Saturday 29 October 2011

Review - The Adventures of Tintin

There has been a lot of apprehension surrounding director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson’s decision to employ mocap animation to bring HergĂ©’s renowned and widely adored comic series to the big screen. While figureheads from the film industry (such as Robert Zemeckis, James Cameron and of course, Andy Serkis) are hailing it as the next step in the evolution of cinema, purists and punters tend to dismiss it as a soulless publicity gimmick designed to get bums on seats.

Whether a sense of widespread apathy may damage The Adventures of Tintin’s chances at the box office remains to be seen. But as far as fidelity to source material and overall quality are concerned, Spielberg has hardly put a foot wrong, for his on-screen rendition of the intrepid boy reporter is a rollicking flick that successfully recaptures the zesty humour and adventurous spirit of the comics.

Combining the plots of The Crab With the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure, the plot sees young Belgian reporter Tintin (the age of HergĂ©’s protagonist still remains an unsolved mystery) investigate the whereabouts of a legendary pirate treasure. Coincidentally, malevolent collector Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine and his gang of goons also have the same goal. Will Tintin beat them to the plunder with the help of faithful mutt Snowy and cantankerous drunk Captain Haddock?     

As with the comics, Spielberg’s adaptation is essentially a bromance between Tintin and Haddock, the former (Jamie Bell) being the straight man constantly trying to rein in the funny man (Serkis) from his alcoholic temptations so that he can live up to his ancestor’s name. But herein lays a problem: though noble and altruistic he may be, Tintin remains a rather one-dimensional character who is defined primarily by the cases he solves and the relations he keeps. By contrast, Captain Haddock may be riddled with flaws but inevitably emerges as a far more entertaining character. So it’s no surprise the director gradually shifts focus onto the loveable seadog towards the second half of the movie.

Where the film truly shines is in the action department. After the embarrassing misstep that was Crystal Skull, it is refreshing to see Spielberg deliver the kind of set-pieces that can both exhilarate and evoke his credentials as a filmmaker. An uncut, four-minute long chase sequence in a Moroccan town is without doubt the film’s highpoint, with the camera swooping through souks and buildings in a bid to follow our heroes as they chase after a fleeing Sakharine. Also worthy of mention is a flashback sequence featuring an epic, swashbuckling battle that would give Jack Sparrow a run for his doubloons. It is upon viewing these scenes that it becomes clear why animation was the better choice.

It may be flawed in places and the mocap debate will divide audiences, but in an age in which most movies tend to be overlong and convoluted, The Adventures of Tintin feels like a breath of fresh air, a film that harks back to an age in which blockbusters were all about fun and thrills for the whole family. Like Raiders of the Lost Ark, then.

4/5

Review - Friday the 13th

If John Carpenter’s Halloween is the daddy of slasher flicks, then Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th is without doubt the mummy (now there's a barely concealed hint for you). All the trends and tropes of the genre are present and register effectively: deceptively peaceful location, a bunch of horny teens, jittery forewarning locals and a relentless killer with a personal, unique signature when it comes to disposing bodies. No wonder it launched ten sequels. The production quality may look a tad obsolete when compared to today’s slasher offerings, but it is still way better than Marcus Nispel’s uninspired 2009 “reimagining”.

4/5

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Review - The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

“Morgan Spurlock, you’re a shameless whore” says American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel as the documentary filmmaker walks on stage in a jacket covered in sponsor logos. No, the Supersize Me director hasn’t sold out, he’s just making a movie about the legally convoluted nature of advertising and product placement… that is funded primarily by advertising and product placement. The concept is as neat and cheeky as Spurlock’s previous work, but anyone with a passing knowledge of marketing will see this is basically Advertising for Dummies. Still, Morgan’s ludicrous ads for obscure brands such as Ban and Main ‘n’ Tail are worth the ticket alone.

3/5   

Saturday 15 October 2011

Review - Drive

In the first of what feels like a busy season of Ryan Gosling movies (he’s got Crazy Stupid Love and The Ides of March coming up next), the Canadian actor stars as an anonymous Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a top-notch getaway driver. He also secretly pines for his angelic neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan), a young mother whose husband has just got out of jail. When the family is suddenly threatened by a gang of rancorous mobsters, Driver selflessly takes on the role of their lethal protector.

There’s a catchy old school quality about Nicholas Winding Refn’s latest work. From the garish pink opening credits over the LA skyline to the ominous electronic soundtrack accompanying the protagonist’s late night outings, Drive looks and sounds like the coolest film noir the 80’s never made.

Plus, throw in a taciturn, commanding character that is highly reminiscent of the Dollars trilogy’s Man With No Name and you’ve got a new poster boy just waiting to adorn film students’ dorm rooms. Admittedly Ryan Gosling, whose young, handsome, chiselled features wouldn’t suit the part of a lone urban cowboy, does not possess the same gravitas as a poncho-clad Eastwood. Yet somehow he manages to find the perfect balance between boyish charm (his wordless romance with Mulligan is the kind that’ll leave indie lovers deeply touched) and cold-blooded menace (there is an elevator scene you won’t be forgetting for some time). It’s an outstanding performance which further cements his reputation as one of the industry’s hottest talents.

And while we’re at it, here’s some food for thought: movies don’t treat us to a good old car chase as often as they used to. Excluding the Fast & Furious franchise, ever since that pesky bus from Speed screeched off the screen, high speed vehicle pursuits have increasingly been tainted either by CGI overload (The Matrix Reloaded) and frantic editing (Quantum of Solace), sometimes both at once. Refn opens his film with a getaway down the midnight streets of LA, as our hero tries to dodge with an almost surgical precision a number of police cars and helicopter searchlights. It’s a remarkably tense scene, rendered all the more effective by its flawless execution, with not one CGI shot throughout.

The only problem with Drive is that while it may be a film that is gorgeous to look at it, it is a tough one to engage with on an emotional level. Like Tarantino’s Kill Bill, its characters are cut-outs from what is blatantly a fictional world, one where the gory violence feels more resonant than the relationships. That’s not to say that all films should feature saccharine segments where everyone shares their feelings before going off to hammer a bullet into a thug’s cranium, but a little extra pathos could’ve made an already really good film into a truly excellent one.  

4/5

Thursday 6 October 2011

Review - City of Life and Death

Lu Chuan’s harrowing portrayal of the Nanking Massacre is the sort of filmmaking Hollywood usually doesn’t feel comfortable making. Shot entirely in monochrome and bereft of musical accompaniment, City of Life and Death makes for unpleasant yet to some extent necessary viewing, as Chuan exposes his audience to the Japanese’ systematic rape and subsequent slaughter of the inhabitants of Nanking, an event that is often overshadowed by World War II. While it would be easy to tag it as a Chinese Schindler’s List, the film’s sole shortcoming is the absence of a commanding protagonist for us to identify with.

4/5