as an audience. The action sequences (where she beats the living shit out of the male cast) are frenetic but the camerawork and editing is restrained meaning we can appreciate Carano’s bone crunching combat abilities in all their glory and the chase set pieces clear, excellently paced and filled with suspense.

Best of all is the lean, pared down script which makes the audience pay attention and catch up on all the shady double dealings going on. Haywire is an excellent minimalist espionage thriller with a kick ass leading lady and a dash of art-house retro cool.

Putting The Boot In

Antonio Banderas you are a cool, funny dude, but I violently insist that the Shrek franchise and its wanking boring spin offs (Puss In Boots) please fuck off for all eternity. That is all.

20,000 Journeys Under & Over The Sea

New Line’s 3D adaptation of Journey To The Centre Of The Earth in 2009 wasn’t a film that was very highly anticipated but was eventually received warmly with audiences rewarding the family adventure with health box office returns. Several years later and Warner Brothers have released a sequel, Journey 2 The Mysterious Island, which seems just as unwanted as its predecessor did prior to its release. Fortunately, lightning has struck twice with a colourful and fun excursion back into the world of Jules Verne. 

Although the focus is on Verne’s The Mysterious Island, much of the enjoyment of the film comes from the inclusion of elements from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, From The Earth To The Moon and even jumping authors to include Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island . Like the first film this is a colourful, straightforward kids adventure that plays as both childish and silly for juniors and inoffensive and disposable for adults. The young Josh Hutcherson is effectively the film’s leading man and is also it’s weakest link. The rest of the ensemble cast are much more up to the challenge. The disparaging banter between Dwayne Johnson’s quietly likable hulk and Michael Caine’s curmudgeonly explorer is by far the film’s most entertaining element, the curvaceous Vanessa Hudgens has a character with bite and any film that can utilise Luis Guzman as much as this must be applauded.

Journey 2 is a solid family film with lavish production values and wildly variable special effects, best enjoyed by pre-teens.

Jump To The Jump Street Beat

Channing Tatum is usually a strong enough reason for me to dislike a film. Even if he’s in a strong movie, his dead eyed, chisel jawed jock persona in usually enough to drag it down a few notches. But in 21 Jump Street , a comedic adaptation of the 80’s undercover cop show, producer and co-star Jonah Hill wisely cast Tatum as a dead eyed, chisel jawed jock….and, by Jupiter’s nostrils, he’s perfect! Not only that but this comedy action film is not only very funny but is also a very clever, self aware exploration of both the high school drama but the cop thriller, playing with conventions like exploding vehicles in car chases and prom night mishaps.

The tone of the film is more playful in tone and far more crass in content than it’s parent TV series ever dared which is provided by a strong, humorous cast including Rob Riggle, the quirky girl next door appeal of Brie Larson and the magnificent badassery of Ice Cube, riffing on the cliché of the angry, black police chief. As is the mandate for a long awaited reboot Johnny Depp and Richard Grieco make brief cameos to supply some self referential gags and further the story along.

One of the funniest (and clever) films of 2012

What Sugar-Tits Did On His Summer Vacation

As much as you might want to dislike Mel Gibson for his anger management issues or Jew hating, but in the world of movie stars he’s still an A plus force to be rekoned with if Get The Gringo (or How I Spent My Summer Vaction for international audiences) is anything to go by. Starring as an American thief caught by the Mexican authorities, it follows Mel’s exploits imprisoned in a Mexican jail the open nature of which Gibson’s unnamed character describes as the worlds shittiest mall.

It’s a gritty, Elmore Leonard-esque tale of crime, revenge, dodgy cops and double-dealing with liberal amounts of shocking violence and doses of dark, cynical humour all served on a grimy, arse end of the world plate. At first this all feels a bit too small scale and average for someone of Mad Mel’s stature, especially since this is bypassing a theatrical release in the States and going straight to On Demand TV., but it grows on you. Gibson is a master of doing the tough and smart, but unlucky and big softie thing but his grizzled performance her just shows what a tremendous movie star the guy is. It’s also quite clever him being pared with young Kevin Hernandez, the sweary little fucker from The Sitter as it allows Gibson to trade witticisms with plus show off his more paternal side.

A cool little crime flick, with it’s star and setting giving a familiar genre a fresh make over.

Every Single One Of Us, The Devil Inside

All genres, even newer sub-genres must have a scale of good and bad within them which must include shining examples of how it must be done and, at the other end of the spectrum, stark warnings to film-makers everywhere that you don’t do it this way. New horror movie The Devil Inside resides slap bang in the middle of the quality spectrum of the found footage genre being neither great nor complete pants either.

This has a documentary film crew follow a young American woman to Italy where her mother, convicted of killing several people when an alleged exorcism went wrong, is being treated by Vatican doctors for ‘mental’ issues. The film scores an edge immediately simply by utilising the found footage, documentary style which gives the drama a realness and immediacy. The problem is there are very few opportunities to build scares or tension (like the Paranormal Activity movies have done so well) and when these moments do arrive, they’re not that scary.

The script is also lacking with the characters being thinly written (not helped by merely adequate casting) and plot threads or characters arcs being non existent or discarded during the duration. The notorious ending is definitely a let down (a link to a website with no relevant information is clearly only there to advertise a sequel) but it at least goes full circle to explain what happened to the American woman’s mother all those years ago. Average.

This Means Whore

After proving to the world that he could do a serious science fiction drama containing action sequences with wight and consequence, director McG returns to his shallow, vacuous roots with spy / rom com This Means War. The plot is predictably simple; best friends and fellow spies, the roguish and impulsive Chris Pine and mild mannered Brit Tom Hardy both fall for ‘girl next door’ Reece Witherspoon. Conveniently dumping common sense, the boys fight over the pointy chinned one using all the espionage resources at their disposal while the perky Miss Witherspoon, egged on by the lewd but humorous Chelsea Handler, seeks to bed them both.

More romantic comedy than action spy flick, This Means War is the lightest, fluffiest blockbuster you’re likely to see all year. McG return to his Charlie’s Angels style with a movie that’s cutting edge slick, visually sumptuous and stuffed with cool, popular tune-age. The shallowness is only heightened by the production design which seems to be set in the same fictional universe as Last Action Hero complete with a cathedral sized spy headquarters dipped in neon and gleaming gun-metal architecture.

The outcome of the plot can be anticipated from the moment all the characters are in play, the action is loud, forgettable and consequence free and the script severely lacking in the joke department. What the movie possesses in bucket loads is star appeal. Everybody earns their pay check delivering textbook example of what movie star charm can do to improve any movie, good or bad. Pine is Pine…charming, charismatic and cocky, Hardy is tough, mannered and sweet while Witherspoon is cute, bubbly and down to earth appealing.

This Means War is forgettable movie making by committee enlivened by three great movie stars.

The Bold, The Beautiful & The Bloodsucker

Tim Burton films haven’t faired too well in the last decade or so apart from his twin 2005 gems of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and The Corpse Bride (although I’m quite fond of Sweeney Todd). The others (Planet Of The Apes, Alice In Wonderland) have been rather disjointed affairs that either lacked that Burton visual touch or had script that a planet load of apes on typewriters came up with. While his latest is more entertaining than most of these, I’m afraid Dark Shadows isn’t the return to form for Burton we’ve been hoping for.

A loose adaptation of the early 70’s soap opera, Dark Shadows has an unearthed Vampire return to his family home after 200 years of being buried alive. There he intends to restore his family’s honor and wealth by gaining control of the small fishing town back from a ruthless local business woman (who just happens to be the same jealous witch who incarcerated him centuries ago!) Even for a Burton film Shadows may not be what you’d expect being a strange mish-mash of soap opera, wacky comedy and gothic horror. The soap elements come into play with an ensemble drama with each character plotting their own agendas at the expense of all the others, the comedic elements are very broad and offbeat while the gothic horror tone pervades the whole film meaning the comedy is undercut with dark visual look and dread filled score.

To Burton’s credit it does in fact work. The cast are superb, especially the enigmatic Depp whose every gesture, glance and utterance raises a smile as his stiff and mannered vampire interacts, fish out of water style, in the 1970’s ‘contemporary’ world he now finds himself in. The gorgeous Eva Green is also noteworthy as she attempts scheme and seduce her way into Depp’s heart and wallet.

What doesn’t work so well is the lazy, disjointed script which lollops and rambles from one plot thread to the other, with characters like Bella Heathcote’s Vicky disappearing for long chunks of screen time before being awkwardly reintroduced. If the recent Avengers has shown us, it IS possible to juggle multiple characters and plots without sacrificing pace, comedy or coherence in the overall story. The comedy isn’t that sharp either and another pass at the script might have made it a little more consistent.

Not everybody will go for this unusual, offbeat film with it’s heightened dramatics and oddball over the top characters but Dark Shadows being a Tim Burton/ Johnny Depp colaboration it’s not at all a waste of your time.

Hustle's Got Muscle

Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle is something of a minor masterpiece striking the balance between drama, action and comedy like few films can. Set in the first half of 20^th Century China, it follows a group of down trodden residents of an isolated slum as they defend themselves from local gangsters, the Axe Gang. The catalyst for the mayhem is Chow’s arrogant under-achiever who, in the spirit of all universal hero myths, must be reborn the hero and vanquish the enemy.

The key to Hustle’s success is the zany comedy which often plays like an ultra-violent, live action Loony Tunes cartoon with all the perfectly timed physical humour and slapstick that implies. With all the craziness on show, director Chow never loses sight of the large ensemble of vivid characters and the drama that accompanies their fight for survival.

Visually, Hustle has a very specific and beautiful design mantra, the cartoony CGI effects are far better suited here than in the appalling works of Stephen Sommers and the constantly surprising, fantasy fighting choreography is frenetically brought to the screen with the grace of a 1950’s dance number.

Fantastically original, funny and exciting stuff.

Goonie Goo Goo

Although Goon is marketed as an Ice Hockey movie, the real sort at the heart of the story is fighting. Yep, ignore the big sticks, shoulder pads and angry Canadian sportsmen and you’ve got what is essentially Rocky On Ice. Take one dumb but good natured bloke with a gift for beating the crap out of people, give him a break in a major sporting tournament, watch him fight for the (quirky) girl of his dreams and allow him the opportunity to fight the current champion and his idol. All these familiar plot points are present and correct, but all delivered with a twist.

There’s a raw, offbeat quality to Goon that makes each scene come alive and feel unpredictable and edgy, despite the sound structure of an underdog sports movie. And it’s funny too, thanks to a crude, profanity strewn script written by Jay ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ Baruchel and a host of weird oddballs that populate the hockey world.

As the opponent Live Schrieber does asshole very well indeed, Jay Baruchel is practically tourettes inflicted as his hilarious best friend and Scott Pilgrim’s Alison Pill could make the leap to the big leagues as the female lead. Best of all is Sean William Scott in the lead walking the delicate line between knowingly unintelligent, emotionally open and caring while being a strong physical presence….all while being funny. It’s no exaggeration that there’s very few leading men with the physical presence, charisma, acting ability and comic timing to pull this particular role off.

A great but weird indie comedy drama that compliments the recent Whip It in the recent underdog sports movie department.

Escape From Outer Space

Lockout's biggest fault is that it couldn’t make up it’s mind what type of action thriller it wanted to be. A few nudges to the right and it would a been a laugh out loud, ultra-stupid bullshit action film of the highest order. A jump to the left and a smart, tense thriller might of emerged. What we end up with in the latest offering from Luc Besson’s production outfit is a bland middle ground that’s neither funny nor daring enough to be a truly successful bullshit action flick nor sufficiently tense or intriguing for a mature thriller.

The plotting is almost throwaway meaning little suspense is generated in moving the characters from A to B to C, the action largely unimaginative despite the outer space location of an orbiting, futuristic prison and the twisty climax too convoluted for the shallow script that has preceded it for 80 minutes.

Still, there are pleasures to be had with the casting being the at the forefront. Guy Pearce, an under-rated actor for many years, is given the opportunity to shine as a leading man for the first time since L.A. Confidential as Snow, perhaps the most sarcastic and condescending action hero we’ve ever seen (outside of a Shane Black / Joss Whedon script). If Lockout is basically Escape From New York in space then Snow is the ultra cynical, anti-authoritarian re-imaginining of Snake Plissken for the new millennium. Also splendidly cast are Vincent Regan and Joseph Gilgum are the intelligently ruthless and unpredictably insane baddies respectively while Peter Stormare and Lennie James get to do the fretting cop authority figure thing outside the prison. The real surprise here is Lost’s Maggie Grace as the President’s daughter who provides the ying to Pearce’s yang. She handles the banter and action with grace (pun intended) and it’s a pleasure to see her playing a more centred and responsible individual than the floppy armed airhead of Taken, etc.

A solid, good looking and smirk some action flick but just not confident enough in it’s tone to really stand out from the crowd.

You, Sir, Have Sunk, Sir, My Battleship!!!!

In the mid-nineties Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay were masters of the art form that is the summer blockbuster with crackers like The Rock and Armageddon. But in the last decade Bay and Bruckheimer’s standards have slipped giving up glossy, expensive and boring dross like Pirates Of The Caribbean sequels, Prince Of Persia, The Sorcerers Apprentice and Bad Boys II plus the Transformers sequels. With both of them having let us down for so long now the world has been waiting for someone to take up the mantle of spectacularly shot, outrageously overproduced, incredibly dumb, mainstream action drama…and it finally looks like that time has arrived in the unlikely form of Universal Pictures and Peter Berg.

Yep, Michael Mann prodigy Peter Berg, the man behind Friday Night Lights and The Kingdom, has stepped into the arena of mega-budget blockbuster bullshit to adapt the classic board game Battleship. Berg takes what Bay used to do well and matches him with a popcorn flick that’s action packed, glossy (yes, you’re talking sunset drenched vistas), spectacular and as corny as a super-charged Independence Day. Just to make sure we all know it’s on the same, patriotic, flag waving page as Armageddon, it’s even got a slow motion “Right Stuff” march of heroes walking towards camera…even if they are a bunch of retired navy dudes.

Story wise, this is your basic sea story (boy goes to see and return a man) that closely follows the through line of 2009’s Star Trek reboot. The film is peppered with strategies, tactics, cunning plans and brinkmanship that up the suspense as you’re trying to figure out just how the good guys are going to out-manoeuvre the far superior, alien invasion force. The top notch effects work shine, the classic rock soundtrack rules (Stone Temple Pilots, AC/DC, Creedence) and the cast are, for the most part, having fun with John Carter’s Taylor Kitsch finally displaying in full the rugged charisma that starring roles in two 2012 $200 million blockbusters have promised.

My biggest complaint is that spectacularly poor acting on display from a dire few, namely Gregory D. Gadson (probably cast as he was a real life soldier and paraplegic), Thor’s Tadanobu Asano makes a wooden Japanese ship’s captain, John Tui was probably cast for his gigantic physique but not much else, and pop starlet Rihanna just about squeaks by into acceptability. Surprisingly, supermodel Brooklyn Decker acquits herself well as the female lead.

Make no mistake, Battleship is dumber than an Egyptian pyramid constructed of pure dumb, but it’s ridiculously good fun, stuffed with tons of humour alongside the effects heavy, sci-fi, water bound action. And it’s just the icing on the cake when you realise the characters are actually playing the board game on which the movie is based.

May Pick N Mix

Marvel's Avengers Clusterspooge

Well wouldn’t you just know it. Joss Whedon, geek legend of Buffy and Firefly fame, doesn’t release a movie in seven years and then two come along in one month. Typical! But then there’s nothing typical about Marvel’s The Avengers (the UK title of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble can go fuck itself) as it’s an unprecedented attempt to merge successful superhero franchises into a cohesive summer event movie. Taking the four tonally different Marvel superheros of Thor (Shakespearean vibe), Iron Man (technology centric), Captain America (World War II retro feel) and the Hulk (brooding psychological drama) and merging them into a singular story that didn’t feel jarring or silly was a massive task which, although extremely exciting, was doomed to failure if the appropriate man wasn’t found to helm the project. Fortunately for all, Joss Whedon IS that man.

Tonal problems wasn’t the only Avengers issue Whedon had (and overcame) as he was also saddled with a multitude of different requirements in order to tell this particular story.

The biggest challenge was balancing the needs of a huge ensemble including the primary heroes of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk, the established peripheral characters like Nick Fury, Black Widow, Agent Coulson, Hawkeye and the villain Loki. Oh, and chuck in and extra SHIELD agent with Maria Hill. For every character whether they’ve appeared in a Marvel film before or not their personality, their powers, their back story, their job, how they’re connected to the global crisis and their relationships to all the other characters need to be set up during the course of two and a quarter hours. On top of that you’ve got to set up a story big enough to bring them together, which will allow all of them to have a purpose in that story and for most of them to go on some sort of emotional journey which will see them changed come the conclusion. It’s a tall order for such a large cast meaning that any given character must come into contact with most of the other characters at least once during the course of the story and each character must make an appearance regularly so that we never lose sight of their individual story arc.

Of course given his success with 2005’s Serenity this is something Whedon manages to pull off once again with wit and grace. To his credit Whedon simplifies things as much as possible so he can keep the focus on the requirements of the characters. The plot is driven by the Cosmic Cube (first seen in Captain America - The First Avenger), a McGuffin of unlimited power, which is stolen by Demigod Loki (first seen in last years Thor) in order to invade Earth with an alien army. Simples. Thematically, The Avengers is a war movie, which is not only defined by the army that awaits them but by the emotional adjustments each character needs to make in order to adapt to the unprecedented situation.

As screenwriter Whedon also keeps this down to basics. The film has a classic three act structure (along with a prologue to establish the threat right from the studio logo.) The first act introduces the Avengers themselves and rounds them up in the same location (including Loki). The second act, aboard SHIELD’s impressive Helicarrier, puts the characters into conflict with each other before spliting them up, while the third makes good on the threat and unleashes chaos allowing for the motley crew to reunite and fight together to neutralise the enemy. And each act concludes with an epic action sequence that tops the previous one.

It’s probably true that despite the epic scope, Marvel Studios had a tight reign on the budget, meaning that the contained structure would also keep costs down. Whedon also limit’s the locations down to a few key areas. So you’ve got SHIELD’s underground base of operations, the SHIELD helicarrier, Stark’s penthouse and an iconic area of New York City (just in front of the library, also seen to great effect in I Am Legend a few years back). It’s economical, it’s streamlined and it means that the movie fucks by like warp powered rocket sledge.

The cast are just as good, if not better than in their individual outings with Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Mark Ruffalo’s recast Bruce Banner being particular stand outs. The Whedon trademark witticisms are present, correct and never funnier helped by a group of actors who must eat raw, unfiltered charisma three times a day, the action sequences are exciting and brilliantly staged keeping the geography of the battles clearly communicated along with the objectives and consequences if they should lose. The production is clean cut and simple, adhering to the golden age Marvel comic designs on which the narratives are all drawn from while Alan Silvestri’s stirring, non-electronic, old fashioned, orchestral score is a great accompaniment to the action. Oh, and Marvel newbie Cobie Smulders is cuter than a cute thing on a very cute day.

If I have a quibble it’s that Whedon’s vision isn’t as cinematic as those that have tackled the Marvel movie universe so far, being even less visually inventive than Iron Man’s Jon Favreau or even Whedon’s own debut Serenity. Perhaps it’s the 1.85:1 ration compare to the 16:9 widescreen we’re used to or maybe it’s the brighter photography, more vibrant colour pallet caught in a less grainy film stock. Whichever way, on a purely technical level the film’s visual style is more basic than has been seen from Marvel Studios before. The good news is that this matters not one jot as Whedon’s mastery of the moving camera, composition, orchestrating the actors and balancing the tone far outweigh the stylistic nit picks. Besides, the bright, colourful presentation fits snugly into the comic book world of a superhero multiverse.

On top of all the brilliance on display here, The Avengers does have an ace up it’s sleeve. The Hulk, as re-envisioned by Whedon, is one of the most joyful things I’ve seen in a film for an eternity and the movie is worth the price of admission for the characters inclusion alone. No longer in the Incredible Hulk a purely raging green beast randomly creating carnage…this Hulk interacts as a character with his co-heroes and takes pleasure in being able to apply his rage to a good cause…a pleasure the audience can relate to selfishly. There are at least five or six Hulk moments which will have you cheering, two of which are fall of your seat, head exploding hilarious.

Fun is the word which best defines this film. Joyful, exhilarating, laugh out loud funny, what cinema was invented for fun. Avengers will almost certainly be one of my top films of the year, maybe even the best film of 2012. Now it may not boast the most intense drama (this is broad stuff, but always feeling real and sincere), be the scariest or disturbing experience of the next twelve months, be the most profoundly moving, or even the most intellectually stimulating…I’ll bet my bottom dollar that Marvel’s The Avengers will be the most entertaining by far. With a year that has still to deliver Prometheus, The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit I may yet experience a more richly satisfying film experience in a movie theatre…but I can’t possibly imagine having as much fun as I did with Whedon’s pop culture masterpiece.

PS, On viewing Marvels The Avengers for a second time it’s comforting to see that it is a much better photographed film than I initially gave it credit for. Yes, it’s still the least cinematic of the Marvel bunch, but the rich colours and high contrasts at least make it professional and dramatic. The 3D also works very well with Whedon using the moving, dollying camera frequently to create a strong sense of the environmental depth in which events occur. Finally, it’s worth noting that the script is such a rich and tightly structured beast that a second viewing is recommended just to absorb plot points and joke that might have been missed on first viewing (probably because you were laughing too hard).

Got A Woody For The Cabin In The Woods

SPOILERS
Cabin In The Woods may not reinvent the horror genre like so many have claimed, but it does push the genre in new and interesting ways and does so in a way that’s both supremely entertaining and staggeringly intelligent. The most astonishing thing about Cabin is how many things it’s doing at the same time, all of which are done very well.

1/ The first layer is perhaps the most obvious and it’s also the weakest in it’s execution…the cabin in the woods itself. The story is ripped from the Evil Dead/Friday The 13^th horror movie template as a group of teenagers escape to the cabin in the woods for a weekend of swimming, drinking, sex and drugs. If I have a minor complaint it’s that Cabin isn’t that scary a horror film, being too engaged in smart humour and cleverly subverting the story to really drum up the pulse rate. That’s quite alright though because the rest of the film is flawless.

2/ Layer two (an office dramedy) is actually introduced into the narrative first and is directly linked to the events of the teens in the cabin. It’s in these scenes that the story maintains is top gear, being extremely funny (Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins are two of the best character actors with a gift for comic timing in the business), the most intriguing (as a greater horror story is revealed) and the most revealing intellectually.

3/ The juxtaposition of these two parallel narratives allows for the characters of the office story to comment on and influence the characters in the cabin story. In doing so the film not only dissects the archetypal horror story in a post-modern way, but it also offers an explanation as to why events in this type of movie are so bizarre and why their participants often act without logic or reason. In doing both of these things Cabin doesn’t destroy the horror genre by revealing every intimate detail of it’s inner workings but reinforces and celebrates the those mechanics by taking them to the next level.

The characters in the office narrative influence the characters in the cabin story much in the same way that film-makers alter the fate of the characters in the motion pictures they produce. I could be argued that Whitford and Jenkins are the screenwriters of the events in the cabin as they are constantly imagining up new ways to get the cabin folk to the end of their story (they even answer to a ‘director’ who guides them.)

4/ Things get deeper when you start looking into the meaning and metaphors underneath the narrative. On one level this is an exploration of existentialism, exploring whether ones ‘self’ (or soul) is something independent of outside influence or whether your very being is influenced by circumstance or a manipulative exterior consciousness.

5/ Then you’ve got the religious/spiritual factor to consider. The office workers could also represent Gods, influencing the unsuspecting mortals in their decisions, deciding who lives and dies and when and where it will happen. As with all religion the ‘mortals’ have to perform certain rituals…in this case horror genre rituals like the jock and slut having sex, the nerd going outside for a walk alone, the encounter with the creepy gas station attendant and the reading of the ominous note book in latin.

6/ Then you’ve got the Joss factor on top of that. The script, co-written with director Drew Goddard is as tight as a gnats chuff, with plenty of the dry Whedonesque humour we’ve come to adore from the Firefly, Angel and Buffy scribe. The cast is perfect with Chris (Thor) Hemsworth and Anna Hutchinson doing the classic Jock and Prom Queen stereotypes brilliantly without making them unlikable, Fran Kranz and Kristen Connolly perform the offbeat everyman roles with warmth and conviction while Whitford and Jenkins are a perfect fit for Whedon and Goddard’s wit and wisdom. Like the rest of the Whedonverse (yes, I said it) the deliberately pitched tone allows the story to shift from intense horror to action, to broad daftness in very short durations and not feel out of place or incoherent.


7/ Sociology is also tackled as the question of whether civilizations need to completely implode and collapse in order to for humanity to survive, improve and move forward. This is not only explored verbally but given form as the world disintegrates as the secrets of office workers are exposed. Of course, this discussion also parallels the question about the horror genre itself and whether that needs to gutted, exposed, destroyed and reinvented into something new, bigger and better.

Finally there’s some great scenes…some of which will undoubtedly enter the horror hall of fame for being iconic, or brutal, or hilarious or all of the above. It’s a rare day that something this good comes along, especially in a genre where 15 direct to video efforts are release for home rental every week but Cabin In The Woods IS that film. Your enjoyment of the film will be high, but much will depend on your familiarity of horror films in general to spot the references, or your ability (or willingness) to read between the lines at the subtext that’s woven through the piece as to whether your satisfaction reaches stellar levels as it did me. Like the similarly complex The Matrix (one of Whedon’s favorite films I think and a major influence here I feel) you can enjoy Cabin purely on a surface level and have a complete blast, but there’s so much more to savour than meets the eye.

Man That's Not A Ledge

As long as you don’t put too much pressure on leading man Sam Worthington then you’ll end up with a solid movie. That means not letting him do too much heavy lifting (as he did in mega-blockbuster Avatar where you can see the cracks forming around him) or pushing him too far out of his comfort zone (brooding and mildly aggressive is about right for Sam). The makers of Man On A Ledge seem to understand these parameters resulting in a solidly entertaining and mature thriller.

The first half of the film starts the best as we see events in a non-linear fashion which lead Worthington’s convicted cop out on the high ledge of a New York City hotel. As the story unfolds to include Jamie Bell’s loyal brother, Elizabeth Banks and Edward Burns bickering police response team and Ed Harris’s scheming businessman, the situation becomes clearer and a little less interesting. It’s a great story with some strong suspense sequences but the film doesn’t really have a way of pulling together the strands of a great premise.

Like I said, solid.



Danny's Gonna Getcha

The low budget, bullshit action movie Bad Ass is a great opportunity to see Machete legend Danny Trejo in a leading role again. Surprisingly, given the ‘in your face’ title, Bad Ass isn’t the ultra-violent, mega-exploitation body count and explosion-fest that you’d expect which is no bad thing. It’s a more traditionally slow paced, character centric American action movie that follows the basic revenge plot of the UK’s Harry Brown as an ex-military pensioner takes the law into his own hands to obtain justice for his dead friend and to clear the streets of the gangster thugs that strike terror into the neighbourhood.

It’s refreshing to see a more passive, gentler side to Trejo while Charles S Dutton goes in the complete opposite direction in a scenery chewing bad guy role. The street carnage is pretty impressive for a low budget film…until you realise that the Bus chase footage has been lifted lock stock from Schwarzenegger’s 1988 hit Red Heat… but hey, who’s gonna check that? Simple, streamlined and dependable bullshit…just like the old days.

Son, We're Going To A Ball Game

There’s no way The Last Boy Scout could possibly have failed. You’ve got Bruce Willis, in the prime of his action cinema career in what is arguably his best film role to date. You’ve got legendary director Tony Scott who produces one of the best looking movies of his career (pretty impressive when you consider Scott has made his name conjuring up slick visuals) and finally dumping the script-by-committee stories of Beverly Hills Cop II and Days Of Thunder for something that’s actually brilliantly written.

That script is of course penned by Shane Black who was the mastermind behind Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout shares many story beats with that classic screenplay. There’s the mismatched crime-fighting duo, one white and a highly trained, ex-government badass while the other is black, less lethal and also highly resourceful. One is a loner with a tragic past (dead wife or girlfriend) while the other is a family man (or woman if you’re Gena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight) with a daughter who will inevitably get kidnapped by the baddies. Boy Scout’s tone is a notable notch up on the bullshit action factor than Lethal Weapon with the trademark Shane Black witticisms and one-liners mainly hitting their targets. This being Tony Scott, the visuals are more colourful and slicker, the gunfights & fisticuffs far less intense and the smoke machine and neon lights are working overtime.

A strong argument could be made for Bruce Willis performance as private detective Joe Hallenbeck as being his best to date as it’s a perfect blending of the charming, cocky and charismatic Bruce from the Die Hard/Moonlighting era with the still/intense Bruce of the post Pulp Fiction/Sixth Sense era. The rest of the cast are top of their game but I especially love Taylor Negron as henchman Milo with his attachment to calling everybody by their full, unshortened names. Perhaps Boy Scout will best be remembered for the gags and quips…and that’s just fine because most other action thrillers don’t even get this close to complete entertainment even with a full compliment of A-list stars and Baysplosions.