Annabelle: Movie Review

Annabelle: Movie Review

Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Alfre Woodard, Tony Amendola, A creepy Doll
Director: John R Leonetti

After The Conjuring scared up a major box office success, it was no surprise some kind of follow up would be creeping out of the shadows for us.

But it's into prequel land we go, with the story of how the creepy doll Annabelle ended up in a glass case and being regularly blessed by priests after being handed off to the paranormal investigators The Warrens.

The origins tale focuses on soon-to-be American parents Mia (Wallis) and John (Horton) whose lives are turned upside down when their neighbours are attacked by a Satanic Cult and murdered. The pair are also attacked with one of the would-be-killers shot dead in the soon-to-be nursery clutching a doll given to Mia by her husband.

Shortly afterwards, with Mia recovering from the assault, spooky things begin to happen around the house, forcing the duo to move on. But, despite discarding Annabelle in the dumpster, the pair are spooked when the doll finds its way to their new home...

Annabelle's already been a massive US box office hit, smashing its budget several times over and scaring up totals that some films only aspire to ever reach.

Which is disappointing, given how predictably dull, tedious and unoriginal this latest horror outing is. (And given that horror dolls when used properly, like Chucky, can be the stuff of nightmares)

Annabelle is a list of lazy horror movie cliches which seem to have been thrown into the mix, blended up and served to audiences who are looking for cheap jolts, dire jump scares and an overblown soundtrack building ominously to very little at all.

The problem with Annabelle comes down to really how sidelined the actual doll is - confined to merely getting copious amounts of close ups, sitting on chairs and looking more sinister than it actually is. It's hard to see why this is the doll that's scared so many, but it's clearly wasted in this outing.

Both Wallis and Horton are sadly too bland to remotely stand out either, with Wallis' character Mia prone to going into dark rooms during storms and doing the kinds of things that these days feel cliched, unoriginal and stultifyingly dumb.

While the background story of Charles Manson and satanic cults simmers away (left unexploited), the unoriginality on display does little to create an atmosphere of foreboding, with doors being slammed, creaky noises and close ups of Annabelle being over-exploited to try and build something suspenseful and horrifying. But what emerges is a long series of scenes that are drawn out to tediously predictable effect and which fail to remotely psychologically scare.

Perhaps exploring Mia's potential post-natal depression to a greater effect would have worked better (albeit derivative of other horror tropes) - and while Leonetti manages a couple of effective jump-scare moments (in a basement and with a child running towards a door), there's simply not enough to justify the hype.

Quite simply, Annabelle is dull, massively disappointing and a tedious, monotonously formulaic horror that in no way shape or form hits the mark.

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Get On Up: Movie Review

Get On Up: Movie Review

Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Akroyd, Viola Davis
Director: Tate Taylor (The Help)

The godfather of Soul cast a long shadow over the musical world – and this musical biopic aims to do the same.

Charting James Brown’s life and times, from his childhood traumas to the rise to the top of the charts, the latest from The Help director Tate Taylor is a splintered affair, that revels in the funk, but scats over the darker side and nature of the man.

Choosing to bounce around the timelines of his life more than the sex machine did on stage, Taylor’s attempts at a non-linear, non-conventional biopic is a choppy affair, stripped of any narrative cohesion and exercise in not joining the dots and pandering to its audience. Glossing over any social context and history means that the film feels removed from the times (which so mired parts of Taylor’s last the award-winning The Help) and serves to lift the audience out of Brown’s story.

Starting with Brown walking out to the stage and reflecting on his abused past, the tone of the film is set with Taylor taking in three different time-jumps in as many moments, giving the viewer nary a chance to settle in and begin to connect. Plus, with Brown breaking the fourth wall occasionally and talking in the third person, the tonal shifts actually end up taking you out of the film that shows some warts (fleetingly) of its subject.

Thankfully, it's Boseman's commanding portrayal of Brown - along with some blisteringly electric live performances and a soulful OST - that really elevates Get On Up to the heights that it deserves to scale. Boseman is never anything less than compelling as The Godfather of Soul throughout – from the man moved by gospel to the soulless tyrannical monster who causes wedges in his own band through their mistreatment; from channeling Brown's slitheringly funky dance moves to his vocal intonations, this is as chameleonic and watchable a turn as you're likely to see this year.

Boseman breathes real life livewire energy into Brown from beginning to end (in the way that Joaquin Phoenix did in Walk The Line and Jamie Foxx did in Ray) – as well as giving some life to the monstrously paranoid and uglier side of the man (even though the script cheats as it skirts around the edgier moments and offers glimpses rather than full on dives into the man’s psyche).

Equally as impressive is True Blood star Nelsan Ellis as Bobby Byrd, the man who recognised Brown's talent and did all he could to bolster that. Scenes between the pair give the film a warmth that's needed and a heart that’s necessary - and is lacking in other parts due to the compulsion to jump around narratively more than Brown would ever do on stage. Likewise, Dan Ackroyd seems to get some of the vim and vigour he had in the Blues Brothers as Ben Bart, the manager who aided Brown’s ascent – a fact that’s glossed over in this flick in favour of Brown apparently displaying business acumen.

But it's Taylor's insistence on presenting the James Brown story without the darkness that's the most cloying aspect of the film – and a touch that sanitises this tale of rock and roll; a moment of domestic violence hits off screen and is then followed by Boseman directly looking into the lens, a jarring touch that seems to prefer to skirt over the more tormented side of Brown. Equally, there's hardly any time spent on his youth to explain why Brown ended up as driven as he did and as insecure of others, other than brief snapshots here and there. It's the lack of this that stops Get On Up from really getting you into the mind of the man. Perhaps, a decision to give the film more of a focus would have prevented such a cinematic and narrative discord.

That said, Get On Up is worth the price of admission alone because of Boseman's star-making performance as the troubled singer. He brings the funk to the James Brown story and stops the large part of this movie from lapsing into a funk of its own.

Rating:

Pride: Movie Review

Pride: Movie Review

Cast: Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Paddy Considine, Andrew Scott, George Mackay, Joseph Gilgun, Ben Schnetzer
Director: Matthew Warchus

The Brit feel good juggernaut hitches a new truck to its load (after Billy Elliott and The Full Monty) in this based on a true story tale of two opposite communities coming together to reunite against the background of the UK miners' strike and the common enemy of Thatcher's Britain in the 1980s.

Centring on a group of gay and lesbian activists who are determined to focus the prejudice they feel living under the shadow of AIDS, fear and misunderstanding in 1980s Britain, Pride follows shy, timid, closeted gay Joe (George MacKay) as he ends up joining forces with Mark Ashton (Schnetzer) and his gang.

When the London-based group realises the miners are suffering from the increasing pressure Thatcher is placing on them, they start to raise cash for the cause, but struggle to find a community willing to take it. However, they find a sleepy Welsh mining village and make contact - much to the bemusement of Paddy Considine's Dai. But, with times being what they are, the money's welcomed - until the group heads to the village to be formally thanked....where once again they face more prejudice....

Pride is unashamedly feel-good, crowd-pleasing and nostalgic fare with a truly predictable path for its protagonists.

Will the closeted Joe be confronted by his parents finding the truth? Will Mark's group be accepted? Will the bigoted residents of the Welsh village change their homophobic outlook on their newcomers? Will Sherlock star Andrew Scott's Gethin, who was forced to leave Wales because of his mum's bigotry return to his homeland and to her acceptance?

The answers to this won't surprise you - particularly if you're familiar with the mould of the Full Monty and Billy Elliott style-adversity - but what will surprise you is how elated you actually feel as it all falls into the place, dishing out heart-warming moments, nostalgic outdated opinions that you could never say "back in the day" and such a joie de vivre that you'd be an utter grump to try to wriggle away from.

Sure, there are inconsistencies; Staunton's head of the committee is so vehemently opposed to the group to begin with but crumbles for no discernible reason as the camera pans away, but she also provides some of the screen's funniest moment as she and her cronies head to London's gay scene for a night out.

Yet for every predictable moment that edges towards a rainbow just over the Welsh hills, there are moments of subtlety which stop the film from over-sentimentalising everything through the rose-coloured hued glasses of nostalgia. The AIDS virus provides a haunting spectre towards the end, and is nicely poured into the mix rather than being sledge-hammered home as the culture-clash comedy comes to its conclusion.

Full of passion and poignancy, with a large dollop of heart sprinkled liberally all over its sleeve, Pride can't be tamed. (Believe me, I tried) And nor will you as you leave the cinema with a flamboyant smile beaming across your face.

Rating:

Divergent: Blu Ray Review

Divergent: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

Here comes the latest YA adventure series to be turned into a cinematic experience - and thankfully, it's more Hunger Games than Twilight.

Shailene Woodley's star continues to soar into the stratosphere as she takes on the role of Beatrice "Tris" Prior, a young girl about to come of age in a dystopian Chicago from the future. The world there is divided into five factions following a war; the factions are decided on by predispositions. In among them, Tris has to choose whether to join Amity (peaceful), Erudite (intelligent), Dauntless (warrior), Candor (honest) and Abnegation (selfless) - but a test at 16 years old to help her decide reveals that she's Divergent, meaning she doesn't fit neatly into one category.

However, Divergents are frowned upon by society, as everybody has their place. Urged by the tester (Maggie Q) to keep that to herself, Tris chooses to be in Dauntless and undergoes a tough training regime that could prove fatal.

But that soon pales into insignificance when she discovers a plot within the seemingly perfect world that could signal an end to everything.

Veronica Roth's novel Divergent was phenomenally popular and all the signs point to the factthe Divergent movie will be the same.

And yes, all of the teenage tropes are present and correct; feeling alienated from society, finding your own identity and gulp, discovering love. (Plus one gratuitously shoe-horned shirt off moment from said crush).

But what sets Divergent apart is the central performance from Woodley, as well as the realisation of the world she inhabits. From the minute the film begins, the dystopian world's perfectly set up thanks to some frank exposition. However, it's Woodley's turn which raises this from yet another Young Adult adventure with its moping heroine, seeking out a partner through adversity. Woodley is tough when needed, but fragile when called upon during the somewhat repetitive training sequences that Tris needs to do to be ensconced in Dauntless' world. All the while, she's juggling the usual tropes from the author of non-conformity, finding a place in the world and eeking out your own existence and identity.

While Divergent's likely to draw parallels with a certain Katniss Everdeen due to the very similar elements of story, love interest and tougher worlds, that's no bad thing given that Woodley imbues Tris with the focus, determination and grit needed to get through the slog of some of the earlier scenes.

But it's towards the end that the film fumbles a little, by throwing in an ending that feels too rushed and overly pacy, killing off characters you're supposed to care for but actually don't due to their lack of screen time and sketchily etched out relationships. It all wraps up a little too easily and conveniently which sounds odd given that there are just over 2 hours 19 minutes of action and story to get through.

An obligatory softening of Tris niggles once she discovers a relationship with Four (Theo James) who's initially frosty towards the newbie but becomes more welcoming as time goes on (complete with compulsory shirtless scene to get female hearts a-fluttering) - but at the end of the day, Roth wrote a Young Adult novel and so can't be expected to work outside of the confines of the genre.

Some of the action sequences from the Dauntless team look like extended Parkour, but all in all,Divergent continues the pleasing trend of the post-Twilight wave of YA - it's a confident start to the series but hopefully, now all the initial exposition and setting up is out of the way, the Divergent series can find a stronger voice and become its own beast.

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Jack Tame: Talking The Judge, Let's Be Cops and Pulp!

Jack Tame: Talking The Judge, Let's Be Cops and Pulp!

Reviews this week of : The Judge, Let's Be Cops and Pulp!

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/listen-on-demand/audio/1141064946-darren-bevan--the-judge--let-s-be-cops--pulp

Belle: Blu Ray Review

Belle: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

Based on a true story, and inevitably drawing parallels with 12 Years A Slave (even if they're somewhat misplaced) Belle stars rising talent Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Dido Belle.

It's 1769 England, and Belle's the illegitimate mixed race daughter of an English admiral (played briefly by Matthew Goode), stuck in a household that elevates her status above those of the house staff, but below the family, thus leaving her with no real place.

Ironically though, she's been left an inheritance from the admiral, meaning she has money and no chance to break through the social mores hurled in her direction. While her great uncle, Lord Mansfield (Wilkinson) appears to support her, he's feeling pressurised and almost compromised in his position as Chief Justice, about to rule on whether an insurance claim for drowned slaves is a fraud, a ruling which could have implications for the UK's slave trade.

As Belle finds her own voice, it begins to put her in conflict with Mansfield, as well as social expectations for her impending potential marriage....

Belle is terribly English; a dash of stiff upper-lip cum A Level text (English class) mixed in with the language of Pride and Prejudice and all swooshed up with a pinch of commentary on social mores.

As a result of that, it suffers occasionally from a bout of stuffiness and with the feeling that the story doesn't have room to breathe or a life of its own. All of the performances are very actorly, but there's little heart and passion in it outside of Wilkinson and Mbatha-Raw's turns.

Miranda Richardson seems to desperately channel Queenie from BlackAdder and Harry Potter's Draco Malfoy aka Tom Felton is so close to a pantomime villain, he just needs a dastardly chuckle and a moustache to twirl.

Thankfully though, a restrained turn from Mbatha-Raw stands out in this piece. Her Belle is more frustrated than helpless meaning empathy is with her right from the beginning. There are moments when she relies a little too heavily on the big brown eyes approach and looking breathless but she manages to convince overall and give some much needed life into a script so deprived of oxygen.

If anything, she's the one high point in a movie, which, while not terrible, struggles to keep the audience engaged throughout - despite the importance of the story and the quality of some of the performances.

Rating:

Let's Be Cops: Movie Review

Let's Be Cops: Movie Review

Cast: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr, Nina Dobrev, Rob Riggle, Andy Garcia, Keegan-Michael Kay
Director: Luke Greenfield

It's a buddy cop movie where the guys actually aren't cops, but are doing what cops do.

New Girl's Jake Johnson and New Girl's / Happy Endings' Damon Wayans Jr are down-on-their-luck buddies Ryan and Justin, who've hit their 30s and who are finding life in LA is going nowhere. On a whim, they dress as cops for a masquerade party, and upon leaving, discover that people take them seriously as police.

So, on Ryan's insistence and with some Youtube tutorials, the pair continue to be cops and enjoy the perks of the job. However, it soons brings them into the sights of Russian gangsters and a nefarious conspiracy.

Let's Be Cops is a comedy that's not arresting in the slightest; while there's some admirable chemistry between Johnson and Wayans Jr, the laughs from the script are more or less non-existent. Half the problem is the situation isn't mined for enough laughs, with Greenfield settling for getting Wayans Jr to screech and squawk over the top lines and reactions and Johnson simply mugging his slacker schtick.

The Vampire Diaries' star Nina Dobrev is more or less pointless in this film, looking like she's stumbled out of some kind of hair commercial and proffering little to the proceedings; Rob Riggle delivers some laughs before awkwardly segueing into drama at the end; Garcia shows up to phone in a Pacino-like performance and the only real laughs come from Keegan-Michael Key's Hispanic dealer who becomes part of the gang.

The biggest laughs are saved for the out-takes on the credits, leaving you bemoaning the fact Let's Be Cops has squandered all of its potential, and that those involved in the making of it had more fun than those watching it or wishing that more had been poured into the characters and writing.

Ultimately, Let's Be Cops is under-cooked, relatively simplistic and maybe is trying to hark back to the earlier buddy cops dynamic (even a Lethal Weapon reference is thrown into the mix), but there's just not enough meat on the bones to make this anything other than a broad slog that should be locked up and the key thrown away.

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