Hail, Caesar!
The latest from brothers Ethan
and Joel Coen is a fictional tale focusing on real-life studio
"fixer" Eddie Mannix, here played by Josh Brolin. Mannix resolves
issues for Capitol Pictures and finds himself at his wit's end when Baird Whitlock
(George Clooney) the star of his upcoming biblical epic, Hail, Caesar!, is
kidnapped.
Coming from cinema's duel masters
of the shaggy dog story, Hail, Caesar is less of a conventional linear film and
more a pastiche of 50's Hollywood strung together by a slightly noir-ish plot
as thin as gossamer. Though this could be argued as a pseudo-sequel to the
brothers' 1991 film Barton Fink (which also is based around the work of the
fictional Capitol Pictures), Hail Caesar! is closer to The Big Lebowski (1998)
with its screwball caper plot. It might also stand as one of their gentlest
pictures but is lovably easy-going as opposed to boring.
What truly makes the film work is
its ensemble cast. Josh Brolin is a gruff but morally-decent Mannix and grounds
the picture whilst his co-stars take on various parodies of post-war movie
stars. Clooney is effectively Kirk Douglas and Charton Heston, Scarlett
Johannson is brilliantly cast as a Esther Williams-esque musical starlet,
Channing Tatum shows off his dance skills imitating Gene Kelly and Frank
Sinatra, relative unknown Verónica Osorio is a charming Carmen Miranda type and
perhaps the best performance of the film belongs to Alden Ehrenreich as a
slightly dim but good-natured singing cowboy in the vein Roy Rogers; his scenes
with Osorio being particularly sweet and endearing.
The film has been polarising and
is not exactly recommended for casual viewers given the Coen brothers'
propensity towards eschewing standard Hollywood movie structure or plot and the
film's heavy reliance on parodying classic cinema relies on the audience having
an active interest in the material parodied but if you're a Coen brothers fan,
a cinephile, or just want a light-hearted laugh, it's definitely worth seeking
out. Also features Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Jonah Hill, Robert Picardo,
Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown, Wayne Knight, Dolph Lundgren and Michael
Gambon. (Pick Of The Week)
London Has Fallen
After saving the White House from
North Korean terrorists in Olympus Has Fallen (2014) everyone's favourite
shouty Scotsman (after Billy Connolly) Gerard Butler must now save London from
yet more terrorists (this time of a vaguely Islamic nature) in London Has
Fallen. Whilst the Fallen franchise does owe something of a debt to Die Hard,
with this instalment taking a cue from Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995) London
also subscribes to an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it philosophy"
which means the problems of the first film very much are problems with the
second.
Specifically, the film has an
intensely unsettling atmosphere of confrontation that felt rather uneasy in the
first film and throws itself further into an ugly sense of xenophobia thanks to
rather one-dimensional antagonists and some very off-colour dialogue (such as
"go back to headf***istan"). Oozing with machismo and about as subtle
as being hit with a sack of hammers, London Has Fallen is just a few steps down
from a film so ostentatious and jingoistic as to be funny. However, those
couple of steps short reveal what is deep down a film that will leave a very
bad taste in the mouth. Aaron Eckhart, Angela Bassett and Morgan Freeman also
reprise their roles from the first film.
The Other Side Of The Door
The Walking Dead's Sarah Wayne
Callies stars in this British-Indian horror film about a grieving mother who
learns that she can reach her deceased son in an abandoned temple in India.
However, when she opens the door itself, something not quite her son enters her
life. The Other Side Of The Door is a perfectly enjoyable but far from
memorable horror film that attempts at something slightly more refined than the
standard mainstream horror fare. In turn, the film grasps at atmosphere over
gore (of which there is little) but still falls slightly prey to the old trap
of jump-scares.
Horror die-hards will probably
not be won over by this film entirely. The film does provide an exptic setting
over a well-trodden story with the clearest comparison being with the Stephen
King story Pet Sematery (and its 1989 film adaptation) and with something of
resemblance to the classic mystery Don't Look Now (1973). The film certainly
looks great and there's an acorn of a fascinating story but cops out a little
too much on some of the negative tropes we've come to expect and falls short of
producing a horror film to stand out from the crowd.
Truth
With Spotlight (2015) getting the
nod for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, you have to feel a little bad for
Truth, the next hard-hitting-journalism movie to follow in the award winner’s
wake. It inevitably falls a little flat but for all its flaws, it comes with
some assets. Cate Blanchett stars as journalist and 60 Minutes producer Mary
Mapes who leads an exposé into the Vietnam War record of then-President George
Bush in the run up to the 2004 election, with Mary and her team running into
accusations of bias, using forged evidence and slander.
When you have an actress the
caliber of Cate Blanchett and a co-star in Robert Redford as legendary news
anchor and 60 Minutes host Dan Rather, you’re obviously going to get some great
performances and Truth does not hold back on that, especially in the film’s
inevitable need to filibuster but against Spotlight’s lean and tense style,
Truth comes off as relatively bloated, convoluted and overlong.
The film also wears its political
convictions somewhat on its sleeve that can unnerve viewers that don’t agree
with the convictions set forwards, ultimately creating a film that challenges
and provokes in both good and bad ways.
As mentioned above, the acting is very strong, particularly Redford who
is understated yet brilliant as Dan Rather whilst the supporting cast also do
great work, especially Topher Grace. A good film that perhaps with some
reigning in could’ve been great. Also features Dennis Quaid and Stacy Keach.
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