Silver Linings Playbook

If there’s one thing we learnt from The Fighter it’s that David O. Russell excels at portraying domestic unrest, something which we find in spades in his follow-up, Siler Linings Playbook. Bradley Cooper plays a bi-polar ex-teacher struggling to come to terms with the end of his marriage, while Jennifer Lawrence is the damaged soul who might just help him move on via dance practice and morning jogs. Russell keeps things chatty and quirky throughout but the uneven focus often strains our patience, especially with a running time of 122 minutes. Nevertheless, Lawrence is a mesmerising presence and even manages to out-act Robert DeNiro in one scene. Now that’s talent.

3/5  

Argo

Picture the scene: it’s 2004, you’re hanging out with some mates, showing off your brand new Nokia N-Gage (!!) and discussing that Lindsay Lohan girl that lately seems to be in all the gossip mags. Suddenly, one of your friends jumps up and says “have you seen that new Ben Affleck film? That thing is brilliant, you should seriously check it out”. Chances are that poor soul would have been met with guffaws all around, before being mercilessly cast out of your social circle.

But it’s not 2004 anymore. It’s eight years later, Lindsey Lohan’s a mess and nobody remembers the Nokia N-Gage. Oh, and guess what? The new Ben Affleck film – the one which he also happens to direct – really is brilliant and you should seriously check it out.

Argo is a CIA story so astonishing, it’s hard to believe it actually happened. Set during the 1979 occupation of the US embassy in Tehran, the plot sees CIA agent Tony Mendez (Affleck) being tasked with “exfiltrating” six escaped embassy members from the Iranian capital. Except with the local authorities on the hunt for anyone holding an American passport, the solution Mendez comes up with is the most unconventional: with the help of some contacts in Hollywood, he poses as a Canadian producer location scouting for a fake sci-fi flick called “Argo” and has the embassy staff pretend they’re his film crew.  

Dealing with a true story that at times stretches serious credulity, you know you’re going to have issues with tone and style. Luckily, Benjamin has been paying attention in class and knows what films and directors to take inspiration from. The juxtaposition of the breezy, quasi satirical Hollywood segments and the kinetic, at times unbearably tense Tehran scenes make Argo come off as a fascinating crossbreed between Munich and Wag the Dog. Meanwhile, the choice of the source material shows Affleck is keen to follow in the footsteps of other actors/directors that have shown a keen interest for intelligent political thrillers, like George Clooney or the late Sidney Pollack.

It’s not perfect, mind. He may be maturing into one of the most intriguing directors working in Hollywood, but Affleck has yet to hone his skills as an actor. He does a passable job as the stoic protagonist, but you do get the nagging sensation that his beard is doing all the acting, while the rest of the talented supporting cast – particularly seasoned pro Alan Arkin and late bloomer Bryan Cranston – easily steal the limelight. Furthermore, there are times when the film lacks in substance, the various characters involved feeling less like characters and more like components to an intricate, although magnificently assembled structure.     

Which brings us to the final point: strip away the satire, the political heft et al and deep down Argo is a film about how, for once, the movies really did save the day thanks to their glamour and escapist appeal, which not even the sternest Iranian authorities were immune to, as the fraught finale proves. For that reason alone, Ben Affleck’s film deserves to be on any film buff’s viewing list.

4/5 

Before Sunset

If Before Sunrise is the thinking man’s romance, then Before Sunset is the romantic’s sequel. Rarely has a follow-up felt more poignant or welcome, as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) bump into each other in Paris nine years after their first and only magical encounter. The formula may not have changed, but anyone who’s ever wondered what it would be like to run into an old flame will lap up the awkward rekindling and underlying sexual tension between the two amiable protagonists. Meanwhile, director Richard Linklater is astute enough to leave the whole ordeal open-ended, which means the upcoming Before Midnight can’t come soon enough.  

5/5

Before Sunrise

Before Sunrise proves you don’t need Channing Tatum or a doomed transatlantic liner to sell heart-tugging romance, and instead delivers a love story about two young travelers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who cross paths and decide to hang out in Vienna for one night only. By eschewing non-diegetic music and traditional plot structure, indie darling Richard Linklater limits himself to observing his protagonists chat, bicker, fall in love and reluctantly part ways by the film’s unfortunate conclusion. Authentic, well-written and far more relatable than what’s being churned out in your average rom-com, Before Sunrise is the thinking man’s romance.

5/5      

The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau holds the distinction of being a Philip K. Dick adaptation that not only mixes science fiction with philosophy, but is also bold enough to flirt with religion. It’s a pity then that the story of two lovers (Matt Damon and Emily Blunt) trying to outrun the titular bureau that mysteriously wants to keep them apart, lacks the sharp script and artistic vision to make it a film as impactful as Total Recall or Minority Report. Still, the romantic notion that a single kiss can alter the destinies of two complete strangers makes TAB the rarest of SF flicks: one that you can enjoy on a first date.  

3/5

Skyfall

Don’t let all the hype fool you – Skyfall is not an easy sell. For all the critical acclaim of Casino Royale and the hefty box office earnings of Quantum of Solace, the Bond fan base has been somewhat divided ever since Daniel Craig inherited 007’s tuxedo. One half embraces the new take on her majesty’s finest agent, an approach that is defined by brutal, furiously-edited fist fights and grounded in reality to the point that Quantum’s villain was an eco-terrorist bent on monopolising water supplies and selling them to puppet governments in Latin America (yawn). The other half instead bemoans the departure of the quirky gadgets along with the improbably-named femme fatales and longs for a villain that wields satellite lasers, has a propensity for delivering evil monologues and is content with residing in an active volcano. If only there was a way to please both parties…

Enter Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, who has pulled off the nigh-impossible task of striking the perfect balance between realism and escapism in time for Bond’s 50^th anniversary. From the moment you see 007 nonchalantly adjust his cufflinks during a scuffle aboard a moving train, you just know we are back in classic James Bond territory, where a deadpan quip or the seduction of an exotic belle is never far away. But Mendes is respectful enough not to discard completely the work that’s been done before him, as he makes the pragmatism of the previous two films work to his advantage – a major plotline in Skyfall deals with how some of the more serious errors of MI6 are perceived by the media and a tribunal of enquiry.

Another decision that is sure to have some purists up in the arms is that of stripping Bond of his super spy persona and have him reduced to an unkempt, boozing wanderer who can’t shoot straight to save his life. It’s in these segments that Craig and Mendes infuse the decades’ old spy with an amount of doubt and self-loathing never seen before and that quite possibly we’ll never see again in the franchise. Put simply, if Casino Royale was about how James Bond got his mojo, Skyfall is about him losing it… before getting it back in grand, triumphant style, of course.

Just when all the dark introspection risks outstaying its welcome, Mendes puts the film firmly back on track and we finally get to see Craig as James Bond, rather than as a versatile actor. We all know by now that Danny boy convinces as a cold-hearted hit-man, but we’ve yet to see him revel in wry putdowns and the shameless womanising, which he gets to do both in spades here. It also helps that he is up against a brilliant villain in the form of Silva, a toad-faced Javier Bardem with bleached hair who amuses and unsettles in equal measure. And for a franchise that is commonly known for its use of glamorous locations around the globe, there is something immensely refreshing about staging the film’s most gripping action sequence in the London Underground.

So are there any let-downs? Well, the third act’s parochial setting definitely sets the right mood for a chilly climax, although it does play out like an odd blend of Straw Dogs and Home Alone. Meanwhile, Albert Finney’s cuddly gamekeeper is the kind of impromptu sidekick you’d expect from the Roger Moore era Bond (although he does get to deliver literally a killer line).

Yet these inconsistencies matter little as the explosive and surprisingly gut-wrenching climax is over, and the closing scene divides audiences once again. One half will see it as a melancholic ending, the other will no doubt see it as an exciting new beginning. But there is one thing everyone is sure to agree on: nobody does it better than 007.

5/5