Surrogates

Director: Jonathan Mostow
Starring: Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell & James Cromwell

A below average action thriller that has some interesting moments and themes but feels rather emotionless, much like the artificial humanoids with which the actual humans use in the film’s future scenario.

Another comic book adaptation, this one based on a futuristic sci-fi premise rather than superheroes, comes the big screen and feels only half-realised only touching occasionally upon the social and psychological consequences that a society living it’s lives through robotic surrogates rather than in the flesh would have upon society and is, instead, more focused upon it’s need to drive the action and plot along meaning Surrogates is emotionally lacking and feels too rushed too often to be memorable.

It is 2017. 14 years after technology was developed to allow those with disabilities the ability to live full lives by living them through artificial replicas of themselves minus disability, the technology has developed to the point where most of the human population are now able to, and do, live their lives through robotic versions of themselves, named Surrogates. Free from harm, most users rarely leave the home and instead choose to live most of their lives both work and personal, through their surrogates where they are safe from physical harm. When two people are killed when the destruction of their surrogates in an attack results in their user’s deaths at home, Agent Greer (Willis) investigates. When Greer’s own surrogate is destroyed in the pursuit of a suspect in possession the weapon that can kill surrogate and user, he continues the investigation in person, leaving his home for the first time in years and discovering a plot involving the makers of surrogates and a pro-human/anti-surrogacy group.

Despite an interesting premise, based upon a popular comic book mini-series, which explores a possible future of a society that is becoming more and more dependant on technology to assist them with their lives and also upon the development of alternate lives through avatars on online communities such as Second Life, Surrogates has much potential, some of which has already been explored recently in films such as Gamer. Unfortunately, the film adaptation of Surrogates moves along at such a quick pace, focusing on the thriller elements of its plot and driven by action sequences, the film rarely stops to offer more than a brief reflection on the deeper psychological and sociological effects that using surrogates can have. Gamer reflected upon the seedier aspects that could arrive in a society where people can live lives through others with no risk of physical harm upon themselves and it realised a society driven by violent and sexual fantasy. Surrogates does reflect upon such ideas although much more briefly but mostly chooses to reflect a society where using surrogates creates more emotional distance between people and where the usage of surrogates is driven by fears of safety, perhaps a reflection on fears of constant danger coming out in a post-9/11 society, though such deep themes are unspoken.

Performances throughout Surrogates are not particularly memorable. Bruce Willis is fine as the star though there is little to differentiate the personality of Agent Greer from that of many other detective roles with which he played before and attempts to show the effect of the emotional gulf growing between him and his wife is limited to occasional frowns and even less emotion is seen from his wife, played by Rosamund Pike, who appears throughout most of the film as her character’s robot surrogate. Radha Mitchell and Ving Rhames appear as Greer’s partner and the leader of an anti-surrogate movement respectively but neither gets any opportunity to develop their character’s personalities beyond what the plot needs of them. James Cromwell also appears as the creator of the surrogate technology, now a recruit, who at least gets to show some emotion but is again filling an under-written role.

Overall, Surrogates is a disappointing action film. Its sci-fi concepts are interesting but mostly underdeveloped, it’s plot fairly predictable and it’s characters underdeveloped. The OTT Gamer demonstrated more insight into some similar themes with more satisfying action so Surrogates feels like a wasted opportunity. Disappointing.

Rating: 2/5

The Soloist

Director: Joe Wright
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx & Catherine Keener

An entertaining drama/biopic that develops a touching relationship between two loners made all the more enjoyable by the performances of Downey Jr. and Foxx.

Originally meant to be released a year before but delayed until 2009 causing the film to miss the deadline to considered for Oscar consideration and then, once released in the US, to fail to achieve much success at the Box Office, The Soloist, an American set film from Joe Wright, the British director of Atonement and Pride & Prejudice finally sees its UK release. Despite any concerns that delays and Box Office failure could have been a statement upon the film’s quality, the film itself is actually a well performed and touching drama featuring some strong performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx.

Looking for a story with which to focus his latest column upon, newspaper reporter Steve Lopez (Downey Jr.) happens upon a homeless man playing the violin beneath a statue of Beethoven. The musician, named Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx) demonstrates talent despite his appearance and the state of his violin and amongst his babbling, revealing some mental instability, mentions having studied at the prestigious Juilliard Academy. Seeing a strong human interest story in how a talented musician could ever end up living on the streets of Los Angeles, Lopez reaches out to Ayers, looking into his past and bringing him into contact with a group for the homeless named LAMP but finds that, despite his best attempts, he is unable to cure Ayer’s mental problems but instead finds his friendship with Ayers to be more beneficial to Ayer’s life.

Based on the true story of Steve Lopez and Nathaniel Ayers and from the book Lopez wrote about their friendship, The Soloist has the added feeling of authenticity in spite of the few liberties the filmmakers make with the events that occur between these two men. While the friendship between Ayers and Lopez was not as life-changing for Lopez as the film attempts to portray, the friendship between the two is still genuine and the film does a convincing job of portraying that. The life of Ayers from his slow mental breakdown to the small progressions he makes once he encounters Lopez and is introduced to LAMP is also believably portrayed thanks to a strong performance from Foxx who spent time with Ayers and is also experienced in music himself. Impressively shot across various Los Angeles locations which makes the city an important participant in the film’s atmosphere, particular the neighbourhoods along Skid Row where the homeless and drug addicted congregate and where LAMP can be found and with Joe Wright also casting actual LAMP community member s and members of the Los Angeles homeless community as themselves, there is often the feeling throughout that the live of Ayers and others like him on the screen are real because most of them actually are. Joe Wright also brings in his fondness for sound effects in The Soloist as, where in Atonement the events were punctuated by the tap, tap, tap of a typewriter, we here hear the frequent stop, start and rewind of a tape recorder as Downey Jr. occasionally narrates as though Lopez is recounting the events as he prepares his columns for print.

With The Soloist focused on the relationship between two men, it was important to get the casting right for these parts and Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx are both excellent throughout. Downey Jr. whilst playing Lopez as rather more of a maverick than the character actually is, is still very enjoyable showing a man who has sympathy but is also driven by the need to have a story to tell whilst also being somewhat impatient and naïve about how much he would be able to influence Ayer’s life and social/psychological improvement. Downey Jr. is the actor who must drive the film and he does so with his usual amount of energy and charm. Jamie Foxx on the other hand gets to perform the far more complex role of Ayers having to be able to demonstrate the man’s talent and love for music but also the crippling nature of his schizophrenia and the gradual improvement in his condition as the film progresses. Foxx’s performance is impressive, feeling devoid of OTT flourishes that many an actor might be tempted into relying upon when playing such a character as Ayers. Not all of the casting though is as strong as Downey Jr. and Foxx. Tom Hollander is horribly miscast in a small role as an American music teacher with Hollander resorting to a poor American accent in the part and Catherine Keener plays her role as Lopez’ ex-wife as she does many other of her roles as emotionally unsympathetic.

Overall, The Soloist is an enjoyable drama with strong performances from Downey Jr. and Foxx and has more emotional impact given that it is based upon true events and in the director’s decision to film within the homeless communities of Los Angeles and casting actual members of the homeless community which gives the film the feeling of even more authenticity. Whilst sometimes prone to over-dramatising and featuring a few weak supporting cast members, The Soloist is still an enjoyable film.

Rating: 4/5

Away We Go

Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph & Maggie Gyllenhaal

Warm, funny and incredibly romantic, Away We Go is very enjoyable drama/road trip movie featuring some great performances from its cast. Away We Go is a very successful feel good movie.

Having already seen success with previous dramas that looked at the promise and the dark side to the American Dream in films such as American Beauty and Revolutionary Road, Sam Mendes latest effort is an altogether more light-hearted and charming affair filled with romance and hope. Away We Go, written by married writers Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, is a feel good film that manages to be almost effortlessly charming without engaging in schmaltz whilst also handling some serious themes such as youth and responsibility.

Bert (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) are a thirty-something couple who find themselves suddenly facing parenthood. With Burt’s parents moving away to Belgium just months before the baby’s due date, Burt and Verona find themselves alone and realise that their lack on ties to where they currently live means they can choose to move anywhere in the country to settle down and start their family. Travelling across America visiting old family and friends to see if living near any would offer them the environment that is right for them, the couple experience various different lifestyles and parenting styles that help them decide what it is that feels right to them and where they would feel most at home.

While episodic in nature and featuring some characters that are near caricatures such as Maggie Gyllenhaal’s New Age mother, Away We Go manages to overcome such minor faults and entertain greatly in spite of them. Criticism has been made over the film’s depiction of it’s central couple of Bert and Verona due to them being portrayed as a loving couple with no apparent conflicts between them and with them also being regular portrayed as having a superior outlook to that of any other couple they encounter throughout the film and while factually this is true, emotionally it feels good. The warm, loving relationship of Bert and Verona is incredibly romantic and still feels natural for them thanks to the performances of Krasinski and Rudolph and that a film dares portray a central relationship as one that does not suffer deep internal conflicts is actually refreshing. That some of the friends and family and styles of parenting that Bert and Verona do encounter are fairly stereotypical of the lifestyle they are representing whether it be the New Age philosophy of Bert’s sister or the casual belittling of her children by Verona’s old boss, there are however more complex relationships such as Bert’s brother now facing life as a single parent and Bert and Verona’s old college friends struggling to conceive children of their own and instead adopting. Regardless of whether the parents they meet are complex or simple representations, each is enjoyable thanks to the cast and how well each relates to the attitudes of Bert and Verona whilst also, on occasions, being very funny.

Leading the cast of Away We Go is John Krasinski (of the US TV version of The Office) and Maya Rudolph (a former Saturday Night Live performer). Both deliver very charming, believable performances. Krasinski is instantly loveable as the doting Bert and Rudolph is especially impressive as Verona and manages to convey as mush feeling with a glance or a thoughtful pause as others could only achieve with the aid of lots of dialogue. That the pair also has great chemistry together making their character’s relationship all the more enjoyable and believable. Supported by some memorable performances from the likes of Catherine O’Hara and Jeff Daniels as Bert’s less than thoughtful parents, a wonderfully entertaining Alison Janney as Verona’s old boss with a gleeful acceptance of the pitfalls of marriage and parenthood and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Bert’s sister whose embrace of the New Age mother stereotype in which her character is conceived to represent is filled with humour. Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey bring smiles and tears with their performances as Bert and Verona’s old college friends whilst Paul Schneider and Carmen Ejogo relate very well with Krasinski and Rudolph as Bert’s brother and Verona’s sister respectively.

Overall, Away We Go is charming, funny and romantic. It is a feel good film that achieves its goals almost effortlessly and without going overboard with schmaltz thanks to a witty script and an excellent cast, especially the lovable John Krasinski and impressive Maya Rudolph. Only the harshest of cynics could fail to won over by this film. Wonderful.

Rating: 4/5

Gamer

Directors: Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor
Starring: Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall & Logan Lerman

Neveldine and Taylor’s first big budget action film following the success of the low budget Crank and Crank 2 is certainly enjoyable and loud though lacking in originality.

With the low budget, yet successful action film Crank and it’s 2009 sequel Crank 2: High Voltage proving popular with audiences for their emphasis on OTT action in place of plot, Neveldine and Taylor have been granted a much larger budget with which to craft their latest action film Gamer. This time starring Gerard Butler rather than Jason Statham of the Crank films, Gamer certainly has entertainment value with the directors making use of their budget to accomplish more unbelievable feats however, this time the presence of a plot, while decent, proves less satisfactory given the clear similarities to other films like Death Race 2000, The Running Man and Existenz.

In the near future, role playing games have taken to new levels where players can play games featuring actual live humans whom the players control. The two games available to play are Society, a virtual society where players can live out their fantasies and the more controversial Slayers, where players control death row inmates and make them fight to the death in constructed battle zones. In Slayers, any inmate that survives 30 games will be granted their freedom and one Slayer, Kable (Butler) is only four games away from gaining his freedom thanks to the expertise of his player Simon (Lerman). However, Ken Castle (Hall), the creator of Slayers and Society does not wish to see Kable succeed and plans to arrange for Kable’s death in his final game while an underground group of hackers calling themselves Humanz, seek to free Kable and use him to expose Castle’s plans to take his people-controlling technology global.

While possessing some entertaining action sequences where the video-game style action and violence benefits the concept of a future where people are controlled as game characters, Gamer never quite impresses enough to be truly memorable with its plot very similar to films such as The Running Man or Death Race 2000 (itself recently remade as Death Race starring Jason Statham of Crank). Also, while enjoyable, its action sequences never quite reach the OTT heights of the lower budget Crank films, perhaps due to the additional studio interference that a larger budget brings to a film’s production. There are some interesting moments though that reflect, almost pessimistically, upon the future of role-playing games such as shoot ‘em ups and virtual societies like Second Life or The Sims and some inspired moments on the theme of control including dialogue quoting Pinocchio and a scene near the finale where Castle controls several minions to make them dance for him as he sings along to Sammy Davis Jr. Such moments though take a back seat to the action.

Gerard Butler makes a decent action anti-hero. Without opportunity though to demonstrate any real charm in what is more of a grim, serious hero role, he is decent but not as memorable or even likeable as some of the other roles. Michael C. Hall (of TV’s Six Feet Under and Dexter) is more memorable and appears to enjoy the opportunity to cut loose after playing characters on TV who repress their feelings. His Ken Castle, whilst fulfilling many of the usual villain stereotypes, is still very enjoyable thanks to Hall. Alison Lohman, John Leguizamo, Kyra Sedgwick and Terry Crews make the most of smaller, less developed roles whilst Logan Lerman is suitably spoilt as the rich kid gamer controlling Kable who is less altruistic and more of a thrill seeker.

Overall, Gamer has more plot than both Crank films combined though cobbled together from other films and is less manic and enjoyable than either Crank film. The action though is fairly enjoyable, there are some nice touches upon the gaming industry and its fan bases and features a highly enjoyable from Michael C. Hall as the villain so Gamer is enjoyable though not outstanding.

Rating: 3/5

Adventureland

Director: Greg Mottola
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart & Ryan Reynolds

A fun comedy from the director of Superbad which, while not possessing as much laughs as that film, is still an enjoyable coming-of-age story with an enjoyable 1980s nostalgia factor included for good measure.

Coming off from the success of teen comedy Superbad, director Greg Mottala follows up that film with another coming of age teenage comedy this time written by himself rather than the team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg who were responsible for Superbad. Like Superbad was for Rogen and Goldberg, Adventureland is a semi-autobiographical tale of Mottola’s based on his experiences working at a theme park in the 1980s and proves to be very enjoyable with a feeling that the film could easily fit into the era in which it’s story is set.

When a change in his family’s financial circumstances means James (Eisenberg) can no longer afford his summer trip to Europe or count on his for financial support for going to college, James must accept the only job available to him given his lack of work experience, working at the local theme park Adventureland. Finding the job dull and underpaid, his interest rises when he meets a fellow park worker Em (Stewart) with whom James hits it off and spark what, James feels, a potential relationship. His hopes are complicated however by repairman Mike (Reynolds) whom James has befriended but who is also seeing Em despite already being married.

Whilst not as frequently funny as Superbad, Adventureland is certainly funny and the humour is more satisfying than that in many comedies as it, like with Superbad, is balanced by a fair amount of more mature insight into the relationships and feelings of its teenage cast. Adventureland may be a film about teenagers with a largely teenage cast, but its story is relatable to many audiences, particularly adult audiences who might otherwise avoid teen comedies because of the film’s 1980s setting and the nostalgia factor that that evokes. However, while set in the 1980s with nods to the fashions and music of the time, the period does not overwhelm the plot with the nostalgia factor certainly secondary to the film’s story. The approach to James’ relationship with Em is also very interesting and enjoyable, made more so by the presence of Mike which creates an interesting love triangle given James and Mike’s apparent friendship while James is unaware of his relationship to Em so whilst a fourth person is added to the mix in Lisa P (Margarita Levieva), as another potential love interest for James, it feels less like the stereotypical plot twist that other teens comedies/dramas might use thanks to Mike’s involvement in the proceedings. The consequences of everyone’s actions in the relationship therefore take a believable turn making the film’s ending more likeable as well as its characters.

Featuring an impressive cast, Adventureland features many enjoyable performances. Jesse Eisenberg further hones his somewhat neurotic intellectual teen persona similar to that of actor Michael Cera (Superbad) but more satisfying. Kristen Stewart is likeable while believably intelligent and conflicted as Em who carries the most emotional burden in the film. Ryan Reynolds is impressive as Mike, toning down his usual charming, wise guy persona in favour of something more mature. Amongst the supporting characters include Judd Apatow regulars Martin Starr and Bill Hader, the former as James’ friend Joel whose cynical humour is highly enjoyable and the latter as Bobby, the theme park owner who is criminally underused and steals almost every in which he appear and well supported by Kristen Wiig as Bobby’s wife Paulette.

Overall, Adventureland is an enjoyable coming-of-age comedy with several great performances from the likes of Eisenberg, Reynolds, Hader, Starr and Stewart which, despite not being as laugh-out-loud as the director’s previous film Superbad, is still good with more maturity than most teen comedies achieve and should appeal to adult and teenage audiences.

Rating: 4/5

Whiteout

Director: Dominic Sena
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht & Tom Skerritt

An average thriller which fails to adequately adapt its far superior source material for the big screen, but still manage to be serviceable.

Beginning life as a comic book mini-series written by Greg Rucka, Whiteout was initially well received spawning a sequel mini-series before being optioned to studios to be adapted for film. The production of the film itself however, has been long with news that the film had been completed a year before it has finally been released and the results may make the reasons seem clear. Whilst keeping the basic plot elements and characters from the comic books, Whiteout the film is merely average seemingly excising some of the better material and suffering from some stereotypical directing approaches when adapting this series as a big screen thriller.

At a research base in Antarctica, when the temperatures and weather conditions can kill and unprepared, unprotected human being in minutes, Marshall Carrie Stetko (Beckinsale) finds herself charged with solving a murder that has occurred on the eve of the camp’s holiday evacuation with a massive snowstorm on approach. The murder being the first to ever occur on Antarctica also brings in the help of U.N. Agent Pryce (Macht) and a mission to find the killer and uncover the reasons for the killing, which may relate to lost Russian plane that crashed in the area decades before, and do so before the storm’s approach strands all involved at the station for the winter.

Given how strong the original source material is and how uncomplicated its plot, yet strong in its tension, it is surprising how empty Whiteout the film feels in comparison. Several directorial choices in adapting the material for the big screen leaves the finished film feeling somewhat lacking in emotion with several attempts to force emotion instead with an overly dramatic, and intrusive musical score to remind audiences that a scene should be tense, or sad rather than allow the action to speak for itself. Dominic Sena also, unwisely, chooses to fill us in on Carrie Stetko’s history and reasons for being stationed at Antarctica through a series of flashbacks which, on film, are frequently jarring and fail to add much tension or feeling to Stetko’s past and it’s relation to the present. Whilst the Antarctic landscapes are beautiful to behold and the realisation of the conditions of moving through a snowstorm effectively realised, particularly during the film’s climax, there is often the sense that the film looks better than it should with some CGI use, particular during the film’s prologue, standing out and distracting from a film that feels as though it would be better served filmed on a lower budget. Occasionally tense, Whiteout the film is merely the bones of its source material fitted to match a checklist of standard thriller expectations including a forced attempt at some romantic tension between Stetko and Pryce but is not as intense or as emotionally involving as it could have been.

Kate Beckinsale is certainly decent as Carrie Stetko, demonstrating a little more life emotionally than the recent series of Underworld action films in which she has been starring, but her performances is only satisfactory rather than exemplary. Macht is also satisfactory as Pryce but his performance and character have little depth and are fairly unmemorable. Tom Skerritt gives the film its most memorable role, unsurprising given the actor’s considerable experience, giving his character Doc. Fury a likeable amount of aged wisdom.

Overall, Whiteout is too by-the-numbers to be more than a merely satisfactory thriller which is very disappointing considering the strength of the comic book on which the film is based. The film’s setting is effectively realised and the film does possess some tense sequences but it mostly forgettable and certainly disappointing to any audience that is familiar with the original comics. Disappointing.

Rating: 2/5

Fish Tank

Director: Andrea Arnold
Starring: Katie Jarvis, Michael Fassbender & Kierston Wareing

An impressive kitchen sink drama/coming of age film from Andrea Arnold featuring impressive performances by Jarvis and Fassbender with a gripping and emotional relationship developed between its two central characters.

With her feature film debut, Red Road, in 2006 impressing critics and audiences and marking director Andrea Arnold as a talent to watch in British cinema, her second film, Fish Tank, is just as impressive as her debut and seems to cement Arnold’s reputation as a talented filmmaker to stand alongside Ken Loach and Shane Meadows in her ability to tell gripping dramas in working class environments albeit adding something new to the mix by doing so whilst adding a strong female voice to the genre.

Growing up on an estate, Mia (Jarvis), feeling alienated from her mother and her former friends, dreams of escaping her life with hopes of a dancing career. When Connor (Fassbender), her mother’s new boyfriend, arrives in her and her family’s life, Mia finds herself even more at odds emotionally with Connor acting as a surrogate father offering her affection that she is unused and ill-equipped to deal with whilst also facing conflicting feelings of attraction towards Connor which may, or may not, be reciprocated. Their relationship grows and forces Mia to make changes in, and accepts truths about, herself and her life.

Fish Tank is an impressive drama. Whilst occasionally veering towards stereotypical kitchen sink moments such as a scene where Mia’s mother Joanne (Wareing) tells her she almost had her aborted, Arnold mostly paints a very realistic feeling of life on estates and the general hopelessness of the chances for anyone to escape such environments and lead better lives (the title of the film is a metaphor for this, showing how some fish are unable to be free and swim in the sea) becoming forced to relive the mistakes of their parents. Arnold also portrays her environments in such a way that even the council estates themselves can look somewhat beautiful under the evening sky though still manage to contrast starkly against the more beautiful countryside scenes in the film which offer audiences, and Mia, a glimpse of a different life just beyond what they usually see. Most impressive though is the relationship that develops between Mia and Connor and how it affects them both as characters. Mia starts off as your almost typically angry teenager, responding to criticism with insults and even violence which is also her first reactions when she meets Connor and begins to receive compliments and encouragement which she is unaccompanied too. However, her conflicting feelings when presented with such affections makes her reactions become somewhat more endearing, making Mia more sympathetic as we see the pains she has carried. Connor too becomes an interesting character though kept somewhat as an enigma, full of charm and some intelligence and his actions towards Mia, in addition to Mia’s clear unease at how to respond, leaves audiences with the nagging question as to whether there is more to Connor’s affections that mere fatherly interest giving their relationship sexual tension.

Katie Jarvis makes a very impressive debut as Mia. Giving her character a natural, believable balance of naivety alongside her anger and frustration, Jarvis makes Mia a character whose brusque nature only serves to make her a more understandable and sympathetic character allowing Mia to appear both innocent yet mature. Fassbender also impresses as Connor whose charming manner is subtly played so as to keep audiences uncertain as to his intentions yet also making him difficult to wholly demonise should fears of his intentions prove true. Wareing is good as Mia’s mother Joanne who, despite some uncomfortably stereotypical dialogue at times, gives a believable portrayal of her character becoming the future Mia can look forward too just as Mia’s younger sister offers a glimpse at Mia’s own beginnings.

Overall, Fish Tank is an impressive drama featuring some very strong performances from Jarvis and Fassbender. It may occasionally feature moments that seem stereotypical of kitchen sink dramas, but the performances and the central relationship between Mia and Connor and where it may lead makes Fish Tank both tense and emotionally challenging. Another impressive film from director Andrea Arnold.

Rating: 4/5

Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1

Director: Jean-Francois Richet
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Mathieu Amalric & Olivier Gourmet

Part two in the Mesrine film biopic, Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1 chronicles Jacques Mesrine’s final years and his fall where Mesrine: Killer Instinct chronicled his rise. Fortunately, Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1 is every bit as gripping as its predecessor and Vincent Cassel impresses yet again as Mesrine.

Creative differences on how to adapt the life of Jacques Mesrine to the big screen resulted in a new director and the project growing from one film to two. Fortunately the results have been strong. Following Mesrine: Killer Instinct which covered the beginnings and rise of Jacques Mesrine as a notorious crime figure in French society, Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1 chronicles his even more turbulent later years and his eventual downfall. However, where a similar approach to filming the life of Che Guevara in Soderbergh’s Che Parts 1 & 2 resulted in an altogether bleaker second chapter, Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1 largely avoids this tone being as gripping as Mesrine: Killer Instinct whilst not understating the seriousness of the man and the events leading to his end.

Now a prominent crime figure in France and following an armed escape from a courtroom, Jacques Mesrine (Cassel) is declared ‘Public Enemy No 1’ by the state. Continuing with bank robberies, Mesrine is captured again and whilst in prison becomes associated with Francois Besse (Amalric). Following a prison escape alongside Besse, Mesrine continues his crime spree whilst attempting to avid recapture or death whilst also become more politically motivated as he swears to bring down the harsh prison system in France of which he been a frequent victim.

Moving at a fast pace with several energetic and exciting sequences covering Mesrine’s more notorious acts during the period covered including a courtroom escape, a prison escape and the kidnapping of a prominent millionaire, Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1 is consistently engaging and enjoyable throughout. Rather than follow the route Soderbergh pursed with Che Part 2 which infused the build up to its protagonist’s death with a sense of fatalism in addition to his failures in Bolivia, Richet approaches the inevitable end of Mesrine’s story in this instalment by building up the tension leading to its conclusion by also including the attempts of Broussard (Gourmet), a police detective, to bringing Mesrine to justice giving the film its own Melvin Purvis out to get Jacques Mesrine’s John Dillinger figure. While Mesrine’s charm continues to be presented throughout this film as it was in Mesrine: Killer Instinct, Mesrine’s darker side is also presented and pushed far more into the foreground than before as Mesrine grows more violent and obsessed in his goals and methods in the lead up to his death. A scene where he declares his mission to bring down the corrupt prison system and then government to a reporter is tense and even frightening while another sequence where Mesrine exacts revenge upon another reporter who had slandered him demonstrates the true violence which lies beneath his charm. As with Mesrine: Killer Instinct, Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1 balances the two sides to Mesrine’s persona effectively making him a character who, while charming, is not mourned when his end comes.

Vincent Cassel again puts in an impressive performance as Jacques Mesrine, very able to portray Mesrine’s different sides almost effortlessly given Cassel’s history of playing similar personalities throughout his career. Whilst not possessing names as recognisable as Gerard Depardieu or Cecile De France in this instalment, Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1 still has several notable supporting roles. Mathieu Amalric is suitably intense as Mesrine’s long-term partner in crime Francois Besse who balances out Mesrine’s relaxed persona with pent up rage. Olivier Gourmet is memorable as Inspector Broussard while Samuel Le Bihan and Gerard Lanvin are dependable as some of Mesrine’s other associates during this period. In terms of female characters however, Ludivine Sagnier manages to pull of the glamour of her character as one of Mesrine’s love interests but her performance is not as satisfying or her character as well written or explored as either Elena Anaya’s Sofia or Cecile De France’s Jeanne in Mesrine: Killer Instinct.

Overall, Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1 is every bit as good as Mesrine: Killer Instinct and, in fact, ups the tension and number of thrilling set pieces that, along with the impressive performance of Vincent Cassel as Mesrine, makes this film very enjoyable and a worthy conclusion to the character’s biopic. Impressive.

Rating: 4/5

District 9

Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, David James & Jason Cope

Finding life from the ashes of the since aborted Halo movie that Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) had intended to produce with Blomkamp directing, Jackson instead turned to Blomkamp to expand upon a short film Blomkamp had directed about aliens in Johannesburg into a feature length film. The result is District 9 which is an impressive, low budget (compared to Hollywood blockbusters) Sci-Fi/Action film that feels original and manages to work political and social commentary into its plotline. More entertaining and satisfying than any of Hollywood’s blockbuster films in 2009, District 9 highlights Blomkamp as a new talent to watch.

When a huge alien spaceship arrives at Earth and stops over the city of Johannesburg, remaining stationary and inactive for several weeks, humans attempt to board the ship to find thousands of starving alien refugees seeking food and shelter. Initially housed in a camp outside of Johannesburg with an alien population continuously growing and ripe with the problems of crime and poverty, the camp known as District 9 is fenced off whilst human officials process their claims for asylum and support on Earth and while corporations try to access and exploit the alien technology left behind. When an attempt to re-house the alien population, 20 years later, against their will to a larger camp further away from Johannesburg after the indigenous human population’s complaints, an official, Wikus van der Merwe (Copley) is infected by an alien chemical resulting in physical mutations and trapping him between a corporation that seeks to exploit his changes for financial gain, local warlords exploiting District 9 and some of the aliens themselves who were developing the chemical for, as yet, unknown reasons.

Mixing many different concepts and styles, District 9 is impressive not only as an action and Sci-Fi film but also on the level of sub-text and in the film’s execution. Locating the events of the film over Blomkamp’s former hometown of Johannesburg immediately provokes thoughts and comparisons to apartheid which had just been abolished in the region prior to the period where District 9’s story begins however, the film’s attitudes to the way the humans treat the alien population are not only limited to comparisons with apartheid but also with present day issues regard immigration and asylum seeking populations around the globe. With many nations currently housing illegal immigrants in camps reminiscent to what is seen in District 9 and in acknowledging the realities of poverty and crime within such areas as well as reactions both negative and sympathetic to such immigrants, District 9 includes the very best traditions of Sci-Fi as social and political allegory. With many of its character’s deeply flawed including its ‘hero’ Wikus who is frequently self-serving and casually racist in regards to the aliens that are nicknamed “prawns” based on their appearance, his character feels quite relatable because he does not fit the usual mould in which heroic leads adhere which also helped by the decision to cast the entire films with unknown actors. The special effects are likewise impressive with the handheld camera style of cinematography giving the film a gritty, in-the-moment, feeling that assists in smoothing out any weaknesses in the effects with those effects feeling less glossy and more integrated alongside the film’s live-action elements. The action sequences are also impressive and highlight an influence of 1980s Sci-Fi cinema in District 9 whether it be the Cronenberg-style body horror of Wikus’ transformation or the Verhoven level violence during several fast-paced and exciting action set-pieces in the film’s second half.

Sharlto Copley, a new actor and friend of Blomkamp, puts in a strong performance as the film’s main character Wikus making the character’s various emotional responses to his situation believable whilst also managing to make his character sympathetic despite his many flaws. The remaining human roles are largely stereotypes; the grim, no holds barred soldier out to kill any aliens he can and bring Wikus back dead or alive or the various greed-driven corporate leaders out to exploit the aliens and Wikus including Wikus’ boss and father-in-law. The alien characters are quite impressive though. The main alien character named Chris is a convincing mix of CGI mixed with the motion-capture of Jason Cope who, while non-speaking, gives the character natural-feeling body language much like Andy Serkis performed for the role of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

While featuring some underwritten supporting characters, District 9 more than excels in other areas with an enjoyable plot including an impressive amount of social and political commentary, excellent special effects, several blistering action-sequences and a strong central performance of newcomer Sharlto Copley. Director Neill Blomkamp has delivered a very exciting and fresh feeling piece of Action and Sci-Fi cinema. Excellent.

Rating: 4/5

(500) Days of Summer

Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel & Chloe Moretz

A highly enjoyable and inventive comedy that should appeal to the romantic in people and in particular to anyone that has ever thought they’d found the partner they were looking for only to have it taken away. Sad, funny yet also heart-warming.

A personal project for all involved from screenwriters Neustadter and Weber, director Webb and even its star Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer offers a very different approach to romantic comedies that has been seen in recent and offers more emotional truth than most romantic comedies usually accomplish dealing with love and break ups, the fantasy and reality of relationships. The result is a film that is not only fun and very enjoyable but also quite sad and poignant and has appeal that should attract even male audiences to what is, usually, a female audience targeted genre.

Tom (Gordon-Levitt) is an idealistic and aspiring architect stuck in a job writing greeting cards for several years. Tom’s belief that his life will improve immensely when he eventually meets ‘The One’, the woman whom will be the love of his life, seems fulfilled when he meets his boss’ new assistant Summer (Deschanel) who’s personality and shared fondness for The Smiths songs convinces Tom that she is the girl he has been waiting for. Unfortunately Summer is less idealistic about love and relationships and when a romance does begin between her and Tom, it is one that does not go as Tom had always imagined it would.

(500) Days of Summer is a film that engages on several levels. The film’s structure, starting at day 488 before flipping back to the start at day one when Tom and Summer first meet then proceeded to jump back and forth across the timeline of their relationship, is very interesting decision allowing the audience to the various moments in the development and breakdown of a romance that at times feels saddening when placed side by side whilst at other moments generating humour without damaging the emotions portrayed within either scenes. Also, whilst the ending of the relationship might seem a foregone conclusion, there are many surprises in store in regards to the sequence of events. Using various different styles to represent the various emotions experienced by Tom throughout the relationship visually, we get an upbeat musical number complete with choreographed dance sequences and animation in one scene where everything seems good for Tom and in a later scene where Tom sees his hopes of a future rekindled to be dashed again there is an effective use of split screen to allow audiences to see Tom’s dreams for an evening play simultaneously against the actual events that do occur. Rather than then be a series of inventive gimmicks just there to entertain, these moments actually serve the story and the emotions experienced throughout. Tom is a very engaging character and one that will appear to male audiences as much as female amongst those that have experiences joys and heartbreak in the pursuit of romance. Despite the obstacles Tom faces and the destination his relationship with Summer will reach, he remains a very likeable character whose optimism is very endearing yet is also recognisably flawed as his idealism is certainly portrayed as naïve, even unrealistic when necessary.

Leading the film, Joseph Gordon-Levitt puts in a very watchable, loveable performance as Tom. Even when he makes mistakes you find yourself rooting for him to succeed and Gordon-Levitt effectively balances Tom’s happiness with his heartbreak in a manner that feels emotionally truthful whilst clearly having a lot of fun after a series of serious, yet also impressive, film roles. Zooey Deschanel is charming as Summer and though her role is dictated mostly by Tom’s impressions of her character, Deschanel is able to layer her performance both shows the qualities that make her appealing to Tom whilst also displaying the flaws that will lead to their differences for the audience to see even though Tom initially does not. Chloe Moretz is likeable as the almost too-cute and too-wise younger sister of Tom while Geoffrey Arend and Matthew Gray Gubler are also likeable as Tom’s friends McKenzie and Paul.

Incredibly likeable yet tinged with sadness, (500) Days of Summer is a romantic comedy that is bittersweet. Inventive in its structure and in its use of various visual styles to tell its story, the story itself and the characters and performances within, particularly Gordon-Levitt as Tom, makes this a very enjoyable and memorable film. (500) Days of Summer offers an alternative type of romantic comedy that remains heart-warming but feels more truthful, original and has appeal for male and female audiences. Excellent!

Rating: 4/5