Robocop: Movie Review

Robocop: Movie Review

Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Abbie Cornish, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Keaton
Director: Jose Padihla

Amid the cries of the fanboys whose very youthful existence was enhanced by the original Paul Verhoeven Robocop, comes the 2014 reboot / remake.

In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the centre of robot technology.  Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years, but have been forbidden for law enforcement in America.  Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it.  

When Alex Murphy (The Killing star Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured, OmniCorp sees their chance to build a part-man, part-robot police officer.  OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine....

The Robocop 2014 movie is to be frank, a mixed noisy beast of a film.

Starting with robots patrolling Tehran and clearing the streets, while the stereotyped Iranian suicide bombers plot their attacks on live TV before switching to political machinations within Detroit, it's a queasy journey. The nub is that the American robots can do this abroad, but pesky legislation prevents them from protecting their own on the streets. In fact, if anything, this remake is more concerned with the ethical and moral dilemmas than the kill despatching cop in a suit, hell bent on revenge.

But it's the personal which becomes the most muddled mix in this ultra-violent, yet somehow wholly bloodless cacophony of gun fire style blockbuster. TV's The Killing's Joel Kinnaman's Alex Murphy is essentially trying to solve his own murder when a local kingpin and gun runner blows him up for getting too close to nabbing him; but he's left to do it in an emotionless robotic way that very rarely connects with the audience (despite him being a robot, there's still a chance for him to showcase the human side in a way Peter Weller did).

Attempts to ground this Robocop in a family - complete with moppet haired kid and doting blonde wife Clara (Abbie Cornish who never really gets enough dramatic meat to get to grips with) - are a mixed blessing, with the director choosing to lean on them as a dramatic crutch when it suits the story, rather than utilising them in a way that explores rather than exploits the situation. The scenes where Alex is reunited with his family ground the film but it's almost as if they don't know what to do with it (even though the son isn't sure of his dad, who's now a walking Transformer!) And in fact, they cut away before Alex and Clara spend time together, frustrating you as to how the relationship will go (even though Alex says "Daddy's suit needs some special handling"....the mind boggles) and how it can even progress or see the pair reconnect. It's an emotional misfire that's indicative of moments of the film and which means it stays disconnected from its audience.

So, it's down to the sharp bursts of combat violence and impressive FX for director Padihla to show off his skills; and in places, he does so admirably. Shots of the reality of what's left of Alex when the suit comes off are shocking - and are perfectly played by Kinnaman and Gary Oldman's Doctor. Equally, a first action montage demonstrating the full capability of the suit in action against a series of Cylon like robots from Omnicorp are akin to a video game (despite the attempts to derail it with some incredibly OTT music) but the initial goodwill is lost as other sequences creak under CGI constraints.

Of the human element of Robocop, Keaton is all mad gesticulations as the Steve Jobs type founder of Omnicorp who's more interested in political and corporate machinations and keeping his product launch on track than the ethical reality of the man in the machine; Samuel L Jackson is great as a Fox News style extreme TV news presenter, whose political views and diatribes are there solely to provoke; and Gary Oldman has a near thankless role as the morally grey doctor trying to keep the man in the Robocop suit alive, despite slipping once or twice to achieve his aims.

Ultimately, Robocop delivers a fairly hollow, emotionless, incredibly loud and noisy blockbuster experience that will potentially irritate fans of the original violence drenched Paul Verhoeven Robocop; with a lower style rating, it's clearly aimed at a wider audience. While that doesn't exactly make it a Roboflop, it does feel more of a sanitised experience than perhaps it should have been, lacking in emotional byte.

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The Pa Boys: Movie Review

The Pa Boys: Movie Review

Cast: Francis Kora, Matariki Whatarau, Juanita Hepi, Roimata Fox
Director: Himiona Grace

From the producer of such Kiwi cinematic luminaries as Eagle vs Shark and Boy comes this new feature, hitting cinemas on Waitangi Day.

Set in contemporary Wellington, it's the story of a reggae band, The Pa Boys, who are made up of two mates, and a new flattie, Tau. Deciding to go on a pub tour "down north", the boys face the inevitable tensions of life on the road.

But for Danny (Fran Kora) it's a bigger issue - the appearance of the spiritually centred and in-touch-with-his-ancestors Tau (Matariki Whatarau) causes wider concerns, with his feeling of displacement coming to the fore.

And these worries and insecurities threaten to derail the band's easy musical rapport....

The Pa Boys has a relaxed and gently soulful vibe to it that's hard to deny - if you're expecting another Mt Zion style film, then you'll be in for a shock because Grace's put together a flick which addresses spiritual concerns and accepting your roots ahead of any major musical influence.

While Danny has a growing sense of resentment and alienation, the opposite can be said of Tau in this simply told story and the gentle push and pull helps propel it along. Occasionally, the movie drifts a little as its focus wanders and it can in the odd moment or two, feel like a Maori history lesson as Tau waxes lyrical about how the North island was fished up, but along with the strong use of the scenery and spiritually reflective tone of the movie, The Pa Boys is a measured movie which will strike a chord with some more than others.

The music scenes give an eclectic glimpse into the pub touring circuit and encapsulate the small town vibes and attitudes towards bands heading their way; and the music benefits from having an actual singer on duties.

The ensemble cast are solid with Danny (Kora) giving enough of a feeling of alienation and loss.

All in all, The Pa Boys is a solid debut from Grace; with a little more editing and potentially a little more story, it could have soared a little higher.

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Are We Officially Dating?: Movie Review

Are We Officially Dating?: Movie Review

Cast: Zac Efron, Imogen Poots, Miles Teller, Michael B Jordan, Mackenzie Davis
Director: Tom Gormican

Buddy boy rom-coms get another once over with this comedy with Zac Efron.

Efron is Jason, a lothario, who's all about the booty call and the lack of commitment. A book cover designer by day and barfly by night, he lives his life in the now, and always avoids that awkward moment in a relationship when it's about to turn serious.

But when his friend Mikey discovers his wife is cheating on him, he decides, along with their other lady killer buddy, Daniel (the ever impressive Miles Teller), that all three of them will stay single in a bromance commitment to each other for as long as they can.

However, that plan hits a roadblock when Daniel falls for the group's wingman (actually a woman) Chelsea (Mackenzie Davis) and Mikey keeps trying again with his wife. And things get worse for Jason, who falls for Imogen Poots' Ellie in a bar. After a one night stand, the pair bump into each other at Jason's work - and complications ensue.

Are We Officially Dating? aka That Awkward Moment is the kind of romcom that tries to appeal to the boys as it celebrates the bonds of bachelorhood but gets caught up in the schmaltz of typical romcom tropes.

It isn't always so during the start of the movie; there are playful moments and laugh out loud raunchy moments as a naked Zac Efron pivots on a toilet after taking Viagra and Michael B Jordan masturbates over a coaster from a woman whose number he got in a bar. But those moments fade pretty quickly as the script and story settles for something formulaic and entirely unenticing.

It's not really Efron's fault though - the story's lacking in any real fizzing moments as it plays out; Teller has some nice moments as he realises that the girl who's been helping him to hook up is the one for him and Jordan comes full circle as he realises that married life will never be the same. However, it's Poots' character who suffers the worst in this - she's initially feisty and a little bit independent but gradually begins to crumble as time goes on. Her worst crime is taking on Jason after he abandons her in an hour of need, just because of fears that by showing up, it would prove they're dating and committed.

All in all, Are We Officially Dating? has no incisive insight into modern relationships, nor does it offer enough of the stupidity to appeal to the male spectrum of cinema-goers. It's weak, lacking in ribaldry and fails to hit the spot at all.

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier Superbowl spot

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Superbowl spot

Here it is - the Captain America: The Winter Soldier Superbowl spot.

Chris Evans stars as Captain America in the film coming in April from Marvel.

Watch the Captain America: The Winter Soldier Superbowl spot below.

Noah SuperBowl spot

Noah SuperBowl spot

The Superbowl spot for Noah has been released.

Starring Russell Crowe as Noah, the film is due later this year.

Transformers: Age of Extinction -- First Look Spot

Transformers: Age of Extinction -- First Look Spot 

It's here, the very first look at Transformers: Age of Extinction.

The Michael Bay helmed film is due for release on June 26th and stars Mark Wahlberg.

Take a look at Transformers: Age Of Extinction below:

Saving Mr Banks: Movie Review

Saving Mr Banks: Movie Review

Cast: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Colin Farrell, Rachel Griffiths, Ruth Wilson, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, Jason Schwartzman, BJ Novak
Director: John Lee Hancock

A Disney film about the making of a Disney film that was so beloved by so many?

Yep, that's Saving Mr Banks - about the creative wrangles and 20 year fight good ole Walt faced to get Mary Poppins author P L Travers to hand over her creation to the Mouse empire.

Emma Thompson is Mary Poppins author P L Travers in this film which begins in 1961 in London with her accountant urging her to reconsider and sign the rights to Disney before she goes bankrupt. After years of wooing her, Tom Hanks' Walt Disney wants her to come to Hollywood so he can mount one final push and show her that he will be careful of how she's committed to celluloid.

But old Walt, despite the charm offensive, has reckoned without the over-protective and over-bearing nature of Travers, whose pernickerty ways could signal the end of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious before it even hits the screen.

However, through flashbacks to her childhood, Travers' reasons for wanting to protect Mary Poppins are gradually revealed - and it looks like Walt may have to break a promise he made to his own daughters some 20 years ago over the making of the film....

Emma Thompson excels as the controlling Travers, a woman whose life has been precariously built up around the nanny, who saved her in more ways than one. There are plenty of guffaws as Travers dishes out withering looks or put downs as she deals with growing exasperation with the songwriting Sherman brothers (Schwartzman and Novak) and the dwindling patience of Disney. It's a bravura performance, one which soars thanks to the self control of Thompson herself - from the very beginning to the very end of this, she owns and commands the screen with incredible cinematic aplomb - and I'd be very surprised to see her passed over in the forthcoming awards season.

If anything, Hanks' solid performance as Disney is a little overshadowed by the greatness of Thompson. He delivers a slick and subtle turn as the slick showman, so determined to win and fulfil his dream of making Mary Poppins part of the House of Mouse. From bombarding Travers in her hotel room with a plethora of plush stuffed toys, he lays on the charm. It's only really in the final scenes that Disney's ruthlessness comes to the fore as he refuses to have Travers at the premiere of the movie, for fear she could damage its reputation.

So with these two at loggerheads and Travers' antics in the rehearsal room proving the meat on this backstory's bones, it's a shame to say that Hancock over-eggs the narrative pudding with more than just a spoonful of sugar by over-using flashbacks to Travers' life as a youngster in Australia. Complete with Colin Farrell, these are used too often when sparing insertion into the story would have proved more effective. No more is this apparent than in the final sequence as Travers watches Mary Poppins and the director chooses to overstate the sentiment by cutting back and forth - a little subtlety and easing up would have worked wonders, instead of plumping for mawkish, heavy-handed manipulative film-making.

Overall, Saving Mr Banks soars because of Emma Thompson's uptight PL Travers; it's a fascinating dramatisation of what happens when British stiff upper lip meets a bombastic American charm offensive; it's just a shame that in parts, it's a terribly hollow and typically manipulative piece, which cries out for more simplicity and subtlety.

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