As it's been nearly a month, reviewing absolutely everything I'd seen would make for a pretty lengthy post, so instead I'm just sticking to films currently in cinemas this week. Plus, as life seems to be constantly getting the better of me, The Ciné File is going to be a little different from now on... all will be explained below!
The films reviewed this week are:
Ant-Man (4*) // Self-Less (2*) // Eden (4*) // Slow West (3*) // Southpaw (3*) // Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (5*) // Fantastic Four (2*)
At the moment life is not allowing me to devote as much time to my blog as I'd like, so in order to continue with the same schedule I've had to rethink the format of my regular series'. For The Ciné File, gone are the full reviews dotted amongst one-liners and rambling paragraphs of adoration/disappointment. In their place are going to be concise reviews of no more than 300 words for every film I see. I'm not going to lie: the prospect of a self-imposed word limit terrifies me! As someone who likes to ramble about film till the cows come home this is going to be a bit of a challenge, but I'm convinced it's a necessary adjustment. Who knows: I may love it, or over the weeks the reviews might start to creep up in length... we'll have to see!
Also, hopefully shorter opinion pieces will make helping to identify films you'd not thought of trying, or convincing you to see a superhero film just once more a lot easier...
At the bottom I'll also be posting a short run down of new films hitting U.K. cinemas in the next week so you can start planning your next cinema trip sooner!
ANT-MAN
* * * *
2015 // In U.K. cinemas now
"Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world."
(ALL IMAGES SOURCED FROM www.imdb.com)
Full confession time: I've seen Ant-Man three times… This tale really does astonish.
Marvel successfully brings Phase 2 to an end by introducing their smallest superhero yet, and in a brilliant twist of fate by shrinking the action they've increased the impact exponentially. As each contribution to the MCU boasts more characters, greater destruction and higher stakes, it's really refreshing to be back on earth and treated not to an 'end of the world as we know it' nail-biter featuring floating cities, but instead a hilarious heist movie culminating in a fight between two men in a little girl’s bedroom. Make no mistake: Marvel baddies HYDRA are involved so the ‘end is nigh’ element is still present but it lurks from afar, allowing the action to focus on the characters at the centre rather than the global impact of an imminent catastrophe.
The departure of Edgar Wright from the project – which he’d been working on with fellow screenwriter Joe Cornish for the best part of a decade before leaving citing “creative differences” with Marvel – has been under much scrutiny, and as he retains a writing credit in the film it’s hard to ignore the impact he had and (unfortunately) wonder what might of been. However, new director Peyton Reed does a solid job, and armed with a (rewritten) script full of warmth, wit, and a double exploration of fathers and daughters; an extraordinarily high calibre ensemble cast with astute comedic timing; and stunning special effects – young Michael Douglas and the first scene with the Ant-Man suit in action are spectacular - he’s created a real gem of a film.
Ant-Man is wonderful: it expertly stands alone while simultaneously fitting into the wider MCU, and what better way is there to close this chapter than to end on such a high?
SELF/LESS
* *
2015 // In U.K. cinemas now
"A dying real estate mogul transfers his consciousness into a healthy young body, but soon finds that neither the procedure nor the company that performed it are quite what they seem."
To say Self/less was a disappointment would be a bit of an understatement. It has an awful lot of promise, and there are numerous hints throughout the entirety of the film of just how good it could be, but sadly it continually falls short and ends up being a bland, boring mess.
The central premise is an interesting one: the rich and dying can escape the limitations of human biology by paying extortionate amounts of money for their minds to be implanted into new, healthy bodies, thus elongating their lives. Believing this to be his best - and last - option, billionaire property mogul Ben Kingsley has his consciousness transferred to the body of Ryan Reynolds, but as he adjusts to his new life it becomes increasingly clear that his new form isn't quite as new as he's been led to believe... So far, so (sort of) good, but the whole film falls apart because Kingsley and Reynolds are such an appalling match. There is absolutely no continuity between the two men's performances and as such it's impossible to embrace the notion that they're essentially the same person. Reynolds has experience with swapping bodies acting (as demonstrated well in The Change-Up with Jason Bateman) but here he's an unmitigated disaster. For a film that desperately needed this element of the acting to be believable in order to sell the bonkers plot, it's a blow to the overall effect and makes a real mockery of the entire movie. Honestly, if you haven’t already then don't waste your time with this.
EDEN
* * * *
2015 // In U.K. cinemas now
"Paul, a teenager in the underground scene of early-nineties Paris, forms a DJ collective with his friends and together they plunge into the nightlife of sex, drugs, and endless music."
Sweeping across 20 years, Eden charts the real-life story of director Mia Hansen-Løve’s brother (Sven, also a co-writer) through the life of aspiring French DJ Paul (Felix de Givry). Starting in the 1990s in Paris, he helps to play a pivotal role in the rise of the French house music scene, “French touch”, as one half of a duo named Cheers. The film charts the bittersweet ups and downs of his career, from endless late night studio sessions in Paris to sets at PS1 in New York, while intertwining this with his tumultuous love life, his interaction with burgeoning DJ legends (Daft Punk repeatedly pop up as themselves - sans helmets - to fuel a running gag that no-one recognizes them) and a battle with addiction. This isn’t a story of success but one of failure, and it’s beautifully told.
Eden is immersive, soulful and wildly intimate, finding grace in unexpected places and flickers of inspiration in the mundane. The music gives a (literal) beating heart to the film, and it boasts a meticulously crafted 42-track soundtrack featuring the likes of Daft Punk, Joe Smooth, Jabberwocky and Jaydee in a heady and nostalgic tribute to house music. After all, music is the one constant in Paul’s life so it’s fitting that it plays such a prominent role here, not only in specific scenes but also by thrumming throughout. In addition, the cinematography is phenomenal: the early club scenes of the ‘90s in particular are bathed in a rich neon palette, simultaneously highlighting the precise recreation of the time period and establishing a unique, seductive and truly wonderful atmosphere for the film.
Eden will stay with you long after the credits: this exploration of the rocky path to adulthood offset by an unflinching beat will touch the depths of your soul.
SLOW WEST
* * *
2015 // In U.K. cinemas now
"A young Scottish man travels across America in pursuit of the woman he loves, attracting the attention of an outlaw who is willing to serve as a guide."
To me, a Western directed by a Scot, shot in New Zealand and with no American actors sounded like a seriously intriguing prospect, and as such Slow West had been at the top of my list of must-watch films for a while. It’s unapologetically confident and thus very difficult to believe that it is director John Maclean’s debut feature film. He’s crafted a tale of the Old West that salutes the Westerns of yesteryear but isn’t a carbon copy, ensuring that his vision is bold, unique and memorable.
Carrying the film is the unconventional relationship between rugged cowboy Silas (Michael Fassbender) as he accompanies the naïve, lovelorn young Scot, Jay, (Kodi Smit-McPhee) on a quest to find the love of his life. The two complement each other perfectly and as bizarre as the pairing is it works extraordinarily well. As ever, Ben Mendelsohn is a delight, clearly relishing his turn as the villainous Payne, cutting an imposing figure swaggering on screen cloaked in furs.
The landscapes are stunning - and by extension, so is the cinematography – and it barely registers that it’s not actually America as the likeness is so strong. In fitting with the genre there are sharp, sudden bursts of violence throughout the film, leading to an explosive climatic shoot-out which is executed in a darkly comedic and highly intelligent manner. There are so many hidden layers and loaded actions in amongst the stray bullets that it’s a joy to watch the scene unfold.
Fans of Westerns shouldn’t miss Slow West: it’s one to watch for sure!
SOUTHPAW
* * *
2015 // In U.K. cinemas now
"Boxer Billy Hope turns to trainer Tick Willis to help him get his life back on track after losing his wife in a tragic accident and his daughter to child protection services."
As far as riches-to-rags redemptions sports films go, Southpaw is nothing special. It follows the preordained formula of a top sportsman experiencing personal tragedy and responding by returning to his roots and building his life back up from the bottom in order to triumph over life’s adversities. The film never really deviates from the core plot-point hoops it needs to jump through, but a powerhouse performance from Jake Gyllenhaal elevates it out of the ordinary and ensures that, actually, Southpaw is something really special.
Gyllenhaal is astonishingly good. His physical transformation on screen is a sight to behold, particularly considering he made the woefully underrated Nightcrawler directly before this. He presented a withdrawn and skeletal figure as the dangerously intense journalist Louis Bloom, but here as boxing champion Billy Hope he’s a tightly coiled spring of pure power encased in rippling muscles. It’s a bonkers development to think about, but extremely impressive and very effective on screen. As a result, the fight scenes are excellent. Gyllenhaal nails the boxing, exuding confidence through assured and swift moves and then depicting Billy’s fall from grace with erratic, unpredictable and wild fighting. These moments in the ring don’t just break up the ongoing drama with his daughter (Oona Lawrence) but they advance the plot, excitingly edited to highlight every split lip and gush of blood, and often with slow-motion sections accompanied by a thumping, gritty hip-hop beat.
Unfortunately, Gyllenhaal’s performance bulldozes all others in its path. Despite being fridged early on Rachel McAdams manages to add depth to supportive wife Maureen; 50 Cent stays understated as an opportunistic manager; and Forest Whitaker steps in as the clichéd older mentor. However, with such a terrific performance from Gyllenhaal it’s easy to forgive any sins and just be swept along for the ride.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION
* * * * *
2015 // In U.K. cinemas now
"Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF."
As far as traditional summer blockbusters go, I doubt anything can top Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation this year. In – arguably – the best film of the franchise, Tom Cruise is on top form as IMF agent Ethan Hunt with a gloriously entertaining action thriller that is excellent from start to finish. The franchise has flagged over the decades while the roster of secondary characters regularly altered and Cruise’s reputation repeatedly took a hammering, but here the stars seem to have aligned in the most perfect way and Rogue Nation is finally the Mission Impossible film audiences have been waiting for.
Neatly divided into three acts defined by show-stopping set pieces featuring intricately choreographed real-life stunts, new director to the franchise Christopher McQuarrie has crafted an old-school espionage heart-pounder. It’s made purely for entertainment with no concern for plausibility, reality or extensive narrative: the plot exists solely to connect the action, but when it looks this good there really are no grounds to complain.
The first act begins at the Vienna State Opera, where Hunt - ably joined by comedic relief sidekick Benji (Simon Pegg) - sneaks around backstage with two other assassins (one of which is femme fatale and exceptionally good co-lead Rebecca Ferguson) tasked with either killing or saving the Austrian Chancellor. The camera darts back and forth from Hunt wrapped around the rigging fighting a man twice his size, to tracing sheet music in the orchestra pit as the opera unfolds on stage. It’s thrilling direction. The excitement developed early on doesn’t diminish as the action moves to Morocco (cue epic underwater submergence and motorcycle chase scenes) and finishes off in London.
Rogue Nation is a delight to watch and utterly remarkable, serving as a reminder that when done properly action films can be spectacular.
FANTASTIC FOUR
* *
2015 // In U.K. cinemas now
"Four young outsiders teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe which alters their physical form in shocking ways. The four must learn to harness their new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy."
Over the last week, Fantastic Four has been torn apart in the press with a shameful number of low star reviews. The reboot of the 2005 superhero movie of the same title has all the makings of a fantastic film (pun intended), but it really does meet low expectations.
The entire film seems like an extended set-up for a sequel that will hopefully never happen, and as such the plot never really gets going, the story is never properly explained and nothing really happens. It’s supposed to be an origin movie, establishing the characters, throwing them together and testing their skills in a climatic final scene before they go on to bigger and better things in the franchise. This does happen to a certain extent, but so long is spent setting up the premise of inter-dimensional travel that seeing the superhero powers in action is horrendously rushed and appears as an inconvenience the filmmakers would rather avoid.
Director Josh Trank has publically denounced the final cut of the film, citing the studios and their editing for the poor critical response. Reports of his behaviour throughout the shoot hint at longer-term problems with the project, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly who’s to blame for how awful Fantastic Four is. The actors do the best they can, but the script is poor, special effects look rudimentary, and it’s just so boring. The editing is terrible: scenes are confusing as explanations are bizarrely removed, and the final moments are virtually identical to Age of Ultron. There is an embarrassing lack of continuity with make-up, wigs, facial hair and costumes both in terms of chronology and even within scenes shot from different angles. Plus – appallingly – there are only a handful of women, both speaking and otherwise.
Sorry, but it’s not worth your time!
What have you seen recently? Do let me know of any recommendations in the comments below!
Pixels - Wednesday 12th August 2015
Absolutely Anything - Friday 14th August 2015
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Friday 14th August 2015
Mistress America - Friday 14th August 2015
Trainwreck - Friday 14th August 2015
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