Girl Most Likely (2012, Dirs. Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, USA) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) **

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Darren Criss, Annette Benning

 Having lost a job and her boyfriend (Brian Petsos), struggling playwright, Imogene (Wiig) pretends to attempt suicide in order to win her boyfriend back. Only for it to backfire and Imogene is sent to the hospital before being discharged into the custody of her free-spirited mother (Benning) in Atlantic City During her stay she discovers that her historian father (Bob Balaban) isn't dead as she had been told and sets off to New York Coty with her brother Ralph (Christopher Fitzgerald) and her mother's lodger Lee (Criss) to find him.

Girl Most Likely is a film you really want to like. It's got a decent cast, is put together with some sweetness and seems to have something going for it, only for the film to stumble on its many problems. Fundamentally, the film lacks momentum. The opening to the film is within an environment that is very difficult to relate to or understand as an audience and many of the jokes seem to have been tailored entirely from an American perspective that comes at the expense of being relatable universally (ironically the film opens with our main character as a child criticising Wizard Of Oz of being "provincial").

Kristen Wiig is a good actress but she really shines with sparky and energetic roles such as her performance in Despicable Me 2, earlier this year. Here, she plays the lead character, Imogen. A cynical and ambitious know it all who has a heart but her character arc isn't quite enough to redeem her actions at the start of the film; faking/attempting suicide (it's never really clear which she was trying to accomplish) just to win back a boyfriend is not the sort of thing that protagonists in mainstream comedies should do. Christopher Fitzgerald plays Wiig's sweet-natured and possibly autistic (going by how he associates more with animals than people and his narrow but highly knowledgeable level of interests) brother and his sub-plot is perhaps more deserving of a story.

The film picks up in its second half, when the previously elusive energy kicks in, and  there's a clear intention for a whip-smart and likeable comedy in there, despite few moments that will illicit anything more than a titter. It shows promise, but just delivers it too late to sustain much interest.

Next time, Aidan Gillen plays an Englishman who goes to Singapore following the death of his brother, which leads him to reconsider his own future in Mister John.

Blue Jasmine (2013, Dir. Woody Allen, USA) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) ****

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Alec Baldwin

Once a woman of wealth and status, Jeanette "Jasmine" Francis (Blanchett) has lost everything she had following the arrest of white-collar criminal husband, Hal (Baldwin). As a result, Jasmine is forced to move from New York City to San Francisco and live with her working-class sister, Ginger (Hawkins). Having gone through a complete emotional and mental breakdown, Jasmine frequently drinks and binges on prescribed drugs as the class  and familial conflict that she partly stirs up, plays out in front of her.

Having already opened to good financial standing and rave reviews in the US, Blue Jasmine is a strong addition to the filmography of the highly prolific Woody Allen. A comic-drama, Allen's style evident here and the humour is played very dry and subtle, almost completely destroying the categorisation of this film as a comedy. The drama is much more to the forefront and Cate Blanchett makes for a remarkable lead as a woman whose life has been turned upside down and then towards substance abuse to the point where you can almost smell the alcohol emanating from her whenever she's on screen the rest of the rather starry cast (this is Woody Allen, after all) give great performances as well whilst the film explores class-relations and the positive and negatives aspects of both extremes of wealth and the cultures that go with them. Blue Jasmine isn't a feel-good comedy or a laugh riot that some might expect from Allen, but it's a rewarding experience given the string acting and performances.

Next time, Kristen Wiig plays a frustrated playwright forced to take custody of her mother in Girl Most Likely.

The Wicker Man (The Final Cut) (1973/2013, Dir. Robin Hardy, UK) (Cert: 15/R) *****

Starring: Edward Woodward, Sir Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland

The disappearance of a young girl, Rowan Morrison (Geraldine Cowper), brings policeman Neil Howie (Woodward) to Summerisle, an island off of the Scottish coast. Howie is perplexed that the island's small population seems to have no idea who Rowan even is, and as a devout and conservative Christian is also appalled by their sexualised and heretical society, but is there a more sinister reason for Rowan's disappearance? 

Now celebrating its fortieth birthday, The Wicked Man has been re-released in a re-edited "Final Cut". Now acclaimed as being the greatest British horror film ever made, The Wicker Man was pushed out by an ailing British Lion in 1973 as something of an emabarassment, sharing a double-bill with Don't Look Now (another strong contender for best British horror as well) and slowly over the years, the film has gained in stature and footage, long believed lost, has been redeiscovered. This Final Cut is not all the footage known to exist, and some is trimmed from a previous re-edit in 2006 but there's not too much that has significantly changed, save for the film's opening scene (and again there's much of seen in other versions that isn't present here).

A strange beast, The Wicker Man is often categorised as a horror film and whilst this isn't exactly untrue, the film is really more of a mystery with horror elements as well as occasional dashes of comedy and folk music sequences. Edward Woodward gives a powerhouse performance as Howie, boasting a very convincing Scottish accent and playing the right amounts of dignity and incredulity. Christopher Lee plays the rather laid-back and affable Lord Summerisle with his usual refinement whilst Britt Ekland (who would appear opposite Christopher Lee again a year later in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)) plays the sensuous Willow, daughter of the foppish landlord (played by Lindsay Kemp). Anthony Schaffer's screenplay provides an entertaining and twist-filled mystery that culminates in a notorious finale. If you have never before seem The Wicker Man, I strongly recommend, horror fan or not, you find a screening.

Next time, Cate Blanchett stars as a formerly wealthy woman struggling to cope with the working working-class surroundings of her sister played by Sally Hawkins in Woody Allen's latest film, Blue Jasmine.

Runner Runner (2013, Dir. Brad Furman, USA)(Cert: 15/R) ***

Starring: Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton

Richie Furst (Timberlake) is a gifted student on the verge of being kicked out of Princeton because of his gambling-related activities, getting sign-ups for a gambling website. When Richie gambles and loses all of his tuition money on the site, he discovers that a code unfairly made his game almost impossible to win. Richie departs for Costa Rica to confront Ivan Block (Affleck) who runs the site and who quickly takes on Richie as a protégée. However, Richie is unprepared for the violence and crime that this work entails.

A gambling-related thriller, Runner Runner scores the jackpot and busts in pretty much equal measure. It's hard not to look at this film and see how much Brad Furman uses the films of Martin Scorsese as an influence, in both the plot and the first-person narrative and with the obvious comparison being with Casino (1995) but the film also uses elements from more fast-paced action films, giving an intriguing flavour, but also tripping the film up at times, such as a chase sequence with what I can only describe as an extreme form of shaky-cam, making it seem like you're watching the film whilst fastened to a giant paint-mixer. The character of Richie is also fairly flawed, not through Justin Timberlake's performance (which is solid but unremarkable) but rather through the fact that he's portrayed as being very smart and yet from the off, continues to make dumb decisions.

As the antagonist, Ben Affleck gives a laid-back performance, schmoozing and charming his way through violent criminality and corruption. This serves him well for the most part and he makes for an entertaining presence, but he doesn't quite give enough weight to his more intense moments. Anthony Mackie and Gemma Arterton fill out the main cast but in roles that remain a little murky and not fully fleshed-out. Surprisingly for a film that has Scorsese-esque pretensions, Runner Runner is also a fairly brisk and short film which helps stops the film from over-indulging itself. All in all, Runner Runner is no masterpiece but its worth a recommendation for those who like sleek and stylish thrillers.

Metro Manila (2013, Dir. Sean Ellis, UK/Philippines) (Cert: 15/TBC) ***

Starring: Jake Macpagal, Althea Vega, John Arcilla

Former soldier and silk factory worker Oscar Rodriguez (Macpagal) decides to leave his farm in the remote Benguet Province in The Philippines with his family, looking for a better life in Manila. Eventually, Oscar gets a job driving an armoured vehicle with his more experienced colleague and mentor, Ong (Arcilla), whilst Oscar's wife, Mai (Vega) has to work as a stripper. Times are hard and eventually Oscar is forced to work outside the law.

An intriguing crime drama set against the cityscape of Manila and Quezon City, Metro Manila has also been put forward for the British entry into the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars (whilst the film is set in the Philippines most of the crew and production companies involved are from the UK) and whilst it would have to face some fairly lacklustre competition to get the award, Metro Manila is still a well-handled film. The early scenes of the Rodriguez family reaching Manila has a great "stranger in a strange land" quality as vehicles, pedestrians and vendors whizz by in a dizzying buzz of noise. Whilst this immersion into a foreign culture cold be equally daunting for a non-Filipino audience the script from director Sean Ellis and his collaborator Frank E. Flowers provides a window into this world and is able to make the story understandable to an audience unfamiliar with this world (not just in international terms, but the world Oscar works in has a distinctive culture and approach all its own). 

For all that the film sets itself against a backdrop of the gritty world of the Metro Manila region from the crime-riddled inner-cities to the impoverished slums, Ellis's use of stylisation gives off some rather mixed results. The opening scenes in the hills of Benguet Province are truly wondrous, but the ambient score that is used at various points of the film, can get a little tiresome and heavy-handed. Meanwhile, there are strong performances, especially from John Arcilla as Oscar's rather shady mentor-figure, Ong and the film does enough to maintain attention, even if it never quite hits the emotional notes to their fullest potential.

Next time, Justin Timberlake ventures to Costa Rica in hopes of getting back his money from gambling mogul Ben Affleck, only to end up working for Affleck in a world of danger and violence in Runner, Runner.

The Call (2013, Dir. Brad Anderson, USA) (Cert:15/R) ***

Starring: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Michael Eklund

Jordan Turner (Berry) was highly skilled in her line of work, handling 911 emergency calls in a large control centre in Los Angeles until one day when receiving a call from a girl (Evie Thompson) who was then abducted and later found dead. Six months later, Jordan has stopped working calls because of trauma and is instead teaching new recruits. When a call comes in from Casey (Breslin) another girl who's been abducted and Jordan becomes determined to to help her.

The Call works on a fairly simple premise and builds upon that to make for a very tense. If somewhat imperfect, thriller. The environment in which this film takes place is a great locale from which to draw tension, with the film opening with a succession of distressed emergency calls and relies somewhat on strong acting to help pull this off, with Abigail Breslin (who emerged into the limelight as a young girl in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)) rising to the occasion. Halle Berry also works well, although her character's cool and collected approach kicks in too quickly when the main plot begins, pushing aside the more understandable nerves that could've built the suspense. There are some intriguing twists and turns, particularly involving the film's antagonist, played by Michael Eklund but towards the end, the film falls unnervingly too close towards a torture-porn horror movie (i.e: Saw (2005) or Hostel (2005))  but you'll almost certainly never hear Karma Chameleon by Culture Club the same way again. The film also has a rather disappointing conclusion that disappoints given the character development thus far. Yet for all its faults, The Call is delivered with enough skill to get the blood pulsing a bit faster.

Next time, a family moves from a rural part of the Philippines to Manila and to a life of crime in Metro Manila. 

SNEAK PREVIEW: Prisoners (2013, Dir. Denis Villeneauve, USA) (Cert: 15/R) ***

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano

It's Thanksgiving and Keener Dover (Jackman) is celebrating with friends when his daughter, Anna (Erin Gerasimovich) and her friend Joy (Kyla Drew Simmons) play outside, near a trailer. A short time later and the girls can't be found and are reported missing. Keener suspects Alex Jones (Dano), a local adult with severe learning difficulties and becomes increasingly driven to prove Alex guilty.

Playing heavily towards arousing fears and paranoia, Prisoners is a film that's perhaps too tough for some viewers but plays with its plot in an interesting way. However, Prisoners seems to have probably worked best as a taut ninety-minute whodunnit as opposed to the lumbering and convoluted result of having the film be an hour too long. The strength of the performances is somewhat mixed, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano doing perhaps the best work even if Dano's character of the mentally feeble Alex is under-explored for all the screen-time he's given. Hugh Jackman conversely has an interesting role as a man whose sense of devotion pushes him to some dark ends, but often gives too intense a performance, screaming his way through a good share of his dialogue. Technically speaking, the film is well made with a pervasive sense of tension and some strong visuals (especially an extended pan across a river as police search for traces of abduction victims) but ultimately, Prisoners is a good film, even if it does over-complicate itself.

Prisoners will open in the UK on the 27th of September and is already playing in the US.

Next time, Halle Berry's job taking calls for the emergency services has her reliving a past trauma when Abigail Breslin calls for help in The Call.

R.I.P.D. (3D) (2013, Dir. Robert Schwentke, USA) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) **

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon

Boston cop Nick Walker (Reynolds) is about to confess his part in swiping gold from a recent bust when he's shot dead by his partner, Bobby Hayes (Bacon). Whilst awaiting judgement in the afterlife, Nick is assigned to the Rest In Peace Department (or R.I.P.D.) paired up with Old West lawman, Royseifus "Roy" Pulcipher (Bridges) and given the task of apprehending bad souls that have gone back to Earth.

Watching R.I.P.D. does beg the question; why exactly was this film made? A comic-book-styled mess of a movie, R.I.P.D. is too adult for kids and too childish for (at least, mature) adults. Whilst the premise does bring some comparisons with Ghostbusters (1984), really the film takes much of its cues from Men In Black (1997) and the level of imitation is pretty obvious, whilst the plot bizarrely morphs towards The Avengers (Avengers Assemble) (2012) towards the end. The script is dull with an astounding number of plot-holes and errors (why would you entrust a cop suspected of corruption on the case of capturing bad guys?) and few laugh-worthy gags while the rather impressive cast (Kevin Bacon, Jeff Bridges, James Hong, Mary-Louise Parker) don't seem to live up to potential, although Parker has her moments, whilst Jeff Bridges' southern accent is, at times, impenetrable. Visually, the film isn't particularly impressive and  the 3D coupled with the constant camera movement is a little bit of an eyesore. Robert Schwentke has his strengths as a film-maker as can be seen with RED (2010) (this prior collaboration with Mary-Louise Parker may explain why she gives a relatively strong performance) and as derivative as R.I.P.D. is, there's a nugget of fun in the material. Unfortunately, that was never really used to its best potential and so the film comes off as rather lacklustre.

Next time, Hugh Jackman plays a determined father trying to solve a case of child abduction in Prisoners.

Diana (2013, Dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel, UK/France/Belgium/Sweden) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) ***

Starring: Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews, Geraldine James

It's 1995 and Diana Princess Of Wales (Watts) is the most famous woman in the world and going through a tumultuous separation from her husband, Prince Charles, whilst also travelling the world on various humanitarian efforts. Within this whirlwind she meets Hasnat Khan (Andrews), an eminent heart-surgeon from Pakistan, working in London. The two begin a love affair under the constant view of the paparazzi. 

In terms of quality, the filmography of director Oliver Hirschbiegel has been rather inconsistent. Hirschbiegel first came to international attention with Downfall (2004), a tense and detailed account of the last days of Adolf Hitler. Diana has Hirschbiegel trying his hand at putting the life of a real person on the screen to less impressive results. Downfall worked because it presented a man who was almost entirely condemned and who had been dead for decades, presenting a three-dimensional view of a real and morally-complex (if ultimately despicable) human being who loved his dog and was kind to his staff whilst also calling for millions to die, including his own people who he believed had failed him. Princess Diana died only sixteen years ago and still holds a difficult reputation to assess without upsetting either those who saw her as a manipulative self-publiciser or a tragic and almost angelic figure. These may be extreme opinions but the film has to walk a tightrope with them nonetheless.

The direction the film takes as a result is a strange one that doesn't entirely work. For the most part, the film is respectful and even tilts towards being admiring whilst showing a very exceptional level of celebrity for Diana (during a televised interview, men n a pub are stood around looking at the tv, looking like they're watching aliens landing on Earth) but also displaying a figure starved of love. This is taken to rather odd ends when we have a sequence of her cleaning her lover's flat whilst he's away after a massive, possibly relationship ending, argument. It's played lightly and romantically, but it's a rather disturbing thing to do.

Naomi Watts tries hard with this conflicting image but you never get beyond the sense that it's someone playing Diana, although the way she carries herself and embodies Diana's own subtle foibles is impressive. Meanwhile, Naveen Andrews is characterful and gives the best performance of the film. To say Diana is Hirschbiegel's worst work would be untrue (check out his 2003 Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers remake, known as The Invasion to see a worse effort) but here, Horschbiegel struggles a little with a very tough project to do successfully and comes up a little short.

Next time, Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges play two deceased cops bringing runaway souls back to the afterlife in R.I.P.D.

SNEAK PREVIEW: Hawking (2013, Dir. Stephen Finnigan, UK) (Cert: PG/TBC) ***

Starring: Professor Stephen Hawking, Jane Hawking, Nathan Chapple

A look into the life of Professor Stephen Hawking, who at the start of a promising career in physics was struck by Motor Neurone Disease and rendered permanently paralysed. Hawking  has continued to soldier on to make groundbreaking studies into black holes and how we see the universe to becoming the most famous scientist on the planet.

There are few well-known people on living on Earth today who are seen as more extraordinary than Stephen Hawking. Now in his seventies when he was told he wouldn't see his mid-twenties, Hawking is already being compared to such great scientific minds as Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein (he's even played a game of poker with them, well, actors playing them, in Star Trek: The Next Generation) so he's a great choice for a feature-length documentary but as a documentary, Hawking is fairly ordinary. The film does a good job picking bits-and-pieces from Hawking's life to provide a good overview of both his experiences as well as his day-to-day life and you warm to Hawking as a human being.

The prevailing problem is that the film feels much more televisual.  Lacking the depth and dynamism that film documentaries unleash at their best. The film also slows to up its stop, seemingly uncertain about what part of Hawking's life to focus on to a close. As documentaries films go, Hawking is forgettable and throwaway but competent and still often manages to be interesting.

Next time, the most famous woman in the world begins a controversial and highly-publicised romance, Naomi Watts stars in Diana.

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013, Dir. James Wan, USA) (Cert: 15/PG-13) **

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins

After a young boy named Dalton Lambert (Simpkins) is freed from possession by evil spirits,  Elsie Rainer (Lyn Shae) is found dead and Dalton's father, Josh (Wilson), is suspected of killing her whilst also being possessed. As they begin to settle back into their daily lives, the Lambert family discover that the forces of darkness aren't quite finished with them yet.

With a highly-prolific rate of production, horror film director James Wan (who burst into the spotlight in 2005 with Saw) has become a distinctive film-maker within the horror genre, with his love of jump-scares and creepy dolls. Following the Saw franchise, Wan has seemingly moved onto a new series with Insidious, with the first eponymous film (released in 2011) bringing with a mixture of haunted house conventions and surreal horror. The film had its flaws in that it was derivative and (in common with much of Wan's work) melded intensity and surreality to the point of being ridiculous.

Insidious: Chapter 2 doesn't correct these problems, in fact it worsens them. Whilst the initial buildup lacks momentum or anything to maintain interest, when the horror does kick in, its done in such a way to evoke more titters than screams. The plot also leans heavily on other horror works, especially The Shining (1980) with its themes of personal possession steering a character towards insanity and the last act of the film has moments where you feel that all is missing is a child scribbling "Redrum" on a wall. There are some brights spots in that the film cleverly plays with its own narrative and even skips back to the initial Insidious in some truly impressive call-backs, and fortunately James Wan has tone down his irritating obsession with jump-scars and atonal piano chords. If you're in the mood for a horror film to make you laugh (and that does have its own kind of audience) than Insidious 2 is actually pretty good, but if that wasn't James Wan's intentions (and I'm speculating that it wasn't) then it has faltered.

Next time, we take a look into the extraordinary life of the world's most famous physicist in Hawking. 

In A World...(2013, Dir. Lake Bell, USA) (Cert: 15/R) ***

Starring: Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Ken Marino

Following the death of movie trailer voiceover legend, Don LaFontaine (himself), the spot for being the biggest name in the industry is up for grabs. Vocal coach and aspiring voiceover artist, Carol Solomon wants to start narrating trailers, but her father, the legendary Sam Soto (Melamed), who doesn't believe in her.

Lake Bell writes, produces and stars in this comedy and aside from the occasional problem, In A World...is entertaining fare. The film operates on an amusing and original premise built a little on reality (voiceover artist Don LaFontaine was a genuine person and the phrase "In a world..." was associated with the trailers he worked on. Beyond that, however, the story is a amusing and fun but plays around with a sub-plot when the primary storyline should've deserved all the focus.The film has a nice cast with Lake Bell making a likeable lead and Sam Melamed as her sexist jerk

 of a father deals well with a role that could've been overplayed so easily. The screenplay is the weakest point and needed streamlining and whilst it's also short on belly-laughs, In A World...is still a fairly amusing romp.

Next time, Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne continue to be menaced by the supernatural in Insidious: Chapter 2.

42 (2013, Dir. Brian Helgeland, USA) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) ****

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie

In 1946, Branch Rickey (Ford), manager of the baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, hit upon the controversial idea of recruiting an African-American, who at the time only played in black-only teams with their own league. Recruiting a promising young player, Jackie Robinson (Boseman), Jackie encounters hostility and racism from both the fans and fellow players, even his teammates.

A film about the early Major League Baseball career of Jackie Robinson is a hard sell in many places outside of North America. A iconic name in both baseball and in the Civil Rights movement, Robison's name has less note outside of the US,as in many places, does the sport of baseball, itself. This definitely works against 42 as the film doesn't take it easy on audiences who don't know a great deal about the sport during the actual sequences of play and unfolding of backstage politics. However, as a dramatic piece, 42 is a perfectly good film. The film is less about baseball and more about race-relations in that period of America and hits that point home ably thanks to a strong dramatic script and a lead performance from Chadwick Boseman. The supporting cast also work well, even if Harrison Ford (as good as he is) feels a little miscast, at least physically, as Branch Rickey.

The evocative use of period details gives the film a sense of warmth and character even if the film teeters at times towards too much sentimentality. This aside, 42 is an admirable film very competently handled.

Next time, Lake Bell directs and stars in In A World, paving the way as a female voiceover artist  for film trailers, a largely male profession.

Justin And The Knights Of Valour (3D) (2013, Dir. Manuel Sicilia, Spain) (Cert: PG/TBC) **

youtube.com/watch?v=c9R9x9RfyGE

Starring: Freddie Highmore, Saoirse Ronan, James Cosmo

Young Justin (Highmore) wants to be a knight and follow in the footsteps of his legendary grandfather, however, knights have become forbidden by the land and Justin's lawyer father (Alfred Molina) wants Justin to study law. When a crown is stolen, Justin teams up with Tara (Ronan), a plucky young girl and the eccentric wizard Melquiades (David Walliams) to get the crown back.

An English-language computer-animated film from Spain, Justin And The Knights Of Valour does have some raw potential to be worthwhile, but mostly squanders it. The film's biggest flaw is in its writing which is derivative to the point of paraphrasing directly from other movies as well as characters that seem largely superfluous to the plot and an overdose of flamboyant caricatures, with Rupert Everett's role as a prissy villain being particularly cringe-worthy, more down to his dialogue and movements than anything else. Freddie Highmore also seems to be deficient in terms of emotions for much of the film despite being a good actor (it's possible that the direction of the actors, or lack thereof, may have been the problem) with Saoirse Ronan's character of Tara being the only end-to-end engaging and enjoyable character, and one that would probably have made for a better lead.

The story actually has some potential as its use of high-adventure and action was perhaps the one thing that was missing from the comparable but otherwise superior Pixar film, Brave (2012) but the action pace is often sluggish and lacks dynamism. The 3D is largely pointless, as it usually is, and despite the occasional merit, Justin And The Knights Of Valour isn't really worth recommending.

White House Down (2013, Dir. Roland Emmerich, USA) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) ***

youtube.com/watch?v=4AXbiCdmXgw

White House Down (2013, Dir. Roland Emmerich, USA) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) ***

Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, James Woods

Afghanistan veteran John Cale (Tatum) is looking to work in the White House as part of the security team protecting the president,  James W. Sawyer (Foxx). Whilst attending an interview for a job and taking along his politically-inclined daughter Emily (Joey King) with him, the White House is subjected to a major terrorist attack and John must protect the president and the White House at all cost.

It would seem difficult to believe but in the last few months there have been tw big-budget action films in which a man must take on terrorists who have attacked the White House, between White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen (2013). It seems that in the battle for box office supremacy, Olympus has won, with White House Down doing pretty poorly Stateside, even if it is the better of the two films, its loss being most likely because it was released later. However, White House Down is not a great film, it's simply more palatable than Olympus Has Fallen. Whereas Olympus is covered in a story and execution that is noticeably, even frighteningly right-wing, White House Down seems a lot more mocking of the situation and is willing to have a lot more fun; its more liberal slant clear by the fact that Jamie Foxx is playing Barack Obama in all but name, the terrorists are comprised of some right-wing militants (as opposed to Olympus having a terrorist cell from North Korea)  as well as a somewhat comically-played Glenn Beck/Rush Limbaugh-esque supporting character.

There are problems in that the film is extremely predictable and it's the same old Roland Emmerich show of explosions and pure superficial stupidity, but there's a sense of self-awareness and acceptance of his style and its flaws, even having a character mentioning Emmerich's earlier film, Independence Day. The film is far from bright and the same is true of its lead (who seems wholly unaware of anything relating to history or politics) but there's an all-star cast who all perform largely to the styles they're accustomed too. White House Down is not a film that an arthouse auteur would be proud of, but its sense of humour and lack of pretension does make it entertaining and strangely endearing.

Next time, Freddie Highmore plays a young man looking to become a knight in Justin And The Knights Of Valour.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013, Dir. David Lowery, USA) (Cert: 15/R) ***

 

Starring: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster

 

When a crime goes awry, Ruth Guthrie (Mara), a pregnant woman shoots cop Patrick Wheeler (Foster) in the shoulder. Her boyfriend, Bob Muldoon (Affleck), takes responsibility for the shooting and gets a lengthy prison sentence. Eventually, Bob escapes  looking to be reunited with Ruth whilst also being hunted down.

 

A gritty and rustic film that balances between being a drama and a thriller, Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a fairly engaging film with a few problems. The biggest problem is how unevenly it handles both its roughest and tenderest moments. The best moments of the film aren't those that deal with the relationship between the central couple of Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck but the relationship instead between Mara and Ben Foster. This is bolstered more by the unique dynamic and backstory between these two likeable rather than any problem with Affleck or the character of Bob Muldoon. However, despite these shifts in story quality, the film has a nice pace and doesn't overstay its welcome. With its dark and violent story and 70's Texan aesthetics, there are comparisons to No Country For Old Men (2007) and it falls far behind that film, but it's still entertaining and essentially works.

Le Grande Belazza (The Great Beauty) (2013, Dir. Paolo Sorrentino, Italy/France) (Cert: 15/TBC) ****

 

Starring: Toni Servillo, Sabrina Farilli, Carlo Verdone

 

Forty years ago, Jep Gambardella (Servillo) came to Rome and wrote an acclaimed novel. Now at the age of sixty-five, Jep has yet to produce a follow-up and spends most of his time socialising with many of Rome's other high-flyers and providing interviews for a magazine, only for mortality to cause him to look back on his life.

 

In several respects, The Great Beauty lives up to its name. The film is visually sumptuous with some extraordinary work courtesy of cinematographer Luca Bigazzi and the story calls for some astound visual spectacle. The writing is also a great asset being very smart and swinging between satirical comedy aimed at both the decadence of modern Rome (and calling to mind its ancient forebear) as well as the often preening and pretentious upper-class types that make up much of the film's major cast, whilst also making some serious dramatic points with deep insight. The film's only significant drawback is its length as the film meanders between Jep's ponderings and the occasional effervescence does fade away at different times. Still, it's hard to criticise a film that is so aesthetically pleasing and as witty as The Great Beauty. It is indeed beautiful, but could've done with some trimming.

Upstream Colour (2013, Dir. Shane Carruth, USA) (Cert: 12a/Not Rated) ***

 

 

Starring: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig

 

Kris (Seimetz) is drugged by a man known simply as The Thief (Thiago Martins) who then abducts Kris and hypnotises her whilst the parasite she's drugged with crawls inside of her. Later, The Thief performs surgery on Kris involving a pig. When Kris regains her freedom she has no memory of her abduction and begins an uneasy relationship with a man named Jeff (Carruth) but soon Kris, Jeff and the farmer looking after the pigs (Sensenig) all begin to live mentally in sync with eachother.

 

It's fair to say that Upstream Colour is an acquired taste. Belonging firmly within the world of art cinema, Upstream Colour works on an abstract concept strung together with an almost dream-like flow. As such, its audience is a niche one and it's easy to dismiss the film as being pretentious. Beneath this layer of pretension there is an interesting story, even if it is completely bizarre and the film only gets more intriguing as it goes on. often visually stunning and with an eye towards realism in its performances, Upstream Colour is very artsy (probably too much for its own good) but people who like the more surreal and abstract realms of cinema can find some merit in it.

 

Next time, Toni Servillo plays a writer looking back over his life compared against the backdrop of modern Rome in The Great Beauty.

 

Any Day Now (2012, Dir. Travis Fine, USA) (Cert: 15/R) ****

 

Starring: Alan Cumming, Garrett Dillahunt, Isaac Leyva

 

Rudy Donatello (Cumming) is an openly gay drag artist and aspiring singer working in a gay bar in Hollywood when he begins a relationship with closeted lawyer, Paul Filger. When Rudy's drug abusing neighbour (Jamie Anne Allman) is put in prison on drugs charges, Rudy takes in his neighbour's son, Marco (Leyva) who has Down Syndrome and is often neglected. Rudy and Paul begin to care for Marco as a son, but when the local authorities try to take Marco into care, Rudy and Paul fight for the opportunity to care for Marco.

 

A very moving drama, Any Day Now largely succeeds from its stirring screenplay and great performances. Alan Cumming makes a powerful and emotional presence as the flamboyant yet compassionate Rudy, even if the Scottish actor's typical flair for accents fails him a little at times and there's some great supporting work from Garrett Dillahunt, Isaac Leyva and Don Franklin. Of course, the film having the subject matter that it does, is very forthright and may not play well to those who disagree with the film's message and the film could've done with being longer and establishing the home life between the three leads better, but as it is, Imfound it a very beautiful and compassionate film.

 

Next time, a kidnapping turns two people closer to one another until they start bonding as one in the experimental science-fiction film, Upstream Colour.

SNEAK PREVIEW: Def Leppard VIVA Hysteria! (2013, Dir. Christian Lamb, USA) (Cert: PG/TBC) ***

 

Starring: Rick Allen, Vivian Campbell, Phil Collen

 

In the 1980's, Def Leppard were one of the biggest rock bands in the world and in 1987 they released their highest-selling album, Hysteria. In 2013, the band took up an eleven show residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, playing the Hysteria album in its entirety (and throwing in a couple of other songs) to a live audience.

 

A film of Def Leppard performing at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas in spring 2013, VIVA! Hysteria has been given a cinema release despite it being originally intended to be straight to DVD. This, and the very quick manner in which this film has been produced, is very clear throughout. Unlike a lot of concert films that work in interviews or the band interacting backstage, VIVA! Hysteria is a lot more bare bones, almost entirely consisting of just the band performing, although an opening montage through the band's history is a nice and well-executed touch. As far as capturing the concert goes, the film works in what is to be expected of a rock concert on film. The camera cuts frequently between band-members with the occasional close-up of a female audience member singing along. However, the band is captured with enough energy and vigour to make the performances entertaining and exciting. Ultimately, VIVA Hysteria! is a rushed product and not very original, but it shows Def Leppard putting on a great show and for an enthusiastic audience. A worthwhile watch for any of the band's fans (speaking as one, myself).

 

Def Leppard VIVA Hysteria! is released in the UK on the 13th of September followed by a US release on October the 2nd.

 

Next time, Alan Cumming stars as  Rudy Donatello a gay man trying to become the legal provider for a young boy with Down Syndrome in the 70's-set drama, Any Day Now.

Plein Soleil (Blazing Sun/Lust For Evil/Purple Noon/Talented Mr. Ripley) (Re-release) (1960, Dir. René Clément, France/Italy) (Cert: PG/PG-13) ****

 

 

Starring: Alain Delon, Marie Laforêt, Maurice Ronet

 

Two Americans, Philip Greenleaf (Ronet) and Tom Ripley (Delon) are living it up in Rome whilst Philip has been offered $5000 to return to San Francisco. Tom, Philip and Philip's girlfriend Marge (Laforêt) decide to go yachting but when Marge leaves the boat, Tom kills Philip and assumes his identity when he reaches shore.

 

Having been restored, Plein Soleil has been re-released into cinemas. A French-language adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley (which also had a better known film adaptation in 1999 with Matt Damon and Jude Law) Plein Soleil is a sultry and intriguing film that features a great lead performance from Alain Delon as the handsome, charming and devious Tom Ripley. Although the American origins are definitely strained by the European nature of the film (the characters all speak either Italian or French with one character briefly speaking English, despite the main characters still having Anglophonic names) the film has a glamorous sense of cool and even nudges in some good black comedy. The Nino Rota score is also pleasingly eclectic (and some pieces bare clear comparisons with Rota's later work in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part 2 (1974)) and overall, it's an impressively cool piece.

 

Next time, a Sneak Preview of English hard-rock band, Def Leppard's series of performances at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel in Viva Hysteria!

 

SNEAK PREVIEW: Rush (2013, Dir. Ron Howard, USA/Germany/UK) (Cert: 15/R) ***

 

 

Starring: Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Alexandra Maria Lara

 

A rising star on the Formula 3 racing circuit, English driver James Hunt (Hemsworth) is famous for his racing ability and infamous for his playboy lifestyle. On the circuit he makes a new rival in the incredibly disciplined and serious Austrian racer Niki Lauda (Brühl). As the two advance to Formula 1 and become the two greatest racers in the world when their rivalry has disastrous consequences,

 

Centring on the famous James Hunt and Niki Lauda Formula 1 rivalry in the 1970's, Rush is a suitable film for Ron Howard's style and background. A famous actor on TV since childhood, Howard moved onto directing in 1977 with the low-budget film, Grand Theft Auto and now with Rush, he returns to the world of cars zooming at high speeds. However, Rush also brings with it comparisons with Howard's 1995 film, Apollo 13 with its period setting and the fact that the film is based on real events. Rush is a fairly strong film, but definitely falls short when compared to Apollo 13.

 

A significant part of why this falls short is in the writing. The screenplay does have its strengths, deftly switching between Hunt and Lauda, giving them both equal focus and setting up their myriad differences which provide the film with a strong foundation. Unfortunately, much of the film feels like its scrabbling over the same material meaning that he constant back-and-forth between Hunt and Lauda, whilst enjoyable, does become a little tiresome with Hunt's frequent description of a "rat" referring to Lauda's appearance being particularly overdone (especially when the remarks about physical appearance are being made about a man like Daniel Brühl).

 

On a sonic level, Rush definitely has more to boast about. As expected, car engines roar and fill your ears with a wondrous cacophony that make the driving sequences a joy to watch, whilst Hans Zimmer's rather unorthodox score and rock music of the time, plays away in the background, sometimes being all but being drowned out. Daniel Brühl  and Chris Hemsworth both give solid performances that lets the audience fully believe their personas as well. Ultimately, Rush is a decent and respectable effort but with a few significant flaws and whilst it doesn't count amongst Ron Howard's biggest blunders, it's also not as great as his work has been in the past.

 

Rush opens in the UK on the 13th of September, followed by a limited US release on the 20th and a general US release following on the 27th.

 

Next time, glamour, sex and psychopathy mingle in a re-release of René Clément's film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley, Plein Soliel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Maisie Knew (2012, Dirs. Scott McGehee, David Siegel, USA) (Cert: 15/R) ****

 

 

Starring: Onata Aprile, Alexander Skarsgård, Julianne Moore

 

Maisie (Aprille) lives with her rock-star mother (Moore) and her businessman father (Steve Coogan) in New York City. However, when their marriage ends, Maisie finds herself shuffled between homes and parents who are setting up new lives; her father marries Margo (Joanna Vanderham), her nanny, and her mother marries a man named Lincoln (Skarsgård). Torn between her two feuding parents, Maisie come to find comfort in her two new step-parents.

 

Based on the 1897 novel by Henry James, this film adpatation of What Maisie Knew modernises the story and what results is a largely very touching tale about divorce and the nature of love and responsibility. The film is largely told from the perspective of Maisie, played well by Onata Aprille, and as a result we get a great insight from the world of a small child. Arguments are often behind closed doors and when the tempers flare it can really sting when given from such a position as an innocent bystander. Steve Coogan and Julianne Moore give strong performances as the two largely unlikable but realistic parents. Coogan as a workaholic who often puts business before his child and Moore as a fierce manipulator who often uses Maisie in order to keep sole custody. Meanwhile, Alexander Skarsgård and Joanna Vanderham show a more compassionate element, contrasting the often ageing and wearying Coogan and Moore by both being more youthful, attractive and sweet (and also very, very blonde) in a visual contrast which is perhaps a little too blatant.

 

The obvious comparison for this film would be Kramer Vs. Kramer (1979) but What Maisie Knew has an identity all of its own and the performances are strong enough to push the film between being heart-wrenching and touching at different moments.

 

Next time, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühel play Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda in a sneak preview of Ron Howard's latest film, Rush.

One Direction - This Is Us (3D) (2013, Dir. Morgan Spurlock, USA) (Cert: PG/PG) ***

 

Starring: Niall Horan, Zayne Malik, Liam Payne

 

Since being put together as a group on the British talent show The X-Factor, boy-band One Direction (Horan, Malik, Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson) have attained international superstardom. This Is Us follows them as they go through their first world tour and learn about their family lives off of the road.

 

This Is Us is not a film that sets out to make new fans for One Direction. They're so famous right now and often so polarising amongst the general public that it would be a fruitless task. Personally, I could certainly relate to a middle-aged man that is shown briefly in the film at one of their concerts, plugging his ears. However, my musical tastes aside, This Is Us actually has some merit.

 

As a director, Morgan Spurlock makes for an unlikely fit. The expected route would probably be someone like Kenny Ortega (the director of the High School Musical  trilogy (2006 - 2008) and Michael Jackson: This Is It) rather than go for the man who gave us Super Size Me (2004) and Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden (2008) and it makes you wonder if in the future's there's a  possibility of a film about Union J that will be directed by Michael Moore, but Spurlock's style takes away some of the fluffiness and makes it a film of two stylistic halves. Partly a fairly standard by appreciable look backstage and part glossy concert film; the latter-half utilising the 3D aspect to its fullest but can grow tiresome if you aren't a fan of the group, understandably.

 

There's also the occasional brief appearance by other notable names, especially the film's producer Simon Cowell (whose claim that the band was out together because of the fans, is essentially true but the rather substantial monetary aspect is noticeably pushed aside) and as well as an unexpected and slightly surreal appearance from Martin Scorsese of all people (although his work in documentaries with The Band and The Rolling Stones does give a little bit) of an explanation.

 

The film is not an in-depth exploration of stardom, even if the boys wax philosophical every once in a while and the looks at different cultures does slip slightly towards stereotyping (we see cosplayers in Japan and a mariachi band in Mexico) but One Direction often come across as somewhat likeable (if a little too fun-loving) and this isn't a film that will appeal to those who aren't part of the screaming crowds of fans constantly shown, but it works for the audience that it's made for.

 

Next time, Julianne Moore, Alexander Skarsgard and Steve Coogan appear in the Henry James adaptation, What Maisie Knew.