March Update

My exams start soon, so I've been busy with revision, but I've seen 7 films this month, so here's a quick update.

From Paris With Love
I haven't seen Pierre Morrel's hit revenge thriller, Taken, but if From Paris with Love is anything to go by, I doubt I'll bother catching it, because this is a mediocre action film saved only by some winning action scenes and a bizzare performance from John Travolta. The convoluted chalk and cheese agents story gets a neat spin as its set in Paris (who would've guessed?), with Travolta and annoying sidekick Jonathon Rhys Meyers trying to track down gun lords and terrorists. It's difficult to explain what this film is about considering the non-existent plot, but if you're looking for some Friday night thrills, this delivers to moderate success. The action is insanely hyperkinetic, with Morrel obviously inspired by the "skills" of Tony Scott. The big problem with a lot of the main action sequences is the fact the camera whirls so much, you can't see who's shooting at who; at one point, I swear Travolta got killed, but no, he sprung back to life. Travolta obviously put everything into this role with his over the top zaniness, and considering he can't seem to find any good roles, you can see why. Rhys Meyers is an unsympathetic lead, and that is probably due to the script which is awful, and this film is misogynistic, racist and it glorifies drugs and violence. However, as a brainless shoot em up, this is passable trash.
5/10

Capitalism: A Love Story
Michael Moore's documentaries are always interesting and deserve acclaim, but the biggest problem for his films is Moore himself; he can be overly smug and simplistic in his views, despite the obvious sympathy he shows for his interviewees. Here, he's less annoying and less prominent in this documentary on how capitalism and the Wall Street Crash has affected the real people of America. This is a worthy film that deserves to be recognised for its message, and the harsh realities of the economic climate are explored in the most minute of details. The people who are interviewed tell of such devastating stories, it's often difficult to focus on what the film is saying as you're still thinking about certain storylines. The story of the workers who locked themselves in the bosses' factories until they were paid compensation and their wages after the company collapsed is particularly gripping. But as entertainment for anyone under the age of 30, this will probably not excite that many of this age group. I know my mind strayed a lot despite some strong moments, but I would suggest a rental for this as you can focus on the story in short bursts, instead of over 2 hours of real life devastation.
5.5/10

Crazy Heart
With superb performances, beautiful cinematography, sharp writing and an excellent original score, it's no wonder that Crazy Heart has been a dominant force this Awards Season. Jeff Bridges, the latest recipient of the Best Actor Oscar, gives a tour de force performance as Bad Blake, an alcoholic country singer who's fallen into obsecurity and been overshadowed by his much younger protegees. Already resigned to the fact that he'll be spending the rest of his days singing in southern hotels, Bad gets a shock when a young single mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal) attempts to set him back on to the path of glory and sobriety, whilst also teaching him why life is so precious. The film's overfamiliar storyline and tone marr what is in fact a deeply moving portrait of a man far beyond self-destruction. Bridges is the perfect choice for this worn down character, with his sly wit and charm, but also his achingly real pain at events that affect so many of us; loneliness, the loss of loved ones and the struggle to find happiness. What sets Crazy Heart apart from a similar comeback tale, The Wrestler, is that here, we are with Bad as he experiences the trials and tribulations of life, wheras with the Wrestler, we were outsiders looking on at Mickey's Rourke's Randy. This doesn't mean Crazy Heart is better (Scott Cooper's occasionally lazy direction doesn't help matters), but it is much more involving.
7/10

I love you, Phillip Morris
Jim Carrey is on fine form as con artist Steven Russell, a former police officer who after being involved in a nasty pile up decides to change his life, so moves to LA and "becomes the queer he always wanted to be." To support this rich lifestyle, he becomes a fraudster, but this life catches up with him and he's sent to jail, where he falls in love with Phillip Morris (an excellent Ewan McGregor) and goes to any means necessary to make sure they stay together. Some of the lengths Steven does to are ridiculous, and they are unbelievably truth. The acting is excellent, the script hilarious and poigant in equal measure, with lots of knowing black humour and matter of fact truths that the audience will really respond to. The biggest problem with the film is the ending. I don't want to spoil it, but in the end credits, it says what a disgrace the events that happen in the end are to the Government system for what Steven did for love, which makes it seem like the producers favoured Steven's side of events, and that's why he comes off as the nice guy who does bad things. This ruins what was such a fantastic film.
8/10

Green Zone
Fact and fiction merge in this pulseating thriller from Paul Greengrass about the mystery of the WMDs in Iraq, the supposed reason for the war. Army chief Roy Miller (Matt Damon) thinks not, and with the help of a Wall Street Journalist (Amy Ryan) and a CIA agent (Brendan Gleeson) he tries to discover the truth. The characters' back stories remain as mysterious as the plot, so it's difficult to attach emotionally with anyone, which could've made this an unwatcheable experience. Luckily, Matt Damon and the rest of the cast are on form, if underused and underdeveloped. The action isn't so shaky that we can't tell who's been beaten the hell out of and making the audience feel sick, which is strange as it doesn't mirror the shaky groundings of the situation. But the stunts are expertly done, as they should be, and finally, Hollywood has listened to our pleas and used REAL helicopters. Rejoice! The script is appalling, that's true, but there's so much to be entertained and intrigued by, that you'll go along for the ride regardless of its flaws.
8/10

Alice in Wonderland
The combination of Lewis Caroll and Tim Burton fits perfectly with this creepy, visually arresting take on the author's classic novel. Burton may not focus so much on storytelling as the stunning visual effects, but there's no doubt that this is an exceptionally intriguing, surprisingly thoughtful take on the return of Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) to Wonderland, the mysterious, vibrant land inhabited by the weird and the wonderful. Adament that this is just another one of her ever reccuring nightmares about strange creatures, Alice attempts to take control of the situation having followed a white rabbit into the rabbit hole. Instead of finding a way home, she must instead help the wacky Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and his pals defeat the malicious Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), and her revolting fiend, the Jaberwocky. Following the path of destiny, Alice discovers that some decisions you must make yourself even in a strange world. This is where Alice in Wonderland succeeds; it doesn's shy away from the harsh reality of Alice's situation, and makes it clear that despite all the help she's recieved from her new friends, in the final battle, she will be all alone. This thoughtful, knowing take on events allows Tim Burton to let us understand his characters, particularly the Mad Hatter; Depp's outstanding performance (is there any other kind?) captures the madness of the character, and makes him both vulnerable, heart breaking but terrifying all at once. The plotting is slightly haphazard in places, but Burton's visual style, excellent writing, great performances and the superb 3D effects makes this one date you musn't be late for.
8/10

Shutter Island
It's difficult to question the ability of Martin Scorsese's work, as this film genius has a sparkling back catalogue of classic gems like Taxi Driver and Goodfellas. While Shutter Island is a lesser addition to his CV, it's nonetheless a mystifying psychological thriller harking back to the B-movies of the 1950s. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is investigating the mysterious disappearence of a patient from Shutter Island, a facility off the coast of Boston for the criminally insane. There, he and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) discover the sinister goings on that make this hospital so notorious. However, Teddy struggles to pull himself together as the hallucinations of his dead wife appear to him, and he seems to be losing control of his mind, with the constant fear that he may never get off the island. The exuberant cinematography blends in well with the charcoal like colour of many scenes throughout the film, and the bold musical score only emphasises Scorsese's inspiration from classic thrillers half a century ago. DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley stand out from the cast as the emotionally conflicted Teddy and hard nosed, secretive head psycholgist at the facility. And of course, Scorsese is wonderful behind the camera with lots of sublime aerial shots that will make you whirl in wonder. Shutter Island only fails in it can't grasp the complexity of Dennis Lehane's source material. With time restraints, this was always going to be a problem, but the limp narrative threads doesn't tie up the necessary storylines efficiently, so the ending becomes a bit of anti-climax. But this is one film that will certainly make you think.

In case I don't immediately get back to writing the reviews for them, I saw Kick Ass and Exit through the Gift Shop on April 1, and loved them both. Kick Ass challenges for my favourite film of the year. It was crazyely awesome! 9/10 Exit through the gift shop is less crazy, but still awesome, and very funny (though not as funny as Kick Ass- which was crazely awesome by the way!)7/10