Mother (Madeo)

Director: Bong Joon-ho
Starring: Kim Hye-ja, Won Bin & Jin Goo

Bong Joon-ho’s latest film is a gripping mystery thriller which, in places, conjures up memories of his film Memories of Murder but with the addition of a novel choice in protagonist driven to commit desperate, even dangerous, acts to find the truth.

After achieving huge success in his native Korea as well as success abroad with his excellent monster movie The Host, director Bong Joon-ho follows that film with Mother, a nourish, almost Hitchcockian thriller which has more in common with his directorial debut, the police procedural Memories of Murder than the film that better established his name. Casting heart-throb Won Bin as a mentally handicapped boy arrested for murder and Kim Hye-ja, a popular actress in television in Korea as her grief stricken and protective mother shows Joon-ho willing to takes risks again as before by making another film the subverts expectations of their genre. Mother is a gripping mystery thriller that has an interesting twist in its leading protagonist being an older mother looking to prove her son’s innocence. Mother has elements of Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder in its treatment of the investigations against the accused son but also bears elements of Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance trilogy in its lead character’s determination and willingness to go to dark places to uncover the truth.

When Do-joon (Bin), a boy with a mental handicap, is arrested for the murder of a school girl with whom he was last person seen in her presence, he is easily persuaded by police officers to sign a confession without fully understanding what it is he has admitted to and what punishment he will receive. His mother, Hye-ja (Hye-ja), has long been overprotective of her son for reasons that are unknown to many and is distraught at what has happened to her son. Hye-ja sees her son’s only chance is her discovering who really killed the schoolgirl and progresses on a search for answers which, when frustrated by the lack of help the legal system provides, sends her looking into dark corners and maybe having to accept dark truths about her son and herself and the over what actions she is willing to take to prove her son’s innocence if evidence should point to his guilt.

Working against type with his police procedural Memories of Murder about an inept attempt at police investigation and his monster movie The Host focusing as much on family relationships as on its creature, Joon-ho’s latest film takes a murder mystery and makes his leading protagonist not a police officer, lawyer or journalist or even the accused but rather an aging mother and one without many resources. This twist is likely the film’s most engaging aspect as it makes for a plot that is somewhat unpredictable. The mother is clearly over-protective of her son though doesn’t display and obvious signs of affection for her son. Her relationship with her son and her reasons for being so protective prove to be for reasons beyond her son’s handicap. The mother too, is also unsure of where to look and how to prove her son’s innocence and even seems unsure as to whether she believes in his innocence herself but her frustrations at being unable to get police or lawyers to look into his case provokes her to search for answers herself. What is engaging and sometimes surprising is the threat the mother can present. Her frailty leads others to underestimate her as she too underestimates herself not because she is particularly skilled or confident but because she is desperate and prone to commit acts in panic that are morally ambiguous and, perhaps, worse. Mother takes the audience and its lead character through several twists and turns that serve to darken the tone and take its characters into grey areas of right and wrong.

The lead performances in Mother are strong with two of its stars playing against type. Kim Hye-ja is a familiar face to Korean television as a motherly figure but here she takes a motherly role driven into desperation and her character’s desperation is clear and also sympathetic even in spite of some of the actions her character takes. It is an engaging performance and one which allows audience’s interest to grow as the character’s initial eccentricities originally serve to distance audiences from the character but the character’s desperation draws you back in, investing you in the outcome of her search for the truth. Won Bin subverts his heart-throb image very well as Do-joon, playing on his looks in part whilst delivering a believable performance as someone with a mental handicap that makes him prone to forgetfulness, anger and being unable to fully grasp the reality of what he experiences. Jin Goo is also good as a friend of Do-joon’s whose illicit activities mark him as a possible suspect but also as a possible ally in proving Do-joon’s innocence.

Mother is a gripping mystery thriller with an unusual choice of leading character that allows the story and character to proceed towards some unexpected acts. The mother’s quest for the truth is often touching, tense and disturbing in equal measure making for another memorable film in Bong Joon-ho’s filmography.

Rating: 4/5

The Switch

Directors: Josh Gordon & Will Speck
Starring: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston & Thomas Robinson

A likeable comedy drama with an enjoyable performance by Bateman, The Switch does play things quite safe so isn’t particularly memorable but wisely avoids going the way of gross out gags in favor of a little more maturity.

Originally to be titled ‘The Baster’, the filmmakers made the wise choice of renaming the film The Switch to play down expectations that the film would have more emphasis on comedy than drama and/or be a more gross out style of comedy. Having its release pushed back to avoid conflicting with the release of a film with a similar premise starring Jennifer Lopez called The Back Up Plan, The Switch may be coming to cinemas too late to feel original in it’s premise of a woman looking to be artificially inseminated and needed her best, male friend to assist but The Switch is certainly a likeable film with some nice performances from Jason Bateman and Thomas Robinson even if the film itself does tell it’s story in a safe and predictable manner.

Wally (Bateman) has been Kassie’s (Aniston) best friend for 6 years. Wally has also been in love with her the entire time without ever admitting it to Kassie or anyone and feels he missed out on his chance due to his neuroticism. When Kassie decides she is through with trying to find Mr. Right she decides she wants a child and begins looking for potential suitors for artificial insemination, asking Wally to help. When Kassie finds a suitor in Roland (Patrick Wilson), she throws a celebration where Wally, in a drunken state, accidentally spills Roland’s sample for Kassie and finds himself replacing it with his own. Remembering none of this once sober, Kassie moves away to raise her child out of the city but returns 7 years later with her son Sebastian (Robinson) in tow. Reconnecting with Wally, Wally soon realizes through Sebastian’s neurotic behavior that Sebastian is in fact his son and not Roland whom Kassie is looking to reconnect with. Wally is then left in the situation of having to tell Kassie the truth about who Sebastian’s father is and confess his feelings for her before she makes the mistake of spending her life with Roland.

While the title originally conceived for this film and some of its marketing including Bateman looking at a semen sample might provoke assumptions that The Switch is more of a comedy than a drama, the resulting film is one that favors drama while still providing humor. This works to the film’s benefit as while there is a romantic element involved between Bateman and Aniston’s character, this film is more about Bateman’s Wally and his reactions to becoming a father and overcoming his fears, his neuroticisms, to do the right thing and maybe be happy at last. Wally is a sympathetic and likeable character throughout and his story is one that you hope turns out well for him. Some of this likeability is down to Bateman’s performance but the script deals with his character and his relationship to others in a mostly mature fashion which aids the story. However, despite the film’s likeability, it is also quite predictable and there seems little doubt over who Aniston’s Kassie will ultimately choose to be with by the end or that Wally will bond with Sebastian and learn life lessons that make him stronger. While some time is used to convey and confront the character of Roland’s belief that life throws you curveballs, The Switch does not really throw any at the audience and unless you’re particularly fond of happy endings, the ending itself is nice but somewhat unsatisfactory feeling a little forced.

Jason Bateman puts in a good performance as Wally. While the role itself bears too much in common with that of Michael Bluth on TV’s Arrested Development, Bateman is nevertheless enjoyable to watch, particularly in scenes he shares with Thomas Robinson playing Wally’s son. Bateman and Robinson have some good on screen chemistry and Robinson too puts in a nice performance, initially playing to miserable kid type but becoming warmer later. Jennifer Aniston is decent as Kassie though he story is less present than Wally’s and Aniston doesn’t add anything to her performance to separate it from much of what she’s done before. Amongst the supporting cast we have a highly likeable turn from Jeff Goldblum as Wally’s friend with Goldblum’s natural charisma stealing scenes, Juliette Lewis is somewhat annoying as Kassie’s friend but plays the character’s type well while Patrick Wilson’s performance as Roland is just the right level of likeable but with enough vulnerabilities shown that you can root against his character without hating him but rather seeing it as the best thing for him too.

Overall, The Switch is a little more mature than might be expected. The story is somewhat predictable and many of the actors aren’t providing performances that you haven’t seen them give before but Bateman makes for a likeable lead and he has good chemistry with child actor Thomas Robinson. Throw in an excellent Jeff Goldblum in a supporting role and The Switch is an enjoyable if average comedy drama.

Rating: 3/5

The Expendables

Director: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham & Jet Li

While featuring a, unsurprisingly, predictable plot and its characters being largely two-dimensional, The Expendables certainly features enough old-fashioned action and an impressive, if aging cast, that there is enough to excite fans of these stars and of the 1980s/1990s action films of whose tone is trying to be captured here.

Several years in the making and boasting a cast of some of the biggest heavyweights of 1980s and 1990s action cinema, The Expendables seems like a dream film for many an action fan. The Expendables is the latest film in Sylvester Stallone’s comeback after reviving his characters of Rocky Balboa and Rambo to mixed results (Rocky Balboa was a touching look back at an aging pro’s career, Rambo a disappointing flop). This time Stallone tries for something more ambitious in uniting other action legends many of whom, like Stallone, haven’t seen successes today to match their glory days. While some names like Seagal, Van Damme and Snipes turned down roles, others like Lundgren, Li, Rourke, Willis and Schwarzenegger accepted and are complemented by current action stars like Statham and wrestlers like Austin and Couture looking to build film careers. The resulting film is one that could never live up to expectations of audiences and doesn’t really try to either which is disappointing but there are enough fun moments and action to make this a worthwhile film for fans of the genre and these stars.

Having recently had to expel a teammate from going too far, Barney Ross (Stallone) and his mercenary team dubbed ‘The Expendables’ are called upon by a CIA operative named Church (Bruce Willis) to take on a mission on the island of Vilena where a general named Garza (David Zayas) has become a dictator and with the help of a former CIA operative named Munroe (Eric Roberts), have enslaved the island and producing mass amounts of heroin. The Expendables’ mission is to oust Garza and Monroe but, to do so, must face down an army, Munroe’s henchmen and possible conflicts with old teammates.

As action cinema has moved away from the style of films seen in the 1980s and 1990s featuring muscle bound heroes and more towards leaner action heroes such as Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne or the recently revamped Bond films with Daniel Craig, many of the stars of those older action films have either retired from acting, moved towards other genres or continued making action films in that old mould but with straight-to-DVD fodder. The Expendables however, is Sylvester Stallone’s attempt to revive the style of action film where he once made his name and, in doing so, has enlisted an impressive cast of names who were once legends. There is certainly enjoyment to be found for fans of those older films in The Expendables even if age has resulted in some being unable to equal feats performed in their earlier films. There’s room for study somewhere in the film over the fate of that older style of action film and in its stars trying to relive old glories to see if they are still capable of doing so. It is disappointing that, for such an impressive cast, that the plot of The Expendables is very thin and very predictable with two-dimensional villains and even several of the heroes filling over-familiar personality types. There are things to enjoy however as if ever a question was asked over who would win in a fight between Dolph Lundgren and Jet Li, or wrestlers Randy Couture and Steve Austin or in seeing the long awaited onscreen appearance of Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Willis which stays just on the right side of fun, though isn’t the gun toting scene fans may have hoped for. Expectations for a film such as The Expendables amongst fans could never be met but there is some fun here, some decent action though the thin plot and characters leave you feeling that something better was deserved

A film like The Expendables isn’t one where concerns over whether an actor’s dramatic performance is good are an issue. The cast merely need to look tough and perform well in action scenarios and on this ground, the cast mostly deliver. Stallone is a dependable leading man where Jason Statham and Jet Li get the more energetic fight scenes. Dolph Lundgren gets more to work with as an Expendable that’s washed up and feeling resentful while Rourke is likeable as another Expendable that has retired to work as a tattoo artist. Schwarzenegger and Willis fit in a few wisecracks in their short scene together though the remaining Expendables members such as Randy Couture and Terry Crews are largely sidelined until there is an action sequence requiring them to turn up armed. David Zayas and Eric Roberts lead the cast of villains with neither being particularly memorable or threatening and Steve Austin just spends the film looking mean as one of Munroe’s henchmen until the finale requires him to actually fight.

While there is some decent action and some fun to be had at seeing so many old, and new, action stars on screen at once, The Expendables never lives up to expectation with a thin plot and undeveloped characters though if you’re in it for the action, as most likely are, there is enough to satisfy though not of a quality that matches past action classics.

Rating: 3/5

Salt

Director: Phillip Noyce
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Chiwetel Ejiofor & Live Schreiber

Despite a plot and plot twists that stretch credibility, Salt is still and enjoyable and fast paced action thriller with a good performance from Angelina Jolie continuing to cement her position as an action heroine.

Originally meant as a project to star Tom Cruise, Salt was forced to undergo re-writes when Cruise turned down the film in fears that its concept and characters were too close to those of the Mission: Impossible franchise that Cruise had already starred in. The director, Phillip Noyce, then turned to Angelina Jolie whom he had worked with in 1999 on The Bone Collector, re-writing the script to have the film focus on a female lead rather than a male. The resulting film, while not matching the quality of Noyce’s films Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger in terms of realism is nevertheless a fast paced and enjoyable action thriller in the mould to the Bourne Identity series though remarkably more far fetched.

Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is an American spy working for the CIA, when a Russian defector walks into a secure facility claiming he has knowledge of an assassination attempt that will soon take place on American soil to kill the Russian President, Salt is assigned the task of interrogating him to decide if his story is true. When this defector, Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski), makes claims that the assassin is a Russian spy working within the CIA and names that assassin as Evelyn Salt, Salt is detained for questioning though Salt, who claims to be being framed, is unable to reach her husband who she fears may be in danger. Salt escapes custody shortly after Orlov does the same and goes on the run claiming to be looking for her husband and hoping to find the real assassin though her escape compounds her guilt in the eyes of her colleague Winters (Schreiber) and Agent Peabody (Ejiofor) who has been tasked the assignment of capturing Salt and stopping the assassination. Is Salt innocent as she claims and who is manipulating her and the Americans?

Fast paced and with some exciting action sequences, Salt seems to be trying to outdo The Bourne Identity films whilst also cementing Angelina Jolie’s status as an action heroine and launch a spy franchise with Jolie to rival that of Bourne and Bond. While Salt certainly lacks some of the complexity or the feelings of realism that can be attributed to the Bourne and Bond films, it certainly matches them in terms of action, a memorable lead and exceeds them when it comes to plot twists. Salt does suffer somewhat from having too many plot twists as loyalties switch, switch and switch again sometimes at so fast a frequency to stretch credibility though one mid act twist involving Jolie’s character serves to strengthen the film and the character by muddying her motives and leaving audiences guessing over who it is they are rooting for. The action sequences, while often enjoyable also occasionally stretch credibility beyond that that is often seen in the Bourne and recent Bond films which are more willing to acknowledge the toll some actions take upon their heroes. A scene inside an elevator shaft and another in a police vehicle involving Salt, an officer and a tazer are amongst the more ludicrous moments as well as one act of disguise where Jolie comically, though perhaps unintentionally, resembles Cruise. Still, despite some of its silliness, Salt is still enjoyable and certainly has the potential to lead to more films with its lead character.

Angelina Jolie is a good choice for the lead role of Evelyn Salt, even during some of more unbelievable action sequences; Jolie sells her character’s capabilities with conviction and cements herself as cinema’s current, leading action heroine. Jolie is able to portray the character’s humanity early on whilst making the transition to superspy almost believable later on though still able to convey her vulnerabilities as seen in one moment when her character witnesses a distressing act but must maintain her composure to survive. The relationship Salt has with her husband is somewhat less credible, as seen through several flashback sequences that are needlessly saccharine, though Jolie’s struggle to make them convincing is somewhat down to the script and direction than the performance. Providing support in Salt are Live Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor as two agents tracking her down, the former a long time colleague of Salt’s. While neither of their characters are particularly well developed nor Schreiber or Ejiofor’s performances particular memorable as a result, both actors are nevertheless fine in their performances.

With plot twists and action sequences that make the recent Bond and Bourne films seem even more realistic in comparison, Salt is nevertheless an enjoyable if often ridiculous action film though the conviction of Angelina Jolie in the lead role makes for a memorable action heroine and certainly has the potential to launch a new franchise in the spy thriller genre.

Rating: 3/5

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Jason Schwartzman

Fun, funny and faithful to the comic books on which it is based without being slavish; Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is an engaging and enjoyable film mixing action, comedy and romance to great effect.

Based on the popular graphic novel series and directed by Edgar Wright of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fame, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World comes to cinemas with high expectations from its fan base. The film is a successful adaptation of the graphic novels remaining largely faithful to satisfy the fans of that series whilst not being slavish to every scene and detail like the adaptation of Watchmen which resulted in a film with limited appeal beyond fans of the comic. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a fast, energetic, funny and loveable romantic comedy with enough videogame-inspired action sequences to make the film more satisfying than any videogame adaptation released in cinemas.

Scott Pilgrim (Cera) is a 22 year old slacker. Scott has no job, performs in a small band named Sex Bob-Omb and has just started dating a high school girl named Knives Chau (Ellen Wang). His laid back lifestyle undergoes changes however when a girl he sees in his dreams turns out to be real. Persuading the enigmatic Ramona Flowers (Winstead) to go on a date, Scott believes her to be the girls of his dreams but soon finds that, to keep dating Ramona, he must first defeat her seven, evil ex-boyfriends all bent on making Scott’s life hell and with one, named Gideon (Schwartzman) looking to get her back. So Scott must fight for his life, win over the girl of his dreams, help brings his band to success and stardom and deal with the fact that he’s already dating someone. Scott’s life is getting suddenly complicated.

The Scott Pilgrim graphic novels have seen their popularity grow as the series approached its conclusion (the sixth and final volume was released a month prior to the film’s release). Released in a Manga-style format, mixing comedy, action, and romance but with many references to videogames of the 1980s and 90s, the series had broad crossover appeal. So, any film adaptation would have pressure to meet the expectations of the already existing fan base whilst also allowing the film to be accessible to new audiences. Fortunately the series is very accessible anyway and so is the film. Adapted by Edgar Wright, known for the film Shaun of the Dead but also for the cult TV comedy Spaced which also mixed comedy and romance with action and references to old videogames and films, Wright seems a suitable candidate for directing the film and he does so admirably. Condensing the plot of six books into one film, Wright has managed to not only preserve most of the story, but the quick pacing of those books along with Wright’s fast editing style allows the film to be packed with many recognizable characters, scenes, jokes and references from the books that even though there are alterations to the story in places, it still feels faithful yet isn’t hindered by trying to include everything such as what happened with the adaptation of Watchmen. Wright also adds to the film, but unlike the slow-motion fighting of Watchmen or added camp in Kick-Ass, Wright’s additions to the film feel natural as though they always part of the series such as some alterations to some battle scenes (Lucas Lee’s in part, the Twins more significantly) but also lines. The adaptation isn’t perfect, Ramona Flowers’ character arc is not as strong as her comic book counterpart’s and the same applies to the role of Envy Adams but the broad strokes regarding their characters and their development is maintained to the degree that they are served satisfactorily if not ideally.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World features an impressive cast and despite there being many characters to include in the film, each is casted with care so that they are all memorable even if some don’t get screen time equivalent to the time they have in the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. Michael Cera certainly impresses as Scott Pilgrim with Cera’s past persona of playing more introverted characters initially making him appear suitable for the role but here Cera tunes his neuroticisms towards Scott’s naivety, his slow-wit and short attention span leaving Cera’s performance surprisingly effective. Mary Elizabeth Winstead also gives a good performance as Ramona who, despite not having as much moments to explore her character more deeply to the expense of her sometimes coming over cold, is still able to add enough to hint that the character does have more depth than she wishes to be seen and is still sympathetic thanks to Winstead’s mannerisms and expressions. The Evil Exes are cast by a mixed bunch with some characters like the twins appearing too briefly for their actor’s performances to be memorable while others like Chris Evans as Lucas Lee and Brandon Routh as Todd Ingram are able to steal scenes with their performances. Jason Schwartzman as the final Ex, Gideon relishes the role of the lead villain bringing much smugness and feelings of superiority to the character that he is memorable and a suitable mastermind for events. While all the smaller roles from Scott’s band mates, to his sister, to his own ex-girlfriend are memorable, the last two stand out performances are from Kieran Culkin as Scott’s wisecracking gay roommate who steals many scenes and Ellen Wang as Knives Chau, Scott’s high-schooler girlfriend who is very endearing and whose vulnerability works against Scott’s likeability effectively.

While not quite a perfect adaptation of the graphic novels, Ramona’s character not getting as much development as in the series, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World nevertheless is one of the best adaptations yet but remaining fast paced, accessible and fun for new audiences unfamiliar with the source material. Edgar Wright keeps the story largely intact, packs the film with enough characters, scenes and gags to satisfy fans and adds touches of his own that feels natural. The cast are enjoyable and memorable, particularly Culkin, Routh and Ellen Wang and Michael Cera proves to be an enjoyable Scott Pilgrim. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Director: Jon Turtletaub
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jar Baruchel & Alfred Molina

An unremarkable, though still likeable, film: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice features some nice effects and an enjoyable cast even though it offers nothing particularly memorable.

The second attempt by producer Jerry Bruckheimer to start another, family friendly, film franchise to follow Pirates of the Caribbean in 2010, the first being Prince of Persia, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice comes to cinemas inspired by the popular sequence in Disney’s Fantasia. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice turns out to be a fairly enjoyable film with a likeable cast and good effects though it succeeds most when it strays away from elements that inspired it and, despite its likeability, doesn’t really offer many characters or moments that are particularly memorable.

After a battle in 740AD, the wizard Merlin lies dying and his nemesis Morgana (Alice Krige) trapped in a nesting doll after possessing one of his apprentices, Veronica (Monica Bellucci). Merlin tells his other apprentice Balthazar (Cage) that only his successor can defeat Morgana and entrusts Balthazar with his ring which will alert Balthazar as to who that successor will be. Over a thousand years later in the year 2000, Balthazar has not found Merlin’s successor but has tracked down and trapped many followers of Morgana’s, including another of Merlin’s apprentices named Horvath (Molina) who betrayed them all to Morgana in the past. Balthazar finds Merlin’s apprentice by chance, a ten year old boy, but is trapped in an urn for 10 years along with Horvath after Horvath escapes the nesting doll. 10 years later, in 2010, both escape the urn and seek out Merlin’s successor Dave (Baruchel) who has grown up to become a nervy, though talented, physics student. Dave, reluctant to believe or accept his destiny as Merlin’s successor must nevertheless learn the skills from Balthazar if he is to survive Horvath and stop him from bringing back Morgana.

Inspired by an animated short starring Mickey Mouse that was part of the feature film Fantasia, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice mines more than what was present to build its story and characters much like the Pirates of the Caribbean films did with the theme park rides on which they were based. It is with the new material where The Sorcerer’s Apprentice impresses most as a scene paying homage to the most famous scene from the cartoon stands out as being out of place. The film’s most intriguing and enjoyable twist is to introduce science into a film about magic and wizards. Its lead character, Dave, grows up to become a physics student building Tesla Coils in and abandoned subway to conduct electrical experiments. While this elements leads to an enjoyable romantic scene with Dave’s love interest where he ‘plays’ the Tesla Coils as each burst produces its own musical note, the science elements also compare well with the magic elements where the wizards control fire and produce plasma balls that look, not too unlike, the energy emitted from Dave’s Tesla Coils. This blending of science and magic, or scientists and wizards is fun though when the film strays from this blurring of lines, such as in a set piece with a dragon in Chinatown, it disappoints. The science however, is the film’s one most notable achievement as the plot itself remains predictable and some of the characters thin. There is also a curious lack of danger which, even for a family film, undermines some of the tension and Dave’s journey and romance with an old school sweetheart seem to occur because the story dictates they should rather that through a process that feels more natural and satisfying.

None of the cast of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice especially stands out. All seem to be playing personas they have played before though many are, nevertheless, satisfactory. Baruchel still entertains with his nervy, nerd persona with jokes coming better when he is able to infuse them with his nervous energy. Nicolas Cage puts in a rather restrained performance as the pretty grumpy wizard Balthazar which is decent but could have benefitted from some of the nervous tics he better known for. Toby Kebbell gets to steal a few scenes as an assistant to Alfred Molina’s Horvath as Kebbell’s character has exploited his abilities in the present to become an entertainer, a famous magician and thus infuses his performance with some swagger. Molina too is entertaining as the villain Horvath though is not able to truly make the character feel threatening unlike his performance in Spider-Man 2 which was threatening as well as sympathetic depending on the needs of the scene. The rest of the cast are largely average and/or forgettable. Monica Bellucci and Teresa Palmer appear as love interests for Balthazar and Dave respectively and are given very little to do accept appear interested whilst other characters barely have time to make an impression.

While possessing a likeable cast, effects and some interesting blurring of lines between magic and science, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice plays things too safe too often, sticking to a too familiar formula that makes the film enjoyable but not particularly memorable.

Rating: 3/5

Splice

Director: Vincenzo Natali
Starring: Sarah Polley, Adrien Brody & Delphine Chaneac


An entertaining genre piece that is often effective and exploits fear of the unknown quite well though it descends to less satisfying, more typical scares by the finale.

Written and directed by Vincenzo Natali, Splice was originally intended to be the project to follow Natali’s debut, Cube. However, neither the budget nor the technology was available to Natali at the time. Now, 13 years later, Natali finally brings Splice to the big screen to mostly positive reviews. The film, while entertaining, does have some flaws. There are comparisons that can be made to the 1995 Sci-Fi Horror Species, though Splice is frequently more effective, and the ending unfortunately descends into something more generic going for somewhat cheaper, monster movie scares. Splice is still an enjoyable horror film that touches upon some relevant real world fears and ideas.

Clive (Brody) and Else (Polley) are two pioneering genetic engineers who have just succeeded in creating a new life form from splicing the DNA of several Earth species. Wanting to take the research further to include human DNA, they find themselves obstructed by their financiers who wish to avoid the controversy of using human DNA and focus upon exploiting the life form they have developed to produce a new protein that can be sold to aid in medicine. Unwilling to let this stop her, Elsa proceeds with experimenting with human DNA, pressuring Clive into supporting her and the result is a strange new hybrid that Elsa names Dren (Chaneac). Trying to keep their discovery a secret, Else and Clive come into conflict over the ethics of what they have done whilst Clive is ever fearful of how dangerous Dren could become. When they are forced to take Dren out of the lab and hide her on a farm that belonged to Elsa’s mother, they have further troubles as Dren becomes attracted to Clive whilst her rebellious behavior begins to turn Elsa against her, all the while Dren continues to go through more strange and frightening transformations.

Like most horror films, Splice exploits real world, often irrational, fears. In the case of Splice it is fears over science, particularly over the progressions within the field of genetic engineering. Taking two scientists whose ambition is at odds with some moral standards, they end up creating a being that could be exciting but could also be a great threat to themselves and to those around them. There is some interesting drama to be found over the film’s question of ethics as seen in the differing opinions of its lead characters though most favor, conservatively, to support the argument that experimenting with human DNA is wrong. More interesting than the moral dilemma is the creature Dren herself, Dren is an interesting character and creature than bears many human traits and as he grows, she appears to undergo a kind of adolescence which means struggling with many new, often strong, emotions which given some of the character’s more animalistic attribute, notably her tail with poisonous stinger, makes her frightening more out what she may do almost innocently. The teenage rebellion angle on Dren’s behavior also makes her a sympathetic creature too as many of her actions, particularly in response to her treatment by Elsa, are those of a child. Despite some interesting ideas and themes in Splice, there is also a lot that feels derivative of other horrors. The similarities between Splice and Species are sometimes obvious such as the splicing of human DNA with non-human DNA to create a new, female, creature that could be dangerous and a sex scene that is similarly laughable rather than disturbing. The ending of Splice also disappoints as it descends into a generic, run from/fights the monster conclusion with characters picked off too quickly to care.

Leading the cast of Splice is Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody as the two scientists, Elsa and Clive. Polley has the more interesting character and gives the most interesting performance portraying Elsa as a character, not so much oblivious to making ethical decisions, but rather driven by issues of parenting instilled from her relationship with her mother and also her sense of ambition. Polley’s performance portrays Elsa as a character that is sometimes ruthless yet sometimes driven by a need to love something, like a mother, that also makes her sympathetic. Brody gives the more sympathetic performance as the member who is initially against the experiment, but then develops concern for Dren effectively switching places with Polley’s character in relation to their attitude to Dren. In the role of Dren, Delphine Chaneac gives an interesting performance having to convey the character’s emotions, its childlike attitudes through body language rather than be delivering dialogue and does so effectively. The remainder of the cast, Clive’s brothers, Clive and Elsa’s bosses are generally two-dimensional and forgettable.

Overall, Splice is an interesting horror film, more so for the relationships between its three lead characters and the performances of Polley and Chaneac than over some of the scares which, while effective in the first half of the film, become too much like any other monster movie by the finale. An interesting film but one not as original as might be expected.

Rating: 3/5

Knight and Day

Director: James Mangold
Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz & Peter Sarsgaard

Trying too hard to be a fun, breezy action comedy, Knight and Day struggles to amuse or thrill with its uneven pacing, slight characterization and an annoying turn from Tom Cruise.

Having spent many years struggling through development seeing changes in director, cast and re-writes of the script, Knight and Day comes to cinema screens as a vehicle for Tom Cruise which unites him with Cameron Diaz with whom he starred alongside in 2001’s Vanilla Sky. The result is a film that struggles to entertain, where the frequent changes in the scripts and production show in a film that feels a little disjointed and even the presence of Cruise does not help, with Cruise putting in a performance where his, at one time, natural charisma feels forced and less than charming. Knight and Day comes away feeling quite generic.

June Havens (Diaz) is on her way home to prepare for her sister’s wedding when she bumps into a stranger at the airport named Roy Miller (Cruise) whom, after some confusion over seats, she ends up sitting beside on her flight home. Finding Roy attractive, June’s preconceptions are shattered when Roy attacks members of the flight crew leaving the pilot dead and Roy to land the plane. Roy tells June he is a spy, framed and on the run and for her to deny knowledge of having met him. When June is approached a day later by FBI agents claiming to be looking after her safety, Roy reappears to save June whilst creating havoc and damage on a highway then proceeds to take June on the run with him whilst he clears his name and protects an important device and its creator from forces within the FBI that Roy claims are out to exploit it. Is Roy telling the truth or has he suffered a mental break down as the FBI claim?

Knight and Day’s premise, a spy caper/romantic comedy that stars Cruise and reunites him with Diaz, seems one guaranteed to succeed however the finished film is far from perfect or even satisfying. There is some energy in the film’s action sequences such as a highway pile up and a race through the streets of a Spanish city but little that feels new. The plot feels disjointed at times, perhaps a result of the many writers involved in the script with the action taking jumps from place to place and across continents with little explanation as to why but to offer different locales around the world for audiences to see. There is also little to enjoy about the romance being developed between it’s two leads as Diaz’ June is frequently subjected to drugging to keep her docile while Cruise’s Roy takes her from place to place and most of the finale features June drugged on a truth serum leaving her to act drunken and reckless. As treatment of a female lead character it is poor, as treatment of one that is supposed to feel for the man who is doing this to her it defies belief leaving the romantic element even more unsatisfactory than the spy/secret agent thread that features over familiar tropes like macguffins and double crosses.

The performances in Knight and Day are also fairly average. Cruise, once a star able to charm with ease comes across as forced here as Miller. Cruise is enjoyable sometimes as Miller when he goes into super secret agent mode giving action sequences some energy though this part of the role feels seen before and too much of the time Cruise’s performance borders on the hysterical, bringing into mind similar behaviors Cruise has exhibited in his personal life over recent years. Diaz is quite likeable at times but since her roles leaves her character often drugged and passive or requiring Diaz to act overly hysterical as bullets and explosions fly around her, Diaz is left with little to work with but follow behind Cruise. Sarsgaard is good in the villainous role and Paul Dano makes the most of a minor supporting role but the film is dominated by Cruise and Diaz, but mostly Cruise.

A big disappointment, Knight and Day offers a few enjoyable action sequences but there is little that hasn’t been seen before while the performances consist of a hysterical Diaz being dragged around by an OTT, dominating performance from Cruise with even the romance feeling forced.

Rating: 2/5