Clash Of The Titans: Movie Review

Clash Of The Titans: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Alexa Davalos, Mads Mikklesen
Director: Louis Leterrier
So, winter blockbuster season is upon us.
First cab off the ranks in the blockbuster stakes is this remake of the 1981 classic Clash of the Titans - this time, it stars Avatar's Sam Worthington.
It's set in ancient Greece and sees Sam Worthington as Perseus, the son of the ancient Greek god Zeus (a bearded Liam Neeson). Perseus is your average kind of guy; rejected by his human stepdad because his wife slept with a Greek god, he was cast out and given to human parents. But when they're killed by Hades, Perseus swears vengeance for them.
And with a background of mortals turning their backs on the gods, war is on the verge of breaking out between the immortals and the humans. Perseus finds himself on a quest to stop Hades (a whispering Ralph Fiennes) unleash hell on earth as payback for man turning their backs on the immortals. But Hades is hell bent on revenge - and not only on mankind but on his brother Zeus as well.
Will Perseus follow his fate - or will he save the day and the ancient world?
If you're au fait with Greek mythology (I'm holding my geek hand up here - and proudly I may add) then you'll appreciate the way the characters have been brought to life; there's all the subtle layers of hubris that the likes of Homer imbued his characters with; there's also the jealousy and the pettiness of the gods on full display here as they threaten to destroy the world because they're being ignored. It's a nice nod to the source material of this film (and even in one scene the original) which makes this version of Clash of the Titans so appealing. Coüpled with the fact that the story zips along nicely and doesn't bog you down with too much backstory, Clash is a fairly affable night out at the cinema.
Although judging by the amount of manly men on display here, certain sections of the audience will be wowed by Sam Worthington's performance (the majority of which appears to be spent scowling and glowering). The rest of the cast are okay but they're simply there as window dressing (Gemma Arterton as Perseus' protector Io, particularly is not the strongest and appears to have been brought in for her dusky looks) to the creatures and the story. Most disappointing is Ralph Fiennes' hammy Hades - he's whispering and doesn't really do much to convey menace (although the effects for Hades are pretty good).
The CGI in the film isn't too bad either (it's not earth shattering)- director Leterrier (The Transporter) does a good job of bringing some of the mythical creatures (such as the Pegasus, the Kraken, Medusa) to life - and some are given a nightmarish touch which may frighten some of the younger end of the audience.
But the biggest misfire on this film is to release it in 3D - it's a completely pointless decision. The decision was made retroactively after the film was made so it doesn't actually bring anything to the table by being converted to 3D - it's not been filmed with this in mind, it adds nothing to the stunning recreation of the Greek world they've created and it's a real let down.
Fans of the original 1981 version of Clash of the Titans (compelte with its stop motion animated creatures courtesy of the genius which was Ray Harryhausen) will enjoy this remake; that said, though, you don't have to be a fan of the original to come on board because this is simply blockbuster entertainment in its purest form. If you check your brain at the door and just fancy scenes of mythical creatures and testosterone fuelled fight scenes, then you're in for a good time because it's disposable fun. It won't win any major awards and won't leave you with masses to talk about after it's over, but that's not a bad thing.

Which sometimes is really all you want in a blockbuster after a long week at work.

Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang: Movie Review

Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang: Movie Review

Rating: 5/10
Cast: Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Maggie Smith, Rhys Ifans, Ralph Fiennes
Director: Susanna White
School hols are well and truly here.
What with How To Train Your Dragon and now Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, it's clear there's a fight going on for the household cash - if the rain sets in over Easter.
Emma Thompson is back as the Nanny in this second world war set sequel which sees Maggie Gyllenhaal's Mrs Green on the verge of tearing her hair out - with her husband away at war and city dwelling cousins sent to live on the farm, plus with quarreling kids of her own, she's really got her work cut out.
However, enter McPhee - who turns up on their doorstep because the army sent her (she's a military Mary Poppins) and with a brief to pull the kids into line.
But that's not all the problems - Mrs Green's brother in law (Rhys Ifans, verging on a 1930s silent film villain) has gambled away his half of the farm - and is determined to do what he can to save his own neck from the debtors.
Look - what can I say about Nanny McPhee? It's clearly a family film aimed at the families who've got younger kids; jokes about poo from the farm, a belching bird and sibling squabbles do not a sophisticated day out make. Coupled with a slightly nostalgic way we all lived in the war, parts of this film may irritate you a little more than is necessary.
Throw in some cute animal moments and synchronized swimming pigs and you clearly have a recipe aimed at the younger end of the market. Not that there's anything wrong with that - coupled with Emma Thompson's very restrained and austere performance as the slightly nightmarish nanny, there's plenty to keep that audience relatively amused for the duration.
There's also some good one liners from the city dwelling Cyril (Eros Vlahos) who has a way with sardonic lines such as this about Nanny McPhee - "She has a face that could make us win the war hands down."
But, yet, there's a vein of tragedy running through this film which an adult will pick up - there's betrayal, war orphans being relocated, family love issues, an ongoing nod to the city's perception of the country folk (hint "we're in the land of poo" and "Oh covered in poo people" comments from the kid characters will tell you where that's angled) which are clearly aimed at the more perceptive end of the audience.
It's this odd mix though which doesn't quite hang together - while all of the main adult cast do proficiently in their roles, the child actors are in places a bit ropey (although they do have their moments) and the whole thing isn't exactly enthralling in the way other kids movies can be.

In conclusion (and to reiterate), Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang will be loved by the younger end of the audience; older kids and adults may find it somewhat of a harder sell to sit through as there's not enough to keep them engaged throughout.

Leaving: Movie Review

Leaving: Movie Review

Rating: 5/10
Cast: Kristin Scott Thomas, Sergi Lopez, Yvan Attal
Director: Catherine Corsini
Kristin Scott Thomas stars in this French film about a 40 year old woman living in the south of France - and desperate for a change.
Married to a doctor and with two kids, Suzanne's decided to go back to work as a physiotherapist; her husband gives her the nod and decides to build a consulting room in their backyard.
Cue Ivan (Sergi Lopez) the odd job man who's been to jail turning up on their doorstep.
However, soon after the work begins, the pair find themselves attracted - and unable to fight their feelings.
But what begins as an affair soon engulfs five people's lives - and with disastrous consequences..
Leaving will divide you - personally I felt it's hard to feel too much sympathy for Kristin Scott Thomas Suzanne in this film - she's got everything she needs and clearly is unhappy; but the fault lies within her character rather than the film itself. Robbed of any real context of why she's so miserable in her marriage, until her husband starts to act jealously (as any wronged partner would), she's not really got much in the way of a case for the affair.
And yet, there's an undeniable chemistry between both Suzanne and Ivan - and it's this which makes this film plausible (even if you don't agree with it). Sure, she's got no financial freedom and there's a social comment here with the woman leaving her home for a Spanish blue collar worker but I didn't really feel any connection - or sympathy - to Suzanne's plight.
However, Kristin Scott Thomas puts in a strong performance as Suzanne as her plight begins to affect all around her - and it's towards the end as it starts to really unravel that she finally comes alive as a character and delivers an emotional and powerful performance - which almost makes you forgive the fact she's lied, cheated and slept with someone else.

Nowhere Boy: Movie Review

Nowhere Boy: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Aaron Johnson, Anne Marie Duff, Thomas Sangster
Director: Sam Taylor-Wood
A film about John Lennon's early life is probably long over due.
The Beatles may have had a recent resurgence - but very little's ever really been committed to screen about the adolescent years of one of those behind the legacy.
Aaron Johnson stars as the teenage Lennon who's living with his aunt Mimi (a stiffly icy Kristin Scott-Thomas) - when his uncle drops dead one night, Lennon's suddenly struck by a desire to find his mum (Anne Marie Duff)
Ultimately the pair is reunited and Lennon starts to discover his musical side - and the rest as they say is history.
Except with Nowhere Boy and John Lennon in this film, that's not the case. Nowhere Boy is an interesting look into the early familial side of life of the man who would help shape the future of music.
However, it's not without its faults - at times, it feels like a kitchen sink drama as it negotiates the mother son and aunt triangle. There's an odd dynamic between Lennon and his mum Julia - it feels at times flirty - and is slightly uncomfortable to watch early on until you realize why she is like she is. It does also seem like a DVD or TV Movie - there's never really anything compelling given as a reason as to why it should be on the big screen.
That's not to say it's not good in places - 1950s life is stunningly recreated in this and the soundtrack is great.
And Johnson as Lennon is great - he manages to capture the cheekiness of Lennon's humour well and also gets the sadness down to a tee as he deals with the day to day family troubles. There are early hints of the Beatles - with Thomas Sangster (Love Actually) being given the Paul McCartney role.

But Nowhere Boy is less about the formation of the band and more about the problems Lennon faced growing up - if anything it provides a peek into a life some of us may not have known anything about.

Moon: DVD Review

Moon: DVD Review

Moon
Released by Sony Home Entertainment
Rating: M
In this superb slice of intelligent sci-fi, Sam Rockwell stars as Sam Bell, an employee contracted for three years by a mining company to work on the surface of the moon to help extract helium-3 which is to be used on earth as a power source.
As the end of his stretch nears, Bell suffers an accident on the lunar surface and wakes up back inside the base, convinced he is not alone&
There's much to love about Moon - from the retro stylings of the moonbase (its sheer whites recall 2001: A Space Odyssey - as does Kevin Spacey's voicing of the robot GERTY, whose monotone talk and displays emoticons on its screen are reminiscent of HAL) -to the wonderful performance of Sam Rockwell as a disaffected Bell.
But in terms of themes, Moon is more than just scifi.
It has universal themes such as isolation, what it is to be human and how we need other people to survive - the initial opening is all about the character study and how one survives alone and millions of miles away from others before it changes into something even smarter and more existential. Rockwell continues to grow his portfolio as one of the best actors around - his multiple character emotions are brought excellently to the fore by director Jones. It's his performance which literally pivots the film - and which is so compelling, you can't take your eyes off the screen for one moment.
To simply define Moon as sci fi is to do it a disservice - to consider it more as a study of the human condition and of the big questions in life is more appropriate.
Extras: Commentary with the director, and producers, a featurette on the making and the visual effects - as well as a short film by the director Duncan Jones - all add to the experience.

Rating: 8/10

Orphan: DVD Review

Orphan: DVD Review

Orphan
Released by Warner Home Video
Rating: R16
It appears the scary kids are back.

Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Saarsgard) are two parents trying to put the pieces back of their lives after losing a third child - however, the strain is showing as Kate also battles with going back on the booze and blaming herself for her youngest daughter Max's deafness after an incident involving a lake near their home.
So as they try to get back on track, they head to the local orphanage where they're immediately charmed by 9year old Russian girl, Esther.
Esther becomes a part of their lives - and splits the younger kids - with the elder Daniel wary and Max (Aryana Engineer) being overly welcoming and in thrall of her new sister.
However, it soon becomes clear that Esther is not all she seems&.
For the majority of its (slightly long) two hour running time, Orphan is racked full of suspense - with the sense of foreboding quite powerful at times.
It's quite an honest portrait of a family trying to get back to a normal life - both Farmiga and Saarsgard are compelling and realistic in their portrayal of a normal couple who are stretched to the limits by what's happened.
Of the younger kids, newcomer Aryana Engineer gives an impressive debut performance as Max (traumatized and empowered in equal measures)- but it's Isabelle Fuhrman who provides the requisite spooks and gives you the creeps as her Esther skulks around on screen.
Some will find the brooding build up a little slow in places - and at times the soundtrack pulls no punches in screeching its terrifying intentions (not always to the best effect).
Unfortunately after the end twist sucker punch, Orphan sadly has nowhere left to go and descends into a conclusion mired in clichéd horror films - but for shocks and moments where you find your nails digging into the cinema chair, Orphan delivers the necessary goods.
Extras: Additional scenes including an alternate ending don't add too much to the package - but at least there's something.

Rating: 6/10

My Life In Ruins: DVD Review

My Life In Ruins: DVD Review

My Life In Ruins
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: PG
The team behind the eternally successful My Big Fat Greek Wedding, have reteamed for this frothy rom com about a tour guide working in Greece.
Nia Vardalos returns and is this time playing Georgia, a history professor who is now slumming it as a tour guide for a dodgy tour company in Greece. Georgia's not doing too well - preferring to concentrate her tours on the architecture, despite her groups insisting they see the tacky tourist traps while out and about.
However, Georgia's about to give up - unlucky in love, unlucky in life, she's decided enough's enough. Her competitor tour guide (played by British impersonator Alistair McGowan) is determined to drive her out - so when Georgia's latest tour group turns up, he seizes his chance.
What can you say about My Life In Ruins? Disappointing is perhaps the politest way to describe this piece of romantic fluff which will anger the sensible with its awful racial stereotyping and distinctly unfunny script.
Vardalos does ok; and even with the support of the ever dependable Richard Dreyfuss, she can't do much to raise this from the mire (which is bizarre as she wrote most of it as well).
Perhaps the best thing about My Life In Ruins is the Greek scenery - some of the ancient monuments look just stunning on screen - however, the jokes about their bus driver's name (he's called Poupi) do little to raise the cultural bar.
Extras: Audio commentaries by Vardalos, director and writer as well as deleted scenes and a featurette entitled Everybody Loves Poupi should tell you everything you need to know about this.

Rating: 3/10