FILM REVIEWS: CONCUSSION/DEADPOOL/JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS/PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES/ZOOLANDER 2

Concussion

Controversially overlooked for the awards season and definitely produced to appeal to those in the Academy, Concussion stars Will Smith as Nigerian pathologist Dr. Bennett Omalu who challenged the National Football Association over the role American football played in causing concussion and subsequent mental breakdowns and suicides of their players. Despite the rather powerful subject matter and the dogged attitude that Smith’s Omalu undertakes in this film, what we get with Concussion is a film that never truly shocks or outrages but does produce a film that leaves an impression largely through the performances of its strong cast.

Will Smith, after starting as a wacky comedic lead and then moving into moody sci-fi hero adds another string to his bow as a likable idealist but also willing to show fiery conviction and righteous indignation thanks to Smith’s confident turn. Al Brooks is charmingly wonderful as always, playing Smith’s supporting superior and whilst there is a definitely underused elements of personal conflict in the role, Alec Baldwin is noteworthy a former NFL physician also championing Omalu as is Gugu Mbatha Raw as Smith’s endearing wife. True, Concussion is the sort of thing you might see on any given weekday as a made-for-TV movie, but it is definitely a step (or two) above the usual quality of that fare. Daring? Perhaps not but definitely interesting and very watchable.

Deadpool

One of the most anticipated films of recent months, Deadpool stars Ryan Reynolds as the titular X-Men-associated antihero who came to be following a secretive cancer treatment left him an agonised victim of torture at the hands of villain Francis Freeman (Ed Skrien) and now looking for revenge.

Marvel haven’t been shy about selling their comedic wares to adult audiences, but Deadpool is easily the most mature (and, accordingly, immature) that the studio has gotten to date. Fans have been clamouring over this movie and undoubtedly those who love Deadpool will find little to take fault with here. A wise-cracking, possibly psychotic and definitely dangerous anti-hero that Reynolds is clearly enjoying. On a personal level, the sadistic side of Deadpool does cross the line from darkly-humorous to genuinely disturbing a few too many times and more laughs were had at the slightly less audacious Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) and Ant-Man (2015) but the cast are a hoot, in particular Leslie Uggams as ‘pool’s blind but feisty roommate and Brianna Hildebrand as Deadpool’s stroppy teenage sidekick. As is usually the case, the fans demanded and Marvel, to their credit, have listened. Also features Moneca Baccarain, Gina Carano, TJ Miller, Stefan Kapičić and the near-obligatory Stan Lee cameo.

Jem And The Holograms

Having opened to a poor critical reception and bombing in American cinemas, it’s now the turn for the UK to get this live-action film adaptation of the cult 80’s cartoon show about a group of young female pop stars, Jem. Aubrey Peeples stars as Jerrica Benton who becomes an overnight pop sensation with the stagename, Jem. Along with her bandmate sisters, Jerrica becomes a phenomenon but is also on a quest to find a secret message left by her late father (Barnaby Carter).

Jem may seem like an odd thing to revive but picking the film apart, there is a certain logic. Adapted from a Hasbro property (Hasbro not being shy when it comes to movie cash-ins), Jem And The Holograms does attempt to modernise its image with a definite influence from TV shows such as Hannah Montana (both franchises deal with a pop star alter-ego) and iCarly (the gimmick of incorporating internet video content) but has trouble reconciling the new “web sensation” angle with the desire to make the film a tribute piece to the original material. The film definitely wants to evoke 80’s nostalgia, right down to casting Molly Ringwald (yes, Molly Ringwald) as well as the very outlandish elements from the TV series, but putting up clearly real videos of people talking about their appreciation for (the original) Jem next to a beatboxing robot and a completely nonsensical treasure hunt leaves the film a disheveled mess.

It’s not the complete disaster some have touted it as but there is some sense of the filmmakers knowing that this is never going to be a classic which does make the film for all of its flaws oddly endearing even if the whole thing hangs together rather badly. Not a film to rush out and see except for Juliette Lewis completely chewing up the scenery as the band’s primadonna manager.

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies

The latest addition to the zom-rom-com film craze is this adaptation of Seth Graeme-Smith’s zombified reworking of Jane Austen’s classic, Pride & Prejudice. Lily James stars as Elizabeth Bennett,a young debutante who has been trained to fight against the zombie hordes that ravage England in the early-nineteenth century whilst also having a will they won’t they entanglement with the dour Colonel Darcy played by Sam Riley. Despite, or perhaps because, of the incongruity of the zombies against Austen’s prose, PPZ is a novel and interesting approach to a subgenre now so prolific it teeters towards saturation. The comedy is most definitely the film’s finest asset with a game cast who get the tone perfectly, especially Sally Phillips as the Bennett family matriarch.

The romantic angle, whilst interesting, does drag the film down a little. He isn’t terrible in the role of Darcy, but Sam Riley’s morose and po-faced portrayal does mean that the film’s lively energy is sapped a little by his more sobering presence that is also hampered by the romance that especially wears the film down in its final stretch, making what could’ve been a brilliant little piece of flesh-munching entertainment is slightly laboured but not without some definite charm and verve. Other notables amongst the supporting cast include Bella Heathcote, Douglas Booth, Suki Waterhouse and Matt Smith alongside Game Of Thrones actors Charles Dance and Lena Heady.  

Zoolander 2

Ben Stiller directs, produces, writes and of course, stars in this sequel to 2001’s cult comedy Zoolander as empty-headed supermodel Derek Zoolander re-emerging from seclusion (self-imposed after the disastrous fate of his Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too) alongside rival-turned-ally Hansel (Owen Wilson) and finding themselves investigating a conspiracy behind the killing of world-famous pop stars.

The original Zoolander was a zany, fast-paced and all-around entertaining romp but in the fifteen years since that film, it’s clear that Ben Stiller seems to have forgotten what exactly made his film work. Instead, for more than one-hundred minutes we are given a rambling plot with little concern for fleshing out the cast of supporting characters who are short-changed for a parade of overly-indulgent (yes, overly-indulgent for a Zoolander film) celebrity appearances (of which, weirdly the best is from astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson). Given we now live in the world of selfies and a culture of vanity and even narcissism, there would seem to be a rich mine of comedy to explore but Zoolander 2 just potters around complacently and lacking the energy that made the first film so special. 

FILM REVIEWS (CAPTURE THE FLAG/DIRTY GRANDPA/SPOTLIGHT/13 HOURS/THE 33/YOUTH)

Capture The Flag

We’re used to animated films coming from continental Europe to be rather poor. Cheesily written, perhaps owing to poor translation, badly animated due to diminished budgets and at their worst, almost unwatchable. Capture The Flag is hardly up there with the best of Pixar, but it is of a higher standing than most of the animated fare getting pushed from the smaller studios into cinemas. The story of a young boy, his astronaut grandfather and a girl heading off to the moon, Capture The Flag features some bright animation, entertaining characters and some surprisingly original and interesting twists and turns along moments of beauty. Some of the characterisations are still a little broad, including the film’s antagonist who seems unrealistically hammy even for a cartoon character, but Capture The Flag still has moments that definitely make it worthwhile for curious kids.

Dirty Grandpa

Robert De Niro and Zac Efron star in this tasteless low-brow comedy in which Efron’s recently-widowed grandfather shows his grandson how to have a good time at Spring Break.  If the film has one saving grace it is that Robert De Niro clearly is trying hard for a film that’s really not worth that effort. What we have is a film of crass and offensive material given to an audience for whom they seem to have the lowest amount of expectations when it comes to appreciating this film. Whilst the film does try and offer up a message to get behind (seemingly reaching for the idea that life should be fun and people should do what makes them happy) it gets confused in the asinine behaviour of De Niro’s grandpa and whilst Efron’s Rob Lowe-esque stuffed-shirt grandson is often in the wrong, you can’t help but think that sometimes he has a point. As far as the film’s female characters go, Zoe Deutsch’s character as Efron’s potential love interest is bland other than simply being a hippie and Julianne Hough’s role as Efron’s demanding fiancée feels almost misogynistic in its negativity whilst Aubrey Plaza occasionally gets some decent moments as a raunchy college student but other moments her character is given are just off-putting.

In the tidal wave of bad press this film has been given, I don’t agree with the calls for Robert De Niro to retire. Instead, Bobby, call up Martin Scorsese and see if he has anything good for you because these current roles aren’t doing your career any good no matter how hard you try.

Spotlight

One of the big contenders for the Oscars this year, Spotlight focuses on the story of a group of Boston Globe reporters who in 2001 broke the story of massive-scale historical instances of child molestation in the Catholic Church. Much like Room (2015), Spotlight is definitely one of the more stripped-back Oscar films of the year but its focus on actors and story pays dividends. The screenplay by director Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer is fraught with both a powerful message and a sense of the extent of such abuse whilst never losing focus or becoming too convoluted whilst a brilliant ensemble cast makes the film ever-engaging, especially with the likes of Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Stanley Tucci always being signs of a great lineup and Mark Ruffalo giving a standout performance as well. Spotlight is definitely a powerful film and not one to be treaded into lightly, but it is still a film that deserves to be seen and to be recognised. Also features John Slattery and Liev Schriber.  (pick of the week)

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi

Arriving with somewhat less fanfare than one might expect from a Michael Bay picture, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi is at once both a somewhat refreshing departure from Bay’s norm and a sad re-acquaintance with his familiar flaws. An account of the attack by Libyan rebels on the US embassy in Benghazi and a nearby secret CIA base, 13 Hours shows Michael Bay attempting to be a more mature film-maker. His almost trademark reduction of women to a series of leering shots with a camera has been mostly nullified and he reaches towards drama in portraying the soldiers’ plight. Alas, Bay’s hideous relationship with editing rears its ugly head with the chaotic cutting making even the simple plot hard to follow, especially as all of our leads lack much in the way of distinguishing personalities or appearance beyond bushy and rugged, including a distert inctly cast-against-type John Krasinski who does at least prove that this film isn’t all that ill of a fit for him.

Made to appeal to a particularly gung-ho and militaristic set, the film does, in typical Bay fashion, forego character development for explosions and Bay at least does showcase that he is a master of that form even if the lack of character given to our antagonists beyond Libyan rebels who want to attack Americans means that there’s a distinctly sour taste of xenophobia running through much of the film. There are more hateful films than 13 Hours and Bay is trying to be taken seriously, but he still has some way to go if he’s looking to claim credibility.

The 33

Everyone who was aware of the 2010 efforts to liberate thirty-three men trapped deep in a mine in the Chilean desert was probably equally aware that somewhere down the line, a film based on the events was inevitable. Well, the film has finally arrived. The 33 is a distinctly televisual and choppy affair from Warner Brothers with there is some definite charm and warmth in there. Given the film concerns the fates of thirty-three men, the film would probably have been served best to focus on the characters and it largely fails in that, deciding instead to focus on only a few. Central to this Antonio Banderas and the fact that it is Banderas being his magnificently charismatic self as always giving his all, and the story of the men makes it easy for you to truly invest in the characters even if what backstories we are given seem somewhat hackneyed and laboured whilst the international casting is something of a mixed bag. As mentioned, Spanish Antonio Banderas is likable but I doubt he passes the muster as Chilean. French actress Juliette Binoche is convincing but much less so Irish actor Gabriel Byrne whose role as the sobering voice of reality against idealistic young politician Rodrigo Santoro is fairly unneccesary.

At its heart, The 33 is disposable. A fairly undemanding watch of an event we all knew was going to get the big screen treatment. It  doesn’t subvert expectations or add an original perspective, it’s just a get-what-you-pay-for account of a well-publicised event in recent history. You’ll go in to see it, you’ll probably get something out of it, you’ll leave the cinema and your life will not be changed one bit.

Youth

Whilst his film The Great Beauty (2013) won over many people, I felt slightly cold to director Paolo Sorrentino. For all of his extraordinary eye for great visuals and a feel for beauty matched by few of his contemporaries, his ponderous ways and artsy pretence seemed to grate with me. Whilst they are still present in Youth, Sorrentino has thankfully managed to present a more palatable film that’s still distinctly his own.

Michael Caine plays an elderly composer staying in a luxurious but eccentric hotel (which, in combination with The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The Lobster (2015) is almost become a genre all its own) mulling over whether he should conduct some of his compositions for a royal performance. The plot is of secondary importance to the character interaction and with some steady hands in the cast, there are some decent results. Harvey Keitel is likable as Caine’s film director friend of many years and Paul Dano puts in a commendable effort as a gifted but frustrated actor. On female roles the film is less successful, especially with Rachel Weiz as Caine’s daughter/manager whose emotional outbursts come off as irritating, which is more of an issue of the writing. In smaller roles, Paloma Faith makes for a rather pointless celebrity casting choice but Jane Fonda knocks it out of the park in a cameo appearance late in the film. Straddling somewhere between engaging and navel-gazing, Youth is perhaps a little too artsy for its own good, but there is some quality material beneath the stylised exterior.