2010-2019, Film Review

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Posted on March 25, 2016December 31, 2016 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

BVS — Image rights belong to Warner Bros, DC Entertainment, RatPac Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Film Review

Cast: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Holly Hunter, Jeremy Irons, Laurence Fisburne

Director: Zack Snyder

Synopsis: In the wake of the devastation caused by Superman’s battle with Zod in Man of Steel, Bruce Wayne seeks to take down Superman, fearing his powers could wipe out humanity. All the while, Lex Luthor is scheming in an attempt to wreak havoc on the world.

Review: 2016 is certainly shaping up to be the year of the superhero movie, the Merc with a Mouth has come along, with apocalyptic doom for the X-Men, Marvel’s flagship heroes turning on each other, a group of anti heroes on suicide missions, and one sorcerer supreme still to come. Now, it’s the turn of arguably the two most recognisable comic book characters to take to the screen, in what is their very first time they are in the same movie. A movie that is finally propelling DC’s extended universe forward after watching Marvel dominate the market for many years. So much was riding on this film, and it was once again up to Zack Snyder to show DC’s universe can rival that of their great rivals.

Two years after the carnage that was unleashed on Metropolis, a certain Bruce Wayne saw the full extent of the devastation and now sees this as the time to put on his cape and cowl once again and take out this alien threat. We see through his perspective and you feel his rage. All the while, while some of humanity view Superman as their saviour, others like Bruce Wayne, see him as a threat. One of these individuals being Lex Luthor who is developing a few schemes in order to bring down the Man of Steel.

With a near two and a half hour run time, understandable given that this film is laying the foundations for the Justice League movies that are on the horizon, there is a lot to take in and a lot is going on. So much so in fact, that the first hour or so is a little choppy, you want to see the clash of the titans, but the road getting there is a little bit bumpy. As such a few of the side storylines could have been cut out, as there are some that don’t really add much of any value to the central story. Once we do finally get to the titular showdown, however, it is glorious, watching these two icons of comic books clash.

This is of course until they have to unite to take on something (if you’ve seen the trailers, you’ll know what this something is.) Snyder clearly likes destroying things as there’s a fair bit of destruction here, although it’s not quite on the same level that Metropolis suffered. Yet while it is enjoyable to watch, like Man of Steel, there is something of an over reliance on CGI and there are some scenes (and characters) that just look painfully artificial, which is remarkable given the budget of the film at 250 million dollars. Although the accompanying score by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, is once again excellent.

Taking up the mantle after Christian Bale’s terrific turn in the role, Ben Affleck certainly makes the role his own and gives a very strong performance both as Bruce Wayne and the Bat vigilante. Similarly, Jeremy Irons is also excellent as Alfred Pennyworth, which again was not exactly easy given Michael Caine’s tremendous work with the character. There is understandably a lot more screen time for Affleck as we have to get acquainted with him more than Kal-El. Furthermore, there is the matter of Wonder Woman. Although she is not in the limelight as much as her Justice League colleagues, Gal Gadot does a tremendous job in what is the character’s first big screen appearance, and more than holds her own, giving excitement for her solo movie out next year. However, while he does try his best, and does have his moments, Jesse Eisenberg does feel somewhat miscast as Luthor.

Despite the bumpy ride getting here, it is exciting to see the DC universe finally achieve proper lift off, and with solo movies for Wonder Woman, Aquaman and the Flash all in the pipeline, it is looking encouraging for DC fans. Yet this had potential for real greatness, that is ultimately really squandered on a weak script. Nevertheless, the Justice is coming, but first, it appears that there’s potential trouble at Arkham Asylum…

Affleck and Gadot deliver terrific performances, and you have to praise the scope and ambition of the story, but it is a bit scrappy and could have been a little bit more focused.

2010-2019, Film Review

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Posted on March 19, 2016April 29, 2018 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Hail, Caesar – Film Review

Cast: George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes, Alden Ehrenreich, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jonah Hill

Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen

Synopsis: 1950s Hollywood, and a film studio is in the middle of its big budget production of Hail, Caesar! Yet when things begin to go awry, the studio must battle to keep things afloat.

Review: The Oscar winning Coen Brothers on writing and directing duties? Check. An all star cast including Oscar winners and nominees? Check. A film set in a time that many would consider to be in the Golden Age of Hollywood? Check. With all these combined, you would think that the visionaries behind The Big Lebowski, the superb 2010 remake of True Grit and No Country for Old Men, would strike gold with this unique and original story, as they have done in the past? The answer, is unfortunately, no.

The centre piece of this whole wacky movie is that of Josh Brolin’s Eddie Mannix, the head of Physical Productions and also the man who is there to ensure that the studio’s dirty linen is not aired in public. Yet problems begin to arise here, there and everywhere, most notably the fact that the lead actor on the studio’s massive movie, Baird Whitlock (Clooney) suddenly disappears, after being kidnapped. Yet despite all this, the burden falls onto Mannix to keep everything afloat. The Coens certainly know how to do humour, and do it very well as The Big Lebowski demonstrates, and that humour is on display here and to the maximum with plenty of humorous moments.

Furthermore with a top cast of A list Hollywood talent assembled, all excel in their roles. However some are given more opportunities to shine than others, which is a shame as there are some very entertaining characters who you would like to have been given a bit more screen time. Ralph Fiennes in particular has one absolutely golden moment, but this is not followed up. Many of the talents are vastly underutilised and it is just a bit frustrating to watch as you would like to see them have more scenes.

In terms of plot, it is a bit of a mess to be honest. Mannix is the main man and its his story that is the centrepiece. Yet there are so many different stories running along at the same time, that it is a little confusing to keep up. What’s more, there are several plot points that are just left hanging. It feels like the Coens just thought of a bunch of random sketches, and concocted them together into one film. As such when the big reveal of what is arguably the film’s primary plot occurs, you just don’t care as much as you could, or maybe should as the script is just too messy and all over the place.

What is not out of place though is the detail, 1950s Hollywood has been captured tremendously well and with the one and only Roger Deakins as the cinematographer, you know the film will look absolutely immaculate, and it does. However, despite this incredible attention to detail, this was a real missed opportunity for the Coens to add another top drawer film to their incredible filmography. The film is seen as the Coens love letter to 1950s Hollywood, but it’s a shame that said letter is written in poor handwriting, to the point where it’s almost incomprehensible to read.

1950s Hollywood has been impressively recreated and the Coens pull good performances from their A list cast, particularly from Fiennes and Ehrenreich, it’s just such a shame that it’s all wasted on a weak script.

2010-2019, Film Review

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Posted on March 10, 2016April 29, 2018 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Silver-Linings-Playbook-Poster — Image rights belong to The Weinstein Company

Silver Linings Playbook – Film Review

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker

Director: David O Russell

Synopsis: As a former mental institution patient moves back in with his parents and seeks to make amends and rebuild his life, he comes into contact with a woman who has also been battling her own problems.

Review: You would think that if you were about to sit down and watch a film about someone having emerged from a mental institution seeking to turn his fortunes around in life, then said film would struggle to find its feet and its voice as a comedy, with very few laughs. Well you couldn’t have been more wrong, because in the capable hands of screenwriter and director David O Russell, adapting from the novel of the same name by Matthew Quick, this romantic comedy packs plenty of heart, drama and unsurprisingly comedy into its 2 hour run time, and it does all this extremely effectively.

Pat Solitano (Cooper) is a man who has just come out of a mental institution after seeing his marriage hit the rocks and fall apart. But after his release, he is looking up, and feeling confident of making amends and moving forward. This is until he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) a woman who is going through her own set of problems. When she comes onto the scene, things begin to take an interesting turn as these two begin to realise that they have a lot more in common than they care to think.

After the success that was his 2010 film, The Fighter, a film with a tremendously strong cast, Russell again manages to put together another very strong cast all of whom excel in their roles. You have Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver as Pat’s wacky parents who are doing their best to help Pat rebuild his life, with a surprisingly funny and effective performance from Chris Tucker too. Yet, it is the performances of our two leaders in Cooper and Lawrence that truly steal the show. Their chemistry together is electric to watch and they have more than a few very memorable scenes together, with one scene in a diner standing out by far among many terrific scenes.

The film became the first film since 1981 to secure nominations in all four acting categories, and was the first since 2004’s Million Dollar Baby to be nominated for the Big Five Oscars. Lawrence was the only one to secure a trophy, and to be fair, she is the true star of the show. She manages to blend crazy antics and real heart and emotion into her performance. All of the performances are of such a very high standard, you could almost think that you weren’t actually watching a film, but real life instead. In the same year that she shot to stardom with The Hunger Games, Lawrence proved to the world that she is a force to be reckoned with, something that she is still demonstrating today. While Cooper didn’t take home the statue, his work was equally electrifying, and arguably to this day ranks as a career best performance. If it had not been for a sublime performance from Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln, he might have won a statue himself.

The screenplay by Russell is equally terrific. Of course there are some dark moments that goes without saying, but there are plenty of funny and dramatic moments as well, and they all work. He manages to fuse all of these elements into the story very successfully and the story is very compelling to watch. There are highs but there are plenty of very low lows and you feel for all of the characters, as they are extremely well developed. But as the film makes a lot of effort to point out, every cloud has a silver lining, and in the case of this film, that silver lining is despite the somewhat dark subject matter, it produced one hell of a good movie that’s extremely entertaining to watch, and definitely ranks as one of Russell’s best movies.

Acted to perfection, with star performances from Cooper and especially Lawrence, with a terrific screenplay that packs heart and comedy aplenty.

2010-2019, Film Review

Scott Pilgrim VS The World (2010)

Posted on February 27, 2016May 30, 2017 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Scott Pilgrim VS The World – Film Review

Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman,

Director: Edgar Wright

Synopsis: Scott Pilgrim is a 22 year old who is on a road to nowhere until he meets a girl he rather likes. Only problem is that in order to win his affection he has to battle all of her exes.

Review: Movies based off video games do not have a good record of being any good, and for the most part, they do struggle to achieve greatness. and some are just flat out terrible. However every so often, one movie comes along that uses elements from video games in order to tell the story. 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow for instance, with the constant re-spawning. Edgar Wright’s 2010 offering, with the screenplay penned by Wright and Michael Bacall, adapting from the series of graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, also uses video game elements. It does this whilst also telling a love story, and uses them to brilliant, if slightly bonkers results, and one that will make anyone watching, their inner nerd extremely happy.

The focus of the story is Scott (Cera), a guy who no doubt many men who watch this movie will relate to. He looks for the direction in life, whilst striving to achieve greatness for his band, whilst also trying to win the affections of that special girl. Lo and behold he stumbles across the the girl of his dreams, in this instance it’s Ramona Flowers (Winstead.) Yet unbeknown to Scott, this lady has seven evil exes that Scott must do battle with, Tekken and Soul Calibur style, in order to win over her affection. Wright manages to fuse video game like tropes and live action very well, and the battles with the exes are somewhat ridiculous, but they are extremely entertaining to watch. There are some quirky and unique methods that Wright inserts throughout the film in order to tell the story, and sometimes to convey the awkwardness in some situations. The whole fight scenes are just like if video games, anime and movies all merged into one glorious package.

Romance in movies like these can sometimes feel forced and shoehorned into the story, but in this instance, not so. There is strong chemistry between Scott and Ramona, and you want to see them make it work, there is just the small matter of those crazy exes that Scott has to deal with, including battles with a former Superman in Brandon Routh and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans! No one ever said the hero had it easy! Michael Cera gives a great performance as Scott, he’s dorky, and a bit useless, but you just can’t help wanting to root for him. As Ramona, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, also brings her A game as Ramona, she’s not that weirdo ex, but a friend and someone Scott can turn to as he battles through the crazy exes. The rest of the cast including the likes of Anna Kendrick and Jason Schwartzman all play their roles brilliantly.

If you were to try and compare this film to another movie, you’d be hard pressed to find one similar. It’s a very unique film in this regard, and one that if it had been placed in the wrong hands, could have failed badly. Fortunately as it was in Wright’s very capable hands, it passed with flying colours. The quirky humour that Wright is brilliant, is packed throughout the film and it works perfectly. The opening of the movie is a little sluggish and slow to get going, but once the console of the film is fired up, the entertainment and the laughs will carry on all the way to the credits. This is a perfect example of a video game movie done right, even though it is not based on a video game. Nevertheless, for video game lovers out there, this is your movie.

Original, unique and very entertaining, with some top performances and some ridiculously funny fight scenes and video game references aplenty, to make the nerd in all of us extremely happy!

2000-2009, Film Review

Taken (2008)

Posted on February 22, 2016May 30, 2017 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

taken-poster — **Image rights belong to EuropaCorp, M6 Films, Grive Productions Canal+, TPS Star, M6, All Pictures Media. Wintergreen Productions. Dune Entertainment**

Taken – Film Review

Cast: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen

Director: Pierre Morel

Synopsis: When Bryan Mills (Neeson) a retired CIA agent finds out his daughter has been kidnapped half way across the world, he utilises all the resources he can to try and rescue her, before it is too late.

Review: If you have kids, chances are high that those kids are pretty special and important to you, or if you’re a kid who’s loved by your folks. So if you found out your child who had gone travelling around the world, had been kidnapped, you’d probably get in contact with the government and hope they are in a position to do something about it, and hope and pray for your child’s safe return. Well not for Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative who, decides to use all of his skills over his career and pools together all of his resources in a bid to rescue his beloved daughter from some nasty folks who have sinister plans for her.

With a script written by Leon director Luc Besson, and Robert Mark Kamen, our story revolves around Mills, his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and his estranged wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and after agreeing to let her go travelling, Bryan finds himself in a race against time to get her back after she has been kidnapped, before he will never find her ever again. The film is slow to get out of the blocks, but it does ensure there is character development. You do understand the emotion Bryan has for his daughter, but is very reluctant to let her go, thus straining his relationship not only with his daughter and also his already estranged wife.

Once Bryan lands in Paris, after he has had the galling experience of hearing his daughter’s kidnapping, the film picks really begins to pick up. Offering plenty of very intense action sequences that are, for the most part, very well handled. The camera-work is fast and the scenes are cut very quickly, particularly during the many chase sequences that are packed throughout this film. As Bryan pummels bad guy after bad guy and will stop at nothing to get her back, and that means killing as many bad guys as possible. It is insanely fun to watch Neeson be a complete badass and he totally convinces as an action movie star.

There are moments to allow the audience to catch their breath, and of course there is Neeson’s now famous line which has been parodied to death but it’s still enthralling viewing. It’s a simple plot and for sure is a little bit silly at times, but seeing Neeson beat the shit out of some bad guys, who are admittedly maybe a little too stereotypical, is just very enjoyable to watch. There is one torture scene that has caused a bit of controversy for its brutality. But nevertheless, Taken is pulsating action done right in just about every way possible, if perhaps just a little too short at 94 minutes.

A thrilling ride in which Neeson reinvented his career as a badass action movie star with some top notch action scenes, and one very memorable line of dialogue.

2010-2019, Film Review

Deadpool (2016)

Posted on February 20, 2016April 24, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Deadpool-poster-2 — © Marvel, Kinberg Genre, TSG Entertainment and 20th Century Fox

Deadpool – Film Review

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, TJ Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Ed Skrein

Director: Tim Miller

Synopsis: When an operation goes awry for former mercenary Wade Wilson, he gains super healing abilities and adopts the alter ego of “Deadpool”

Review: It goes without saying that comic book movies have surged massively in popularity in recent years, becoming a staple of Hollywood in the process. However, for all the films that have graced our screens, we have yet to encounter a comic book film that pushes all the boundaries it can, and goes in directions that very few have gone in. Well, thanks to the Merc with a Mouth, we have now.

It has been a long time coming, as the film has had a difficult journey to the big screen, after being in development hell for many years. A now infamous “appearance” in the much-reviled X-Men Origins: Wolverine, infuriated the fans who felt it was not true to the comics. Thanks to 2014’s Days of Future Past, those events are now banished forever. When test footage leaked back in 2014, it finally prompted 20th Century Fox to move forward with a solo outing for him, one that has remained very loyal to the comics and will no doubt leave hardcore Deadpool fans, very satisfied indeed.

Deadpool is not the first superhero character Ryan Reynolds has portrayed, as he had a lead role in the 2011 Green Lantern flick. But having had an interest in playing this role since 2005, it is apparent that this character is his favourite and it’s very evident he’s having enormous fun playing the role, and he’s electrifying to watch. The dark humour, the crude jokes, the profanity, the breaking of the fourth wall repeatedly, the violence. It’s all on show here and it provides the audience with some glorious entertainment right from the opening credits. In addition, the film gleefully makes light-hearted pops at other films and other superhero movies with great aplomb. The laughs are packed throughout the 108-minute running time, with some violent action also thrown in there for good measure, which is tremendously well handled by Tim Miller in his directorial debut.

This is the Deadpool show, but he does have some help in the shape of steel man mountain Colussus and newbie Negasonic Teenage Warhead, who are helping him confront the man who was responsible for Wade’s disfigurement, this being Ed Skrein’s Ajax. British actors are known for their portrayals of villains, indeed the opening credits make a joke about this fact. Ed Skrein does a tremendous job with the material he’s given but his character is never properly fleshed out and is not given the ample screen time to really elevate him above the majority of the villains that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has provided. The action is well filmed and provides some great viewing. Lots of action with sequence after sequence can sometimes feel like overkill (Man of Steel anyone?) But while there is a fair quantity of action on show, it would have been great to see just a little bit more, as some sequences are over before they had a chance to get going.

The disappointment of 2011’s Green Lantern as well as the misfire that was his appearance in Origins: Wolverine might have killed Ryan Reynolds’ hopes of making it in the superhero world of cinema, and for a while it did kill Deadpool’s hopes of a worthy cinematic outing. Yet his dogged determination to get this adaptation of a character he has an obvious passion for is admirable. The plot is a little bit formulaic but the film’s storming box office success has already resulted in a sequel being green lit. The Merc With a Mouth has ensured that 2016’s comic book movie offerings have got off to a terrific start.

Crude, dark jokes aplenty packed with Tarantino-esque violent action scenes. This is the Deadpool film that the fans have been waiting for.

2010-2019, Film Review

Spotlight (2015)

Posted on February 7, 2016October 15, 2020 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Image rights belong to Anonymous Content, First Look Media, Participant Media, Rocklin/Faust and Open Road Films

Spotlight – Film Review

Cast: Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber, Brian D’Arcy James

Director: Tom McCarthy

Synopsis: Telling the true story of a group of journalists working for the Boston Globe newspaper who uncover the horrific details of child molestation at the hands of Catholic priests and the subsequent attempts to hush everything up.

Review: Every so often in the world of news and current affairs, along comes a story that is so shocking and galling for a number of reasons, it would cause you to read your newspaper, watch your television, or listen to the radio with just disbelief and horror that such an event came to pass. Many stories revealing such wickedness often slip under the radar, and do not see the light of day, and that may have been the case for the subject of this powerful drama of the scandal that rocked not only the Catholic Church, but the entire world to its core. It may well have not reached the public’s attention, if it wasn’t for the grit and graft of some brave journalists.

The screenplay, penned by McCarthy and Josh Singer, which was on the 2013 Black List of unproduced screenplays pulls no punches whatsoever. The story is gripping, and disturbing at the same time. When nudged by an incoming new editor in the direction of the scandal, the team of journalists quickly begin to find something deeply disturbing, and as the film goes on, interview after interview, the full extent of the scandal emerges on the team and the full realisation of the crimes that have been committed come into view. The dialogue scene to scene keeps the attention of the viewer transfixed on the screen. With each conversation, whether with a lawyer, some victims, some people within the church, or whoever it may be, the team show great tenacity to dig deeper and deeper scratching every surface they can until there’s a story for them to run. It’s a dialogue driven film, but when it’s written this well, it’s riveting to watch.

The ensemble cast each deliver truly excellent performances, but it’s the performances of the Spotlight team in particular that shine the brightest. After his Oscar nominated turn as a washed up superhero in Birdman, Michael Keaton delivers another excellent performance as the editor of the team that comprises of Rachel McAdams’s Sacha Pfeiffer, Mark Ruffalo’s Michael Rezendes and Brian D’Arcy James’s Matt Carroll with John Slattery’s Ben Bradlee Jr. and Liev Schreiber’s newly appointed editor Marty Baron keeping a watchful eye over things. All excel but the standout performances are that of Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams, who have both gained well earned Oscar nominations for the Best Supporting Actor and Actress respectively. Ruffalo in particular has an almost Hulk-esque moment at one point when the full depravity of the scandal comes becomes very crystal clear.

With such a delicate and controversial subject matter, approaching this film cannot have been easy for McCarthy and Singer, yet it is handled tremendously well. The direction is subtle but it emphasises is firmly on the need for justice for the victims. The reporters are not patting themselves on the back and having a drink celebrating at such a big scoop, instead they’re just aghast at what they have observed during their investigation. It is uncompromisingly brutal when the penny drops and there is a need and a desire to print their story and bring the perpetrators to full justice. In this day and age when the internet is taking over the journalism and publishing industry, it just goes to show that through real grit, determination and hard work, shocking truths such as these, can be brought to the attention of the public, and full credit to the brave journalists who did so.

Uncompromisingly brutal when it comes to the subject matter, with terrific performances and excellent well written dialogue, Spotlight will shake you to your core.

2010-2019, Film Review

The Big Short (2015)

Posted on February 5, 2016January 23, 2019 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

The Big Short – Film Review

Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt

Director: Adam McKay

Synopsis: An account of a group of people who foresaw the collapse of the housing market and the crumbling of the world’s economy in 2008.

Review: When the world’s economy went pretty much to shit in the latter half of the noughties, one thing we all knew was that the global economic situation was in complete disarray, with jobs being lost and lives ruined. But the vast majority probably had no idea who was to blame, why this happened, could it have been prevented and did anyone see this enormous mess coming? The answer to all of those questions is yes, four individuals to be precise who not only saw what was coming, but decided to do something about it and challenge the banks on their greed and their failure to avoid this catastrophe. Enter Anchorman director Adam McKay and screenwriter Charles Randolph, giving the account of how the entire world’s economy crashed and burned.

The account follows three different groups of people, who at various stages foresaw the impending doom, and each goes about their responses in very interesting ways. Firstly you have Christian Bale’s drumming, no shoes wearing kind of guy who likes to listen to metal music whilst foreseeing the imminent disaster via numbers on a screen. Then we have Steve Carrell’s melancholic hedge fund manager who teams up with Ryan Gosling’s trader, and finally we have Brad Pitt’s veteran banker, aided by two newbie investors. Through these three perspectives McKay flits between them as the months go by, and the financial crash looms on the horizon. The acting from all is of a very good calibre, with Bale being the stand-out amongst the ensemble and ensuring another Oscar nomination comes his way. After his unique role in Foxcatcher, Steve Carell again shows he too is a force to be reckoned with as he, mixing grumpiness and comedy surprisingly well.

Your average viewer is in all probability not going to have much clue when it comes to explaining the reasons behind the economic crash, and lots of the economic terminology are likely to sail over their heads. Therefore in order to understand the specific terminology that the cast are speaking of, there are some amusing celebrity cameos who are there for the purposes of dumbing it down so that those audience members who are not well versed in economics are able to catch their drift. There is humour peppered throughout to keep the story flowing, something McKay knows very well from his Anchorman days, and it does to a certain extent. However due to the vast amount of financial terminology, it means the story does falter a little bit. The interest in the story does diminish, which it shouldn’t given the impact that this crash undoubtedly had on many people the world over.

McKay presents his vision of this story almost documentary like with a lot of use of hand held cam in a handful of scenes. There is also a lot of breaking the fourth wall with the characters taking the audience for a ride. Yet the breaking of the fourth wall and the use of handheld cam does not always work. The latter in particular, it makes it look a bit sloppy and badly edited. And as this style is not always implemented, the film lacks a bit of consistency in terms of delivery and tone. It tries to be both a comedy and a documentary, and while sometimes it does work, others it really doesn’t. The film is probably the best attempt at telling the story of the housing crash, but even then, unless you’re very well versed in economics and all that jazz, the film is probably going to leave the audience found wanting when the credits begin to roll.

The acting is of a very decent order, with a solid enough script but unless you’re well versed in economics and the whole crisis, you may not be as interested in the story as you perhaps ought to be.

2010-2019, Film Review

Room (2015)

Posted on February 3, 2016May 30, 2017 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Room – Film Review

Cast: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

Synopsis: A mother and her son are locked in a tiny room and are being held captive, and these four walls are all the boy knows of the outside world.

Review: As human beings, we all know of the world we live in. The wonders and sometimes horrors of our world can inspire, they can amaze, and they can horrify in equal measure. We’re accustomed to our surroundings, and our homes. So imagine if the four walls of a small shed were all you knew of the world, and what you called home, and you had no idea of what exists beyond those walls. Well for young Jack (Jacob Tremblay) that is exactly what he thinks. His mother on the other hand knows that there is life beyond their solitary confinement but she hasn’t seen it in seven long years after being kidnapped. But she has her little boy, and that is keeping her going through all the years of captivity and hardship that she has endured.

The screenplay, written by Emma Donoghue which is adapted from her book of the same name, is very heart-wrenching, and there are some uncomfortable moments in the early stages. There is a very obvious inspiration (if you can call it that) to the tale of one Josef Fritzl. Yet despite the hardship and somewhat lack of space that the two of them do have those rare moments of joy and happiness between them, and these are a joy to watch as the audience is almost constantly reminded of the bleak reality of their situation, this is until they make a plan to escape their captivity. Director Lenny Abrahamson does a tremendous job of putting the audience in the position of our characters, you feel as though you are in these awful surroundings with them, and through brilliant camera work, he is able to provide new views on the tiny surroundings, quite incredible considering that it’s a very small shed.

The acting on show, particularly from our two main stars is tremendous. Brie Larson especially giving a career defining performance as the troubled mother. You really feel for her character and what she’s going through and it is heart breaking to watch her go through the torment of captivity. She has been picking up plenty of awards in this awards season and she stands every chance of adding the Academy Award to her collection. Young Jacob Tremblay is also fantastic in what is one of the best child performances in a long time. He’s convinced that “room” is all that exists in the world, that people on TV are not real, and his conviction is very real and tremendously powerful. Awards have come his way too, and like with his co-star, very well deserved ones at that.

The story has some very dark moments that could make Room uncomfortable viewing for some, and while it is a very impactful script, there a few things that are left unanswered or unexplained, things that you would have thought that they would have touched upon in a bit more detail. Nevertheless, the film remains a moving story to watch, with some tremendous acting and directing, and proves just how powerful the love a mother has for her child, no matter the desperate or horrific circumstances of a situation, is truly unbreakable.

Two very powerful performances anchor this incredible story, that is both heart-breaking and uplifting in equal measure

2010-2019, Film Review

Joy (2015)

Posted on January 26, 2016May 29, 2017 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

joy — **Image is property of Fox 2000 Pictures, Davis Entertainment Company, Annapurna Pictures, TSG Entertainment and 20th Century Fox**

Joy – Film Review

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramirez, Diane Ladd

Director: David O Russell

Synopsis: An account of the life of Joy Mangano, and her journey as an inventor and entrepreneur, with her main invention, the Miracle Mop.

Review: To become a very successful entrepreneur, a person would need a lot of charisma, determination and a relentless desire to succeed, as well as having an obvious passion for the product or products they are hoping to bring to the market. But if you happen to have a somewhat dysfunctional family life, and find things going wrong here there and everywhere, it would almost certainly make the challenges even harder than they already would be. These are the challenges that face Joy as she aims to revolutionise the market with her invention the Miracle Mop.

A mother who refuses to get off her bed and does nothing but watch TV, ex-husband living in the basement, deadbeat dad, as well as a mother to two children, Joy has just about everything she could going against her, but through all of this, she does possess that relentlessness, that desire, and that belief in her product, and it ensures that David O Russell’s third team up with Jennifer Lawrence as the titular character is an interesting watch, but it is not all plain sailing for Joy as she bids to get her product to market, things go wrong, a lot of the time. Yet that belief and will to succeed persists her to keep going in spite of the adversity she does go through is extremely uplifting.

As she has been in her last two links up with Russell, Jennifer Lawrence is once again excellent in the main role. She possess the aforementioned charisma and relentlessness in abundance, and it’s her performance that drives the plot forward, because except for a kind of comical performance from Robert DeNiro, the majority rest of the cast are just not interesting or engaging enough for the audience to really care about. There is one exception to this, that of Bradley Cooper’s character who does a massive favour for Joy, but even then his screen time is fairly limited. This is once again the Jennifer Lawrence show, and she clearly thrives under the direction of David O Russell. It’s by no means her strongest performance under Russell’s tutelage but it ensured another Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Yet it does not have the emotional punch that the likes of The Fighter or Silver Linings Playbook had, or the brilliant ensemble cast that American Hustle boasted, with that awesome humour. The film takes its time to really get things going in the beginning, the film doesn’t quite know where it really wants to go, and is a little bit messy when it comes to its script and direction. Is it a happy film, or is it a sad film? In reality it’s probably a bit of both. Once it finds its spark, however it runs with it, and by the end there is some satisfying closure. Yet the build up in getting there was frustratingly slow. Although the film’s title is clearly referring to the main character and not the emotion, there’s not a lot of joyfulness to be found here.