Bronson: Movie Review
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Tom Hardy, James Lance, Amanda Burton
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Tom Hardy (TV ONE's Sunday Theatre The Take, Rocknrolla) stars as Charles
Bronson, the man dubbed the most notorious UK inmate, in this biographical take
on his life and times.
The story is told in a rather unusual and visually captivating way - in front
of an audience, Bronson tells us he always wanted to be famous; with his bald
head, polished dome and large handlebar moustache, he cuts a comical figure;
almost clown-like in his mannerisms and speech - but heaven help you if you
mock him - because there's also an explosion of violence around the corner.
And it's merely minutes before the fighting begins; Refn cuts directly back
and forth from Bronson's speech on the stage to his taking on a series of guards
and battering them black and blue.
Cutting back to his (brief) life before prison, we learn a little more about
Michael Peterson aka Charles Bronson - but quite frankly it appears a life of
petty crime was only the precursor to a blooming time in jail which sees him
thrive; Bronson becomes a star taking on the guards and starts to believe his
own celebrity.
However, Bronson the film is a savage assault on the senses - thanks to the
stunning and towering performance from Hardy himself; while Bronson's never
going to be a likeable character, it's Hardy's performance which makes him so
compelling to watch.
There's some great visual touches and an extension of the performance of a
clown sees Bronson at his peak - Hardy's mesmerizing turn never sees you off
guard; you're 100% sure of his propensity for explosive violence but yet you
can't help but watch this portrayal.
Bronson may be a difficult film for some to watch; it's violent and shows no
sign that this prisoner can be rehabilitated - but thanks to Tom Hardy's acting
and some visually curious moments, it remains a film which will haunt you over
you've seen it.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
The Men Who Stare At Goats: Movie Review
The Men Who Stare At Goats: Movie Review
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey
Director: Grant Heslov
Based on a book by Jon Ronson (and an apparently true investigation) comes the film adaptation of The Men Who Stare At Goats.
Ewan McGregor stars as small town reporter Bob Wilton, who one day looks into the story of Gus Lacey who claims to have psychic abilities. After dismissing the story, Bob's life falls apart as his wife leaves him for his boss and he ends up going to Iraq.
Quite by coincidence one night, he stumbles across Lyn Cassady (a deadpan turn by George Clooney) who Lacey claimed was a major part of the operation. With his journalistic nose well and truly piqued, Wilton follows the story having learned that Cassady was a "Jedi warrior" and part of a psychic unit started up by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges in Dude a la Lebowski mode).
So the two set out on a road trip which finds them in the Iraqi desert - and then Lyn reveals he's actually on one last mission.
The Men Who Stare At Goats is a deadpan shaggy dog style story - with terrific turns from Clooney as the Jedi Warrior and McGregor as the increasingly interested and slightly gullible Wilton.
(Incidentally, The Men Who Stare At Goats is titled so because soldiers in Iraq were apparently training to use their psychic powers to make goats' hearts stop - yes it's that kind of slightly offbeat quirky humour.)
While it veers from incredulity to outright "What did they just say?," The Men Who Stare At Goats manages to keep the right side of absurd. Sure, there's plenty of in joke moments to see McGregor told "The Force is strong with this one" and various Jedi references but there's also a lot of very unexpectedly farcically funny moments which catch you off guard and amuse.
Once again, Clooney demonstrates his O Brother Where Art Thou? skill of humour - he never once mugs to the camera or overeggs the jokes; it's a pitch perfect performance.
Jeff Bridges also shines as the man who started the New Earth Army psychics; Kevin Spacey amuses as the runt of the squadron whose jealousy pushes him to the limit and Ewan McGregor displays heart as the reporter who's just after something in his life when it all falls apart.
While The Men Who Stare At Goats' ending comes a little unravelled (and the final scene is a bit of a disappointment) the journey is a scarily funny one with some great one liners, hysterically odd situations and moments where you actually question a) whether these soldiers truly had psychic powers and b) whether what you've just witnessed was based on some grain of truth.
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey
Director: Grant Heslov
Based on a book by Jon Ronson (and an apparently true investigation) comes the film adaptation of The Men Who Stare At Goats.
Ewan McGregor stars as small town reporter Bob Wilton, who one day looks into the story of Gus Lacey who claims to have psychic abilities. After dismissing the story, Bob's life falls apart as his wife leaves him for his boss and he ends up going to Iraq.
Quite by coincidence one night, he stumbles across Lyn Cassady (a deadpan turn by George Clooney) who Lacey claimed was a major part of the operation. With his journalistic nose well and truly piqued, Wilton follows the story having learned that Cassady was a "Jedi warrior" and part of a psychic unit started up by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges in Dude a la Lebowski mode).
So the two set out on a road trip which finds them in the Iraqi desert - and then Lyn reveals he's actually on one last mission.
The Men Who Stare At Goats is a deadpan shaggy dog style story - with terrific turns from Clooney as the Jedi Warrior and McGregor as the increasingly interested and slightly gullible Wilton.
(Incidentally, The Men Who Stare At Goats is titled so because soldiers in Iraq were apparently training to use their psychic powers to make goats' hearts stop - yes it's that kind of slightly offbeat quirky humour.)
While it veers from incredulity to outright "What did they just say?," The Men Who Stare At Goats manages to keep the right side of absurd. Sure, there's plenty of in joke moments to see McGregor told "The Force is strong with this one" and various Jedi references but there's also a lot of very unexpectedly farcically funny moments which catch you off guard and amuse.
Once again, Clooney demonstrates his O Brother Where Art Thou? skill of humour - he never once mugs to the camera or overeggs the jokes; it's a pitch perfect performance.
Jeff Bridges also shines as the man who started the New Earth Army psychics; Kevin Spacey amuses as the runt of the squadron whose jealousy pushes him to the limit and Ewan McGregor displays heart as the reporter who's just after something in his life when it all falls apart.
While The Men Who Stare At Goats' ending comes a little unravelled (and the final scene is a bit of a disappointment) the journey is a scarily funny one with some great one liners, hysterically odd situations and moments where you actually question a) whether these soldiers truly had psychic powers and b) whether what you've just witnessed was based on some grain of truth.
Thursday, 18 March 2010
The Boys Are Back: Movie Review
The Boys Are Back: Movie Review
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Clive Owen, Laura Fraser, Nicholas McAnulty, George McKay, Erik Thomson
Director: Scott Hicks
Clive Owen stars as Joe, a wise cracking sports journalist and absentee father (due to work) in south Australia.
He's got a pretty sweet life; a wife Katy (Laura Fraser) whom he adores and a six year old Artie (a brilliant, crowd winning performance from McAnulty) whose hedonistic enthusiasm for life keeps him on the move.
But when his wife suddenly dies, Joe finds himself having to run the house and is forced to reconnect with his son. That's not the half of it though - as his teenage son Harry (McKay) from his previous marriage is heading over from the UK to stay.
Suddenly Joe is facing responsibilities and emotions he'd long thought buried and forgotten&
Based on the memoir by Simon Carr, The Boys Are Back is a sensitive look at a father's relationship with his sons, brilliantly handled by director Scott Hicks (who did Shine) and masterfully performed by McAnulty and Owen.
In fact, it's probably fair to say that it's Clive Owen's charisma which keeps the film from miring itself in schmaltz - the story's rooted firmly in reality and his easy going charm on the screen shows why he's probably one of our more underrated actors.
Joe's lack of rules in the house clearly is destined to lead to problems and it inevitably does lead to things falling apart - but all the way through their troubles, there's an unspoken and permanently obvious love between the father and his sons which makes the film plausible and their relationship believable.
There's a nice chemistry between Owen and his costar Emma Booth who stars as single mum Laura - their arc doesn't follow the normal route and you'll be glad it didn't fall into cliché. And there's a dose of reality when Joe's wife suddenly falls ill which may make you re-appraise the relationships in your life.
The good thing about The Boys Are Back is that it avoids the trapping of usual films like this - not once does director Scott Hicks milk any emotional moment on screen - he uses a subtlety that makes the drama feel more intimate and real.
With its low key warmth and heart, as well as heartbreak, I think it's fair to say that you'll be hard pushed to find a more poignant film about the complicated relationship between a father and his son. Clive Owen shines and is a joy to watch - every one of us can recognize some element of family life (single parent or otherwise) in his portrayal of a man coming to terms with his place in the world.
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Clive Owen, Laura Fraser, Nicholas McAnulty, George McKay, Erik Thomson
Director: Scott Hicks
Clive Owen stars as Joe, a wise cracking sports journalist and absentee father (due to work) in south Australia.
He's got a pretty sweet life; a wife Katy (Laura Fraser) whom he adores and a six year old Artie (a brilliant, crowd winning performance from McAnulty) whose hedonistic enthusiasm for life keeps him on the move.
But when his wife suddenly dies, Joe finds himself having to run the house and is forced to reconnect with his son. That's not the half of it though - as his teenage son Harry (McKay) from his previous marriage is heading over from the UK to stay.
Suddenly Joe is facing responsibilities and emotions he'd long thought buried and forgotten&
Based on the memoir by Simon Carr, The Boys Are Back is a sensitive look at a father's relationship with his sons, brilliantly handled by director Scott Hicks (who did Shine) and masterfully performed by McAnulty and Owen.
In fact, it's probably fair to say that it's Clive Owen's charisma which keeps the film from miring itself in schmaltz - the story's rooted firmly in reality and his easy going charm on the screen shows why he's probably one of our more underrated actors.
Joe's lack of rules in the house clearly is destined to lead to problems and it inevitably does lead to things falling apart - but all the way through their troubles, there's an unspoken and permanently obvious love between the father and his sons which makes the film plausible and their relationship believable.
There's a nice chemistry between Owen and his costar Emma Booth who stars as single mum Laura - their arc doesn't follow the normal route and you'll be glad it didn't fall into cliché. And there's a dose of reality when Joe's wife suddenly falls ill which may make you re-appraise the relationships in your life.
The good thing about The Boys Are Back is that it avoids the trapping of usual films like this - not once does director Scott Hicks milk any emotional moment on screen - he uses a subtlety that makes the drama feel more intimate and real.
With its low key warmth and heart, as well as heartbreak, I think it's fair to say that you'll be hard pushed to find a more poignant film about the complicated relationship between a father and his son. Clive Owen shines and is a joy to watch - every one of us can recognize some element of family life (single parent or otherwise) in his portrayal of a man coming to terms with his place in the world.
Green Zone: Movie Review
Green Zone: Movie Review
Green Zone
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Amy Ryan, Jason Isaacs
Director: Paul Greengrass
The team behind the successful run of Bourne movies have reunited for this thriller set in Iraq after the 2003 war.
Matt Damon is Captain Roy Miller, who's in charge of the hunt for WMDs - but every lead they're following turns out to be a dud; each time they're sent in, there's absolutely no trace of anything.
So with suspicions aroused over duff intelligence, Miller starts to follow his own leads - and finds himself slap bang in the middle of a major conspiracy.
But the situation begins to spiral out of control as Miller fails to realise how serious and widespread the conspiracy is.
Matt Damon continues to push his image as the dependably stoic and intelligent everyman that has seen him become a big screen success; Green Zone itself is a conspiracy thriller which takes a little while to unravel but if you have your wits about you, you can see where it's going - and how it will end.
Greg Kinnear and Brendan Gleeson provide good support as opposing factions of the conflict - although, I'd rather director Greengrass had eased up a little on the whole WMD issue; it still feels like there's a lot of anger to be worked through over whether there actually were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq - and unfortunately towards the end of the film this becomes a major issue and nearly threatens to derail the tension which has been built up.
Green Zone is not a bad film - it does exactly what you'd expect and along with its jerky camera movements, there are some wonderfully taut and tense times as Miller finds himself out of his depth; throw in some great recreations of the post war Iraqi world and some very impressive chase scenes (including a final act edge of the seat chase) and you've got a good solid thriller.
Green Zone
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Amy Ryan, Jason Isaacs
Director: Paul Greengrass
The team behind the successful run of Bourne movies have reunited for this thriller set in Iraq after the 2003 war.
Matt Damon is Captain Roy Miller, who's in charge of the hunt for WMDs - but every lead they're following turns out to be a dud; each time they're sent in, there's absolutely no trace of anything.
So with suspicions aroused over duff intelligence, Miller starts to follow his own leads - and finds himself slap bang in the middle of a major conspiracy.
But the situation begins to spiral out of control as Miller fails to realise how serious and widespread the conspiracy is.
Matt Damon continues to push his image as the dependably stoic and intelligent everyman that has seen him become a big screen success; Green Zone itself is a conspiracy thriller which takes a little while to unravel but if you have your wits about you, you can see where it's going - and how it will end.
Greg Kinnear and Brendan Gleeson provide good support as opposing factions of the conflict - although, I'd rather director Greengrass had eased up a little on the whole WMD issue; it still feels like there's a lot of anger to be worked through over whether there actually were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq - and unfortunately towards the end of the film this becomes a major issue and nearly threatens to derail the tension which has been built up.
Green Zone is not a bad film - it does exactly what you'd expect and along with its jerky camera movements, there are some wonderfully taut and tense times as Miller finds himself out of his depth; throw in some great recreations of the post war Iraqi world and some very impressive chase scenes (including a final act edge of the seat chase) and you've got a good solid thriller.
The Road: Movie Review
The Road: Movie Review
Rating 8/10
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Robert DuVall, Guy Pearce, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Director: John Hillcoat
Prepare yourself for a particularly depressing end of the world.
In the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, a father (Mortensen) and his son (Smit-McPhee) are journeying across America after the world ended in some unknown way.(Though it appears to have been nuclear)
As they head south at the urging of the father's wife (Charlize Theron) and search for food, shelter and fuel, the duo meet all manner of problems - thieves, cannibals, and worst of all, their own paranoia and fears.
Against a backdrop of a devastated planet, survivors who are reduced to horrendous scavenging ways to get by and an ever increasing cold front, the duo find themselves unable to escape the inexorable physical and mental horrors which surround them.
To describe The Road as compellingly bleak may seem a little odd - but when you have a film which finds the worst that men can do and has a protagonist who would rather shoot his only son to avoid him being eaten alive, it's clearly not a laugh riot.
What emerges over the course of two hours is a powerfully loaded discussion and contemplation on what it means to be human and how the last vestiges of humanity are gradually worn down as time wears on.
Through billowing skies thick with smoke, and with most of the "action" onscreen taking place amid the backdrop of grey colours, the pair soldier on - and as an audience, you may feel at times like you do.
It's frustrating to report there is no real explanation of what happened to end the world as it did (although it does lead to a lot of discussion once the lights go up) - and while that's fine for a film (after all, we don't need everything spelt out), a little context would have made the sacrifice of one character more poignant rather than feeling odd and unexplainable.
There's a mournful tone throughout and both Mortensen and Smit-McPhee carry the screen well; newcomer Smit-McPhee brings a resonance and humanity to his character - and Mortensen is perfectly cast as the man who's coerced into making some awful decisions and loses a lot of his soul as he tries to survive.
Granted, there are some brooding lines throughout - Robert Duvall's old man character says talk of suicide to survive is "foolish to ask for luxuries at times such as this" - but the meditations on who's good and who's bad when everything goes to hell in a handcart will haunt you for hours after you leave.
Rating 8/10
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Robert DuVall, Guy Pearce, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Director: John Hillcoat
Prepare yourself for a particularly depressing end of the world.
In the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, a father (Mortensen) and his son (Smit-McPhee) are journeying across America after the world ended in some unknown way.(Though it appears to have been nuclear)
As they head south at the urging of the father's wife (Charlize Theron) and search for food, shelter and fuel, the duo meet all manner of problems - thieves, cannibals, and worst of all, their own paranoia and fears.
Against a backdrop of a devastated planet, survivors who are reduced to horrendous scavenging ways to get by and an ever increasing cold front, the duo find themselves unable to escape the inexorable physical and mental horrors which surround them.
To describe The Road as compellingly bleak may seem a little odd - but when you have a film which finds the worst that men can do and has a protagonist who would rather shoot his only son to avoid him being eaten alive, it's clearly not a laugh riot.
What emerges over the course of two hours is a powerfully loaded discussion and contemplation on what it means to be human and how the last vestiges of humanity are gradually worn down as time wears on.
Through billowing skies thick with smoke, and with most of the "action" onscreen taking place amid the backdrop of grey colours, the pair soldier on - and as an audience, you may feel at times like you do.
It's frustrating to report there is no real explanation of what happened to end the world as it did (although it does lead to a lot of discussion once the lights go up) - and while that's fine for a film (after all, we don't need everything spelt out), a little context would have made the sacrifice of one character more poignant rather than feeling odd and unexplainable.
There's a mournful tone throughout and both Mortensen and Smit-McPhee carry the screen well; newcomer Smit-McPhee brings a resonance and humanity to his character - and Mortensen is perfectly cast as the man who's coerced into making some awful decisions and loses a lot of his soul as he tries to survive.
Granted, there are some brooding lines throughout - Robert Duvall's old man character says talk of suicide to survive is "foolish to ask for luxuries at times such as this" - but the meditations on who's good and who's bad when everything goes to hell in a handcart will haunt you for hours after you leave.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Mao's Last Dancer: Movie Review
Mao's Last Dancer: Movie Review
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Kyle McLachlan, Joan Chen
Director: Bruce Beresford
Based on a memoir by Li Cunxin, Mao's Last Dancer is set in 1970s America and is the true story of Cunxin's journey from the poverty of China to the opulence of the West - via stardom.
Told in flashback and starting with Cunxin's youth, it shows the horrors of living under the Mao regime in China. Li's plucked from a poor school and thrust into a dance academy where he trains as an apprentice.
However, Li's also given the chance to go on tour - despite concerns from the communist leaders - and ends up in Houston. Initially he struggles with the creative - and personal - freedom on show but ends up accepting the lifestyle and becomes a star.
But things get complicated when Li decides he wants to stay in America - and the Chinese government foists exile on him when he makes the wrong decision (as far as they're concerned.)
Mao's Last Dancer is a perfectly fine - if slightly pedestrian - biopic; the ballet scenes are well done and showcase brilliantly the moves of Chi Cao.
Unfortunately though, it suffers from a couple of slightly ropey performances from its lead actor - he's not quite strong enough to pull off the role and at times, it seems a little amateur dramatics; clearly he was chosen for his incredible ballet skills rather than acting. Plus throw in some quite corny dialogue here and there, and it's not much of a recipe for success.
That said, Bruce Greenwood (as the director of the theatre company) and Kyle MacLachlan (as Li's attorney) are solid and provide decent support; but the real star of Beresford's film is his recreation of communist China in the 70s.
It's horrifying, repugnant and shows exactly why the regime was so detested - and thanks to Beresford's restraint in not exploiting it, it feels real. In one of Li's nightmares, he sees his family paraded and shot - it's so wonderfully underplayed and evocative that it's an image which resonates long after the film's over.
Ultimately Mao's Last Dancer aims for inspirational and sadly falls a little short - while it's a well intentioned true story, it doesn't soar as much on the screen as perhaps it should have done.
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Kyle McLachlan, Joan Chen
Director: Bruce Beresford
Based on a memoir by Li Cunxin, Mao's Last Dancer is set in 1970s America and is the true story of Cunxin's journey from the poverty of China to the opulence of the West - via stardom.
Told in flashback and starting with Cunxin's youth, it shows the horrors of living under the Mao regime in China. Li's plucked from a poor school and thrust into a dance academy where he trains as an apprentice.
However, Li's also given the chance to go on tour - despite concerns from the communist leaders - and ends up in Houston. Initially he struggles with the creative - and personal - freedom on show but ends up accepting the lifestyle and becomes a star.
But things get complicated when Li decides he wants to stay in America - and the Chinese government foists exile on him when he makes the wrong decision (as far as they're concerned.)
Mao's Last Dancer is a perfectly fine - if slightly pedestrian - biopic; the ballet scenes are well done and showcase brilliantly the moves of Chi Cao.
Unfortunately though, it suffers from a couple of slightly ropey performances from its lead actor - he's not quite strong enough to pull off the role and at times, it seems a little amateur dramatics; clearly he was chosen for his incredible ballet skills rather than acting. Plus throw in some quite corny dialogue here and there, and it's not much of a recipe for success.
That said, Bruce Greenwood (as the director of the theatre company) and Kyle MacLachlan (as Li's attorney) are solid and provide decent support; but the real star of Beresford's film is his recreation of communist China in the 70s.
It's horrifying, repugnant and shows exactly why the regime was so detested - and thanks to Beresford's restraint in not exploiting it, it feels real. In one of Li's nightmares, he sees his family paraded and shot - it's so wonderfully underplayed and evocative that it's an image which resonates long after the film's over.
Ultimately Mao's Last Dancer aims for inspirational and sadly falls a little short - while it's a well intentioned true story, it doesn't soar as much on the screen as perhaps it should have done.
Remember Me: Movie Review
Remember Me: Movie Review
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Pierce Brosnan, Lena Olin, Chris Cooper
Director: Allen Coulter
Ladies, catch your breath - in between his time sparkling as a vampire, R Patz returns to the screen in this romantic drama.
He's Tyler, a rebellious student in New York in 2001, who's got a strained relationship with his lawyer dad (an aloof and emotionally hard Pierce Brosnan) ever since his brother committed suicide.
Tyler is a bit of a closed book drifter, a one night stands kind of guy who won't emotionally open up - but that all changes when a twist of fate brings him to Ally (Lost's Emilie de Ravin).
Ally too is emotionally damaged - having seen her mom murdered on the subway when she was 11, she isn't initially too keen to let Tyler into her life.
But the pair's paths are intertwined and fate has a way of playing these things out.
Both Pattinson and de Ravin are perfectly cast in Remember Me, an aching, yearning film about love - there's broodiness aplenty and inevitable family dramas and a sprinkling of The Taming of The Shrew - but what Remember Me does have is a way of subverting your expectations.
Sure it's a clichéd relationship - Ally's dad, a cop (the ever wonderful Chris Cooper) isn't impressed and Tyler's dad is emotionally stunted from the rest of the family - but it's the central performances from de Ravin and Pattinson which give this film flight and takes it away from your usual brooding young love and aching hearts kind of film.
Granted there are familiar familial patterns playing out here - the family drama on all sides is nothing new and there's more than a few predictable moments as the end approaches.
Some will argue Pattinson's just putting in another brooding performance a la Edward Cullen (ie slightly aloof) but that's unfair to RPatz - whose restrained screen presence gradually unpeels and reveals several layers. It's clear he's destined for a shelf life beyond the ole vamp, and thanks to de Ravin's emotionally rich performance, the pair sizzle on screen.
But it's the rich ending of Remember Me which emotionally shocks you by knocking the wind out of your cinematic sails - it's unexpected, powerful and may well leave you agog. (But you won't find me discussing it here).
Remember Me is an intriguing relationship drama which will have RPatz's fans both drooling and more in love with him than ever before - but its ending will polarise the audience; however sometimes, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Pierce Brosnan, Lena Olin, Chris Cooper
Director: Allen Coulter
Ladies, catch your breath - in between his time sparkling as a vampire, R Patz returns to the screen in this romantic drama.
He's Tyler, a rebellious student in New York in 2001, who's got a strained relationship with his lawyer dad (an aloof and emotionally hard Pierce Brosnan) ever since his brother committed suicide.
Tyler is a bit of a closed book drifter, a one night stands kind of guy who won't emotionally open up - but that all changes when a twist of fate brings him to Ally (Lost's Emilie de Ravin).
Ally too is emotionally damaged - having seen her mom murdered on the subway when she was 11, she isn't initially too keen to let Tyler into her life.
But the pair's paths are intertwined and fate has a way of playing these things out.
Both Pattinson and de Ravin are perfectly cast in Remember Me, an aching, yearning film about love - there's broodiness aplenty and inevitable family dramas and a sprinkling of The Taming of The Shrew - but what Remember Me does have is a way of subverting your expectations.
Sure it's a clichéd relationship - Ally's dad, a cop (the ever wonderful Chris Cooper) isn't impressed and Tyler's dad is emotionally stunted from the rest of the family - but it's the central performances from de Ravin and Pattinson which give this film flight and takes it away from your usual brooding young love and aching hearts kind of film.
Granted there are familiar familial patterns playing out here - the family drama on all sides is nothing new and there's more than a few predictable moments as the end approaches.
Some will argue Pattinson's just putting in another brooding performance a la Edward Cullen (ie slightly aloof) but that's unfair to RPatz - whose restrained screen presence gradually unpeels and reveals several layers. It's clear he's destined for a shelf life beyond the ole vamp, and thanks to de Ravin's emotionally rich performance, the pair sizzle on screen.
But it's the rich ending of Remember Me which emotionally shocks you by knocking the wind out of your cinematic sails - it's unexpected, powerful and may well leave you agog. (But you won't find me discussing it here).
Remember Me is an intriguing relationship drama which will have RPatz's fans both drooling and more in love with him than ever before - but its ending will polarise the audience; however sometimes, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
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