Tonari No Totoro (My Neighbour Totoro) (Disney Dub) (1988/2005, Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, Japan) (Cert: U/G) *****

 

Starring: Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Tim Daly

 

With his wife (Lea Salonga) in hospital from a long-term illness, Professor Kusakabe (Daly) moves with his daughters Satsuki (D. Fanning) and Mei (E. Fanning) out to the country nearer to the hospital. One day, whilst out playing, Mei discovers a hidden part of the woodlands where she, and later Satsuki, befriend a big gregarious beast known as Totoro (Frank Welker) and the other strange creatures of the woods.

 

In the acclaimed career of anime director Hayao Miyazaki, and his studio, Studio Ghibli, it’s hard to pick a masterpiece but My Neighbour Totoro is often featured on the top of the pile alongside the likes of Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001). What makes Miyazaki stand out is the very strong sense of sentiment and emotional importance in his films and, for all its fantastic elements (and there are more than a few), My Neighbour Totoro may be Miyazaki’s most personal work. Miyazaki, much like the two lead girls, did have a mother who was sickly and this did necessitate a move to Japan’s more rural countryside, perhaps sparking the distinctive wildlife and lush surroundings that have been such strong trademarks in his work. My Neighbour Totoro takes a rather leisurely stance as far as plot’s concerned. The biggest dramatic moments are towards the film’s conclusion and the film is mostly an episodic tale with two young sisters capering around and the original creatures they encounter such as the owl/bear-like Totoro (whose designs, much like those of one of the girls, Mei, seem to harken back to Miyazaki’s work in Isao Takahata’s Panda! Go, Panda! (1971)) and Catbus (part-cat, part-bus). With sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning playing the leads in this version, a Hollywood-ised phoniness is averted with strong, emotive and realistic performances Whimsical and wonderful with a bouncing Joe Hisaishi score, My Neighbour Totoro is a beautiful treat for kids and parents alike.

The Big Wedding (2013, Dir. Justin Zackham, USA) (Cert: 15/R) ***

Starring: Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Katherine Heigl

 

Alejandro (Ben Barnes) is getting married to Missy (Amanda Seyfried) and although the impending nuptials seem to be well in hand, a pretty big problem presents itself. Alejandro was adopted as baby from Columbia into an American family. His adoptive parents Don (De Niro) and Ellie (Keaton) divorced with Don now in a committed relationship with another woman (Susan Sarandon). With Alejandro’s biological, and devoutly Catholic, mother (Patricia Rae) coming to the wedding will the family be able to hold up to a perfect picture of Catholic morality?

 

A remake of Mon Frère Se Marie (My Brother Is Getting Married) (2006), a French/Swiss film, The Big Wedding reappropriates the film for an American setting and ends up with rather mixed results. The Big Wedding is a film with an identity crisis. On the one hand, it wants to be a fluffy, happy-go-lucky airy-fairy rom-com. On the other hand, it’s trying to be kinkier, more adult and generally more subversive than most mainstream American romantic-comedies. On the one hand, there’s the central idea of the wedding, on the other hand there’s the drama involving the older members of the film’s cast which eventually takes prominence (even the smaller subplots involving Topher Grace and Katherine Heigl are often given more of a focus than the wedding). Inevitably, it drags the film into  a formless mush, clearly wanting to be a good old farce, but lacking the energy, focus and definitely finesse to do so. That being said, the dialogue is, at times, amusing (although still not very strong) and the high calibre and abilities of the cast lend the film some weight on their own merits (the film is at its best when De Niro and Heigl are given more serious scenes about their father/daughter relationship, but Robin Williams is sorely underused both as a comedic presence and a fine dramatic actor). The Big Wedding is not a disaster but considering the great cast that involves two actors from The Godfather: Part II (1974), it is a disappointment.

Todos Tenemos Un Plan (Everybody Has A Plan) (2012, Dir. Ana Pieterbarg, Argentina/Spain/Germany) (Cert: 15/R) ***

 

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Sofía Gala, Daniel Fanego

 

Pedro (Mortensen) is a beekeeper who lives out in the woods and associates with murderous criminals, whilst his brother Agustín (also Mortensen) makes a living as decent living as a paediatrician in the city. One day, Pedro turns up at Agustín’s apartment and although the two brothers have been estranged for years, Pedro asks Agustín for a favour that will have life-changing consequences.

 

An occasionally odd Spanish-language offering being distributed in English-language territories by 20^th Century Fox, Everybody Has A Plan does have a strong and interesting premise, but is let down a little in its execution. Viggo Mortensen does a fine job and does seem happy to be involved but given the nature of the plot, the differing appearances of the brothers, even when played by the same actor, do detract from the believability of the central premise. There’s also an important sequence between the brothers which shocks so completely in its intensity and spontaneity it leaves you scratching your head in bewilderment for some time. The film looks glorious and the characters are engaging and well-performed but the film just needs more cohesive editing and exposition.

FILM OF THE WEEK (26/05/2013): The Great Muppet Caper (1981, Dir. Jim Henson, UK/USA) (Cert: U/G) ****

Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, David Goelz

 

 

Kermit The Frog (Henson) and Fozzy Bear (Oz) play the roles of two investigative journalists, joined by photographer Gonzo (Goelz). The trio go to London to cover a case involving a theft of jewels belonging to a wealthy fashion designer (Dame Diana Rigg). Kermit meets and falls in love with the aspirational Miss Piggy (Oz, again) as they try to get to the bottom of the diamond mystery.

 

The Great Muppet Caper is a case where the title perfectly sums up the film. Primarily the film is, as should be obvious, a comedy and of the rather wacky variety. The film’s premise is very novel in that it’s played with the idea of the Muppet characters being actors and the central plot being an “actual” movie (the fourth wall is continuously broken, even a moment where Kermit and Piggy have an argument regarding her acting). This helps as the heist plot isn’t too strong and the romantic subplot really side-tracks the film at times (even if it is almost necessary) but the gags are hilarious and on a technical level, the puppetry is formidable, not to mention the occasional appearances of Dame Diana Rigg, John Cleese and Peter Ustinov.

Après Mai (Something In The Air) (2012, Dir. Olivier Assayas, France) (Cert: 15/TBC) ***

 

Starring: Hugo Conzelman, Felix Armand, Lola Créton

 

It’s 1971 and just outside of Paris, a group of young left-wing and anarchist students are rebelling against the government with demonstrations, independent newspapers and graffiti. When an attack goes wrong, the gang split up across Europe to temporarily hide from the police, and one of the gang members, a painter named Jean-Pierre (Conzelman) goes on a journey of self-discovery.

 

There’s something about the counterculture and the end of the 60s and beginning of the 70s which lends itself to cinema. Part of this is the effect that these events had on great film-makers (this period coincides with ‘New Wave’ periods in the film industries of America, Germany and Italy to name a few, although the French beat this period to the punch with their New Wave, which served as an influence) and part is to do with the turbulence of the era making for very cinematic story-telling. There’s Something In The Air captures elements of this. When the film focuses on the violence of the era, it’s very effective, even if it does slightly wash-over some of the more violent actions by the likes of the Baader-Meinhoff Gang or the Brigate Rossi and the film’s use of music to evoke mood is impressive. However, the film simply lacks focus. It meanders and wends through the story in such a lackadaisical manner that it’s hard to grasp the length of time in the story transpires, and drains some of the life from its characters. With a good edit and a trim this could be a very strong effort. As it is, it’s decent and promising, but when you see the lead working on a goofy movie involving Nazis and dinosaurs at the end of the film, you start to wish you were watching that instead.

À Perdre La Raison (Our Children) (2012, Dir. Joachim Lafosse, Belgium/Luxembourg/France/Switzerland) (Cert: 15/TBC) ****

 

Starring: Émilie Dequenne, Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup

 

Murielle (Dequenne) is teaches French and lives with her Moroccan husband, Mounir (Rahim) as well as Mounir’s friend and pseudo-father figure, André (Arestrup). Joy comes into their lives when Murielle starts to have children, but over time the tranquillity of parental and marital life begins to collapse.

 

Watching the European drama Our Children, reminds me of a rollercoaster. That isn’t to say that it’s an exciting, fast-moving and thrilling ride, more that it’s just advisable for pregnant women to stay away. The disintegration of family life is of course nothing new for cinema, but the film-makers behind Our Children should be praised for at least making the story profoundly engrossing even in its bleakness. Joachim Lafosse’s direction is subtle but strong and whilst Tahar Rahim does fall into the background over time, this is really more because of the robust performances of Niels Arestrup and Émilie Dequenne in a performance of gentility and power as well as a shattering look into depression and mental illness. The film struggles to find its pace at the start, but by the end, chances are you’ll be captivated if a little perturbed.

Kochegar (The Stoker) (2010, Dir. Aleksei Balabanov, Russia) (Cert: 15/TBC) ***

Starring: Mikhail Skryabin, Aleksandr Mosin, Yuriy Matveev

 

A veteran of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a brain-damaged former army major (Skryabin) now spends his days living in the furnaces of a dilapidated factory, stoking the flames and writing a book. Periodically an old military comrade (Mosin) drops by with his associates in the Russian mafia with bodies for the major to dispose of in the furnaces, but soon this arrangement goes wrong.

 

Having taken three years to have gotten a release in the UK, The Stoker is a minimalistic but often very confrontational film. With a small cast and a similarly limited number of settings (even against the, at times, isolated Russian backdrop) the film’s focus remains mainly on Mikhail Skyrabin in a strong performance as the major; his kindly personality mixing with the wickedness of his work and his obvious dementia. The film deals less well with its female characters and its attitude towards them doesn’t come across as progressive. Both of the film’s two main adult female characters are introduced completely naked in a leering fashion and neither of them have particularly complex characters. The film does have a nice visual aspect, showing a beauty to the wintry landscape but the score is repetitive, using the same pieces of music over and over throughout. With strong violence and nudity, this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but those who can stomach The Stoker might find a rewarding, if flawed, film.   

Sen To Chihiro Kamikakushi (Sprited Away) (2001, Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, Japan) (Cert: PG/PG) *****

Starring: Rumi Hiiragi, Mari Natsuki, Miyu Irino

 

Moving away from home, Chichiro (Hiiragi) stops with her parents (Takashi Naitô, Yasuko Sawaguchi) at what appears to be an abandoned amusement park. When Chichiro’s parents begin to tuck in on what they assume to be a large buffet, they don’t realise it’s a feast meant for the spirits (the “amusement park” actually being a spirit village) and are turned into pigs as punishment. With the help of a spirit boy named Haku (Irino), Chichiro has her name changed to Sen and sets to work in the spirits’ bath house in order to set her parents free.

 

Bolstered with a higher budget, thanks to the Disney-affiliated Buena Vista animation studios, Spirited Away is perhaps Hayao Miyazaki’s most famous feature, alongside the likes of Majo No Takyûbin (Kiki’s Delivery Service) (1989), Mononoke-hime (Princess Mononoke) (1997) and Tonari No Totoro (My Neighbour Totoro) (1988) and with good reason. The Miyazaki trademarks are present, such as the child protagonist (not to mention a female one, another Miyazaki trademark), set against a verdant rural backdrop with a series of surreal but cute and cuddly creatures. Spirited Away is more than mere child-friendly fluff though (it has more than its share of blood and moments that might scare very young children) and is a visually intriguing and achingly beautiful (for Joe Hisaishi’s score as much as the stunning animation) look at accepting responsibility and being brave as you grow.  The Japanese-language version of the film goes a little more a realistic acting approach and is more subtle than its English-language counterpart, but it’s purely a matter of personal taste in which is the better version.

epic (3D) (2013, Dir. Chris Wedge, USA) (Cert: U/PG) ***

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson

 MK (Seyfried) moves out to the countryside to live with her father (Jason Sudeikis) when her mother dies. MK’s father has spent years obsessively seeking tiny people he believes lives in the forest at the expense of his marriage and MK is sceptical to say the least. Meanwhile,  deep in the forest, the Leafmen are in desperate trouble when the evil Mandrake (Christoph Waltz) steals an important flower bud in hopes to destroy the forest and when MK gets shrunk to the Leafmen’s size, she helps join them to save the forest.

 

Based on a story by William Joyce (the man whose work was also adapted in 2012 with Legend Of The Guardians), epic is something of a misleading title. Unlike standard epics this lacks the cast of thousands or extensive running time  and is clearly made with a younger audience in mind. Comparisons can be made to Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992) with the various tropes tossed around (tiny forest creatures, a human shrunken into their world, a dark villain bent on habitat destruction) but the idea of it being an all-out copy may be a tad glib. The film actually shows a distinct display in influences from many disparate films as there seem to be nods to the likes of Return Of The Jedi (1983), The Neverending Story (1984), The Lion King (1994), and even Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) to name a few. This being a Sky Blue Studios film, the backgrounds and scenery set this world apart, even if the character designs aren’t anything special and the film plays too hard to the 3D angle with humming birds flying towards camera at various opportunities. There’s also not very many memorable performances save for Christoph Waltz characteristically hamming it up to the point where his character doesn’t need to spread rot in the forest (for reasons which are never really explained, a big flaw in the plot) instead Waltz could just chew the scenery, but enjoyably so. The real surprising turn comes from Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler (father of actress Liv) who makes a for a charismatic, if often a little unnecessary, supporting role. Despite its somewhat grandiose self-belief, epic isn’t a great fantasy film, but it is at least a good fantasy film with a very strong Danny Elfman score that does lend the film some weight.

Beware Of Mr. Baker (2012, Dir. Jay Bulger, USA) (Cert: 15/Not Rated) ****

 

Starring: Ginger Baker, Jay Bulger, Eric Clapton

 

Claiming to be a writer for Rolling Stone, Jay Bulger travels to South Africa to interview Ginger Baker; the drummer for such bands as The Graham Bond Organisation, Cream and Blind Faith. During his stay, Bulger gets to know a man known for both his explosive drumming and his explosive temperament. A reputation backed up by both Baker’s bandmates (Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood) and various notable drummers (Stewart Copeland, Neil Peart, Chad Smith).

 

If there’s a word that could be used to describe Ginger Baker, it’s explosive. Early in the film he makes reference to growing up in The Blitz and enjoying the noise of the bombing raids. As he grew up, we see his hugely influential style of playing, fusing rock, jazz and African styles, and his various outbursts of anger, yet we also see a human being and that’s what’s more interesting. The music is extremely entertaining in its own right (I am, after all, a fan of Baker’s work and the styles he’s best known for)  but the look into his life is fascinating as a man who seems on the verge of a violent attack one moment, then we see him showering affection on his horses and his step-children. Bulger hardly provides an original insight on Baker or on rock and roll and lacks much of an individual voice and there’s little here to welcome in people who aren’t fans of the world of rock and roll (except for jazz and world music enthusiasts) but the film is always entertaining.  

The Great Gatsby (3D) (2013, Dir. Baz Luhrmann, Australia/USA) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) ***

 

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan

 

Nick Carraway (Maguire), a Mid-Westerner working on Wall Street goes to stay with his wealthy cousin Daisy (Mulligan) and her husband, Tom (Joel Edgerton). Shortly after arriving, Nick receives an invitation to a party held by the mythically wealthy and enigmatic J. Gatsby (DiCaprio). Nick soon becomes part of Gatsby’s world but when it’s revealed that Daisy and Gatsby had a whirlwind romance five years earlier, their lives spin out of control.

 

Director Baz Luhrmann has a way with film-making. His characteristic flamboyance and theatricality has previously served to adapt Shakespeare to the big screen with Romeo + Juliet (1996) and now, reuniting with his Romeo in Leonardo DiCaprio, Luhrmann turns his attention to arguably the great novel of the 20^th Century, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. As the title suggests, it is DiCaprio’s performance of J. Gatsby that really supports the entire piece for good or ill. The Gatsby character is an intriguing presence that doesn’t fail to be fascinating and is illuminated by DiCaprio’s charismatic presence. It does however take  a while for him to come on screen and the opening preamble towards this is noticeably limp; Luhrmann’s foibles and follies over-powering the atmosphere. Even the party sequences are a little over-stylised, utilising contemporary music to demonstrate decadence. It isn’t the first time such an idea has been utilised. Luhrmann himself made it the cornerstone of Moulin Rouge! (2000) and other examples range from BackBeat (1994) to Marie Antoinette (2006). The thing is, the 1920s was a decadent time already. Drug abuse was rampant in the party scene, people held parties of sex and debauchery and, generally, hedonism ruled every bit as much as it does now. Giving the film more realism will give it more dramatic weight. When the film becomes more faithful to the period it is a special film and it is visually gorgeous at times (even if the 3D seems an oddly inappropriate choice) but the whole product feels a little too Luhrmann-ised. However, as a result, if you liked Luhrmann’s early works, there won’t be much here to dislike.  

Kapringen (A Hijacking) (2012, Dir. Tobias Lindholm, Denmark) (Cert: 15/R) ***

 

Starring: Pilou Asbæk, Søren Malling, Abdihakin Asgar

 

Serving on board a cargo ship heading towards India, the ship’s Danish cook Mikkel (Asbæk) becomes one of the skeleton crew who are held hostage when a gang of pirates board the ship. Meanwhile back in Denmark, a businessman (Malling) who works for the shipping company decides to head the ransom negotiations for the crew’s safe return.

 

One of the major central conceits of Kapringen is that whilst the hijacking is an important element to the plot (important enough to be the title) you never actually see the hijacking in of itself. This has been done before however, such as with Reservoir Dogs (1992) (where we see the build-up and aftermath of a diamond heist but virtually nothing of the heist itself) that is because most of Kapringen is deeply personal and told from just two perspectives; that of the ship’s cook, Mikkel (played brilliantly by Pilou Asbæk) and businessman, Peter (courtesy of a strong Søren Malling performance). In this sense, the film has its strengths and its pitfalls. We get to care for most of the characters (although the constant hard-balling Gary Skjoldmose Porter’s Connor Julian comes off as a little too obnoxious) and see how this lengthy period of isolation and danger effects them, even briefly dipping into Stockholm Syndrome. The film knows how to serve tension well and has a great sound design to that effect, but there are several promising threads that are never fully explored so whilst a strong film it never lives up fully its expectations.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012, Dir. Mira Nair, USA/UK/Qatar) (Cert: 15/R) ****

 

Starring Riz Ahmed, Liev Schreiber, Kate Hudson

 

Bobby Lincoln (Schreiber), an American living in Pakistan, is sent to interview Changez Khan (Ahmed) a Pakistani lecturer and former US-based corporate executive in relation to a recent kidnapping. Associated with achieving the ‘American Dream’ and his fondness for his American lifestyle coupled with his flair for inflammatory rhetoric and the prejudice he suffered in the States, is Changez truly the dangerous anti-American that they suspect?

 

Based on the book by Moshin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a complex narrative that dances with a complex subject matter. Carrying a lot of this is Riz Ahmed as Changez Khan, who easily gives the film’s best performance. Having come to acting acclaim with 2010’s fundamentalist-related black comedy, Four Lions, Ahmed captures a character in Reluctant Fundamentalist that whilst appearing to be a mass of contradictions is never once unbelievable nor fully-rounded; a difficult feat for an actor or for a screenwriter, a testament to the writing. This is a film that doesn’t take sides. It is not pro-Bush administration, nor is it pro-fundamentalism and whilst the film’s lengthy character study does cause the film’s story to ultimately unravel a little in the final stretch and that the themes and ideas are hardly new, this is an interesting film that will provoke emotions and, hopefully, discussion.

FILM OF THE WEEK (12/05/2013): One Million Years B.C (1966, Dir. Don Chaffey, UK) (Cert: PG) ***

Starring: John Richardson, Raquel Welch, Robert Brown

 

Tumak (Richardson), after an argument with his tribe-leader father (Brown), goes out into the wilderness. After a great deal of travelling, Tumak discovers another, more advanced, tribe and the beautiful Loana (Welch). Will their love save them from warring tribes or horrific beasts?

 

For a studio famed for its horror pictures, it’s strange that this caveman fantasy feature is probably Hammer’s most famous film. Let’s be honest though and say that One Million Years B.C isn’t exactly a profound experience. It exists as simple titillation. People remember more than anything else, Raquel Welch in THAT fur bikini (and to a lesser extent, her catfight with Hammer regular Martine Beswick)  as well as Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion creatures, which work much better than when the film opts to use simply enlarged footage of lizards. Its understanding of prehistory is all over the place as every schoolboy knows that dinosaurs and cavemen never even came close to living at the same period (not to mention given that Christ was born the relatively recent two thousand years ago, the B.C tag seems a little redundant.) Even so, a film with ambitiously no English dialogue and interesting views of Spanish vistas, One Million Years B.C is strangely captivating viewing.

Deadfall (2012, Dir. Stephan Ruzowitsky, USA) (Cert: 15/R) ****

 

Starring: Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, Charlie Hunnam

 

Making a getaway with a large amount of cash, Addison (Bana), his sister Liza (Wilde) end up in a car crash and have to go it alone in the snow-covered wilderness. Addison fends for himself using his ruthless nature to gather resources, whilst the less violent Liza relies on Jay (Hunnam) an Olympic boxer recently released from prison and already on the run from the law. Despite these disparate circumstances, Addison and Liza remained connected to eachother through only a few links.

Set against the wintry wilderness and involving violent murder, Deadfall is instantly comparable to the Coen brothers’ classic, Fargo (1996). Indeed, certain shots seem to be directly lifted from Fargo (notably the sequences involving the recently crashed car at the beginning both look and play out in a similar fashion to a sequence in the Coen brothers film) and Kate Mara plays the role of the nice female cop who’s also frighteningly competent akin to Fargo’s Marge Gundersson, played by Frances Macdormand). However, Deadfall also tips its hat to other things; the ending moments seem relatable to both The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Straw Dogs (1973), for example. And whilst the film doesn’t fall towards comedy, Eric Bana (who initially found fame as a comedian) provides some entertaining moments whilst his relationship with Olivia Wilde’s Liza makes clear that these two are a few cuckoos short of a nest. The film is rather abrupt, allowing for little build-up of tension or sympathy with much of the supporting cast and whilst there’s not a bad performance amongst the supporting cast (this film also re-affirms we see far too little of Sissy Spacek in movies) the roles of Treat Williams and Kris Kristofferson, both physically similar, face a similar central issue and both tied to the local police force, don’t really stand distinct enough from each other. However, the film is better than its schlocky title and premise might suggest.

Mud (2012, Dir. Jeff Nichols, USA) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) ***

 

Starring: Tye Sheridan, Matthew McConaughey, Jacob Lofland

 

Neckbone (Lofland) an Arkansas teenager finds a boat lodged in a tree on a small unpopulated island out on the rivers. When Neckbone and his friend Ellis (Sherdian) go exploring the boat, they discover that it’s not completely abandoned and is actually serving as a home for a mysterious stranger known only as Mud (McConaughey) who is waiting to hear from his local sweetheart, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). Keeping Mud a secret and seeking to reunite him with Juniper, Ellis and Neckbone begin to realise that Mud is a fugitive on the run.

 

Released at a time when Matthew McConaughey seems to be going on a reinvention from playing sly pretty boys into maturing Southerners with a dark underbelly (alongside the likes of the somewhat similar film, The Paperboy (2012)), Mud is also a stripped-down rural crime thriller equally reminiscent of Winter’s Bone (2010) and whilst McConaughey provides a stable character for the story to revolve around, it’s with Ellis that we spend most of our time with played with skill beyond his years in Tye Sheridan. However, whilst the performances are strong, the film lets up a lot of slack for the most part, only surging to life in its action-packed conclusion; a problem exacerbated by the film’s over-reaching run-time 130 minutes. However, the scenery looks great and this is a good film, it’s just not the kind of film which suits such a length.

Star Trek – Into Darkness (3D) (2013, Dir. J.J Abrams, USA) (Cert: 12a) ****

 

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch

 

When a mission causes a major violation of the Prime Directive, Captain James Tiberius Kirk (Pine) is demoted to First Officer aboard the Starship Enterprise but when London is attacked and Starfleet officer John Harrison (Cumberbatch) is believed to be responsible, Kirk finds himself back heading the bridge as he and the Enterprise crew, venture into territory belonging to the war-mongering Klingons to retrieve Harrison.

 

After hitting the right note with his 2009 reboot of the beloved Star Trek franchise, J.J Abrams takes the helm once more for Into Darkness; a fittingly darker and much more complex second instalment. There’s generally been a rule of thumb with Star Trek films that the odd numbered films (I, III, V etc.) are poor and the even numbered (II, IV, VI etc.) are good (a viewpoint popularised, coincidentally, by Simon Pegg in his days before playing chief engineer Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott in the Trek reboots) and if the first Abrams film bucked the trend for odd numbered films, with its strength, Into Darkness proves that the inverse is not true with the new films either. Into Darkness is, rest assured, a good film. There are some flaws in that the visuals, whilst impressive, are susceptible to the same Abrams follies (The lens flares, oh god, so many lens flares!) and it would’ve been nice for a more rounded ensemble piece this time around instead of it being lead largely by Chris Pine’s Kirk and Zachary Quinto’s Spock; however, it is their camaraderie and the great contrast in characters that helps make this film work as well as a brilliantly developed role for Benedict Cumberbatch (even if one moment in particular with his character plays out the same detained villain glaring in a transparent cell trope seen in both The Avengers (2012) and Skyfall (2012)) whilst the 3D isn’t a gratuitous distraction (save for some early spear throwing). All in all, a very entertaining follow-up, especially if you see Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) beforehand.

V Tumane (In The Fog) (2012, Dir. Sergei Loznitsa, Germany/Netherlands/Belarus/Russia/Latvia) (Cert: 12a/TBC) ***

Starring: Vladimir Svirskiy, Vladislav Abashin, Sergei Kolesov

 

Burov (Abashin) and Voitik (Kolesov) are fighting for the Soviet Union during the Second World War, where they are looking for Sushenya (Svirskiy) who they hold partly responsible for betraying some Belorussian railroad workers to the occupying Nazis resulting in their hanging. Just before Burov is about to execute Sushenya however, they are attacked by German soldiers and Burov is wounded. With Sushenya free from execution he takes the opportunity to explain things to Burov and Voitik and the three share stories of espionage against the Nazis.

 

In The Fog is most definitely an acquired taste and what it tends to get right, it gets very right and what it tends to get wrong, it significantly falters. For starters, the film has an amazing visual sensibility and utilises the landscape admirably; especially in the night-time sequences across a landscape that barely looks like it’s on Earth. The film also should be credited in the way it chips at questions of morality, loyalty and the more human-centred side of warfare (of course, this has been a trademark of many European films about the Second World War from Das Boot (1981) to Downfall (2004)). The problem is in its style of editing. Given the three-story post-modern structure, In The Fog bares a little bit of a comparison with Rashomon (1958) and the visual style also bows to that film’s director, Akira Kurosawa (and the traditions of Japanese film-makign as a whole), emphasising long seamless takes, as opposed to faster-paced editing approach favoured in the West. It makes for an interesting effect, but it also slows the film down to a crawl throughout and can result in a painfully dull experience at the worst parts (exacerbated by the fact that characters simply shut up……………for long periods whilst they are talking). All in all, on an artistic level, In The Fog has good qualities. It’s atmospheric and Vladimir Svirskiy provides a powerhouse performance, but it is a film that requires a lot of patience and focus and probably more than it deserves.

Compliance (2012, Dir. Craig Zobel, USA) (Cert: 15/R) ***

Starring: Dreama Walker, Pat Healy, Ann Dowd 

 

Whilst working her shift at a local fast food restaurant, Becky (Walker) is called into the backroom by her manager (Dowd). Becky is considered to be a model employee, but a call has been made to the restaurant by a man (Healy) claiming to be a police officer who claims that Becky has stolen money from a customer. As Becky tries to plead her innocence, the man on the other side of the phone continues to question her as well as telling her to do things that cause Becky humiliation and degradation.

 

At the opening of Compliance, there’s a statement that claims that the story is based on actual documented crime cases of prank phone calls that have lead into sexual assaults. The film also acknowledges the influence of the Milgram experiment (where test subjects were told to administer an increasingly severe electric shock to a person behind a partition if they answered a question incorrectly; the test subjects not knowing the entire test was simulated in order to show how people will often follow orders, no matter how severe, in certain situations). Still, as much as Compliance strives and possibly succeeds in realism, the fundamental issue with the story is that it’s not believable. It’s very much the case that reality is stranger than fiction, and I believe that most, if not all, of this film is at least inspired by real crimes but there are many times when you question why the characters don’t call the officer’s bluff or at least get suspicious, although this point is addressed. The film does have a sense of dread, aided by the claustrophobic setting and use of the camera and whilst Pat Healy delivers a decent performance of a realistic form of villainy, when we see him in the flesh, certain acts take away the malice (one particular scene shows him on the phone whilst preparing a sandwich). This film will disturb more than a few people, but I doubt it will be many people’s favourite film.

All Stars (2013, Dir. Ben Gregor, UK) (Cert: U/TBC) ***

Starring: Theo Stephenson, Akai Osei-Mansfield, Fleur Houdijk

 

A local youth club is shutting down to make way for a car park but Jaden (Osei-Mansfield) has a plan to keep the youth club going; by holding a show where local children can showcase their talents. Jaden’s a talented street-dancer but is told to focus on his studies. Meanwhile, Ethan (Stevenson) hoping to impress a girl (Hanae Atkins) challenges a group of dancers to a competition despite not knowing how to dance so he and Jaden form a group to perform at the talent competition.

 

All Stars isn’t exactly a film that’s likely to hit the big time; dance films (that is films that feature extensive dance sequences, much like how musicals use songs), have historically a rather poor reputation and given that this is a very, VERY British film, there’s not much hope for this film overseas. This film isn’t revolutionary in its field. It delivers pretty much exactly what is expected, but it does it in a fairly competent manner. The characters are fairly one-dimensional and the story is pretty poor (personally, I’m sick of the tired old “let’s put on a show to save this building” plot that’s been done so many times and is really lazy writing) however, the film does deliver something in the way of some pretty impressive dance numbers on a conceptual level and even though the film is full of appearances by familiar faces (at least in the UK), it never comes across as gratuitous (in fact, it rather underuses John Barrowman). Should you expect something special? No, and that is a disappointment, but there’s nothing truly terrible about this film either.

FILM OF THE WEEK (05/05/2013): Robocop (1987, Dir. Paul Verhoeven, USA) (Cert: 18/R) ****

Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Kurtwood Smith

 

Alex Murphy (Weller) is a cop moved to a different precinct in the Detroit of the near-future, where crime is a major problem and much of the city’s business is run through once corporation, OCP. On his first day, Murphy is mercilessly shot to pieces by a gang of criminals. Declared dead, Murphy becomes the test subject of a new future in law enforcement, the Robocop.

 

After reaching critical acclaim with his features back home in the Netherlands, Paul Verhoeven moved to the USA and delivered Robocop, his breakthrough and perhaps best American film. On the surface, the film seems slick and stylised but not much beyond the standard cookie-cutter popcorn fare. However, the screenwriting elevates it with a deft display of satire which helps make the movie palatable to those who would usually cock their noses at such stuff, even if the satire does get a little lost and this technique would come back to haunt Verhoeven a little with Starship Troopers (1997). With dated but attractive production design and a charm all its own, Robocop may still not be to everyone’s taste but works much better than you might think.

Dead Man Down (2013, Dir. Niels Arden Oplev, USA) (Cert: 15/R) ***

Starring: Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard

After a car accident has left her permanently disfigured, Beatrice (Rapace) begins to talk to Victor (Farrell) a man from the apartment building across from her. After a short time, Beatrice reveals that she witnessed Victor (a member of a gang) murder someone in his apartment and uses this as leverage to get Victor to exact her plot of vengeance. Meanwhile, Victor’s gang associates are getting killed off and no-one knows who’s responsible.

 

Having made his name internationally directing the initial three film adaptations of Stieg Larrson’s Millenium Trilogy, Niels Arden Oplev moves his thriller style from Scandinavia to the US, keeping in tow actress Noomi Rapace (who played Lisbeth Salander in the Millennium films). The film also carries the tag of WWE Films; the wrestling company’s continuous use to getting in the film-market, usually pushing its wrestlers into lead roles in projects which haven’t often been met with critical acclaim, often being decried as brain-dead cookie-cutter action films. Despite this disconcerting element, Dead Man Down is actually a fairly intelligent and engaging thriller that owes a fair amount to the works of Martin Scorsese alongside having a distinctly European sensibility. This latter element is highlighted by the two leads; Irish Colin Farrell playing a Hungarian and Swede Noomi Rapace playing a French woman, both with Americanised accents, owing to naturalisation. Both actors perform well and the film is well-shot (if a little murky), but the plot is over-complicated (essentially, they’ve taken two plots that could’ve been used for two movies and smashed them together) and it’s easy to get lost as the film loses focus; also, whilst being ostracised as a “monster” due to her disfiguring, Rapace’s Beatrice is hardly horrific looking (in fact, many people would probably still want to look half as attractive). The film’s not too bad, but it probably should’ve focused on one story rather than two, and had a more satisfying conclusion.

21 And Over (2013, Dirs. Jon Lucas, Scott Moore, USA) (Cert: 15/R) **

Starring: Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Justin Chon

 

High-school friends Miller (Teller) and Casey (Astin) reunite with their buddy, Jeff Chang (Chon) as he turns 21. Both Casey and Miller (especially Miller) want Jeff Chang to come out with them and party to celebrate this important event, eventually coercing him against his strict father (Francois Chau) who has lined up an important interview for Jeff Chang in the morning; but as the night goes on, Jeff Chang’s willingness to party gets a little out of hand.

 

If you’re looking for originality, it’s best you go looking elsewhere rather than checking out 21 And Over; at once both a typical, fairly low-brow intoxication-related comedy whilst sneaking in some themes about the expectations that come in Asian-American families and culture not too dissimilar to Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004) (in fact, the film could almost be seen as Harold & Kumar: The College Years; albeit with only one Asian protagonist and alcohol replacing marijuana). In the film’s final stretch, it does try to go somewhere interesting with these themes but it never fully pays off (in fact, many of the film’s questions are left unanswered) and whilst the film tries hard, it just bubbles under being amusing. I admit, I didn’t have a wild experience turning 21 (unless eating KFC alone and watching Lord Of The Rings is anyone else’s idea of a wild night) and there are plenty of people who love these films. To me, like slasher films, these are familiar pay-offs only livened up by how unique you can make the set-ups and this isn’t that unique. Perhaps with a little work, it could’ve been something special, but it never quite makes it.