What do you buy a millionaire for Christmas? Someone who has everything already? Not an easy task. And what kind of film do you make for nerds? I mean, no offence, but your average comic-con nerd prides themselves, almost to a snobbish level, in knowing a gamut of knowledge about almost any cult subject. They will reward fellow nerds with whimsical references and nods of knowing on the most extraneous of details and hidden facts, reminiscent of some of the games they play. I recently saw an old Spaced clip where Simon Pegg (also in this film) relishes in explaining how the entire events of the first 3 Star Wars films can be attributed to the gunner on the star destroyer in the first film – and then proceeds to smugly explain his far flung theory. Basically if you’re gonna engage with nerds then don’t bring a knife to a gun fight!
If there’s one director however who knows their audience it’s Spielberg. And if there’s one man to direct an adaptation of Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel of the same name, tis he. The result is a nerds wet dream – a movie packed to the hilt with references to cult and popular culture. So many in fact I lost count. Nor would I want to spoil it for anyone. But the obvious ones are Back To The Future (which is heavily referenced in the score as well as containing the deLorean) The Iron Giant, Terminator, Godzilla, Transformers, Power Rangers etc…. hundreds!
From the posters I was worried this film was animated. It is computer animated to the hilt but also requires “real” life scenes – also helped along by computers mind. It includes great performances from Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Simon Pegg and Mark Rylance. I watched the film on Netflix on a 4k. Parental responsibilities meant I had to watch the film in instalments but like a good book, I looked forward to seeing the next bit. The last scene ends with a bit of snow so good enough reason as any to make this your main Christmas feature!
[rating=5]
This prequel about Batman’s most popular nemesis is dull because it is so predicatable. We all know what he becomes. So how did he get there? This film starts with him already brow beaten and depressed with a medical condition that makes him laugh when he’s stressed out. My opinions of Joaquin Phoenix as pseudo weirdo are quickly confirmed with his insane tearful cackling that is meant to convince us that his performance draws on something deep – the clichéd recipe for a gritty in ya face actor. However after 3 minutes it just feels like a stuck record reminiscent of the “laughter bag” that looped over and over when Nicholson’s Joker finally hit the pavement.
In a nutshell, this film could and should have just been 20 minutes long. I’m sure diehard Batman fans will love the retelling with nuanced differences rather like a Shakespeare fan will enjoy their umpteenth viewing of yet another fucking production of Hamlet (yes I went there). But my viewing, for example, was not enriched by seeing the ubiquitous scene of Batman’s parents being killed AGAIN (how many Batman films have that scene?). It all felt rather repetitious and unoriginal.
Ok so forget Halloween’s 2-5, The Curse Of Michael Myers, H2O, Resurrection and the two Rob Zombie versions. This one is the real, actual, genuine sequel. Of course timed to coincide with the original’s 40th anniversary and therefore the 50th anniversary of original slaughter of his sister. Who’s sister? Why the infamous Michael Myers (of Wayne’s World fame – joke) He with the darkest eyes, the devils eyes – as Donald Pleasance put it so chillingly.
Cliches aside there are some great moments, my favourite was a long continuous shot containing some imaginatively shot deaths including a knife through the back of the neck. And of course there are plenty of tableau shots of Myers topped with the chilling chords and sounds of Carpenters original score, though I can appreciate that these are quite sentimental moments for the die hard fans.
In a post apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in total silence to hide from monsters with ultra sensitive hearing. It’s ok for one of them who is already deaf but not so much for their youngest who, as a demonstration of how dangerous this world is, gets eaten in the first 5 minutes of the film. Hardly a spoiler as this clip was shown in all the promos. But what a promo! Start a story like that and I’m hooked.
Not since Alien have I seen such a great film full of suspense and pathos. The superb debut from John Krasinski starring himself (do you know how difficult it is to be in something AND direct it too?) and real life wife Emily Blunt has the whole gamut. Great predator monsters whom we don’t really know anything about and who remain enigmatic right up to the end. And a fantastic supporting cast with hats off to Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. And a haunting score from Marco Beltrami.
I’ve always been a bit of an astronut and so it was a no brainer to check out the film that is one of this years Academy contenders. Based on a true story, Hidden Figures tells the story of three scientists – Katherine Johnson (Taraji P Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe). They work at NASA and the former Johnson is a “computer” who backs up and check data of a highly mathematical nature. Vaughn is an unofficial Supervisor and Jackson an aspiring engineer. However, this is 1961 and not only are they female but they are also African-American at the height of the US’s apartheid. So for the best part of the film they are banging their heads against the brickwall of racist bigotry that was prevalent in its time. However they fight on with heads held high and show their worth, Johnson especially who successfully helps with the co-ordinates that help put the first US man into space and would ultimately help put a man on the moon and get the Space Shuttle program underway!
The second theme was their lives, community and interaction with each other. This was beautiful and included a lovely romantic storyline (yes I usually hate romance) for widowed Johnson who finds love a second time around in Col Jim Johnson (Mahershala Ali – aka Remy from House Of Cards) Nice to to be informed at the end of the movie that they spent 57 years together!
Ever since Metropolis, a great Hollywood mainstay has been aliens from another planet. There are films like ET, Men In Black or Super8 that see it naively with a child’s perspective. There are the sinister visitations such as Independence Day or War Of The Worlds which have a more apocalyptic, threatening feel. And there are those films that inspire awe with the transcendentalism of two alien species, the human being one. And it is this category, along with Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and Contact that this film belongs. Indeed I was convinced this film would be very similar to the latter.
And despite the film developing into complex dimensions beyond our mortal understandings, it doesn’t loose its audience, unlike Contact, and that’s what makes it enjoyable. Indeed director Denis Villeneuve takes us on what feels like an educational and exciting journey without, if you’ll pardon the pun, alienating his audience. The result leaves you with a satisfying feeling that you somehow partook in the venture yourself and doesn’t leave you feeling baffled and shortchanged. Villeneuve is up for Best Director on the 26th Feb – the nomination is worthy though I doubt he’ll win given his competition and lack of buzz about the film generally.
After the Bourne trilogy, Damon famously stated he would not return as Bourne saying “We have ridden that horse as far as we can.” Anyway, that wasn’t to be and he’s back. We join Bourne who’s still on the run from the CIA and trying hard to find the backstory of his father who was involved in something shady that involved grainy flashbacks and ultimately a rather predictable rendezvous with a car bomb in the sepia-laden Far East. There is a smell of corruption withhin the Agency in the form of Robert Dewey played by the wrinkly, watchable, yet minimally expressive Tommy Lee Jones. And there is an Agent Starling sort called Heather Lee, (played by Alicia Vikander) a CIA Cyber Ops Division banging her head against the chauvinistic, patriarchal top brass in suits, clichés straight out of Working Girl.
And the script wasn’t up to much either. One line that made me smart was from Heather Lee about Bourne. “He’s seen things. He knows things.” Don’t get too technical will you! And that pretty much epitomised the blandness of the script.
I also have a confession. Despite my glorious review of the first film, I see I only gave it 3 stars. That must have been the film snob in me. So I’ll make amends with a slightly exaggerated rating this time round in its favour! Great, silly, immature fun!