Gone Girl

Here’s the thing: it’s not as good as the book. There, it’s been said. Deal with it. Authored by Gillian Flynn and published in 2012 to widespread acclaim, Gone Girl is the story of a man being investigated for the disappearance of his wife and is easily one the greatest reads in recent memory. It is a novel that defies genre (“it’s a romantic crime thriller satire, duh”) and raises some very intriguing questions about the authenticity of married life. Narrated in the first person from His and Her point of view, it’s a text ripe with musings and deep-seated confessions that both men and women can relate to, but just might not admit to having with their other halves.

The inevitable downside is that these compelling streams of consciousness cannot be effectively reproduced on the big screen, no matter how many voiceovers try to make up for it. But then again, while Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl may never get the perfect adaptation that all fans of the book may long for, David Fincher’s Gone Girl remains no doubt a film worth seeing.

Fincher has carved himself a career out of gloomy, twisted material (his most upbeat work may well be a Coca Cola advert from the early 90s) and Gone Girl’s shadier themes lend themselves well to his style of filmmaking. Coated in dark, sombre visuals, even white picket-fenced American suburbia feels like a haunting place in Fincher’s hands. Adding further obscurity to the proceedings is Trent Reznor’s otherworldly score, which makes for an unsettling acoustic experience with its unpredictable electronic staccatos.

More importantly, the one aspect of Flynn’s novel that Fincher manages to successfully translate to film is the theme of perception and how easily it can be distorted, whether it’s in a marriage or in modern day media. Characters’ images are continuously subverted in private and in public via scathing news reports and intimate revelations, putting the viewer’s sympathy to serious test throughout the plot. Some twists may be more predictable than others, but the tension and suspense never subside and will have you on the edge of your seat.

Come to think of it, never mind mass media exploitation and the politics of long term relationships – if there’s one controversial topic that Gone Girl helps address once and for all, it’s that Rosamund Pike should be as big a star as Rachel McAdams or Reese Witherspoon, two other blonde, likeable actresses in their mid-thirties with arguably less range than this English rose. Sure, Ben Affleck’s silhouette is on all the posters and he does a fine job as an average joe faced with incredible circumstances, but thanks to a bravura performance that oscillates between vulnerable and disturbing, Pike steals the film from under his nose and walks away with it until she’s gone, girl. Sorry, had to be done.

4/5

Pasolini

Pasolini is the kind of film that gives arthouse cinema a bad name. Focusing on the last day in the life of the enigmatic auteur and directed by Bad Lieutenant’s Abel Ferrara, it mistakes pretentiousness for ambition and incoherence for intellect. Willem Dafoe is undeniably magnetic as the Italian filmmaker, but it would’ve been nice to drop some of the romping and instead dedicate a bit more time to exploring his character. You could argue it’s a case of two artistic visions jostling for supremacy – but if the film needs to disappear up someone’s ass, it might as well be Pasolini’s, rather than Ferrara’s.

1/5

Top 5 Spider-Man films

5) Spider-Man 3

Seven years later and the Saturday Night Fever dance still haunts the dreams of Spidey fanboys around the world. But the truth is, while it would be easy to direct all our frustrations to Peter Parker’s ill-judged emo phase, there’s plenty of other stuff wrong with Spider-Man 3 as well. Characters are spectacularly miscast (who better to play the bitter, physically imposing Eddie Brock from the comics than the chipper, skinny guy from That 70s Show?), emotional scenes turn into unintentionally hilarious ones (MJ and Peter’s break-up in Central Park) and three villains jostle for position as the main big bad, with none of them coming on top. Most upsetting of all is the complete mishandling of Venom, arguably the wall-crawler’s most popular antagonist, who gets a grand total of 6 minutes of screen time. Shame on you, Sam Raimi. Shame on you.

4) The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Despite a surprisingly aggressive marketing campaign in the months leading to its release, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say TASM2 failed to live up to its own hype. In fact, it is plagued by the same flaws that made Spider-Man 3 such a challenging watch. A disjointed narrative suggests the editing process can’t have been a happy one and once again too many villains spoil the proverbial broth, with Jamie Foxx thinking he’s starring in a superhero film from the Joel Schumacher era (i.e. camp and prone to punning). Still, there are a few saving graces that ensure this isn’t a complete train wreck. Hans Zimmer delivers a sumptuous score that is finally worthy of Spider-Man’s stature and doesn’t sound like something out of Batman (Raimi’s trilogy) or Titanic (The Amazing Spider-Man); the most thrilling scene in the film is not an action set-piece, but a suspenseful confrontation in Times Square, as Spidey hopelessly tries to calm down an Electro that’s on the brink of exploding; and Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone’s romantic banter is still bang on the money.

3) The Amazing Spider-Man

Yes, it was the reboot that nobody wanted (yet) and sure, the first half feels like a re-tread of what came before in Sam Raimi’s still wonderful first instalment from 2002, but look past these minor issues and there’s a lot going for The Amazing Spider-Man. Combining themes and key elements from both the classic and Ultimate comic book runs, here was a Spidey film that was surprisingly even more faithful to its source material than the Raimi movies and that had the perfect Spider-Man in the form of Andrew Garfield. A far more versatile actor than Tobey Maguire, some might argue that Garfield’s Peter Parker is a little too cool to begin with (it’s the Twilight hair, apparently), but what can’t be denied is that he effortlessly nails the character’s social displacement and sardonic humour. Furthermore, Marc Webb proved he knew how to portray a quirky couple on-screen with (500) Days of Summer and he pulls off the same trick with Garfield and Emma Stone, who are a joy to watch whether they are playfully bickering or blissfully pining for each other.

2) Spider-Man

It’s very difficult to review Sam Raimi’s franchise starter without being overcome with a fuzzy sense of nostalgia. After all, this movie hails from a time when audiences were not accustomed to superhero blockbusters (X-Men may have arrived 2 years earlier, but it felt more like an outlandish Sci-Fi movie) and no one quite knew what to expect from a Spider-Man film. And while now it does feel dated in places (the web-slinging looks a bit stiff and the fight sequences a little too choreographed), Spider-Man has lost none of its charm. Tobey Maguire may not be a particularly adroit performer, but his boyish demeanour still make him the most beloved Spidey out there and Kirsten Dunst is utterly believable as the girl next door we all secretly want to go out with. Much has been made over the years of the villain’s Toys R Us costume but, truth be told, it’s a far better proposition than James Franco’s snow-boarding gear from Spider-Man 3 and, with that face and cackling laugh, Willem Dafoe simply is the Green Goblin. And then there’s THAT kiss, quite possibly the most romantic moment in the comic book movie genre and the moment teenage boys realised Spider-Man could make a brilliant fist date movie. Make no mistake, Iron Man fans and Guardians groupies… this is where it all began.

1) Spider-Man 2

Marvel Studios have produced their fair share of top notch films since Iron Man in 2008, but hardly any of them can hold a candle to Spider-Man 2, one of the rare instances in which the sequel truly is better than the original in almost every aspect. This is Spider-Man retold as a Byronic hero (hence the poetry references), a romantic character separated from the woman he loves by his own secrets and unfaltering commitment to justice… simply put, this is the one comic book flick where you really want the hero to get the girl at the end. There’s plenty of angst, anguish and heartache but none feel forced or out place, especially as some of Peter’s pains stem from more pedestrian (and therefore relatable) challenges, like making the rent or holding down a job. Adding further pathos to the proceedings is Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, the franchise’s standout villain, with a fully-developed arc mirroring that of the protagonist. The third act fight scene set on a moving train still remains the action sequence to beat for all comic book movies – see James Mangold try to recreate it in The Wolverine, with decidedly average results. And finally, whenever things seem to get a little too gloomy, you can always count on J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson (an impeccable comedic creation sorely missed from the reboot and its sequel) to alleviate the mood with a well-timed quip, often delivered at the top of his voice. Popcorn movies – or rather, Spider-Man movies – don’t get much better than this.       

The Guest

Or How Matthew Crawley’s Balls Finally Dropped. If you’ve been watching Downton Abbey, there’s a lot of fun to be had seeing Dan Stevens graduate from period drama ponce to leading man heartthrob. You could say that The Guest functions as a brilliant audition tape for the British actor, who manages to showcase a decent American accent, an innate charisma and the kind of good looks that teenage girls swoon over. It’s a shame the film itself is a bit of a dud – chilling domestic thriller in the first half, baffling 80’s slasher flick the second. Dan could well be the next Ryan Gosling, but he certainly isn’t the new Jason Vorhees.

2/5  

Guardians of the Galaxy

Picture the scene: it’s 2012, The Avengers is smashing at the box office and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige decides to call a meeting. “Alight guys, I think we should do another superhero team-up. Except this time it’s in space. The team members will include a Han Solo/Indiana Jones hybrid, two green-skinned warriors – you know, like the Hulk, just not played by Mark Ruffalo – a talking raccoon and a walking tree. It can’t fail. Whaddya say?” And you thought Thor was a tough pitch.

With its galactic setting and abundant supply of colourful alien life forms, there were enough early signs indicating that Guardians of the Galaxy could’ve ended up as Marvel’s Green Lantern, a similarly-themed blockbuster with zero charm and sporting one of the most inept scripts in recent memory. Luckily, Feige and director James Gunn are aware of the potentially laughable subject matter and smart enough to play to its strengths. But while it’s safe to say that Guardians is an irreverent joyride of a movie, it’s also not the most focused of Marvel’s films to date.

The plot, as is becoming too often the case with summer flicks, could’ve easily been written on a napkin. Or rather, a bunch of napkins scattered across a table. It all revolves around yet another MacGuffin called the orb, which our heroes try to steal, sell and subsequently retrieve by bouncing from planet to planet and encountering all sorts of outlandish characters along the way. Of course, one of them happens to be an ominously-cloaked figure who wants to use said orb for destroying the galaxy (just because), which calls for some urgent guarding and who are you gonna call? Granted, it’s all light-hearted stuff and a very different kind of genre, but after The Winter Soldier’s more layered, intelligent script from earlier this year, it still feels like something of a step-down.

In fact, the worst thing you could say about Guardians of the Galaxy is paradoxically also the best compliment you can pay, i.e. that the flimsy plot is just an excuse to stick five very funny and very entertaining characters on-screen. As previously hinted, Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill as a wiseass rogue who’s just as quick with a quip as he is with a blaster and revels in charming the intergalactic ladies with dated pop culture references (“I want to tell you about the legend of Footloose”). Former WWE champion Dave Bautista could’ve simply let his pecs do the acting for the role as Drax The Destroyer, yet proves to be a better actor than Hulk Hogan ever was by adding some welcome anguish to his character. Zoe Saldana’s high-kicking Gamora is the only player that feels slightly underwritten, although she does get a few good lines in as well.

Predictably, it’s the two CGI (and most merchandise-friendly) characters that steal the show. Despite only being able to repeatedly utter the same sentence – “I am Groot”, delivered by the gravelly-voiced Vin Diesel – the Guardians’ resident “dumb tree” is an intriguing creature to be around and one capable of spearing goons with a branch one moment, before breaking the fourth wall with an endearing smile the next. Rocket Raccoon on the other hand is a gloriously verbose creation. Voiced to great effect by Bradley Cooper, he’s an impulsive little critter who gets all the best lines but also, as evidenced in one scene, might be harbouring a tragic past. It’ll be interesting to see how he’s developed in future instalments.     

All five make for original characters in their own right, but together they’re a winning blend of personalities and certainly a more explosive mix than the more clean-cut Avengers – it’s just a pity they’re short-changed by a screenplay that could’ve had bit more oomph. It’s almost tempting to say that Guardians of the Galaxy works more as a vehicle to introduce us to a new breed of space-hopping heroes, rather than a well-rounded, entirely satisfying film. Still, you’ll have fun watching it and it certainly wins the prize for Most Inspired Soundtrack in a Marvel flick. “Hooked on a Feeling”, “Spirit in the Sky”, “I Want You Back”… it’s a wonderfully nostalgic playlist. And speaking of nostalgia, you’ll never guess who pops up in the end credits sequence…

4/5

Her

In the not too distant future, an emotionally disenfranchised writer falls in love with his mobile operating system. What could’ve easily been a ludicrous concept turns out to be a disarmingly profound film about our hopeless dependence on love and technology, and how the two are becoming increasingly interconnected. Need proof? Online dating websites are no longer the shameful secret they were ten years ago and apps like Tinder have rendered sex pretty much a transactional commodity. Spike Jonze’s script stirs the mind and touches the heart in equal measure and if ever there were an award for Best Disembodied Performance, Scarlett Johansson would be up for it, hands down.

5/5

Boyhood

Back in 2002, indie darling Richard Linklater began production on a movie that would chronicle a six year old boy’s journey through childhood, puberty and end on his first day in college. The kicker? The director felt that, in order to recapture the authenticity of growing up and maturing into an adult, he would have to film his pet project over the course of 12 years using the same child actor surrounded by the same supporting cast, with no replacements along the way.

Boyhood sounds like the kind of bold indie experiment that can’t be pulled off. A film production spanning 12 years? What if some of the cast members lose interest before completion? And won’t the end result be patchy and unfocused? Both justified questions and legitimate concerns, but this is Linklater we’re talking about, the very same filmmaker who successfully pulled off real-time sequels with the beloved Before… trilogy, in which we revisit Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke’s characters after 9 year intervals. With this in mind, Boyhood feels like the next logical step in Linklater’s progression as an auteur.

As with the Before… films and especially Slacker, there’s no real plot to speak of. In fact, those who prefer a their movies with a defined narrative are likely to be put off by Boyhood’s seemingly random structure, but that would be missing the point. This is a viewing experience more akin to flicking through a series of family photo albums or, to adopt Ethan Hawke’s more eloquent spin, “like witnessing timelapse photography of a human being”. Throughout the film we see our protagonist Mason (Ellar Coltrane) struggle with his absent father, witness his mother get domestically abused by an authoritarian husband and deal with heartbreak after being dumped by high school sweetheart, but rarely are these events followed by the catharsis you’d get in mainstream cinema. As we all know, life is often little more than a succession of events void of meaning or interconnection and for this reason, there’s an authenticity to Boyhood that feels immensely refreshing.

Of course, the film rests on the very delicate shoulders of Ellar Coltrane, who we watch grow from a 6 year old youngster to an 18 year old young man in the space of two and a half hours. Luckily for us, he is a joy to be around. There’s none of the wide-eyed staring we’d typically get from a pre-pubescent Daniel Radcliffe, nor the swagger and sardonic wit synonymous with a teenage Zac Efron or Shia LaBeouf – because of his lack of exposure to the film industry, Coltrane never comes across as a performer, but as an average kid who just happens to be caught on camera. When Mason bickers with his sister Samantha (Linklater’s daughter, Lorelei), it’s like watching memories of your own fights with your sibling; when he reaches the age when girls start flirting with him, his discomfort and embarrassment feel genuine. Admittedly, his penchant for putting an existential spin on everyday life in the latter stages of the film is a little too reminiscent of Jesse in Before Sunrise, but then again, didn’t we all fancy ourselves as philosophers of life when we were eighteen?

While Coltrane does a solid job as Mason, it would be a big mistake not to acknowledge Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette’s efforts as his on-screen parents, who both also do a fair amount of maturing over the course of 12 years. She’s goes from being a fragile single mother constantly falling for the wrong men, to becoming a strong, independent woman who also eventually finds professional fulfillment. He on the other hand starts off as an irresponsible parent who refuses to grow up, before eventually settling down with a new family while also finding the time to be the wiser father figure that Mason so clearly needs. Despite both having forged careers in the film industry, Hawke and Arquette deliver poignant and believable turns that you’d struggle to get out of, say, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Adding further to the whole mix is Linklater’s reluctance to use intertitles and instead relies on music (The Hives and Coldplay lead to Arcade Fire and Family of the Year) and justifiable product placement (CD players are swiftly replaced with iPods) to signal the passing of the years. It’s in those moments that you realise Boyhood is not just the story of a boy becoming a man, it is also the most nostalgic portrayal of the 2000s to date. There's no denying it, Linklater’s lovely little masterpiece already feels like a classic.

5/5