Children of the Silk Road: Movie Review

Children of the Silk Road: Movie Review

Rating 6/10
Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Radha Mitchell, Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
When a film's inspired by true events, there's always a nagging feeling that it'll fall heavily into the dull but worthy category.
Roger Spottiswoode's Children of the Silk Road is the true story of a British journalist George Hogg (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who conned his way across the Chinese border during the Japanese occupation of 1937.
Despite being told of the dangers of doing so, Hogg gets through by pretending to be the Red Cross.
However, within minutes, he witnesses a massacre and is caught, camera in hand, by the Japanese.
Freed by Chen (Chow Yun Fat) a leader of a Chinese group, he's taken to a monastery where he discovers around 60 orphaned boys and a travelling nurse, Lee (Radha Mitchell).
Tasked with the role of taking the kids under his wing, he grudgingly accepts and ends up winning their respect and friendship.
But, as the occupation grows tighter, Hogg realises the only way to keep them safe is to take them across the Liu Pan Shan mountains to a new life.
Children of the Silk Road isn't a bad epic - and epic it is, as it takes a while to warm up after the initial brutality.
Rhys Meyers portrays Hogg well - making him initially selfish and reticent to look after the orphans but ultimately gaining their respect (a la Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society).
His relationship with Radha Mitchell's Lee is given time to build up and develops a tenderness which makes the ending more plausible and heart breaking for the pair.
Both Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat give the film more of a sense of reality with their characters and there are some pretty harrowing moments during the whole film.
But there are a couple of lulls as we watch the orphans get ready to leave although that's countered by the tension when the convoy's stopped close to the mountains.

Ultimately, the Children of the Silk Road is a film about a triumph over adversity - however, some people will feel it borders more in the overly long and dull but worthy category; some will find it inspiring - particularly at the end when pupils of Hogg's teachings appear over the end credits to extol the virtues of their former mentor.

Mirrors: Movie Review

Mirrors: Movie Review

Rating: 7/10
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart
Director: Alexandre Aja
Remakes of Korean horrors are all the rage these days. (Think the Ring, Dark Water, The Eye)
So it'll be no surprise to you to learn that the latest horror flick starring Kiefer "Jack Bauer" Sutherland is a remake of a 2003 South Korean horror Geoul Sokeuro.
Sutherland plays Ben Carlson, a cop retired from the force after an incident which led to the shooting of a fellow officer.
Estranged from his wife and son after a mini breakdown, he is now a night time security guard and starts work at a burnt out department store, which is ostensibly gutted - aside from mirrors all around the building.
On his first night there, Carlson suffers hallucinations - he also learns from his boss how the previous security guard died but had been obsessed with the mirrors.
As Carlson continues to tread his night time beat, the visions intensify and things get worse when he receives a package from the previous security guard who has been dead for a while&
And the situation gets even more terrifying as it becomes more obvious that Carlson's family is under threat from a mysterious and horrifying presence.
Mirrors is a pretty solid shocker - the idea there is a creature in the mirror which is your reflection and can motivate you to harming yourself isn't anything new - but is well visualised thanks to some impressive effects.
There are some real jump in your seat moments (director Aja who helmed the remake of The Hills Have Eyes) and some scenes will disturb you for a while to come -the demise of Carlson's sister (played by Amy Smart) will put many off bath tubs for a while.
Kiefer Sutherland is good too- whether it's because I've become used to him as save-the-day-at-whatever-cost Jack Bauer, seeing him play a man on the edge or falling apart because of internal (and external) demons is nothing new - but he brings his usual intensity to the film which could have been unoriginal.
The only time the film falls apart is with its confrontation with the demon at the end which sees it degenerate into Resident Evil territory in the sewers; but the ending of the film redeemed it in my eyes.

The real question is why this wasn't released on Halloween over here - with some smart chills and genuine edge of the seat moments, it would have been infinitely better to watch rather than endure 90 minutes with yet another of the Saw franchise.

In Bruges: Movie Review

In Bruges: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jordan Prentice
Director: Martin McDonagh
Ah, the trip abroad.
Always a time for people to experience the culture of another city, sample the joie de vivre of the residents and rue the fact they even left home in the first place.
In Bruges is the tale of two hitmen Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson).
The pair are despatched to Bruges after a hit goes slightly wrong and their employer Harry (Ralph Fiennes) decides they need to lay low for a while.
So, on an enforced break, the duo await a call from Harry about what to do next.
But their time in Bruges becomes an escalatingly surreal experience for both - Ray stumbles upon the filming of a European art film which stars a dwarf (Jordan Prentice) and falls for one of the local girls; Ken, on the other hand, just wants to take in the culture and the scenery.
Their impromptu vacation is thrown into turmoil when the call from Harry finally comes and a chain of events is set in place which can only end in violence...
In Bruges is a curio - at times, it's an Odd Couple film set in Belgium with both Farrell and Gleeson starring in the character piece about two hitmen; by turns, it's dark, funny and witty - through flashbacks, we learn the pair have only just started working together.
It appears their time in the city changes their perspective on life, with both Ray and Ken becoming more concerned they've made the wrong career choice.
The real weak link in the film is Ralph Fiennes as Harry - his (I'm assuming) East End gangster accent is nothing short of yet another linguistic crime against humanity (almost on a par with Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins) and his so called menacing front stems simply from sneering and smashing things.
Director and writer Martin McDonagh does a reasonable job and pulls out some pretty solid performances from his actors; it's probably the first time I've ever enjoyed a role Farrell portrayed on the big screen - he has some very funny moments and carries most of the black humour; Gleeson is as dependable as ever as the avuncular Ken.

Ultimately though, In Bruges just shoots off the target - which is a real shame - but hey, don't enforced holidays normally disappoint you?

Choke: Movie Review

Choke: Movie Review

Rating 7/10
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly MacDonald, Brad William Henke
Director : Clark Gregg

A film about a sex-addicted con man is never going to be an easy sell.
But if you were to dismiss Choke simply for that fact, you'd probably be doing it a disservice.
It's an adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk book (he's the writer who was behind the Brad Pitt/ Edward Norton "Fight Club")
Sam Rockwell puts in a brilliant turn as anti-hero Victor Mancini; the first time we meet Mancini, he's engaging in a little "extra-curricular activity" while supposedly attending a sex addiction class.
Mancini spends his day working in a colonial theme park, doing his best to avoid the ire of those in charge by his occasional insistence in bringing the 21st century into work.
By night though, he's out at the nursing home, caring for his elderly mother Ida (Anjelica Huston) who's suffering from Alzheimer's.
However, he scams the money he needs from hospital bills by pretending to choke in restaurants and getting the cash from those who prevent him dying.
The film pivots on the relationship between Huston's Ida and Rockwell's Mancini - she barely remembers him and he's trying to recover details about his past - including his parentage - before his mother loses her fight.
Through flashbacks, we see the pair's younger relationship and the scams his mum helps him pull; we learn why Mancini is how he is - but not necessarily who he is.
Rockwell gives another stirling performance - he manages to turn what on paper would be a distinctly unlikeable character into one which elicits our sympathy.
This role once again really shows why he's one of the (vastly under-rated) character actors of this generation; his best friend and colonial co-worker Denny (played by Brad William Henke) also throws in a good performance; and Kelly MacDonald (who plays Ida's nurse) is also engaging.
It's fair to say Choke is probably going to be an acquired taste for some - it's occasionally bawdy, lewd and at times endearing and touching - but it's definitely not a film for all the family.
However, it has enough of an odd-beat flavour to it that if you're looking for something off the beaten cinematic track, you will be leaving the cinema feeling contented.

Nights in Rodanthe: Movie Review

Nights in Rodanthe: Movie Review

Rating 5/10 for unromantic ladies and gents, 7/10 for the more romantic of you who want to cuddle up in the cinema
Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Scott Glenn, James Franco, Christopher Meloni
Director: George C Wolfe
The cinematic pairing of Richard Gere and Diane Lane is a very popular one.
Their chemistry first melted the screens back in 1984's Cotton Club and then again in 2002's Unfaithful which saw Lane nominated for a best actress Oscar.
So it's no surprise to report they make a good couple in this film version of Nicholas Sparks' book.
(Sparks himself is no stranger to the romantic genre having reduced many to blubbering wrecks with The Notebook.)
Lane plays Adrienne Willis, an estranged mum of two, who offers to look after a friend's beachside B&B in Rodanthe, while contemplating a desperate plea from her husband (TV's SVU star Meloni) to let him return home.
There is only one guest booked in 4 days - Richard Gere's Dr Paul Flanner.
But Dr Flanner's in Rodanthe looking for redemption - not only from a local (Scott Glenn) but also to try and work out what to do to improve his relationship with his son (James Franco)
So with a hurricane forecast to hit the B&B, the pair batten down the hatches and prepare to weather out the storm.
What they're not prepared for though (but everyone else watching is) is how a couple of days - and one hurricane - will change their lives&.forever.
As you can probably tell from the rating of this film, it's very easy to dismiss it as romantic and sentimental film making, which tugs at the heart strings and is usually summed up by the adjective "Schmaltzy."
Gere and Lane make a good pairing again on screen with easy chemistry - however, Diane Lane gives the stronger performance of the two and is slightly more plausible in her redemptive arc.
But the film itself is nothing different from the usual formulaic romantic material (although you sense the stars, director and writer don't expect it to be)
The plot contrivances are there for reasons and glide you along the story toward its (inevitable) outcome.
The ending is fairly well sign posted and will reduce some to quivering messes as they leave the cinema (so best be prepared with some hankies).
The best way to judge if this is a film for you is this example from Nights in Rodanthe - if you find letter writing romantic and scenes of Diane Lane gazing wistfully into the distance, hiding letters from her teen daughter appealing, then it's your cinematic choice for the weekend.

If you wonder why she's not sat in front of a computer reading e-mails in this modern day and age rather than relying on the postie, then you're possibly better off avoiding it and joining the rest of the cynical masses.

Pineapple Express: Movie Review

Pineapple Express: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Danny McBride, Amber Heard
Director: David Gordon Green
Just what is it with actor Seth Rogen and producer Judd Apatow?
The pair have formed a pretty solid cinematic relationship - albeit one which barely sees Rogen transcending the puerile.
Many of Rogen's recent big screen forays have seen him portray a man child who is being pulled into adulthood, kicking and screaming.
In some ways, Pineapple Express is a slight re-tread of that character.
Seth Rogen is dead end Dale Denton, a process server by the day and pothead by, erm, day too. He goes from one banal serving to another, enlivened only by a toke as well as a creative way to serve notice on his unwilling victims.
Then one day after picking up some of the finest (and unique) weed around from his dealer Saul (a great performance from James Franco), his life is changed when he witnesses a gang hit - carried out by Gary Cole's Ted Jones and Rosie Perez's Carol the cop.
Terrified, he drops his smoked dope and drives off - but Jones realises where the dope's come from and the chase begins&.
Pineapple Express is a bit of a curio of genres - there is the stoner comedy mix supplied by Rogen and Franco (they decide to flee but only after they have taken enough snacks for the journey); the action violence (Cole's character is waging a gang war complete with multiple explosions and smatterings of violence) as well as the romantic relationship (Rogen's romancing Amber Heard's Angie Anderson school girl character) which is stuck in an uncertain rut.
And the opening, which serves as a kind of prequel, sees a US soldier tested for the effects of dope throws everyone off the scent.
It's almost as if director David Gordon Green and Rogen (who co-wrote the screenplay) have set out to subvert all the different trappings and expectations of film genres and muddied the waters.
Rogen is good - but he's blown off the screen by his partner in crime James Franco whose performance is just brilliant and is worth the price of admission alone.

Pineapple Express isn't a bad film - you'll probably leave the cinema having had a few laughs but in a bit of a haze about what exactly you've seen.

Young@Heart: Movie Review

Young@Heart: Movie Review

Rating: 9/10
Cast: The Young@Heart song chorus, Bob Cilman (chorus director)
Director: Stephen Walker
If I were to tell you that I had spent an evening with a group of septagenarians and octagenarians, you may raise an eyebrow.
If I were to expand on that and tell you that those 20 octagenarians had reduced me to near tears and wide grins with their singing, you'd maybe think I'd gone a bit nuts.
So let me explain - set in America, this film tells the story of the Young@Heart chorus, a group of 20 or so New England retirees who spend their spare time performing on stage.
There's nothing unusual about that, but this group spends their evenings giving us their unique take on pop songs from the likes of James Brown, The Clash, Coldplay, Talking Heads and in a slightly surreal decision, Sonic Youth.
The doco from Stephen Walker follows the group as, seven weeks out, they prepare for a new tour, ironically named "Alive and Well tour", under the tutelage of chorus director and musical manager Bob Cilman.
And that's all there is to it really.
Except for the fact, this is probably one of the most endearing and uplifting documentaries I have seen in a very long time; at turns, amusing and funny and then when you least expect it, heartbreaking and capable of reducing you to tears.
Throughout, we watch Bob Cilman try to coax the gang into getting their heads round the new songs he wants them to perform.
We see one soloist struggle through rehearsals to remember two crucial lines of James Brown's "I Feel Good" (which leads to tension on show night), the heartbreak of a duet of Coldplay's "Fix U" plagued by ill health - and while all this is going on, the doco is interspersed with music videos the Young@Heart Chorus has made (including Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere", and the Bee Gees "Staying Alive" - the irony of which isn't lost on anyone watching this)
These pensioners have more life in them than you've ever seen - when their director increases the number of rehearsals, they grumble and gripe like kids but just get on with it such is their joie de vivre.
Their enthusiasm is infectious - from the opening moments when a 92-year old woman sings The Clash's anthem "Should I Stay or Go?", I was hooked and moved by the journey the group goes on; not only do these singers have to worry about dying on stage, off stage it's a very real concern for them.
This is easily a contender for one of the films of the year as far as I'm concerned.

It has heart, soul and sadness in equal measures - and if you go to see it and it doesn't touch you at all, then I'm afraid you must have a heart of stone.