Absolutely Anything
The first film from Terry Jones in almost twenty years, the
closest thing to a Monty Python film since 1983 and the last film role for the
late Robin Williams, Absolutely Anything promises such
historically-significance but in the end, the result is rather ho-hum. Simon
Pegg stars as a man who is gifted by a race of aliens (played by the surviving
members of the Monty Python team) with the omnipotent powers. The premise is
hardly a new one and there seems to be a lack of energy to the proceedings not
helped by a rather mismatched cast, save for Eddie Izzard (surely the most
Python-esque man to not actually be in Monty Python) and Joanna Lumley who
hardly makes an appearance. There are a couple of good gags here and there and
Python fans may get a kick out of it, but the resulting film that has been many
years in the making is just a bit too bland. ***
The Man From U.N.C.L.E
Adapted from the classic 60’s TV series of the same name,
Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer play secret agents from opposite sides of the
iron curtain forced to work together to track down a nuclear scientist. Ultimately the premise of The Man From
U.N.C.L.E is just flim-flam but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad film. Whilst
director Guy Ritchie still has his usual trouble of just being too chaotic for
his own good, the film’s impeccable visuals and sharp silver-tongued dialogue
make this a film of debonair cool. As trepidatious at the main casting is, (we
get a Brit playing an American, an American playing a Russian and a Swede
playing a German) for the most part it works. The Man From U.N.C.L.E will
probably not be a classic spy film, even if it goes the right way in placing
emphasis on the characters and not just on setpieces, but it’s very enjoyable
all the same. **** (pick of the week)
Mistress America
Being rather prolific as of late and with an ever-growing
audience, Noah Baumbach is back with his latest film, Mistress America starring
Lola Kirke as a young college student who uses her older and flakey step-sister
to be, played by Greta Gerwig, as inspiration for a piece of non-fiction. Like
much of Baumbach’s other work, the film bleeds New York and being fashionable
whilst also seemingly mocking its pretentions. To a certain extent, it’s having
its hipster cake and eating it but Baumbach’s a gifted enough writer to pull it
off, especially given Gerwig’s performance as the irresponsible Brooke who is a
rather harsh but more even-handed deconstruction of a carefree free spirit.
Mistress America is funny, engaging and intelligent but you need to have patience
with it as the film takes time to reach its potential. ***
Trainwreck
Amy Schuler plays a journalist who is terrified of long-term
relationships and monogamy who meets and begins a relationship with a good-natured
surgeon specialising in sports played by Bill Hader in this Judd Apatow
rom-com. Trainwreck belongs more however with Apatow’s more ambitious and
slightly more dramatic work like Funny People (2009), rather than the teen
comedy of Superbad (2007) and its attempts at depth work as both an asset and a
weakness. Problematically, the film is too long and deals with far too much
away from the main plot for the film to retain much energy and sometimes just
becomes too unusual for its own good (such as the baffling movie-within-a-movie
with Daniel Radcliffe and Marisa Tomei) but Amy Schuler and Bill Hader are
likable enough as performers and as characters to make it work, even if it
doesn’t always work spectacularly. Weirdly enough, for all that NBA players may
have a poor track record with acting, I actually found LeBron James’ turn as
himself to be some of the film’s funniest material. Strange world. ***
