FILM REVIEWS (Monty Python And The Holy Grail/Pan/Sicario/Suffragettes/The Walk)

Monty Python & The Holy Grail

Having received a fortieth anniversary sing-along (don’t worry, no-one does) rerelease, this is a great time to go back and revisit this daft surrealist take on Arthurian legend, courtesy of the Monty Python troupe. Graham Chapman leads the cast as King Arthur, sent on a quest to retrieve the Holy Grail. On his way, he and his band of knights must confront one bizarre challenge after another. Not quite a traditional linear plot and not quite a collection of sketches, this is a madcap film packed with memorable scene after memorable scene and has gained something of an endearing charm with age. *****

Pan

Sadly, Pan has already been pipped as a box office disappointment and has garnered a slew of negative reviews for a film that is, in all honesty, not all that bad. Joe Wright’s break from Lean-esque period dramas takes on the Peter Pan mythos with Levi Miller as Peter whisked away to Neverland and prophesised destiny. With definite stylistic influences from Hook (1991) and Stardust (2007) this also has a touch of Baz Luhrmann to it with the vibrant colours and use of contemporary music. Scores of children chanting Nirvana and The Ramones in a Peter Pan film is as clumsy as it sounds, but the film has a sense of swashbuckling, high-spirited adventure that is sadly rare in film these days. Also features Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Kathy Burke and Amanda Seyfried. ***

Sicario

Following up on his sleeper hit Prisoners (2013) Denis Villeneuve returns with a new crime thriller set amidst the drug-choked streets of Mexico. Emily Blunt stars an idealistic operative sent on a mission to weed out a top drug kingpin, but her colleagues played by Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro seem to have much more secretive intentions. Much like Prisoners, Sicario is a stunningly presented film courtesy of the legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins but somewhere along the line, the sense of confusion becomes muddled between intentionally playing games with the viewer and protagonist and just getting lost. The one-note depiction of Mexico also does it little favours, but this is still a film of impressive style and rather raw impact. Fans of Michael Mann’s classic thriller Heat (1995) would particularly love this. ***

Suffragette

Carey Mulligan takes centre stage in this historical drama about the Suffragettes and the movement to get women the vote. Mulligan’s fictitious role of Maud Watts provides something of an audience surrogate but is thankfully far from a passive figure thanks to the writing and Mulligan’s powerful performance. It is a slightly glib take on the Women’s Suffrage movement and doesn’t quite have the emotional impact that a film like this might be expected to have, but it’s still short on compromise and well-presented. Also features Helena Bonham-Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw, Anne-Marie Duff and Meryl Streep. ***

The Walk

Robert Zemeckis has long been one of the best known Hollywood directors for spectacle and his latest film The Walk, is perhaps the film that indulges this the most and also holds its own (despite not surpassing) alongside Zemeckis’ best works like Back To The Future (1985) and Forrest Gump (1994). The story of French high-wire artist Phillipe Petit (played here by Joseph Gordon Levitt) and his walk between the two towers of the World Trade Centre, The Walk has been advertised as a tense nail-biter, in fact it’s a great deal more charming and light-hearted. Levitt’s charismatic enough to carry the potentially troublesome narration and the film’s frequent lapses from French into English (the film explains that Peitit and co are practicing their English for New York, but one has to wonder if it’s not at least partly to concede to those in the audience who dislike reading subtitles).

Ultimately, the film builds to the walk itself and rather than a scene of tension or nerves, it came across (to me, at least) as beautiful magic and art, more moving than heart-stopping. That may not necessarily be to everyone’s liking, but it still makes for a wonderful experience and one of my highlights of the year. **** (pick of the week) 

Reviews: The Intern/Macbeth/The Martian

The Intern

Robert De Niro plays a seventy-year-old retired widow who takes up work at an internet clothing retailers as part of a senior employment incentive, working under flighty boss Anne Hathaway in this unashamedly feel-good film. Of course with two thespianic titans in De Niro and Hathaway, there’s always going to be some value in watching but the film has a distinct problem with characterisation. As nice as De Niro’s character is, his old-fashioned sense of style and etiquette seems something of a charicature whilst Hathaway’s businesswoman has difficulty finding much in the way of defining traits early on and her struggle between business and home life seems patronising at times, albeit slightly and there are good intentions.  There is wit and humour and whilst the film is not particularly memorable, what memories it does recall illicit some fondness. Also features Andy DeVine, Rene Russo, Linda Lavin and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance from Nat Wolff.***

Macbeth

William Shakespeare’s Scottish epic gets another big-screen adaptation, courtesy of Justin Kurzel. Michael Fassbender plays the titular Scottish nobleman who murderously claims the throne of Scotland under the pretense of witchcraft. Macbeth’s not new territory for the screen with such legendary directors as Akira Kurosawa and Roman Polanski having provided their takes on the play in the past. In the case of this adaptation, Kurzel has a fine technical eyes and there’s some magnificent atmosphere and visuals, not least the striking finale. However, the film’s eye for the visuals comes at a loss of plot momentum and the film often becomes listless and tired. That aside, there are some brilliant performances, especially Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth, a character who does however seem sadly underutilised here despite her iconic stature on the Shakespeare canon. Also featuring Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Elizabeth Debicki and David Thewlis. ***  

The Martian

Just when Ridley Scott had been written off by critics and audiences alike, he makes a comeback with this smart yet accessible sci-fi adventure. Matt Damon stars as Mark Watney, an astronaut and botanist who, believed to be dead, is stranded on Mars and learns to survive and grow food on the planet until help arrives. Taken from a book by Andy Weir, The Martian also picks up elements from many antecedents. The plot has similarities to Silent Running (1972) and Apollo 13 (1995), the casting recalls Interstellar (2014) and Scott’s own background with Alien (1979) is also evident amongst many other movies.

However, the film more than stands on its own two feet with its sense of effective, almost documentarian, realism a warm and well-crafted screenplay and a strong cast, particularly Matt Damon who brings his charm, charisma and comic skills to Mark Watney. Cynical types may sniff at some elements, especially late in the film, but this is an example of a great sci-fi film and a much-appreciated return to form from Ridley Scott. Also features Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig, Donald Glover, Jeff Daniels, Mackenzie Davis and Sean Bean. **** (pick of the week)