Interstellar

In the not too distant future, the inhabitants of planet Earth are faced with an alarming shortage of food and resources, while an increasing number of sandstorms threaten to make life even more unsustainable. In a bid to find a new world that the human race can make their home, a small team of astronauts board NASA’s last remaining spaceship and set off on a pioneering mission, as they try to explore a new galaxy via a mysterious wormhole.

Ever been in the presence of someone who got so caught up in explaining a theory they had just stumbled upon, that they lost you halfway through their earnest monologue overflowing with scientific jargon? That’s a big fat metaphor that aptly summarises Interstellar, one of the smartest blockbusters to ever grace our screens yet also an unexpectedly dissatisfying movie-going experience.

You certainly can’t fault the Nolan brothers (Christopher directing, his brother Jonathan penning the screenplay) for a lack of effort. From the moment Michael Caine and Anne Hathaway’s scientists launch into detailed explanations on wormholes, binary coordinates and gravitational waves, it becomes clear the two filmmakers have done their homework. Problem is, they probably got into it a little too much. It’s never a good sign when characters in science fiction films need to explain a convoluted narrative with the aid of a whiteboard (Emmett Brown’s timeline diagram in Back To The Future Part II being the rare exception) - Interstellar resorts to this device not once, but three times, clearly suggesting that the Nolans have bitten off more than they can chew.

That’s not to say that Interstellar should’ve been dumbed down – if anything, it’s got the opposite problem of the Transformers movies, which could do with more brains to go with all the brawn. But by cramming in so much scientific exposition, the Nolans often risk alienating their audience completely, when there’s clearly a very powerful human component to the plot that is far too often overlooked.

At its core, Interstellar is the story about a man trying to get home to his family, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. In the hands of Matthew McConaughey, who’s currently experiencing an astounding career renaissance, the scenes in which lead astronaut Cooper is either breaking away from his daughter as he’s leaving Earth or watching his kids rapidly grow up before his eyes on video logs transmitted to the spaceship, pack an undeniable emotional punch. If there’s anything keeping this space odyssey grounded, it’s McConaughey’s bravura performance, which inevitably overshadows all the supporting players, including fellow acting heavyweight in the making, Jessica Chastain.

Also worth mentioning is that, despite the afore-mentioned misgivings with the way he handles his subject matter, Christopher Nolan remains nonetheless the most gifted mainstream director currently working in Hollywood, proving once again that he’s just as adroit at delivering a monumental set-piece (superbly conveying the right balance of dread and excitement that one would feel at entering a black hole for the first time) or handling the more quietly powerful moments, such as the scene in which a stranded astronaut breaks down after seeing another human being for the first time in years.

But then Christopher’s studies on physics and relativity kick in again, resulting in a final act twist that is likely to confound casual viewers and infuriate astronomy students. It’s daring, it’s different, it’s definitely something new that we haven’t been exposed to before on the silver screen, but there will be some head scratching. Worst of all, it comes neatly bow-tied with a “love conquers all” message which is seriously out of place with all the scientific babble we’ve had to endure until this point.

Is Interstellar a bad film? Far from it, it would actually be nice to see more blockbusters with this much drive and originality. But the end product certainly doesn’t live up to the audience’s expectation and, quite possibly, the Nolans’ ambition.

3/5

Locke

Let’s be honest, watching a bloke drive down the M40 for an hour and a half hardly qualifies as high octane filmmaking. And yet, in the hands of screenwriter-turned director Stephen Knight, Locke turns out to be one of the must-see films of the year. There are no car chases or explosions here, just a quietly brilliant Tom Hardy making a series of fraught calls on what is set to be the worst night of his life. Hardy’s tender performance brings a minimalist but powerful screenplay to life, although Knight is guilty of indulging in what is rapidly becoming a big no no in Hollywood scripts, i.e. the heart-to-heart conversation with an imaginary character. Seriously, this needs to stop.

4/5

Nightcrawler

Spare a thought for Jake Gyllenhaal, if you will. A professional child performer who has managed to hone his craft over the years, young Jake never seems to have earned the critical acclaim that has been bestowed on other actors of his generation. Just look at his Brokeback Mountain co-stars: Heath Ledger cemented his position as a Hollywood legend with a couple of stellar roles before his premature death, while Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway have since established themselves as nomination bait during award seasons. And Gyllenhaal? Well, he went on to make Prince of Persia. Which puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?

What Nighcrawler represents is an opportunity for the erstwhile Donnie Darko to show critics and audiences what he’s truly capable of, and in Lou Bloom he has found an unlikely saviour. Isolated, introverted and emotionally detached, he’s a Los Angeleno hell-bent on getting hired and forging a career in today’s competitive market. The job doesn’t matter, nor does the sector, as long as it puts him on the map. When he comes across a TV crew filming the carnage caused by a highway accident, Lou finds his calling and decides to become a freelance video reporter. It’s not long before success goes to his head and he starts interfering with crime scenes in a bid to secure higher ratings.

It’s the perfect role for an up-and-coming actor to sink his teeth into and Gyllenhaal clearly relishes the opportunity. He goes through the traditional “Method” motions (weight loss, unappealing hair), but it’s in the delivery of his character’s unusual dialogue where he truly shines. With his unsettling propensity to speak in buzzwords and positive action verbs, Bloom sounds like he’s constantly giving a job interview – or hosting it, depending what side of the metaphorical table he is sitting at. “I've made up my mind to find a career that I can learn and grow into. Who am I? I'm a hard worker. I set high goals and I've been told that I'm persistent”, he says to a prospective employer at the beginning of the film, before delivering the already classic line “If you want to win the lottery, you have to make the money to buy a ticket”. Most of the times the lines will raise a few laughs, but there’s no denying that these are the warning signs for a sociopath. Either way, expect Lou Bloom quotes to appear on business students’ dorm walls in the very near future.

But while Gyllenhaal does an excellent job at bringing this 21^st Century Travis Bickle to life, it would be a mistake to overlook Dan (brother of Tony) Gilroy’s dual role as director and screenwriter. By tackling a dark subject matter – the media’s exploitation of urban crime – the first time director manages to generate chills and thrills from the most controversial of scenarios, the key one being a gruesome domestic invasion accompanied by the jaded commentary of two news anchors. Of course the irony is that, by having us so engrossed in these scenes, Gilroy is making the audience complicit in the sensationalism he’s criticising. Also, he pulls off what must be the year’s messiest car chase and is all the better because of it.

With awards season just around the corner, is it worth pondering Nightcrawler’s chances at the 2015 Oscars? It’s probably just a waste of time, especially with so many biopics hovering around at the moment. Whether he gets nominated or not, it’s worth highlighting that Gyllenhaal’s performance is one of the best of the year and one that should finally prove his credentials as a serious actor. Move over Donnie, Lou is here to stay.

5/5 

The Judge

If there's one thing The Judge succeeds in, it's reminding us that there's more to Robert Downey Jr. than iron suits and deer stalkers. Here is a movie star that many forget was garnering serious acting kudos in the early ‘90s and in David Dobkin’s drama he puts his quick wit and outstanding improv skills to good use as a slick city lawyer who returns to his hometown to represent his estranged father (Robert Duvall), the titular judge, in a murder trial. It’s just a shame that the courtroom scenes are misguidedly overshadowed by the family drama, which often feels ham-fisted and rarely poignant. Not even the winning Duvall/Downey combo can save this from being a mistrial.

2/5