Capsule Reviews

Over the last month or two I've seen a few films that I didn't get round to reviewing for whatever reason, so I thought I'd collect most of them together and do some brief capsule reviews to catch up.

Terminator Salvation

Year: 2009

Director: McG

Writers: John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris

Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood, Anton Yelchin

I first caught this at the cinema on it's release and I was pleasantly surprised to find it better than most critics were making out. Watching it a second time though was a different matter all together. Some of the action set-pieces are well staged and contain some great uses of long-takes, but the script and handling of anything other than action is woeful. I don't know how I missed all the terrible dialogue, clunky exposition and hammy performances the first time round, maybe it just caught me in the right mood. Granted it's an entertaining film in a throwaway way, but it's pretty bad at times and doesn't hold up to repeated viewings like the first two films do.

5/10

United 93

Year: 2006

Director: Paul Greengrass

Writer: Paul Greengrass

Starring: J.J. Johnson, Gary Commock, Polly Adams, Opal Alladin

I avoided this film for a while because of a number of reasons. Firstly it just seemed like a terrible idea coming so soon after the events which were beyond heavily covered in the media. I expected lots of nauseating flag waving, overly heroic characters and one dimensional villains, not to mention the thought of sitting through a two hour film where I know most of the characters will die in the end. Failure just seemed inevitable for me and even though reviews were positive upon it's release I just ignored it.

Well I can say now that I was an idiot to put off watching this film. Paul Greengrass doesn't put one foot wrong in the potential minefield of making it. Everything has been so carefully thought through; the film seems unnervingly natural (largely due to the unknown actors and loose camerawork) and because the outcome is known from the outset there's a sickening tension that makes the thought of the ending seem terrifying. Yes it's heavy going, but it's handled with such intensity that you can't help but be gripped by the ordeal. United 93 is one of the most well made films I've seen for a long long time and I would recommend anyone who put off watching it as I did to buy or rent it this instant, you won't regret it.

9/10

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Year: 2005

Director: Doug Liman

Writer: Simon Kinberg

Starring: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn, Adam Brody

Mr. and Mrs. Smith is an enjoyable but forgettable bit of fluff. The two leads seem to be having fun (the off screen romance might have had something to do with it) and some of the action set-pieces are extravagantly over the top, but it never engages enough and the premise isn't exploited in the right ways for my liking. It has a similar set up to True Lies (which itself is a remake of a La Totale!), but I preferred that film, which has a similar level of over the top action, but balances that with some broad yet likeable humour. That's not to say Mr. And Mrs. Smith takes itself seriously, but the comedy didn't work for me, other than in a few of Vince Vaughn's scenes. Also, James Cameron has a better handle on the carnage than Doug Liman does, with True Lies trumping this in the violence and explosions stakes.

6/10

Watchmen

Year: 2009

Director: Zack Snyder

Writers: David Hayter & Alex Tse

Based on the Graphic Novel by: Dave Gibbons & Alan Moore (uncredited)

Starring: Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode

Even after a second viewing I still can't decide whether I like Watchmen or not. I love the graphic novel and this adaptation sticks pretty much as closely as possible to it (bar the ending and the intercut comic and news articles). This is the film's biggest problem though, it's just too close to the original source material which doesn't always translate well to the big screen. Also, recreating something this meticulously just seems like a bit of a waste of time. That said, Snyder is clearly a massive fan and visually he nails it, pulling off some of the graphic novel's iconic imagery very effectively. Controversially I think his choice to change the ending works too, although one could argue there are flaws to it's logic. Some aspects don't work though, such as a painfully cheesy sex scene and an overuse of flashy slow motion action. Watchmen was never about action, it was about the characters and I think Snyder overdoes what little violence there is in the film, which doesn't settle well with the core of the material's strengths. All in all it's a bold move to attempt to make the film in the first place and a lot of the time it works, so I'd still recommend the film, but never over the book.

7/10

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Year: 2007

Director: Andrew Dominik

Writer: Andrew Dominik

Based on the Novel by: Ron Hansen

Starring: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Jeremy Renner

The Assassination of Jesse James is a beautifully shot, slowly paced yet intoxicating film from the director of Chopper. It's a dissection of fame and obsession, following the Jesse James-idolising Robert Ford as he gains entry to the famed outlaw's gang and strives to take his place as a living legend. It's a brilliantly acted piece, with Casey Affleck in particular delivering a stunning performance as the deluded Ford. It looks amazing too, with a sparsely lit midnight train robbery standing out. It's a little on the long side and does feel quite slow, but the sheer quality of it all draws you in and keeps you there. I found the voiceover narration a little annoying at times, but I could see Dominik's intention in using it to make events in the film feel like they were something of history or legend. It's a great film though and it's a shame that it performed so poorly at the box office as Dominik is a talent that needs to be nurtured.

9/10

The Princess and the Frog

Year: 2009

Director: Ron Clements & John Musker

Writers: Ron Clements, John Musker, Greg Erb, Jason Oremland, Rob Edwards

Starring: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley

The Princess and the Frog is Disney going back to it's roots. Shunning 3D and sticking to old fashioned hand drawn animation (with a lot of help from computers I imagine) and employing the writer/directors behind The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, this really feels like a proper Disney film after 10 years of trying to be 'down with the kids' or struggling to keep up with Pixar's standards. Yes the film has a hammered home message and it's share of cheese, but it's presented in a refreshingly non-ironic, wholesome way that feels acceptable. It doesn't try to be anything else other than an entertaining family film packed with great songs, simple humour and a few frights to keep everyone excited. There are no lazy film or TV references ala Shrek, no over-pandering to adult audiences and no saccharine pop ballads. It whizzes along and leaves you with a big smile plastered on your face, which is exactly what I want from a Disney film. It's no Lion King and it has it's issues, but overall The Princess and the Frog is top-notch entertainment and shows that there's life in 2D animation after all.

8/10

Up

Year: 2009
Directors: Pete Docter & Bob Peterson
Writers: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson & Thomas McCarthy

I feel sorry for Pixar. The level of expectation that builds before the release of their films is so ridiculously high that I don't see how the writers and directors sleep at night. Yet again and again, without fail they churn out family entertainment that is miles ahead of the competition. OK so Cars is no masterpiece, but compare it to anything other than the rest of Pixar's output and it's still very good.

For me, this expectation affects my first viewing of a Pixar film too though, as with any film with a sizeable amount of hype. To fully assess a film with this much baggage behind it I'm of the opinion that you should see it at least a second time so that all expectations are gone. Luckily for me, with Up I was able to do that. I actually first saw the film a few months ago (at Glastonbury randomly enough), so now it's out on general release and my film review site is up and running I can finally get around to letting everyone know what I think.

Up is a great film. After first watching it in a sweaty tent, sat on the grass after a weekend of little sleep and no showers, I thought it was very good, but it didn't quite grab me. This must have been the circumstances or the hype though because on second viewing I loved it.

Much like Wall-E, Up has a fantastic first half-hour that makes you fall in love with the film instantly. I don't want to over-hype it like several other reviewers have, but the montage sequence early on in the film is a wonderful piece of filmmaking, not in a flashy or groundbreaking way, but in terms of economical storytelling. Without giving too much away it basically tells an almost lifelong back-story that sets up the premise for the whole film as well as immediately establishing the emotional core and getting us to truly feel for the characters after only 5 minutes and no dialogue.

Again, like Wall-E though, the second half of the film does struggle to recapture the warmth of the opening. The film has quite a shift in tone once there's a change of location, and what begins as a touching and semi-realistic drama becomes more of a family adventure in the Disney vein. It still works very well though, and on second viewing the shift wasn't as distracting as before. You really have to suspend your disbelief at several points in the film, as logic is totally thrown out of the window. Being a Disney/Pixar film, looking for realism and logic is missing the point a bit though. That said, although the film gets a bit silly at times, it still draws you back to the characters with some subtly touching moments.

I first saw the film in 3D, which was an odd experience to critique. On one hand it was brilliant because for the first time it didn't detract from the film at all, it felt more seamless than I'd previously experienced. But in saying that, if I didn't really notice the difference in watching it in 3D, what's the point? After watching it again in 2D I think the 3D did add a bit of depth obviously and the digital projection had richer colours, but it didn't make it a better film. Speaking of rich colours, some of the imagery as the house floats in the sky is beautiful and it's a very pretty film, not noticeably stylish or original, just classically beautiful.

Up is a real delight, and it holds it's head up high with the rest of Pixar's output. It threatens to get a bit Disneyfied at times and some silly moments almost derail the tender story at the heart of it all, but as family films go this is a fine achievement as is expected from the genius' at Pixar. No pressure guys, but keep it up.

8/10