Sunshine Cleaning

Director: Christine Jeffs
Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt & Alan Arkin

A very likeable drama that, whilst not delving into darker territory with its premise, is still enjoyable and features good performances from Amy Adams and Emily Blunt.

Having been completed in 2008 and making its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in February 2008, Sunshine Cleaning finally sees its theatrical release following on the increasing critical and commercial success of its star Amy Adams and also promoting the film on the credentials of its producers who helped bring the critically acclaimed Little Miss Sunshine to cinemas (also helped by the presence of Alan Arkin in the cast). Sunshine Cleaning is an enjoyable drama with good performances from its lead actors.

Rose (Adams) is a single mother struggling to raise her son through working as a house cleaner. When her son is expelled from school, Rose wishes to send him to private school though cannot afford the costs. Through the contacts of her boyfriend Mac (Steve Zahn), a married police officer, Rose starts a business that cleans up homes and businesses after murders, suicides and other deaths have occurred, convincing her wayward sister Norah (Blunt) to assist while her father Joe (Arkin) babysits her son. With the nature of their work stirring up memories of their own mother’s suicide, Rose and Norah face challenges to their relationship and also see the value in their work’s role in helping people deal with loss.

Sunshine Cleaning is an enjoyable drama dealing with the effect of loss through the death of someone close to you quite well thanks to a good script and good performances from the cast. Whilst lighter in tone at times than might be expected of such subject matter as death or in the clean up of dead bodies, the storyline is still quite enjoyable. Both Rose and Norah are interesting characters. Rose as the former cheerleader who sees the normal, happy lives of people she used to know while she struggles to raise a child alone and involves herself in a relationship with a married man with whom, while having once dated in high school, had chosen someone else to marry and have a family with, she struggles in dealing with her own perceived failures and weaknesses and while initially taking on her new career as a way to make more money to help her son and afford a more comfortable life, she actually begins find actual value in the work emotionally and to see her own strengths. Rose’s sister Norah however, is far more troubled. Having never really recovered from her mother’s death whilst she was a child, Norah has gone from job to job and never achieved any real happiness. Through her work with her sister she begins to deal with her own feelings of loss when she goes in search of the estranged daughter of a dead woman she’d help clean up after as if, in helping this woman deal with the loss of her mother, Norah could deal with her own and move on.

The performances of the cast in Sunshine Cleaning are also enjoyable. Both Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are good as the sisters Rose and Norah, both delivering their character’s vulnerabilities and their strengths well particularly Blunt as Norah. Adams and Blunt also have good chemistry together on screen allowing for their relationship on screen to feel natural. Alan Arkin delivers another winning performance as the girls’ father, a small-time business man looking to make quick money but ultimately well-intentioned and with Arkin delivering lines with his usual dry humour. Also likeable are Jason Spevack as Rose’s troubled son Oscar, Clifton Collins Jr as a one armed, sympathetic shop keeper and Mary Lynn Rajskub who gives a touching performance as Lynn, the vulnerable daughter with whom Norah reaches out to in friendship.

Overall, while perhaps being too likeable and safe with its approach to its subject matter to truly feel profound, the performances are enjoyable and with the characters as likeable and sympathetic as they are, it would be difficult not to enjoy the film. A good, though not outstanding, drama.

Rating: 3/5

The Girlfriend Experience - EIFF Screening

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos & Peter Zizzo

Effective in its intended portrayal of its lead character and in addressing some of the issues surrounding the economic downturn, the lead character’s attempts to keep emotionally detached from her work also makes her character and the film difficult to really like.

Released in America just prior to the election of Barack Obama as fears of a recession due to the recent economic downturn were high, The Girlfriend Experience is a film of its time. Whether the film will still have the same impact in years to come as it does upon its release. With a unique approach at viewing the effects of the struggling economy by approaching through its effect on a high-class escort named Chelsea, whose clients are wealthy bankers and businessmen rather than spotlight, results in an interesting film. Not only does it allow audiences an idea of how businessmen are responding to the situation without making them sympathetic (a difficult task to accomplish), but it also allows for an interesting look into the world of escorts.

Chelsea (Grey) is a high-class escort. Providing clients with what is referred to as the ‘girlfriend experience’ which usually involves her being the kind of partner her clients want her to be and may or may not result in sex, her image and her standard of living allow her to charge high prices for her services to those wealthy enough to afford them. With a lifestyle to maintain, a profession with its fair share of risks and involving clientele that are currently being hurt by the effect of the economic downturn, Chelsea is finding her business at risk in a climate where luxuries are being sacrificed. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s boyfriend Chris (Santos), a personal trainer at an expensive private gym, is also seeing his income and lifestyle at risk as his service is also becoming a less necessary luxury for his clients. With both trying to find ways to increase their income and develop better financial security, the risks involved, particularly with Chelsea whose career means she keeps herself emotionally distant to the extent that if effects even her non-working relationships, Chris and Chelsea are facing the possibility of major changes in their lifestyles and in their relationship.

The Girlfriend Experience is an interesting film. Steven Soderbergh is director known for his technical brilliance and is well regarded for his approach to narrative structure, but he is also known for maintaining a feeling of emotional detachment in many of his films. With The Girlfriend Experience it is a feeling that sometimes works in the film’s favour when portraying Chelsea and her lifestyle but also means that it is hard to like, and sympathise, with Chelsea at times. Chelsea keeps control of her feelings and opinions as much as possible so as not to put off clients from continuing her service and in keeping her business and personal life separate. While such a decision works in her favour regarding clients it works less well in her private life where keeping her thoughts and feelings to herself, and with her boyfriend doing the same, leading to conflicts when Chelsea thinks she’s met a client with whom she feels she can be herself. So, while the emotional detachment within the film itself feels like a natural extension of its main character’s detachment, it also makes it hard for audiences to really empathise with her. There are brief moments when her guard drops momentarily but they occur too infrequently.

In casting Sasha Grey, a well known figure in the adult film industry, Soberbergh has an actress who is unfamiliar enough to most audiences to allow for her performance to feel more natural, free of the familiar tics and traits or more established actresses, but also has an actress who history in the adult film industry also works in her favour in giving her performance as Chelsea, an escort, an additional air of believability. The performance is an interesting one and works for the film and the character. Whether the emotional reserved nature of the character as portrayed by Grey is a result of her ability as an actress or due to a lack of ability is debatable and likely irrelevant as the performance does work. With other unknown actors filling out the roles of Chelsea’s boyfriend and clients, the performances given work for the story Soberbergh is telling even though none are particularly memorable.

Overall, Steven Soderbergh has made a film that does look beautiful, employs his usual flair for non-linear narrative in an interesting way and is certainly effective in its attempts to convey the emotional detachment of its main character through the film’s mood as well as through its lead performance but the detachment also works against the film too making it a film that can be appreciated on a technical level but one that is difficult to engage with or enjoy on an emotional level.

Rating: 3/5

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

Director: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams & Owen Wilson

Occasionally entertaining and featuring a charming performance from Amy Adams, Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian is a fairly bland comedy.

Night at the Museum, featuring a few entertaining cameos from well known comedic actors but also a pretty average straight performance from Ben Stiller and a plot that never really came to life like the exhibits in its premise, the film was still successful enough at the Box Office, and with children, to warrant a sequel. Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian comes to the big screen and sees fit not to change the formula established by the first film.

After the events of Night at the Museum, former night guard Larry Daley (Stiller) has gone on to become a success at inventing and selling small scale inventions such as the ‘glow in the dark torch.’ Having neglected the living exhibits at his former job, the New York Museum, Larry pays a visit to find that the exhibits are being retired and put into storage below the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC where they may never come to life again. When Dexter the monkey steals the Egyptian tablet that gives the exhibits life and takes it to the Smithsonian, Larry must re-evaluate his new life and go to Washington to save his former friends who are prisoner of Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), an Egyptian Pharaoh kept at the Smithsonian now also brought to life by the tablet. With the aid of new living exhibits such as General Custer (Bill Hader) and Amelia Earhart (Adams), Larry must save his friends, stop Kahmunrah from using the tablet to raise an army and prevent his friends from being returned to storage in a lifeless state afterwards.

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian is fairly safe, straight forward film, much like its predecessor. While mainly pushing the importance of learning history and the importance of museums in teaching history, particularly to children, the film rarely challenges its audience. Content to briefly skim over the historical relevance of some of its characters (explaining that Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly over the Atlantic but avoiding addressing the circumstances surrounding her disappearance or death to either the character or to the audience) and portraying its villainous characters in too comedic a fashion which somewhat undermines the believability as a threat to Larry and his allies within the film in addition to their status as villains in history (Al Capone merely fulfils a gangster stereotype here). There is often the feeling that the filmmakers are throwing too many characters and too much history into the film’s runtime that it barely has time to do justice to much of it. While there are some truly enjoyable moments thanks to some entertaining cameos such as Bill Hader as the gung-ho General Custer, Jonah Hill as a Smithsonian security guard and especially with Amy Adams who is charming and energetic as Amelia Earhart, there are also just as many cameos or characters that fail to entertain or see worthwhile use such as CGI-rendered bobble heads of Albert Einstein or an underused Owen Wilson reprising his role as Jebediah Smith but left mainly to sit around as Kahmunrah’s prisoner.

Performances throughout the film are a mixed affair. Ben Stiller is likeable as Larry but his role as the straight man makes his character and performance less interesting or memorable when held up against the performances of some of co-stars. Amy Adams however is a true highlight. Bubbling with energy and positivity, her Amelia Earhart, portrayed as a woman who refuses to miss out on adventure is always entertaining. Hank Azaria is satisfactory as the villainous Pharaoh Kahmunrah who, despite offering too much comic relief to be a believable threat, gets some entertaining lines when his character is not around to merely drive the plot forward. Owen Wilson is likeable but underused as Jebediah while Steve Coogan gets better moments Octavious, Bill Hader is entertaining as General Custer and Robin Williams is likeable in his return to the role of Theodore Roosevelt.

Overall, despite some entertaining cameos and a very enjoyable performance from Amy Adams, Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian fails to entertain as much with its story and rarely rests long enough for audiences to truly engage with its characters’ histories or relevance.

Rating: 2/5

Moon - EIFF Screening

Director: Duncan Jones
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey & Dominique McElligott

A very impressive psychological drama/science fiction drama featuring a gripping central performance by Sam Rockwell that pays tribute to 1960s and 70s sci-fi films whilst possessing plenty originality of its own.

Directed by Duncan Jones (son of musician David Bowie) in his feature film debut and revolving around mainly a single character and a single actor in Sam Rockwell (with other characters seen mainly in video transmissions or heard as the voices of computers), Moon is an intimate and engrossing character piece set in the sci-fi genre and an impressive debut from Jones and also an amusingly appropriate debut for the son of a former ‘Spaceman’ and ‘Man Who Fell to Earth.’

In the future, Earth has solved its energy problems and much of its pollution problems from developing energy sources by mining the Moon. Taking energy production off-planet has resulted in a cleaner, happier planet however, life for those hired to mine the Moon is a lonely one. Sam (Rockwell) is the sole employee of a mining station on the Moon. Approaching the end of the three year contract where his only contact with his loved ones has been through video recording transmitted from Earth and his sole companion and artificial intelligence named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey), Sam is looking forward to freedom and being able to see and interact with people again. However, an accident whilst investigating a malfunctioning processing unit and then a shocking discover when he finds himself awakening back in his station leads him to suspect that he might be losing his mind and that he has already been replaced on the station. What this means for his hopes of freedom and the suspicious behaviour of Gerty tests Sam’s wits and his resourcefulness.

Filmed on a low budget, a story with events confined to a single location and involving a single character relying upon the strength of a single actor’s performance, Moon is relying a lot upon the strength of its premise, of its character and his journey and upon Sam Rockwell to grip and engage audiences. Fortunately Moon succeeds on all counts. With the feelings of isolation in the story’s location and with the character of Sam and with the psychological drama that develops, Moon feels in part like a tribute to classic sci-fi films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running and even Ridley Scott’s Alien. However, while evoking the atmosphere and some of the themes of these films and of other films of that era, Moon more than satisfies on other levels. While the concept of a person isolated slowly losing his sanity, or feeling like it is so, is not a unique concept, Moon finds new ground to with which to generate drama and while audiences might initially predict part of the mystery behind Sam’s accident and subsequent discovery in the first half of the film, the approach to how Sam deals with his predicament and what it means for Sam Rockwell as an actor to explore is where Moon becomes most interesting and rewarding.

Despite a well written script and an intriguing premise, Moon is dependant upon the performance of Sam Rockwell to ensure its success. Fortunately Rockwell’s performance is an impressive one. With the plot allowing Rockwell to explore various aspects of Sam’s personality whether it be his anger at his situation, his despair or need to know he’ll be reunited with his family again, Rockwell gets a great opportunity to explore the character of Sam and portray the changes that the isolation of his job and the issues he has faced have wrought upon him. With no other actors to physically interact with (as others appear only in pre-recorded video messages), Rockwell manages to remain engaging throughout. Rockwell however, is not the only performance central to Moon; also noteworthy is the presence of Kevin Spacey who provides the voice to the stations artificial intelligence Gerty. Another example of effective casting on director Duncan Jones’ behalf, Spacey is smart choice for the role. Despite delivering all Gerty’s lines in a monotone, Spacey’s voice, his tone, allows for Gerty to appear compassionate and suspicious as the scene requires without any alteration in Spacey’s speech pattern.

Overall, Moon is a gripping and emotionally effecting drama set in a believably developed sci-fi setting. Rockwell delivers an excellent performance throughout and the story itself allows for an intelligent exploration of the effects of isolation and on the concept of human identity. Whilst inspired in its mood and approach by earlier sci-fi classics, Moon certainly deserves to be ranked amongst them as it is an intelligent, thought provoking and well performed sci-fi drama. Excellent.

Rating: 5/5

Le Donk - EIFF Screening

Director: Shane Meadows
Starring: Paddy Considine, Scor-zay-zee & Olivia Colman

A fairly short, slight but still funny rock mockumentary from low budget filmmaker Shane Meadows which generates many laughs from its improvised situations and dialogue and a memorable performance from Paddy Considine.

With a long history of making films on a low budget, with mostly amateur actors and on short time-spans, Shane Meadows’ latest effort is his quickest shoot since his feature debut (filmed over five days) and featuring a character that he and actor Paddy Considine had been developing since the start of their careers together and is also his funniest effort to date and a nice departure, for Meadows as well as audiences, into comedy from the kitchen-sink dramas with which Meadows has so frequently been involved with.

Shane Meadows is filming a documentary on an infamous local roadie named Le Donk (Considine) as he about to go on tour with the Artic Monkeys and also try to achieve his own dream of stardom by getting a local rap artist named Scor-zay-zee (as himself) an opportunity to perform on stage. With his estranged ex-girlfriend also expecting to give birth to Le Donk’s son any day and Le Donk’s own delusions of talent threatening to upset both Scor-zay-zee’s chance at fame and Meadows’ documentary, Le Donk has the opportunity to achieve a lifelong dream and perhaps change his own ways for the better.

Having developed the character of Le Donk in their personal time over the years and basing his attitude and mannerisms on roadies that Meadows and Considine have known, they succeed in bringing the character of Le Donk to life with the lack of a script and the reliance on improvisation working out as a strength for the. All false bravado and macho posturing, Le Donk is a person whose long association with famous musicians, despite that association being as a roadie moving their equipment rather than as a friend or artistic partner, has led Le Donk to believe his own hype. The personality is one that should feel familiar to many audiences and allows Le Donk to be entertaining when his ego proves to be his downfall at times in a manner reminiscent of Steve Coogan's Saxondale or Ricky Gervais’ characters in The Office or Extras but with a working class shine that Meadows has proven effective in portraying in his films. With many big scenes being as improvised as the dialogue, such as Scor-zay-zee’s practice performance on a Manchester stage that actually attracts the attention and appreciation of the Artic Monkeys, Le Donk often feels less like a mockumentary and actually like an authentic documentary with everything being filmed as it happens and with many cast members whether it be rapper Scor-zay-zee, Shane Meadows himself and other members of the film crew actually playing themselves with Le Donk being the only, major fictional character in the film.

Paddy Considine leads the cast as Le Donk who delivers a very entertaining and memorable performance. Considine gives Le Donk just the right amount of swagger and ego to the character whilst also being able to show Le Donk as appearing genuinely vulnerable when his ego and anger get the better of him leaving him in situations he can’t control. Scor-zay-zee, an actual Nottinghamshire rapper, is highly likeable in comparison to Le Donk who succeeds as the film’s true underdog who success is due more to his own actions than Le Donk’s and despite his lyrics not being to everyone’s tastes proves to be an adept performer. Like Scor-zay-zee, many of the supporting characters are members of the film crew playing themselves with Shane Meadows playing a large role as the director of the documentary on Le Donk which allows for some interesting breaks in the fourth wall of film narrative as Le Donk will turn to his director for advice on the scene with the only other manufactured characters in addition to Le Donk being his ex-girlfriend Olivia (played by Olivia Colman) and her new boyfriend.

Overall, Le Donk is a very entertaining mockumentary with the plausibility of its characters and their story strengthened by the low budget nature of the film and the amount of improvisation on hand. The film might only just be long enough to be considered a feature length film and its production values seemingly make it a better candidate for a TV movie than for cinema but audiences should nevertheless find the film entertaining.

Rating: 4/5

Last Chance Harvey

Director: Joel Hopkins
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson & Eileen Atkins

A likeable, if average, romantic comedy that owes much of its enjoyment to its two leads rather than to the story itself.

Written by Joel Hopkins for Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson after Hopkins saw them perform on Broadway together, Last Chance Harvey is a likeable film and while its plot seemingly feels like a retread of Before Sunrise replacing the streets of Venice for London and its young leads for older leads, like Before Sunrise, enjoyment can be had from the chemistry of its leads and the desire of the audience to see them achieve some measure of happiness.

Harvey Shine (Hoffman) is an American composer for advertising jingles who has let his work in America distance him from his daughter and his ex-wife who have built lives for themselves in England. While visiting London for his daughter’s wedding he meets Kate Walker (Thompson), a statistics collector at Heathrow Airport who has become disillusioned with the notion of romance after being single for most of her life and now lives with her mother. Initially getting off to a rude start, Harvey being too tired from his flight, they later encounter each other the next day after a failed blind date has soured Kate’s attitude further and Harvey having been replaced by his daughter’s step-father as father figure at the wedding and looking to return home to save his ailing career. Out of shared frustration, Harvey and Kate make a connection and spend a night getting to know each other whilst walking around London inspiring each of them to the possibilities of new chances in both love and family.

Last Chance Harvey depends a lot upon Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, their chemistry together and their likeability to the audience. The pair do engage quite well eventhough the conclusions they both come to about life and love, especially at their respective ages, is rarely original or insightful and the course their romance takes whether it be back to Harvey’s daughter’s wedding or a later missed connection between the two don’t surprise neither does the ultimate outcome of the relationship between Harvey and Kate but the likability of Hoffman and Thompson make up for the predictability of the film’s plot. There is the addition of a sub-plot involving Kate’s mother and her suspicions over the behaviour of her new, Polish neighbour, that at first seems like an unnecessary diversion to the main story but becomes somewhat more enjoyable later in the film but mostly this is Harvey and Kate’s story.

Performances in Last Chance Harvey are also enjoyable. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson have an enjoyable chemistry despite initially seeming like an unlikely pair and while neither actor is stretched by their role or delivers anything particular memorable in their performances (both Harvey and Kate are possess personality types similar to those played by Hoffman and Thompson in the past) their performances are still satisfactory. There are some likeable supporting performances too with Eileen Atkins delivering an amusing turn as Kate’s conservative mother and from Liane Balaban as Harvey’s daughter Susan who come across as warm and friendly despite the emotional distance that had developed between her and her father.

Overall, Last Chance Harvey is nothing exceptional in either story or in the performances of its lead actors but the actors themselves and the chemistry between them means that Last Chance Harvey is a likeable if unmemorable romantic comedy.

Rating: 3/5

High Life - EIFF Screening

Director: Gary Yates
Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Stephen Eric McIntyre & Joe Anderson

A very entertaining, low budget comedy about a bunch of morphine-addicted ex-cons who try to rob a bank during the 1980s.

Filmed on a small budget in Canada, set in the 1980s, starring little known actors (Timothy Olyphant of TV’s Deadwood being the most high profile name in the cast) and covering the already well worn ground of heist films and heist comedies, High Life comes to cinema screens with very little hype and manages to entertain thanks to the performances of its cast and the sharpness of its script generating many genuine laughs and a satisfying amount of sub-text (with horses being one particular theme representing a dream of freedom).

It is 1983 and ex-con Dick (Olyphant), is working as a janitor at a local hospital to finance his morphine addiction without resorting to crime. When his old cellmate Bug (McIntyre) turns up and gets him fired, Dick comes upon a novel idea on robbing a bank to set himself up for drugs for years when he realises the potential of newly installed cash machines as a target for a heist. Enlisting his somewhat unstable cellmate Bug, tech-savvy conman Donnie (Anderson) and the fresh faced ladies man Billy (Rossif Sutherland, son to Donald and half-brother to Kiefer), a plan is formed to use a cash machine scam to score a larger payout as long as he can hold his crew together in the face of their infighting and drug addictions.

With a cast of characters that consist of crooks and drug addicts, setting High Life in 1983 is a move that works in the story’s favour (based on a play, High Life was originally given a contemporary setting). With cash machines/ATMs a relatively new innovation at that period and more open to exploitation by criminals (since the population still coming to grasp with keeping pin numbers secret so early after the technology’s implementation) it allows for two things. First, it makes the likelihood of our cast of characters succeeding in their plan more believable and secondly, it represents the changes and advancements in society from the 1970s into the 1980s with old routines falling behind and the danger old crooks face if they don’t adapt to the progress. High Life also benefits by keeping its cast small and their goals modest. These are not men looking for a huge score and retiring to a tropical island. These are men who just want money to pay for their drug fix with the most grand ambition being Dick’s desire to by a horse ranch, or at least make a deposit on one with his cut of the takings. These are not master criminals and their humble goals make them, somehow, more relatable and likeable.

High Life‘s script, with its simple premise and simple heist, allows for more time to be spent with the film’s characters. Without a large ensemble to cover or an overly elaborate plan to rob the bank, High Life instead allows audiences time to know the dreams of its characters and their relationships with each other. With most of the cast having studied the behaviour of morphine addicts prior to the filming of High Life, proper time is given to the mannerisms of their characters. No mere caricatures of drug addicts, the performances here are enjoyable for the believable amount of nervous tics and behaviour rather than overdoing such behaviour to the point of becoming too broad a stereotype. The cast also possess an enjoyable amount of chemistry with a 15 minute sequence set in a car being very gripping and funny despite it being driven along mostly through dialogue than action. The dialogue itself is also very funny and feels more natural by generally avoiding the obvious gags.

All the cast members give layered performances too. Timothy Olyphant handles the lead role of Dick quite well as the non-violent mastermind of the heist who is barely in control of his crew, particularly the overly irritable and violent Bug. Bug is perhaps the most interesting character and performance with Stephen Eric McIntyre keeping the character suitably brimming with anger that threatens to overspill at inopportune moments but who is also emotionally vulnerable because of his addictions and anger. Joe Anderson is likeable as the jittery Donnie and Rossif Sutherland is highly likeable as the laid back Billy whose addictions stretch to women as much as morphine.

Overall, High Life is a very enjoyable little comedy. Its smaller budget, lesser known cast and tighter focus on its characters over it’s plot allows the humour and characters to shine. A surprisingly entertaining film.

Rating: 4/5

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox & Josh Duhamel

Loud, dumb and often OTT, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen is still an entertaining blockbuster with great effects and enjoyable action sequences despite its flaws.

Michael Bay has never been known as a director who is looking to engage audiences on an intellectual level with his films. Bay, director of Armageddon, Bad Boys and the first Transformers film, has always been more interested in the adrenalin rush that the action movie genre survives on. The Transformers franchise, whether it be the action figures or the various animated series has also rarely been considered cerebral with its often convoluted storylines developed mainly as a means to sell toys and fulfil an adolescent appeal in large robots fighting and things exploding. So Bay and Transformers are as perfect a match as their could be when adapting the franchise for the big screen and the success of the first film despite its flaws and criticisms was still impressive and managed to succeed in exciting older audiences familiar with the franchise from their childhood and entertaining newer generations of children. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen was therefore inevitable and while what the first film did well is done better this time around, what flaws were present in the previous film are also more noticeable.

In the years since the conclusion of the first Transformers film, more Autobots (good Transformers) have come to Earth and have allied themselves with the US Military to combat Decepticons (bad Transformers) whose numbers on Earth have also increased. When one battle in Shanghai results in a threat that the Fallen is coming, the Autobots reveal to the humans that Transformers have visited the Earth before and that the Fallen is the last of those ancient Transformers and one who had been intent on destroying the human race and turning the Sun into a power source before he had been defeated. Whilst the Earth must prepare for the arrival of the Fallen and for a resurrected Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, Sam Witwicky (LeBeouf) is trying to leave the fighting behind and go to college when a shard of Transformers technology imprints him with the knowledge of where the Fallen can find the weapon he’ll need to destroy the Autobots and the human race. Drawn back into the world of the Transformers, Sam along with his family and his girlfriend Mikayla (Fox) find themselves fighting for their lives with Sam having to live up to his destiny to be a leader.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen is bigger, louder, longer and more entertaining film than its predecessor. Featuring an even more convoluted plot and thinner characterisations of its human cast than before it does compensate by having bigger and more impressive action sequences and better effects whilst also throwing more scenes and characters that make the film more appealing to older fans of the franchise. While some of the action sequences recall similar sequences from other blockbusters such as a battle between Optimus Prime and three Decepticons that recalls the Kong/T-Rex sequence from Peter Jackson’s King Kong remake, they are still exciting and well choreographed. Fan favourite Transformers such as Arcee (a female Transformer that turn into a motorcycle), the Decepticon Soundwave (here as a satellite rather than the boombox of his 1980s incarnation) complete with robotic panther Ravage are some satisfying touches as are the frequent arguments between Megatron and Starscream, another staple of the animated series. There is also an increase in the amount of humour in the film, or attempts at humour. While some can be successful such as Julie White as Sam’s OTT mother or the cranky and rusted Transformer Jetfire (complete with walking stick and aluminium beard) others attempts at humour fail miserably. The presence of a pair of Transformers nicknamed The Twins, are often so annoying that they recall Jar Jar Binks of George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels with characterisations that border on the offensive (as far as racial stereotypes can be applied to robots).

While audiences will be seeing the film for the robots and the action, the human characters and performances impress less and are often loud, two-dimensional caricatures as though this is the only way they can compete on screen with giant CGI robots. Whilst Shia LeBeouf is still entertaining as the reluctant hero Sam, other characters are less developed such as Sam’s college roommate Leo (Ramon Rodriguez) who merely fills the role of comedy sidekick or Megan Fox who continues to fulfil the role of good looking girlfriend though gets little more material to work with and Josh Duhamel, reprising his role as Major Lennox, gets much less to do than in the first Transformers film and is just support for Sam and the Autobots. Of course, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen is less concerned with characterisation of its characters and more towards driving the story along from one action sequence to the next.

Overall, while possessing several annoying characters and not developing most of its likeable characters in a satisfactory manner, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen certainly does succeed in providing thrilling action sequences and appealing to the core Transformers audience in showcasing the Transformers themselves. If audiences are looking for intelligent drama to accompany their action then they’ll be disappointed though if they’re looking for big thrills then Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen will certainly entertain.

Rating: 3/5

The Hangover

Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms & Zach Galifianakis

A highly entertaining comedy that, despite all appearances, proves to be very funny thanks to its new approach to old comedy formulas and the chemistry of its cast.

On first glance, The Hangover might not appear to offer much that hasn’t been seen before in the bachelor party sub-genre of comedy films. Its cast are the groom Doug (Justin Bartha) and his three best men consisting of alpha-male Phil (Cooper), square and hardworking Stu (Helms) and slacker Alan (Galifianakis) and the plot revolves around Doug’s bachelor party going wrong in the familiar location of Las Vegas. The events involve the familiar vices of drugs, alcohol, gambling and strippers. However, where The Hangover impresses is in its approach to the telling of such a tale and it is this approach along with the performances of its cast that makes The Hangover more entertaining than the usual Bachelor Party comedy.

After taking their friend Doug to Las Vegas for his Bachelor Party, groomsmen Phil, Stu and Alan awake in their hotel room to find the room wrecked, a baby lying in the closet, a tiger in the bathroom, their friend Doug missing and no memory between them of any of the events of the preceding night thanks to a memory erasing date rape drug they they’d all been given. With little to go on to find their friend beyond a hospital bracelet on Phil’s arm, the baby in the closet and a police car checked into the hotel car park as their own, the three men must piece together the events of the night they can’t remember in the hopes of finding their missing friend. Their search sees them cross paths with doctors, irate police officers, Mike Tyson, a stripper wearing a wedding ring belonging to Stu and an effeminate gangster (Ken Jeong).

The approach to the storyline, skipping the actual events of the night before to show us the aftermath and leaving both the audience and the characters unaware of what has occurred makes The Hangover very interesting as well as very funny and also makes the characters and their situation far more relatable to the audience as how many people have had celebrations where they were unable to recall some, or all, of the events of the night before? As well as comedy, The Hangover is therefore also a bit of a mystery as audience and characters alike try to piece together the clues that allow us to picture what the night before might have been like with the teases offered allowing audiences to, perhaps, imagine an evening more entertaining than any that could have been shown. At the same time, the search itself is very entertaining with the events and confrontations our cast face as they face the consequences of their actions. These consequences involve a very painful public service before a classroom full of children, a surprising encounter with what is found in the trunk of their car, making amends with a singing Mike Tyson over the theft of his pet tiger and a card game that parodies the film Rain Man to great effect. The Hangover, even in its new take on and old formula, does still adhere to some old formula as its cast, despite being well performed, fall into old stereotypes and the familiar encounters of gambling, drugs and strippers are all present despite the different approach to each of them. So while The Hangover is not quite as original as it could be, what originality that is present elevates the comedy.

The Hangover also succeeds in entertaining thanks to the effort of its cast. Avoiding better known comedy actors, the lead cast consists of actors better known for bit parts or for their TV work. Bradley Cooper (TV’s Alias and Kitchen Confidential) demonstrates leading man appeal as Phil, the more level headed of the three groomsman. Whilst having the least challenging of the three main roles, Cooper is still gives an enjoyable performance and shows himself capable of comedy in addition to his previous dramatic work. Ed Helms (US TV’s The Office) is enjoyably neurotic and performs admirably as the straightest of straight men in this scenario even panicking over his marriage to a well-meaning stripper despite his partner back home being unfaithful and abusive. Most memorable is Galifianakis as the dim-witted, bearded brother-in-law Alan whose slacker nature leads to him getting the best lines and almost effortlessly winning over audiences despite his many deficiencies. Bartha is dependable and likeable as the missing Groom Doug, Heather Graham is lovable and perky as the kindest stripper in Las Vegas, Ken Jeong steals many scenes as an effeminate gangster out for revenge against our groomsmen and Mike Tyson’s appearance is both hilarious and cringe-worthy in equal measure.

Overall, despite some familiar clichés sneaking in and a typically guy-friendly approach to its story and characters, The Hangover is still highly entertaining due to what original approaches to its story that it does take, some very funny lines and situations and the enjoyable performances of its cast and their chemistry together. Certainly one of the better comedies of 2009 and stay for the end credits featuring a photo montage as funny as anything within the film itself.

Rating: 4/5

In the Loop

Director: Armando Iannucci
Starring: Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander & Chris Addison

A well timed and well performed political satire that is both incredibly funny and offers some insight into the dealings of British and American politics that certainly feels believable despite of its satirical approach.

Armando Iannucci transfers his BBC TV Series The Thick of It to the big screen with In the Loop by expanding his approach to political satire beyond just the offices of British Government to encompass the White House and United Nations and keeping many familiar faces from The Thick of It, many playing new roles but with Peter Capaldi reprising the role of angry PR director Malcolm Tucker, and adding new faces such as James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Steve Coogan and Tom Hollander. The plot and the satire also widens its scope and ambition to reflect upon a decision to launch and armed conflict in the Middle East satirizing the decision to invade Iraq made buy the US and UK in 2003.

When politician Simon Foster (Hollander) comments on a radio broadcast that he sees war in the Middle East as “unforeseeable” he finds himself face to face with Malcolm Tucker (Capaldi), the Prime Minister’s PR bulldog who berates him for veering from the Government’s neutral position on the subject. When Foster manages to further complicate the situation when confronted by reporters with comments that come out in favour of conflict, his fence-sitting position makes him attractive to both the pro and anti-war figures in America seeing Foster and his aide Toby (Addison) invited to The White House placing Foster in a position where he must decide his position while facing Tucker who dictates what that position should be. From here comes power plays involving anti-war factions lead by Karen Clarke (Mimi Kennedy) and General Miller (James Gandolfini), leaked Government reports contradicting US Intelligence, doctored reports supporting the Intelligence and backstabbing between politicians and their staffers all out to protect themselves.

Filming in a handheld camera/documentary style, In the Loop has the feeling of being an accurate depiction of political movements in British and American politics. The feeling is supported by a script that sometimes feels improvised with characters and situations that don’t adhere to the usual, stereotypical, depictions of politicians in film. Moments where Clarke and General Miller retire to a children’s bedroom to discuss strategy during a public gathering or a scene where Foster spends a day facing his local constituents in Northampton are both humorous and also surprisingly believable despite being unexpected situations to see such characters on film. The characters in In the Loop are also highly enjoyable particularly the incredibly aggressive and foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker whose political incorrectness and attempts at intimidation seems shockingly and amusingly inappropriate for the environment in which he operates. Also, whilst played as a satire mocking a perceived lack of competence and communication and an excess of competition between politicians especially in a time of war, the recent actions of politicians in the UK and abroad during elections, expenses scandals and more armed conflict in Middle East make the satire actually feel more genuine. With audiences more willing to believe that politicians are not to trusted right now, In the Loop’s satire is even more effective because it actually could be true!

Performances in In the Loop are also highly enjoyable. Capaldi’s foul mouthed Tucker will be the most memorable performance but also very impressive are Tom Hollander’s bumbling Foster who wants to make a stand but not at the expense of his career; Chris Addison is likewise self-serving as Foster’s newest aide Toby, willing to blame others for his own errors and James Gandolfini is also impressive playing against his TV Gangster image playing a pro-peace General and Steve Coogan appears in an enjoyable cameo as one of Foster’s constituents committed to outing his MP’s neglect to his constituency over a dilapidated wall back in Northampton which has unexpected and amusing implications for Foster.

Overall, In the Loop is a very funny, highly enjoyable political comedy and the timing of its release only serves to make its characters and their actions even more entertaining. Definitely worth watching.

Rating: 4/5

Terminator Salvation

Director: McG
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington & Anton Yelchin

An enjoyable addition to the Terminator franchise that, despite some flaws in plot and characterisation, still entertains with some exciting action sequences and interesting exploration of the Terminator mythology.

After the lacklustre attempt to revive the Terminator franchise with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines which adhered too closer to the familiar format of the franchise and also, unwisely, parodied its own history at times, studios have chosen to alter the format for Terminator Salvation. It is a smart move, taking the storyline past Judgement Day to the world of humans fighting machines first glimpsed in The Terminator in 1984 with John Conner now an adult and facing the destiny that the machines were intent on preventing him meeting in earlier instalments.

In spite of the attempts of the machines to prevent the birth and the rise of John Conner in The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day and despite the attempts by John and Sarah Conner to prevent the machines even taking control in the future, Judgement Day has still happened. Now, in 2018, the human race is reduced to small groups of survivors and resistance fighters being hunted by machines. John Conner (Bale), now an adult and a leading member of the resistance movement, is struggling to defeat the machines and fulfil the destiny laid out before him to be the saviour of the human race. When Conner learns that the machines are searching for Kyle Reese (Yelchin), a man Conner is yet to meet and a man Conner knows is destined to travel to 1984 to save Conner’s mother and father Conner himself, he is left facing the threat of his own existence ending. Meanwhile Marcus Wright (Worthington), a man who died on death row prior to Judgement Day but has turned up alive with no memory of the intervening years, is trying to escape Los Angeles with Reese and learn the truth behind his resurrection.

As approaches to the franchise go, Terminator Salvation is very interesting one that allows for audiences to finally see the bleak future previously teased and engage in the exciting potential, for action and sci-fi fans, of witnessing larger scale conflict between mankind and machines. In these aspects Terminator Salvation is quite effective and certainly entertaining. The future is visualised as an Earth that is part Mad Max-style desolate wasteland with humans surviving in camps and with equipment cobbled together from whatever they can salvage, with huge industrial plant-style epicentres where the machines base their operations and build more machines to send out after the remaining pockets of human kind scattered beyond. The various machine designs are also quite impressive from familiar models like Hunter/Killer ships and, later in the film, the T800 robots to earlier attempts at humanoid machine models (T600s), huge machines that collect and imprison humans and smaller motorcycle models that hunt down stragglers. Also quite enjoyable are the action sequences themselves whether they be the chase sequence where Wright and Reese attempt to escape Terminators to the showdown between Wright, Conner and a T800 (sporting a very familiar face) in the finale.

Less satisfying though, is that Terminator Salvation struggles to develop as much interest and drama from its characters and their own struggle as it does in its concepts. While Christian Bale is dependably gruff as a fighter and as a leader of fighters, he rarely gives, or is given opportunity to show, Conner’s humanity as while the future would harden Conner, gone is cockiness and vulnerabilities that Ed Furlong possessed in his younger incarnation. Several members of the supporting cast are similarly underdeveloped and underperformed including Bryce Dallas Howard as Conner’s wife and Common as Conner’s second in command. Moon Bloodgood is somewhat more impressive giving her feisty rebel some intensity and personality. The more satisfying characters and performances come from Sam Worthington and Anton Yelchin as Wright and Reese. Worthington, whilst not too charismatic gets more drama to exploit when he discovers the truth about his existence while Yelchin gives the young Kyle Reese the hints of the strengths his character is seen possessing in adulthood (as played by Michael Biehn) in The Terminator whilst also showing strength in the face of inner emotional turmoil that is reminiscent of Linda Hamilton’s performances as Sarah Conner in earlier films.

Overall, Terminator Salvation is quite enjoyable. The action is enjoyable and the visualisation of the future quite impressive and there are performances that range from satisfactory (Bale) to impressive (Yelchin) but some of the flaws in the plot (how were the machines even aware of Reese at all at this juncture?), too many underdeveloped characters and missed opportunities to properly explore the emotional drama of John Conner means Terminator Salvation is an enjoyable addition to the franchise but not an outstanding one.

Rating: 3/5