Top 10 Worst Films Of 2015

10. Hot Pursuit

Well, first things first, the title. We have a film about a female cop and the partner of a drug lord in the setup to an action-comedy and yet it still seems appropriate to have the title and advertising make sum up as "Ain't they a little too pretty to wind up in this misadventure?". Aren't we more enlightened than that by now? Thankfully the film has a saving grace in the casting of Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon as the leads; two talented actresses with fine comic chops, but the by-the-numbers plot and rather unworthy gags make for a generally disappointing experience.

9. Fantastic Four

Of all of the disasters and flops in Hollywood this past year, it's hard to think of any as spectacular or well-publicised as the failed attempt to reboot the Fantastic Four. Whilst Marvel seemed to have the golden touch (having also this year, managed to rescue the troubled Ant-Man and turned it into one of the franchise's best films), it quickly tainted with this mediocre and ill-judged attempt at resurrection. Conflicts between director, writer and cast are already becoming notorious and it's looks as if the cast had absolutely no guidance on set, with largely detached performances, a plot that really only kicks in right at the very end of the film and some insane casting choices I've ever seen (Jamie Bell is a perfect Tin-Tin, but The Thing? THE THING!?). Sooner or later the bubble had to burst in Marvel, and the Fantastic Four showed that the money-making machine was still fallable.

8. Insurgent

Ms. Winslet, Ms. Woodley, I am so sorry. It just wouldn't be a Top 10 Worst Films Of The Year list without a Young Adult novel adaptation making an appearance and this year, it is the turn of the follow-up to Divergent (2013). In of itself, Divergent was a reasonably enjoyable film. Doubtlessly derivative of The Hunger Games as it was, the film was set out well enough to just about work. Sadly the world-building and the tale of Tris Prior's struggles as one of the "Divergent" group has moved on to just setting up a rebels vs. tyrants plot, coupled with a generic romance and a confusing plot. The films do manage to have a somewhat promising cast (hence my apologies to Kate Winslet and Shailene Woodley, both of whom are usually a good sign in terms of casting) but here I just feel like they could have had better opportunities than this.

7. Jupiter Ascending

Oh, the Wachowskis. I have struggled with the work of this Australian duo. I'll go on record as saying that as influential as it was, I've never been a big fan of The Matrix (1999) and despite reappraisals, I doubt I'll ever develop a fond opinion of Speed Racer (2007) (though partly because I think that a much better film could be made from the source material). I did find myself as a defender of the duo's polarising, ambitious and underrated Cloud Atlas (2012), and then Jupiter Ascending shows up.

Juliter Ascending is a film that never truly settles on what it wants to be. Clearly its influences lie in the realms of space opera, but cannot decide firmly on being a wholesale homage like Star Wars, or an affectionate pastiche like Mike Hodges' adaptation of Flash Gordon. Mixed in with this is the overly-complicated premise, goofy designs and a baffling acting performance from Eddie Redmayne who goes from whispering to insane hollering. As a longtime defender of the Star Wars prequels, I can't shake the feeling that this film is what critics of the prequels see. If that is the case, I understand your rage.

6. The Boy Next Door

Part of me was considering leaving The Boy Next Door off of my list because as bad as the film is, I sort of like it in an inept, ironic Showgirls-esque fashion. Jennifer Lopez plays a middle-aged suburban mother who finds herself falling for her handsome young neighbour...who also happens to be violent psychopath.

Too brash and action-packed for a made-for-TV melodrama and too glossy to be a particularly hard-hitting thriller, The Boy Next Door is still appreciable for being as shamelessly crazy and contrived as it is. It may be fun to watch with friends at a party, but quality cinema it is not.

5. Mortdecai

Can we just reach a common consensus that most of the time spy comedies don’t work? The Austin Powers series constitutes some of the best and they’ve never really been much better than “okay”. Still, Mortdecai arrived and failed to heed the warning of so many failures before. Johnny Depp stars as the moustachioed toff of the title and is at his most buffoonish whilst a supporting cast amble with Depp through a series of poor gags and a running gag about Mortdecai’s nose broom that just…keeps…going. This is low-grade comedy and audiences deserve better.

4. By The Sea

Having already seen her World War II drama Unbroken, I saw Angelina Jolie-Pitt as a director of promise. By The Sea has shaken my faith in her potential slightly. Here she stars opposite her husband Brad Jolie-Pitt as an American couple in a broken marriage holidaying in France, which presents a new twist in their relationship.

Given the prominent roles of Hollywood's power couple "Branjelina", the appearance of a vanity project becomes fairly clear. Both of the Jolie-Pitts are talented and intelligent enough for this to have perhaps not been intentional, but this is a film that wallows in the rarified glamour in which they live. It's the south of France in the time of Bardot, it's wealthy artist types and the high-life. It is also a drama but with these problems of the "beautiful people", there is not much to empathise or sympathise with and not even an atmosphere for which to feel much emotional connection. What results? A solidly dull and pretentious two hours.

3. The Gallows

One of the things that has filled me with hope recently is the arrival of a new crop of decent mainstream horror films that suggest that the doldrums of modern horror may soon be but a memory. The Gallows is a stark reminder that those dark days have not yet passed. Whilst in its barest of elements, The Gallows would be a dumb and forgettable found-footage movie, there are a number of issues that push it beyond forgettable into the memorably poor.

Even for a horror film, the premise seems convoluted and tacked-on, including the found-footage angle (Found-footage has recently become popular as a money-saving device. How high of a budget could you possibly need when you're shooting with unknown actors almost entirely in a dark and empty high school?) and a cast that is either extremely annoying (our initial cameraman is so obnoxious he totally eradicates any sympathy) or spectacularly mis-cast (I don't care how "weird" she seems to be, the lead actress is far too pretty and mostly normal to be an outcast in a high school). One of the worst horror films I have ever seen.

2. Knock Knock

It probably strikes some people as weird that as a male feminist I still have a great appreciation for horror movies. Trashy horror movies at that. These are films often accused of misogyny which I have only partially agreed with, for reasons too long-winded to explain here.

Knock Knock provided a very clear insight into that notion that horror movies could be accused of being anti-woman. Keanu Reeves plays a husband and father who ends up playing host to two young women who proceed to first seduce Keanu before staging a full -blown home invasion. Roth's influences are very much from the 70's grindhouse school and that's all well and good. Thrown up into a modern context however produces something very dark and borderline hateful.

This film's whole purpose seems to be in exploring women as seducers and sadists with no real decent female counterpoint (in effect, the film only has three major cast members) to balance it out. I know Eli Roth is a director who revels in pure exploitation and I actually applaud that he does so, but when the message is as wrong-footed as this seems to be, the urge is to cleanse oneself as soon as this was all over.

1. Fifty Shades Of Grey

Hopes were never going to be high for this adaptation of E.L James' massively successful but equally reviled erotic novel. I went in with no real insight into the source material (though what I did know set up some very low expectations) and I was met with expectedly poor writing and an equally expected despicable main character in Christian Grey (not so much romantic lead as a horrifyingly possessive and self-destructive psycho-in-the-making) but also direction by Sam Taylor-Johnson that was only matched in sterility by the absolute absence of chemistry between Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.

If the film had been more audacious and shocking, it would have at least had a conviction to commend it, but this less-than-lukewarm turkey was a profoundly unpleasant experience. Worst still, there's still more adaptations coming. I don't see them getting any better, and yet I can't see how they can be much worse.

Awful.

FILM REVIEWS: BLACK MASS, BRIDGE OF SPIES, CAROL, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, THE GOOD DINOSAUR

Black Mass

Famed for his rather chameleonic abilities as an actor, Johnny Depp (complete with blonde hair and blue eyes) plays notorious gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in this telling of Bulger’s crimes and investigations. It’s telling how much of an influence Martin Scorsese has had on the crime genre that this film sticks so closely to that style a great deal. That isn’t entirely a fault of the film as its own stabs at originality (including the murkier look than your standard Scorsese picture) help give the film its own identity and keeps the action engaging. The problem is more to do with the uneven way Bulger’s life is documented. Whilst much focus is given to the rather shady way in which Bulger started working for the CIA occasional diversions into Bulger’s more direct activities and his relationship with his seemingly straight-and-narrow politician brother played by Benedict Cumberbatch (a subplot that is easily the film’s most interesting element) throw the focus a little too haphazardly and Depp’s heavily made-up features and imposing frame do cut a little from Bulger being a believable character. Not one of Depp’s best moments, but equally (if not more so) not one of his worst. Also features Joel Edgerton, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson, Adam Scott, Corey Stoll and Juno Temple.

Bridge Of Spies

It’s hard not to have high hopes for a project that involves director Steven Spielberg, leading actors Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance alongside a screenplay partially written by the Coen brothers so it’s at least reassuring that Bridge Of Spies goes some way to living up to that potential. Hanks plays lawyer James B. Donovan who finds himself defending Soviet agent Rudolf Abel, played by Rylance. Donovan’s work will not only serve to help save Abel’s life from execution but later serve in negotiations to free two young Americans (Will Rogers, Austin Stowell) on the Eastern side of the Berlin Wall. Despite being two renowned actors of different disciplines (Tom Hanks being a veteran of TV and film whilst Mark Rylance’s career has been, until recently, dominated by theatre) it is the two leads that help bring this film to such a high level. As always, Tom Hanks is an assured and warm presence with an idealistic sincerity unmatched most of his contemporaries, recalling Henry Fonda and James Stewart whilst Rylance’s droll but dignified delivery makes a fine counterpoint.

As the film progresses, the slightly off-kilter and humorous approach that is distinctive of the Coens starts to make more of a presence but serves to aid the film even though it would seem at odds with the earnest intentions. There are problems, noticeably in the rather washed-out (if somewhat justified) cinematography and this doesn’t quite deliver the upmost in emotional heft that Spielberg is so masterful at wielding, but this is still something of an endearing and impressive film. **** (pick of the week)

Carol

Todd Haynes directs this adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel (originally titled The Price Of Salt) about an affair between two women; the worldly middle-aged Carol (Cate Blanchett) and reserved young Therese (Rooney Mara). Set against the backdrop of 50’s America, Haynes’ direction and Edward Lachman’s cinematography make for a gorgeous combination coupled with the passionate and romantic prose of Highsmith and screenwriter Phylis Nagy. Cate Blanhett is wonderful as always, encapsulating both a poise and a knowing intelligence about the world as Mara’s wide-eyed (literal as well as metaphorical) innocence provides a characterful balance. The high emotional stakes may push the film perhaps a little too close to melodrama at times, but all things considered this is an impressive effort. ****

Doctor Zhivago

Now celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, David Lean’s screen adaptation of Boris Pasternak’s romance epic returns to screens large enough to capture Lean’s panoramic visions in all of their splendour. Omar Sharif plays the physician poet of the title whose affair for the beautiful Lara (Julie Christie)  comes and goes with the turbulence of the dawning Soviet Union. At over three hours and with noticeably sentimentalist bent, Zhivago doesn’t quite reach the heights of Lean’s Lawrence Of Arabia (1962), the film that made Sharif an icon, but the spectacular scenery and a cast of legendary actors giving it their all makes this film’s status as a classic a justifiable one. Amongst the supporting players are Alec Guinness,  Rod Steiger, Tom Courtenay, Geraldine Chaplin, Ralph Richardson, Rita Tushingham and Klaus Kinski to name but a few. ****

The Good Dinosaur

2015 has been a busy year for the folks at Pixar with two theatrical releases. Earlier this year saw Inside Out, possibly one of the most intelligent family films of all time and already established as one of Pixar’s best. Outing number two for the company, The Good Dinosaur, has languished on the shelf and whilst the resulting film has its moments to shine, it definitely falters in Inside Out’s shadow.

Raymond Ochoa is a dinosaur runt named Arlo who finds himself far from home after chasing a wild human child (the film being set in an alternate reality where dinosaurs evolved into sentient creatures rather than become extinct). As Arlo and the human boy, named “Spot”, travel through the wilderness they encounter many traps and here’s a central issue for the film. With its child protagonist and bright, colourful aesthetic (even for Pixar standards) this may seem to appeal to younger children but instead strays into some harsh territory that might be a little rough for very young children alongside other factors (this may be the only Pixar film to have what is essentially an acid trip sequence). Borrowing elements from Lion King (1994) and, of course, The Land Before Time (1986), The Good Dinosaur is not a film to pull its punches, which is commendable, and has some gorgeous animation and ideas, but also laboured writing and the aforementioned inappropriate material for very sensitive viewers. Pixar have done better, but considering their very high standard, this doesn’t make for an altogether bad film. ***

FILM REVIEWS: THE LADY IN THE VAN / STEVE JOBS / TRUE ROMANCE

The Lady In The Van – Alan Bennet’s autobiographical play gets an endearing and charming lift onto the big screen with Alex Jennings and Maggie Smith in the lead roles. Jennings is eerily uncanny at adopting Bennet’s idiosyncratic style of witty, mildly effete and quintessentially northern disposition as the writer finds himself at first aiding and then effectively watching over an eccentric old woman living in a van on his street for a period of fifteen years. Having played the role of the title in Bennet’s play, Maggie Smith has the role down to a t, with the additional advantage of these feisty older women being something of her specialty. She is truly a force to behold and marvel at on screen as is Jennings as Alan Bennet, even though the gimmick of presenting a the writer as two personas (a “writer” version of himself and an active “living” version) can be a slightly confusing conceit over the course of the film. It’s unlikely that the film will become a major British classic, but for those appreciate Alan Bennet’s distinct voice as a writer (such as myself) it’s definitely enjoyable. A solid cast of names also includes bit parts from Roger Allam, James Corden, Dominic Cooper and Russell Tovey. *** (pick of the week)   

Steve Jobs – Having already made waves with his film documenting the rise of Facebook, The Social Network (2010), writer Aaron Sorkin returns to similar territory with Steve Jobs, a film about the titular founder of Apple. Taking a much more distinctly structured approach with Steve Jobs, Sorkin’s script is laid out in three acts, each taking place in essentially real time ahead of the release of one of the computer systems developed by Jobs, here played by Michael Fassbender. Fassbender makes for a magnetic and energetic presence as does his anchoring counterpart of Jobs’ confident Joanna Hoffman played by Kate Winslet (sporting a distinct accent melding Mid-Western with Eastern-European). Directed by Danny Boyle, the film also has Boyle’s visual flair especially in the film’s 80’s-set first act that helps provide the film with a sort of charm in spite of its antagonistic tone.

As much wonderful as his writing is and pointed with its critiques and comments, Sorkin’s screenplay is alas a little harder to swallow given the very dense nature of all three acts. Steve Jobs is, much like the portrayal of its main character, an exhausting and at times a demanding film to get to grips with, which does serve to its detriment. However, more could probably be gleaned from return visits. Also features Jeff Daniels and Seth Rogen.***

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True Romance – Rereleased back into cinemas, True Romance is the Quentin Tarantino-penned tale of star-crossed lovers Clarence (Chrsitian Slater) and Alabama (Patricia Arquette) on a trip from Detroit to Los Angeles with a suitcase full of cocaine and gangsters on their tail. Directed by the late Tony Scott, Scott’s characteristically glossy direction and Tarantino’s predilection for 70’s kitch and extreme violence make for surprisingly good bedfellows as an ensemble of a-list actors carry the film along with both tension and excitement. A cult classic of the 90’s and a must for any Tarantino fan. Cast also includes Michael Rapaport, Bronson Pinchot, Saul Rubinek, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, James Gandolfini, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt and Samuel L. Jackson. ****

FILM REVIEWS: BROOKLYN/BURNT/HE NAMED ME MALALA

Brooklyn

Saoirse Ronan stars in this trans-Atlantic drama about a young woman who leaves 1950’s small-town Ireland for New York City but finds her past coming back to her door. Brooklyn is an undoubtedly sentimental film, rich in gloss  and polish, but the film has more than enough to its merit to work. Fundamentally is Nick Hormby’s screenplay based off of Colm Tóibín’s novel that is filled with a very Irish sense of wit and warmth that helps give its Irish characters life. Saoirse Ronan sparkles as lead character Eillis whilst Jim Broadbent  and Julie Walters make for memorable supporting cast even with the affected accents. The film’s treatment of Americans is a little blander with Emory Cohen’s turn as Eillis’ Italian-American love interest running a little bit towards stereotype, but the film as a whole is engaging and warm with some memorable performances. *** (pick of the week)

Burnt

Bradley Cooper’s latest film, Burnt has him playing a maverick chef rebuilding his career with a new restaurant in London. What Burnt is built around is its all-star cast with supporting performances from Sienna Miller, Omar Sy, Daniel Brühl, Emma Thompson, Alicia Vikander, Lily James and Uma Thurman. The shame of it is, it is only these performances (of which there are no real displays of actors excelling themselves beyond their admittedly often high abilities) that provide any real interest in a film that takes a lot of the passion and aggression of the life of a chef (and owing a definite debt to the tropes and themes of an underdog sports movie) but with little sense of joy or love of the food, leaving us with Cooper’s occasionally unsympathetic protagonist.

Given that it’s all-star-cast film about cooking, there are inevitable comparisons with John Favreau’s film, Chef (2014). Whilst Chef was not without its flaws and definitely didn’t take itself as seriously as Burnt, it was fun and knew how to entertain without trying to overplay its dramatic sensibilities. All in all, Burnt is a fairly appropriate title because it’s…well…all a bit overdone. **

  

He Named Me Malala

On the heels of Amy (2015), comes another documentary film with widespread mainstream appeal in this film about the story of Malala Yousafzai, the teenage Pakistani education activist who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban. He Named Me Malala lacks Amy’s stylisation and goes for a much more basic approach, even with the regular use of animation sequences. This allows for the message of the film to be unfailingly coherent, even if the film lacks something of a definite structure. It’s an interesting story, especially with tenets that are not often given as much of a voice as Malala’s near-death (such as her father, an extraordinary man in his own right) and there’s definitely some punch to proceedings and even an admittedly half-hearted attempt to hear out some criticism of Malala and the media’s coverage of her. Whilst there’s nothing but good intentions there and a story that definitely needs to be told, as a film He Named Me Malala is good but a little too long even for its short running time and in need of a little more artfulness. ***

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)

Film Reviews (Everest/Irrational Man/Legend)

Everest – An all-star cast features in this real-life drama about an expedition to reach the higest peak in the world in 1996. Released in IMAX 3D, Everest is an intense and atmospheric journey through arduous terrain and tense drama, even if the constant obsession with the scenery and it’s beauty make you feel like you’re about to wander into a Werner Herzog documentary. Still, for all of the film’s technical merit, it’s the drama that wins out. Whilst not exactly a great film that will last in the memory, it’s still worth experiencing at least once. The high-calibre cast includes Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Keria Knightley and Emily Watson. **** (film of the week)

An Irrational Man – Woody Allen’s latest feature stars Joaquin Phoenix as a burned-out and depressive philosophy professor. His boredom in teaching and life is soon relieved by a budding relationship with a bright young student played by Emma Stone and the possibility of perhaps committing the perfect crime. Woody Allen’s been on something of a roll for the last couple of years with the prolific director’s Blue Jasmine (2013) getting some well-deserved recognition and the charming and rather underrated Magic In The Moonlight last year. This effort, sadly, feels a little lazier and pedestrian. It does enough to keep interest and is one of Allen’s more flippant and irreverent films, clearly not meant to be anything more than just ingested and enjoyed, it’s just a bit of a shame that he’s clearly done better than this as of late. ***

Legend – Tom Hardy stars as London gangster twins Reginald and Ronald Kray in Tom Hildebrand’s 60’s-set crime drama. A very clear influence of Martin Scorsese runs through this picture, but ultimately hinders the production rather than helps it. Throughout there is rather ham-fisted narration (possibly put in for an international audience less aware of the Krays or London’s crime history) and the film takes another Scorsese-influenced route in providing a non-moralistic portrait of the twins. Unfortunately, making them come across mostly as charming and lovable rascals rather than the rather hard thugs that the film also tries to address. Hardy’s lead performance is still a winner however as both the charming and suave Reg and the completely demented Ronnie, but this glossed-up tale of East-End violence feels somewhat inappropriate and struggles to reconcile the Kray twins’ sadistic actions and the rather odd (and difficult to tap into) affection felt towards them. Take with a (significant) grain of salt. Also features Emily Browning, Chris Ecclestone, Taron Egerton, Chazz Palminteri, Paul Bettany and John Sessions. ***