127 Hours: Movie Review

127 Hours: Movie Review

127 Hours
Rating: 8/10
Cast: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn
Director: Danny Boyle
So another Oscar contender heads for the big screen.
This time, James Franco gives an Oscar-nominated performance as Aron Ralston, an American climber whose trip into the wild in 2003 changed his life forever when he became trapped down a canyon, with his arm crushed against a wall with a boulder.
Ralston heads out to the canyons on a Friday night in April 2003, not telling family or friends where he's going but simply out on the quest for adrenaline.
He meets two girls (Mara and Tamblyn) before his life changes when he falls down a Utah canyon and is trapped by a boulder.
Over five days, his mental and physical health take their toll as Ralston reflects back on his life and faces the ultimate look at his own mortality.
127 Hours is claustrophobic, uncomfortable viewing in the extreme - thanks to one scene (more on that later).
But it's also terrific, with an undeniable energy and a mesmerising performance from Franco as Ralston.
Given Franco's on screen for most of the film solo, he really needed to pull out all the stops to chart the mental decline, hallucinations, guilt, and memories that Ralston goes through, and he delivers in spades in this total sensory experience of a film.
Every moment, as the camera tracks his wearying expressions, you can't tear your eyes away from Franco; partially that's because of the inevitability of knowing (slight spoiler ahead) he hacks off his own arm with a blunt knife to escape.
Yet it's also a career best for Franco, who has presence aplenty and makes Ralston a multi-faceted character who you care about - despite the guy's fallacies, arrogance and cockiness. If Franco's great, the other star is director Danny Boyle; his visual touches, the simply brilliant soundtrack, the use of flashbacks and memories (as well as premonitions) just means you really can't stop watching what's unfolding in front of you. It's a mightily impressive look into the mind of someone who's falling apart and facing an horrific future.
So to that scene - the one which this film will become known for; the removal of Ralston's arm at his own hand.
It's uncomfortable viewing but it's compelling too - I don't remember the last time I sat in a cinema seat squirming and with nowhere to go, but it's so well done (thanks to bone-crunching sound effects) that it delivers the shock it needs and gives you the emotional and physical release you need after 80 minutes' worth of waiting.
The only real criticism is the jarring final shot of the real Ralston sat on a couch with his wife - it's a real clunker and is becoming this year's fad for true stories. It's really disappointing because it's almost as if the director's saying: "Look we told you this was a true story - and here's the proof." It's narratively flawed and really detracts from what Franco's delivered over the past 90 minutes.

Despite this one flaw, 127 Hours is gut-wrenchingly good, a compelling watch and an unbelievable performance from Franco.

Gnomeo and Juliet: Movie Review

Gnomeo and Juliet: Movie Review

Gnomeo and Juliet
Rating: 7/10
Voice Cast: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Jason Statham, Ashley Jensen, Michael Caine, Matt Lucas
Director: Kelly Asbury
Romeo and Juliet - told in a gnomes' setting - with music (essentially his greatest hits) by Elton John.
I can tell you've already decided to divert your attention away but wait, come back.
Set in the back gardens of two rival neighbours, the gnomes have been at war with each other since forever. On the one side, the blue-hatted gnomes and on the other, the reds.
But when Gnomeo (McAvoy) bumps into Juliet (Blunt), the pair fall in love and decide to carry on regardless of the ramifications of their relationship.
However, as the feud between the two sides intensifies, Gnomeo and Juliet find themselves right in the middle of it.
Gnomeo and Juliet is a colourfully garish diversion.
It's also a little bit smart too - with the opening packing in a few adult jokes or nods only Shakespeare fans may get, there are signs the humour is aimed at all the family. Visual gags like a banana on a laptop, as opposed to an apple, are prevalent - and they're used as much as a few lines of Shakespeare here and there to provide homage to the source material.
With a flighty, zesty script and an infinitely top-notch vocal cast (Ashley Jensen as Juliet's frog is an insane stand-out), the film crackles along apace and with an eye on the lunatic.
Throw in Elton John's best songs (I'll even forgive the Saturday chorus refrain being changed to "Gnomeo" during Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting) and this is a relative joy, which only dips a little towards the end.
Kids will love it; parents won't find their patience too sorely tested - and even purists of Romeo and Juliet will appreciate the respect with which the writers have treated the story.

Gnomeo and Juliet is great lightweight family fodder - with completely nutty moments, it's good fun all round.

Fair Game: Movie Review

Fair Game: Movie Review

Fair Game
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, David Andrews
Director: Doug Liman
Naomi Watts and Sean Penn reteam for a third time in this movie based on a true story.
Watts stars as CIA agent Valerie Plame, who works at the highest level within the government. The film begins in the aftermath of September the 11th, with the CIA trying to substantiate claims over who's behind the terror attacks and get the evidence needed to support the US government's stance on a war with Iraq.
But when Plame's husband, Joe Wilson (a fiery and defiant Sean Penn) writes an opinion piece in the New York Times in 2003 that the intelligence was manipulated to fit the White House, Plame's cover is blown.
She's revealed to the world as a CIA agent, endangering operations she has in play and lives she has promised to protect.
Not only does it endanger everything she's worked for, but the personal cost on the duo and their young family is crippling.
Fair Game is intelligent film-making, blessed with strong central performances.
While it takes a while to get going, the clever use of archival news footage from that time within the film sees a taut political drama start to unfold. The shaky camera work adds a grittiness (and at times, it must be said, a distraction) but it's really Watts and Penn who shine here. Penn, in particular, gets to vent his spleen well in the character who rages against the injustice - but a more quiet and restrained Watts brings the emotional intensity needed to balance that.
The initial humour ends very quickly as the story changes (on returning from a fact-finding mission to Niger, Wilson's character says he "doesn't feel very 007 right now") and soon, the drama has taken the front stage.

Engrossing and with an ending that certainly packs a powerful emotional punch, Fair Game is an interesting and gripping look into the old David and Goliath argument - and the personal toll beliefs can actually have on those involved.

Me and Orson Welles: DVD Review

Me and Orson Welles: DVD Review

Me and Orson Welles
Released by Madman Entertainment

1930s New York and young teen wannabe actor Richard Samuels (Zac Efron) finds himself on the steps of the Mercury Theatre.
Samuels is a dreamer and wants to tread the boards - and thanks to a chance meeting with soon to be legendary Orson Welles (a brilliant and stellar performance from Christian McKay), he finds himself cast in a minor role in Welles' Julius Caesar.

But from there, Samuels begins to learn the reality of the life backstage isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Particularly not when the director is Orson Welles, a brilliant, impetuous, temperamental and arrogant man who firmly believes the play's the thing.

Me and Orson Welles surprises on a few levels - it's a spot on recreation of 1930s New York (complete with a spry soundtrack) but it's the acting talent and the story which really shine.

While Zac Efron's better than you'd expect given his High School Musical pedigree, it's really Christian McKay who excels in his role as Orson. From the vocal performance and the perfect encapsulation of the volatile Welles, to the characteristics of the man who polarised many, McKay is spot on and emerges as the real winner of this film.

His Orson is a sleaze, the kind of man who takes ambulances to appointments to beat traffic, a real cad and bounder whose passion for performance eclipses everything else. And it's McKay's performance which eclipses everyone else - he steals every scene he's in and is scarily impressive.

Combined with a sweet central romance between Efron's character and Claire Danes' manager, Me And Orson Welles is an unexpected treat, well worth two hours of your time.

Extras: Interview with original theatre players, star interviews, trailers and obligatory deleted scenes

Rating: 8/10

Being Human Series One and Two: DVD Review

Being Human Series One and Two: DVD Review

Being Human
Series One and Series Two
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: R16
A story about three housemates, trying to live their lives as normally as possible sounds particularly dull.
But in this series, the trio involved are a werewolf, a ghost and a vampire.
And these two series are examples of the very best of British.
Series one introduces the gang; George, a werewolf who's struggling to get by and find his place in the world - as well as love; Annie, a ghost, whose death is the result of a shocking twist in her relationship and Mitchell, a brooding vampire, who's lost the taste for blood.
Series two ups the ante dramatically as George battles with his demons and guilt over infecting his girlfriend with the werewolf gene; Mitchell has problems with the vampire community and poor Annie finds life in the spirit world can be very very tough.
Throw in a battle for vampire supremacy, hints of a centuries old fight between werewolves and the vamps, as well as worries over what the neighbours think and you may be wondering what the appeal of this series is.
Well, quite simply it's in the masterful writing, wonderful acting and clever characterization. It's an appealing premise which just works from the get-go; there's no clever set up and it feels real because of it. You really do root for the trio as they face what seem insurmountable odds because of who they are - and their desire to just get by.
The ending of Series two is particularly heart wrenching and fans will be clamouring for more - be warned though; once you start Being Human, you may find the compulsive side of your nature coming out - and you'll have to watch it all in one go.
Extras: Series one has profiles, interviews and behind the scenes stuff - nothing on series two.

Rating: 8/10

American Dad Volume Five: DVD Review

American Dad Volume Five: DVD Review

American Dad - Volume 5
Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Entertainment

So the over the top animated adventures of CIA Agent Stan Smith continues in this latest release which collects together some eight hours of entertainment.

A little more cohesive than Family Guy even though it's from the same creative team, American Dad is nonetheless equally as entertaining.

Episodes include Steve, the son, running amok at a bar mitzvah; Francine discovering she was a second choice for wife, and Stan building a DeLorean (the car from Back To The Future).

It's insanity and hilarity in equal doses although after a while, the humour does veer toward the predictable.

Extras: Deleted scenes (numbering over a 100) and commentaries - a reasonable if unspectacular bunch.

Rating: 6/10

Wild Target: Movie Review

Wild Target: Movie Review

Wild Target
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint, Eileen Atkins, Martin Freeman, Rupert Everett
Director: Jonathan Lynn
The tone for this film is set with the opening sequence.
Bill Nighy, dressed in a suit and sporting a dodgy looking mo, walks into a building. Seconds later as a man falls from a great height, Nighy briskly walks off.
Nighy is Victor Maynard, a 54 year old life long assassin, who's hired to take out Emily Blunt's Rose, a con artist who rips off a local gangster played by Rupert Everett.
But after Maynard fluffs the initial attempt on Rose's life, the gangster sends in his goons to finish the job - and Maynard.
Things get even more complicated when Maynard runs into Rupert Grint's orphan Tony as he's about to kill Rose. Terry ends up saving all of their lives and the trio's forced on the run until it all blows over.
Wild Target is a quirky style farce which channels early Ealing comedies. There's dry humour aplenty to begin with and clearly something a little different to start off with.
Nighy is mightily impressive as Maynard; his unmoving expression and poker face give some of his actions a more comedic feel. Along with his tall slender frame and suit, at times, he feels like John Cleese about to launch into the Ministry of Silly Walks. He's starchy and stiff which makes his eventual thawing a little more plausible - although once again, Nighy gets to dance (it seems to be the law that in most of his films, he gets to boogie.)
Emily Blunt and Rupert Grint offer good solid support - Blunt's Rose is a mischievous impish thief who doesn't realize until too late the trouble she's in. And Grint brings a bit of humanity to the orphan who's taken under Victor's wing.

The problem with Wild Target is that despite the talented cast, this feels a little too farcical (albeit very funny in places) to be completely successful. It doesn't offer anything radically new in terms of story and gags (an intelligence lacking hitman eats pot pourri mistaking it for a snack) and because of that, it doesn't soar as much as it could.