The American: Movie Review

The American: Movie Review

The American
Rating: 8/10
Cast: George Clooney, Violante Placido
Director: Anton Corbijn
With U2 in town it seems a good time to release a film from the band's visual director of their output. (Although I'm sure that's just a coincidence.)
Oh, and it has swooney George Clooney too.
Clooney stars as Jack, an assassin, who's been ordered to lie low in Italy after his cover in Sweden is blown, resulting in a bloodbath.
While there he befriends an elderly priest, falls for a prostitute Clara (Violante Placido) and takes on one last job.
However, the demons of the past are catching up with him...
The American is deceptive.
With a restrained performance from Clooney, it's hard to root for this assassin as we learn very little about him - many shots are of him constructing a gun or merely going about his day to day business while waiting for the storm to blow over.
But it's a good solid turn from Clooney which sees you sucked in very early on.
The film itself is typical Anton Corbijn; beautifully shot (the Italian locations are stunning and mesmerising), there's little action throughout. Yet it's that hypnotic touch and slow burning pace which sees you gripped - right from the initial opening which delivers a sucker punch to your gut right from the get go.
There's tension as you wait for the inevitable explosion as the mistrust, betrayal and fear spills over - but Corbijn masterfully delays all that and confounds your expectation if you're expecting a film chock full of action and explosion.

And that's why it's such a success; it's a gradually building, well acted and restrained drama which has you in its vice like grip as the final moments play out.

Let Me In: Movie Review

Let Me In: Movie Review

Let Me In
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkin, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Elias Koteas
Director: Matt Reeves
From the director of Cloverfield comes a shot-for-shot remake of the perfect Swedish vampire/horror film, Let The Right One In.
It's 1980s New Mexico: Smit-McPhee, fresh from surviving the apocalypse in The Road , plays 12-year-old Owen. His parents are on the verge of divorcing and his school life is hell, thanks to daily bullying. He's pretty much your archetypal loner kid who just can't seem to connect with anyone (through no fault of his own).
At the same time as Owen's trying to make his way through a miserable existence, police are hunting an apparent ritualistic murderer who drains victims of their blood. They're at a loss to work out why the victims are targeted and what the motive is.
One day in a snowy courtyard, Owen meets Abby ( Kickass's Chloe Moretz), an apparent kindred soul who, despite initially bonding with Owen, warns him they can't be friends.
But against the grain, the two become friends - Owen drawing strength from Abby, and Abby benefiting from the daily contact with someone her same age.
However, their two worlds are threatened when Abby's truth is revealed ... and what's inside her threatens to boil over.
Let Me In is a superior horror and, quite frankly, given the source material it was taken from, there really is nothing else it could be.
Purists who've seen the Swedish masterpiece will notice how 95 per cent of the film is just reshot from the original and it's simply the location which has been changed.
Yet, that's unfair to simply dismiss Matt Reeves' version. Let Me In works brilliantly because of the three main characters, all of whom put in textured, layered and tender performances. Richard Jenkin proves once again he can't put a foot wrong - his role as Abby's protector is filled with sadness at the horror of the situation he lives in - and his final scenes with Abby are haunting and emotionally charged.
Moretz and Smit-McPhee are also brilliant in their roles; these are clearly young talents with bright, varied futures ahead of them. Their director's got the best out of them with subtle performances that reek of tenderness, desperation and humanity.
Plus, when Abby attacks, the feral snarling speed and ferocity with which she does so, is shocking. These are vampires as creatures of necessity and with a parasitic nature, as opposed to the twinkling love-moping vamps of the Twilight Saga. (Don't forget all your latest Twilight Saga news is right here for you)
Sure, film snobs will claim the original is best (and maybe they have a point) but this Americanised version is to be commended for ensuring more people see the story - and it's worth seeing for the scene with the car chase. While that wasn't in the source material, the moment when the car flips is perhaps one of the most original and well shot scenes I've seen in a long time.

Director Reeves also deserves credit - while he's not exactly done anything to improve the original, he should be applauded for remaking a film which is respectful to the original and faithful as well. The atmosphere is haunting, melancholy and sobre (complemented by Michael Giacchino's evocative score, which seems lifted from TV series Lost at times) and the overall result - an intelligent and expertly crafted film - is bound to stay with you long after you've left the cinema.

Due Date: Movie Review

Due Date: Movie Review

Due Date
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx, Danny McBride, Juliette Lewis, Sunny the Dog
Director: Todd Phillips
From the director of The Hangover comes this new road trip film.
Robert Downey Jr is Peter Highman, an uptight businessman and father to be who just wants to get home to his wife who's about to give birth to their first child.
But his chances of doing so are ruined when he bumps into Zach Galifianakis' aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay. Within minutes of meeting, Peter's been arrested at the airport on suspicion of drug-smuggling - and then thrown on the no-fly list after a misunderstanding leads him to be considered a terrorist.
In each case, Ethan's nearby; so, when Peter finds he has no wallet, no passport and no hope of getting home in time for the birth, he has no choice but to accept Ethan's offer to road trip across America.
But the real problem is that every time Ethan opens his mouth, Peter's blood pressure rises and he edges ever closer to a breakdown - and his life falling apart.
So the road trip flick is rolled out once again and, this time, with some extremely funny moments.
The pair have an abrasive relationship that works well on the big screen - Downey Jr continues his star career by managing to imbue his uptight daddy-to-be with a few tender moments; and Zach Galifianakis continues to rock the deadpan humour he's becoming so well know for.
Everyone else in the film is pretty much reduced to cameos as the unconventional duo head out on the road - the best of them is Danny McBride (but to say much about that would spoil it).
There are plenty of comic situations which are mined for the best effect possible - and the audience will love them because of their unexpected nature. The script is also snappy and smart, with some frankly ludicrous moments that work because they don't feel out of place or shoehorned in.

Due Date is going to work best for you if it's an end-of-night treat with a few of the lads - the two leads are engaging, there's some hilariously unexpected dialogue (which you'll be quoting for days afterwards) and it's one of those popcorn good night out kind of films. It's also like a road trip in many ways - there are some good moments and there's also the moments where you wonder: "Are we there yet?"

Machete: Movie Review

Machete: Movie Review

Machete
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Lindsay Lohan, Don Johnson, Steven Seagal, Cheech Marin, Robert deNiro

Director: Robert Rodriguez
Spun off from a fake trailer housed inside the Grindhouse films from a couple of years back, Machete is a bloody, gory, violent, funny exploitation pic.
The rugged craggy, scar-faced Trejo plays Machete, a Federal agent who's betrayed at the start of the film by Torrez (Seagal), because Machete won't do the honourable thing and take a bribe.
But that's not enough for Torrez - he slaughters Machete's family in front of him.
Vowing revenge, Machete (somehow - and unsurprisingly) escapes and is seen three years later working at a the US border with Mexico, doing whatever he can to get by.
However, Jeff Fahey's bearded Booth one day offers him $150,000 to shoot Senator McLaughlin (De Niro), who's campaigning on the re-election trail under the ticket of shutting down the Mexican border and getting rid of the illegal immigrants.
Things get worse for Machete when he's betrayed by Booth and finds himself on the run from the would-be assassins and Jessica Alba's Agent Sartana - can he clear his name and save the day?
Ok, you're not going to go to Machete for indepth dialogue, devastating discussion about immigration and deep characterisation - on the contrary, this is a film developed from a fake trailer in the Grindhouse films from the likes of Tarantino and Rodriguez.
It's sleazy, it's violent, it's exploitative - and above all, it's just a good night out for the lads.
The pulpy feel of the film is set before the opening credits have even begun: with a sneering Trejo, Machete is a killing machine, using a 360-degree spin to massacre and behead a room full of bad guys; the opening says it all.
But it's also funny - it's clearly from a team who understand and deeply love the genre. There's no sign of parody and Trejo gives it a deep intensity and his all to a character who says little, apart from lines such as "Machete don't text".
All of the supporting cast are good and are clearly relishing their roles, and Rodriguez has done a frenetic job of editing the whole thing together within the confines of the genre, and with some great sound effects, it's a bloody mess (in the best possible way.) Add in a blistering soundtrack and you've got the makings of a good time out.

Don't expect much out of Machete - head to it after a few drinks and with some of the lads; that way you'll have a blast.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed: Movie Review

The Disappearance of Alice Creed: Movie Review

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Gemma Arterton, Martin Compston, Eddie Marsan

Director: J Blakeson
A kidnap drama, British flick The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a tautly told tale.
As the film opens, two nondescript men (Compston and Marsan) are stealing a van, visiting a DIY shop and soundproofing a dingy apartment.
Hardly a word is spoken between them; but moments later, the reason for their endeavour is apparent when the screaming of a woman's heard.
That woman is Alice Creed (Arterton); her father is rich and the two believe that kidnapping her will garner them the cash they need to live the life of Riley.
But once Creed is locked in the apartment and the ransom demand is made, cracks start to develop all round - and it's not clear that the kidnappers' plans will go how they want.
It's difficult to fully explain Alice Creed without revealing some of the surprises that pepper it throughout and help steer it away from simply being another run of the mill drama.
With betrayals, surprises, tension and shocks, the whole thing though is a piece of twisty (and at times, twisted) film making. However, it is also a breath of fresh air as it simply involves a trio of actors and very little else. That leads to a feeling you're watching a play unfolding - but that does nothing to detract from the drama within.
It's a well-acted taut piece which keeps you guessing to the end; but it's Arterton and Marsan who really impress by bringing their A game to the piece and keep the whole thing moving along with pace and tension.
Sadly though, after about an hour, there's a dramatic lull and with most of the surprises and shock twists revealed, it makes the final thirty minutes seem a little leaden as it lurches toward its conclusion.

If you want to see stripped back film-making where the script is the star, delivered by power performances, then The Disappearance of Alice Creed is for you; it's just a shame that the story runs a little foul of itself towards the end.

Dr Who - The Complete Specials: DVD Review

Dr Who - The Complete Specials: DVD Review

Doctor Who - The Complete Specials
Released by BBC and Roadshow
Rating: PG
So it's farewell to the best Doctor Who of recent years - 10th Doctor David Tennant.
Sure, we're into the Matt Smith years now but this collection of the special feature length episodes from Tennant's final days in the TARDIS is a welcome reminder of how iconic this man made the role.
Collecting together all five specials (The Next Doctor, Planet of The Dead, The Waters of Mars and The End of Time) this set is really for the collectors as the casual fan probably already has all of these separate releases.
While the first two specials are a little varying in quality, the final three episodes really ramp up the quality and the dramatic stakes as the end nears, not only for the Doctor but for the production team which brought the series back in 2005.
Packed with extras (the majority of which have already been released on the previous releases) this set is a nice collection - but the piece de resistance is the intro to the booklet which accompanies the set.
It's written by life long Dr Who fan David Tennant to his younger self and is sweet, touching and demonstrates why the fans of this series love it so much - it really shows that the series lost a true star.
Extras: Commentaries, behind the scenes docos, Dr Who At the proms - there's plenty here but sadly nothing which hasn't already been released.

Rating: 8/10

Dr Who: The Cybermen Set: DVD Review

Dr Who: The Cybermen Set: DVD Review

Dr Who - The Cybermen Set
Released by BBC and Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: PG
This set collects together two outings for the Cybermen - one from the 70s where they face off against the eternally popular Tom Baker's Doctor Who and one from the 80s where they face Sylvester McCoy's Doctor Who.
They're opposing serials in terms of engagement; the Tom Baker's Revenge of the Cybermen serial shows a production team trying to make the best of location and script (and largely succeeding) whereas Sylvester McCoy's Silver Nemesis is from a series which was struggling with a lack of money and faith from the BBC. It makes them different watching experiences but they're still watchable fare.
However, the best part of this double release set are the extras; specifically the doco Cheques, Lies and Videotapes. This fascinating piece looks at the lengths fans would go to to get their hands on episodes of the series in the days pre-monthly DVD releases - it shows how fans would pay extortionate amounts for anything repeated fare from the Doctor. As well as the usual commentaries and docos, this is once again a superlative release on the extras front.

Rating: 7/10