However, I have managed to watch one of my favourites from last summer - the sci-fi blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow; along with the truly awful Emperor; and the astonishingly wonderful French dramedy, Untouchable.
EDGE OF TOMORROW
* * * *
Sky Movies // 2014 // DVD
"A military officer is brought into an alien war against an extraterrestrial enemy who can reset the day and know the future. When this officer is enabled with the same power, he teams up with a Special Forces warrior to try and end the war."
(ALL IMAGES SOURCED FROM www.imdb.com)
I've been eagerly anticipating Edge of Tomorrow's premiere on Sky Movies since clips of it featured in the 2015 advertisements over Christmas, and this week it finally popped up On Demand and programmed throughout the day on Sky Movies Premiere. Having seen it 3 times last summer (and absolutely loving it...) I couldn't wait to watch it again and see if it was a good as I remembered. It really, really is.
I've raved about this before in a full review here, but it's safe to say that this film - probably best described as Aliens meets Groundhog Day - is definitely worth a watch. In short, Tom Cruise is cast against type as a smarmy PR man with a perfect smile and a knack for total cowardice when the going gets tough; America uncharacteristically does not save the day in the end - this is a world-wide effort primarily focused in Europe (think less New Mexico desert and exploding Grand Central Station and more White Cliffs of Dover and fighting on the beaches of Normandy); and the plot is a rehash of familiar territory but cleverly reinvented almost like a video game, with Tom Cruise basically resetting each day to a save point when killed. Plus, Emily Blunt plays a truly fantastic female action hero - complex, wonderfully written, and both emotionally and physically strong - who does not need Cruise to swoop in and save her. She's no damsel in distress and if anything Cruise takes on that role.
It's enormous fun to watch, and shows that familiar and often over-used plots can be creatively and successfully reinvented for new audiences. As far as sci-fi time-loop adventures go, you can't go wrong with Edge of Tomorrow: as soon as it's over you'll want to watch it all over again. Live, die, repeat indeed (but it might be best to miss out the middle step...).
UNTOUCHABLE
* * * * *
BBC4 // 2011 // DVD
"After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver."
Untouchable has to be one of the most exquisitely charming, funny and touching films I've seen. One of my French teachers at university spoke of it often and as a result I've been on the look out for it ever since. Thank you, therefore, to BBC4 for showing it this week: it's absolutely brilliant.
The aristocratic Philippe (François Cluzet) is injured in a paragliding accident that leaves him paralysed from the neck down, and having grown tired of his carers' pitying he seeks a new caregiver to attend to his physical needs. Responding to the job advertisement are scores of highly educated applicants well equipped to work with a handicapped man, but Philippe choses Driss (Omar Sy), a street-smart ex-con from the projects who only applies for the job in order to be eligible for further unemployment benefits. He has no idea what he's let himself in for, but the lure of a regular income and a chance to live in Philippe's palatial house proves too tempting to resist. However, neither of the men realise that this chance meeting between two total opposites will lead to a warm friendship that transcends socioeconomic and cultural boundaries.
Untouchable was nominated for 9 Césars in 2012, and became one of the most successful French films not only of that year but in recent memory, and trust me, it's well worth believing the hype. It handles disability equal parts sensitivity and comedy. In direct contrast to the carers before and after him, Driss is often so swept up in treating Philippe as he would anyone else that he forgets that Philippe is paralysed. Scenes where Driss automatically holds out a ringing phone before realising Philippe can't reach out and take it could have appeared tasteless, but they're cloaked in humour and underscore how perfectly the two men click together. Where others saw Philippe's disability as his defining feature, Driss sees it as merely a singular aspect of his multifaceted character, and while it requires more preparation and planning it doesn't mean his entire life has to change.
The disability aspect is certainly central to the plot, but the driving force of the film comes from the relationship between the two men. The chemistry between actors Cluzet and Sy is wonderful. While restrained by the physicality of the role Cluzet is still exceptionally expressive as Philippe; and Sy is simply brilliant and fully deserving of his César award for his bubbly performance as Driss. On the surface the two characters have nothing in common but they always manage to find a middle ground. Their disdain for stuffy upperclass society, total honesty and their similar sense of humour connects the men. They also educate each other. Driss is given access to classical music, fine art and opera, and even though he mocks it mercilessly to begin with he still gains an appreciation and often laugh-out-loud opinion on the artistry he's exposed to. On the other end of the spectrum Philippe dabbles in pot and soul music, having the walls around him slowly eradicated by his new companion. There are issues with slight racial stereotyping - which isn't helped by a script that highlights the two characters' differences at every opportunity - but with this many jokes and such engaging leads it's easy to ignore.
From the explosive opening scene featuring a car chase with the police to breathtaking paragliding over stunning French scenery the entire film is a joy to behold. Rarely is a film of this nature handled with such humour, wit, and sensitivity, and the overall effect is extraordinarily touching and heartwarming. It may be sickeningly sweet at times but it works beautifully. Untouchable broke box office records for a reason, and it's extraordinarily easy to see why.
EMPEROR
* *
Sky Movies // 2013 // DVD
"As the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, Gen. Fellers is tasked with deciding if Emperor Hirohito will be hanged as a war criminal. Influencing his ruling is his quest to find Aya, an exchange student he met years earlier in the U.S."
I love a good historical film: as much as I don't want to admit it, I am and will always be a history nerd. At university I simply adored my South East Asian module, and I found post-war Japan, in particular, absolutely fascinating. With this in mind, I've been looking forward to watching Emperor for ages, but sadly it was nothing but a huge disappointment.
It's ridiculously boring. Unfortunately Emperor was so dull that there are chunks of the film I can't even remember merely days after watching it. At its heart there are undoubtedly good intentions - it's obviously meant to be a thriller covering the U.S. occupation of Japan and the investigation into the role played by Emperor Hirohito during the war. To me it sounds like an excellent premise, bringing into question the morality of war leaders, the clash of American and Japanese cultures and the whole notion of occupying powers and bringing a defeated nation to justice. Also, by giving Feller (Matthew Fox) 10 days to make his assessment of Hirohito's guilt there should be a 'ticking time bomb' quality to the drama. However an achingly generic romantic subplot involving Feller and a Japanese school teacher - Aya (Eriko Hatsune) - he'd met years before in America distracts from what could have been an exciting and tense film. He spends a lot of the 10 crucial days desperately trying to find her, leading to long walks in the rain that are essentially a waste of screen time. It's pointless, and it dilutes the drama to the stage that what little is left really isn't worth watching.
The depiction of war-torn Japan is good, and the first meeting between Hirohito and General MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) shows sparks of something brilliant. However the rest of the film around it really isn't great at all. Director Peter Webber successfully turns a complex and interesting period of history into a something simplistic and frightfully dull. To make matters worse, voice-overs from Feller explaining the moral ramifications of persecuting Hirohito sound like he's reading from a history book - not exactly a winning formula for a film. It's cringingly historically inaccurate, and unlike Argo it isn't even entertaining enough for you to look past the Hollywood embellishments of the truth. Such a shame.
GAME OF THRONES
* * * * *
Series 1-4 Box Sets currently available on Sky On Demand // DVD
Series 5 starts on Sky Atlantic, April 13th 2015, 9pm
"Several noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros."
My film watching this week has slowed down significantly as I've embarked on a rewatch of Series 1-4 of the epic Game of Thrones in preparation for the new series in a few weeks. The storylines are so intricately detailed, characters regularly double-cross each other and important plot points can be introduced subtly several episodes before they come to the forefront such that watching it all over again is one of the best decisions I've made recently. Obviously I've not failed to remember everything, but it's enormously helpful to take it back to the beginning and become reacquainted with the finer details.
My family have managed to watch all of Series 1 this week, fitting in a couple of episodes every night, and I'm hoping we'll be finished by the time Series 5 starts in April. I can't believe I'd forgotten how much I love this show. Even knowing what's coming I'm still shocked by certain events and I'm falling in love with the scheming, sets and cast all over again. It's brilliant television - although not for the faint hearted or prudish - and is a wonderful escape from reality. If anything's going to make me forget about my life then dragons, Jon Snow and a fight for a (quite frankly uncomfortable-looking) Iron Throne will do the trick perfectly.
Valar Morghulis.
So, what have you seen this week? Have you seen any new releases or are you - like me - working your way through a box set? Do let me know of any recommendations below!
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