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The Vanishing (2018)
Peter Mullan Does it Again
This is a really well paced, understated thriller that kept me on edge for the full running time. All three main actors are good, but a special mention needs to go to Peter Mullan, who yet again proves he's one of the finest Scottish actors of his generation.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Much Worse Than I Could Ever Have Imagined
No suspense. No Horror. A permanent stain on the franchise that makes you feel dirty after having watched it.
I had pretty much no expectations going into this film. I had avoided much of the marketing material beforehand and knew very little about it other than it being a sequel to Prometheus, which I actually thought was a half decent film and a worthy prequel to Alien.
I'm not sure what went wrong with this film, but it is no exaggeration to say it is one of the worst films I've had the misfortune of sitting through. There is not one redeeming scene. The story is disjointed and quite frankly a complete mess. The editing is horrendous, the score completely forgettable and the cinematography is weirdly terrible.
Even Michael Fassbender cannot save this awful dirge. The CGI xneomorph will haunt my dreams for quite some time. Not because it's an imposing and scary alien in this film, but because the CGI is some of the worst you'll see from a movie this year.
Alien and Alien 2 were as close to cinematic perfection as you're going to get. Please avoid this dreadful film.
Rokuyon: Zenpen (2016)
Smart Thriller
64 (six-four) is quite an ambitious film considering in total, the running time is around 4 hours. It was split into two parts with the first being released in May and the 2nd part being released a month later. I watched both parts back to back, so this review treats both parts as one film.
64 opens up with a kidnapping which takes place around the same time as the end of the Shōwa period as Emperor Hirohito has passed away. It draws you in from the beginning with a fast paced "wild goose" chase as the father of the kidnapped child travels from place to place under the direction of the apparent kidnapper who is giving directions over telephone.
The initial kidnap plays as the backdrop to the entire film. The majority of the film is set in 2002, 14 years after the events at the start, but the story consists of flashbacks which reveal more about the events in 1989.
Kôichi Satô plays the central character. He is a PR officer in 2002 but was part of the Investigation unit looking into the kidnapping in '89. He also has a personal anguish of his own, which becomes more significant as the film develops. Satô is one of the highlights of the film. You feel sympathy for the character as he tries to juggle his day to day work (which is proving difficult with the press to handle) whilst dealing with his own inner demons surrounding the case in '89 and his own personal circumstances.
Their is a large cast of characters, but they're all played very well. The PR crew are all likable and the motivations of the different units of the Prefectural Police Department are well developed. A special mention also has to go to Masatoshi Nagase for his portrayal of the grieving father.
The story develops well in the 2nd part, although my only criticism is that part one felt well paced but part two struggles a little with maybe too much attention paid in the first half to the disgruntled press and then the second half feels a little rushed as things draw to a conclusion.
Overall, I would highly recommend 64. It's a smart thriller with great acting. The 4 hours will go in quickly if you decide to watch both parts back to back.
La isla mínima (2014)
A Beautiful Thriller
Marshland is a beautiful thriller set in Andalucía, Spain. There is a fantastic dynamic between the two leading men, Juan and Pedro, played by Javier Gutiérrez and Raúl Arévalo respectively. But the main credit needs to go to Alex Catalán and Alberto Rodríguez for the fantastic cinematography and direction. The aerial shots in particular are truly stunning.
The Franco legacy very much lingers throughout the film and this adds to the lingering tension and suspense that remains constant throughout.
The story is a straightforward one but the look of the film will stay long in the memory.
Looper (2012)
A Modern Masterpiece
I didn't really have any expectations before watching this film. I had a rough idea of the synopsis but other than that, I didn't know too much about it.
After having watched it, all I can say is that it is one of the best films I've seen that's been made over the last decade or so. It's intelligent, well directed and well acted.
After having a brief look at the user ratings, it looks like the film divides opinion. Some of the very negative reviews have mentioned plot holes. But that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this film. It pulled me in from the first minute to the very last and every minute in between was a blast.
10/10 and I can't wait to watch it again.
A Most Violent Year (2014)
Disappointing
The skeleton of a good film is here. It does look good and the setting of 80's New York makes for a very good back drop. There's also an excellent cast and a seemingly interesting story at the heart of it.
But for me, it was a disappointment. The theme's of the film were overplayed. There was very little subtlety. Yes, we know that people are corrupt. Yes, we know the American Dream is a fallacy. Yes, we know there is a disconnect between the CEO and the normal working man. Yes, we know that chasing wealth and power is ultimately meaningless. The problem is that all of these things are overplayed and overstated in almost every scene. By the time that Jessica Chastian's character actually explicitly says the words "American Dream" in the final third of the film, you will most likely have given up caring about these central themes. All of these things have been done better by other films or TV dramas. The Wire dealt with most of these themes and did it in a much more impressive manner.
None of it is believable. It has a good cast, but they all feel miscast. Oscar Isaac is the best example. He's not believable for one second as the self made business tycoon that he is supposed to be portraying.
Then, there's the gangster elements to this film. At times, the film plays like a parody of the three Godfather films. The meeting of the bosses in the Italian restaurant is hilarious. Then we have the constant referral to Anna's dangerous family and Abel crying to his wife that he never wanted to be corrupted, which played off like a really bad version of the scene in Godfather 3 where Al Pacino says "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."
I could go on, but all I would say is that if you want a gangster film, watch The Godfather Part 1 or 2. If you want a political drama about corruption and the failed American dream, watch The Wire. If you want a crime movie set in the 80's, watch Scarface.
Just avoid this overrated film.
The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Overlooked and Underrated. The Best Bourne Film Yet.
I was surprised to see that the average score for The Bourne Legacy on IMDb was around 6.7/10 and to me, it just reinforces the idea that people's opinion of a movie is defined by their expectation going into it. For me, this was the best Bourne film yet. It's arguably the most intelligent of the four, with great acting, believable characters and a great script (which has received some very unfair criticism in some of the reviews here).
It goes at a slower pace than the previous three films, which may be a problem for some people. The action scenes are not as frequent either, although when they come, they are outstanding. One particular chase sequence is up there with the best I've ever seen in cinema.
Aaron Cross is a good lead character and very well played by Jeremy Renner. Perhaps the film would have benefited from dropping the Bourne name in the title, but it's understandable that they kept it for commercial reasons. The way this film intertwines with the story of Jason Bourne is also very clever and well done.
Overall, a great film and worth watching.
Somers Town (2008)
A rather weak effort from Shane Meadows
There are hints of a good film here, but ultimately it's disappointing and comes nowhere close to the previous efforts of Shane Meadows.
Set in London, the film tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two youngsters who are experiencing the city for the first time. Tomo is from the Midlands and his past is unclear, however we can be fairly certain that he's running away from his previous life and has nothing to go back to. Marek is a Polish immigrant, who is living in a flat with his Father.
The film lacks any real direction. The acting from the boy who plays Marek is poor at best, and even Thomas Turgoose, who was excellent in This Is England really struggles. In fact the most interesting scenes are those with Marek's Dad. We get a real sense of the love he has for his son, but also his pain at having left his former life behind and bringing up a child on his own.
The film is very short, but there are still some scenes which could have been cut shorter or omitted altogether. The wheelchair scene with the French waitress was kind of cute at first, but Meadows really lays it on thick with slow motion scenes of the three characters looking around them at the high rise flats with the predictable indie tune in the background. It all seems rather pointless.
The film is not without it's merits. I liked the last sequence, and having the trip to Paris in colour was a nice touch (the rest of the film is in black and white). I liked the contrast of this scene to the rest of the film, but of course I think we can all come to the conclusion that the Paris scene never really happened and is just happening in the imaginations of the two young boys, hence why it is in colour as opposed to the rest of the film.
Altogether, not a great film and not one I'll be rushing to re-watch. If you've seen any of Shane Meadows other work, maybe check Somers Town out just to see how it stacks up, but I think you'll be left disappointed.
Henjel gwa Geuretel (2007)
Asian Film at its Imaginative Best
The world of film is currently saturated with Horror films similar to Saw and Hostel. In fact, to the average cinema goer, films such as Saw probably define the Horror genre. However, it is currently Asia that is producing the most original, surprising Horror films that last much longer in the memory than anything produced and distributed in the States.
It is therefore no surprise that Hansel and Gretel continues the tradition of outstanding Asian Horror film with its aim to entertain the audience with a good story as well as shocks.
There have been many similarities with this film to some of Guillermo Del Toro's work such as Pan's Labyrinth or The Orphanage. Initially, these comparisons seem to be wide of the mark, but as the last third of the film unravels, the similarities become clearer. In fact, it is in this final third that the film is at its strongest as things start to come together and the final twists are revealed.
All of the actors are brilliant, particularly the three youngsters at the heart of the story. They are very convincing in their roles and add some emotional weight to the film.
Overall, I would highly recommend this film to anyone that wants to see an original story that is full of imagination. A credit to the genre.
Neds (2010)
Brave Direction but Stumbles Across the Finishing Line
A good film that gives a very accurate portrayal of what life can be like for a young kid growing up in Glasgow. The film is set in the 70's but the main themes are just as applicable for youngsters in 2011 (trying to fit in, feeling like part of a group/gang).
The highlight of the film is the performance of Conor McCarron as a bright student who makes the wrong choices and finds himself part of a young gang. Peter Mullan does a good job of keeping the film at a high tempo and he avoids all the familiar clichés that are common in these types of film.
However, the last twenty minutes or so are a bit of a struggle as Mullan seems to find it difficult to find a suitable ending to the film. At just over 2 hours, it could be argued that "neds" is a tad too long. Perhaps omitting the "Jesus vision" would have been a good start.