Minions: Film Review

Minions: Film Review

Vocal Cast: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Allison Janney, Michael Keaton, Geoffrey Rush, Jennifer Saunders, Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Directors: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin

Some would argue the best moments of Despicable Me were the gibberish spouting yellow bundles of joy and idiocy known as the Minions.

Punctuating Gru's shenanigans with zany non-sequitur and frequently slapstick interludes, they were always likely to be the bigger draw. But a push to give them their own film would always be fraught with a feeling that what followed would be in danger of feeling drawn out.

So, Minions arrives with a certain weight of expectation with it, thanks to a great trailer that hinted at life BG (before Gru)

In this prequel, The Minions are on a quest to find a master as it's their lot in life. But a lack of a super villain to lead them leads them collectively into depression (ironically for a yellow race, they spend an awful amount of time being blue) so three of their kind, Kevin, Stuart and Bob, complete with teddy bear, set out to find them a new master and save their race.

That search bears some fruit and after a trip to Villain Con sees them taken on by the villainous Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), who's determined to swipe the Crown from the Queen of England (voiced by Jennifer Saunders) because she always wanted to be a princess. So, Kevin, Stuart and Bob set out to make their mistress' dream come true.

Minions is more like Meh-nions.

To be honest, it doesn't quite feel like there's enough plot or story to sustain the goodwill from the mischievous little tykes from the  Despicable Me films (a feeling which becomes all too obvious as the final credits roll for reasons which would spoil), but more than enough to span a 30 minute cartoon. 

While transplanting them to 1960s Britain works in parts, keeping the trio front and centre of the action and keeping them straight rather than the Three Stooges yields mixed results. Nowhere is this more evident than when the film-makers keep heading back to the Antarctic-bound rest of the gang who are on hand to provide the brief, zany interludes we've come to know and love of the dungaree-clad minions. 

In fact, where Minions works best is in its out there gags and visual jokes which pepper the piece - from its French view of all the Brits being suited and booted gentry who spend their time swilling tea and looking down their snooty noses, to a great Abbey Road gag, there are some deft moments throughout. 

But it's not quite enough to keep the older end of the audience as engaged as perhaps they should be - despite a retro British 1960s OST that packs the likes of The Who, The Doors and The Kinks to help conjure up the age of free love and hippy laissez-faire. Scarlett Overkill hardly appears and works only to serve the narrative rather than drive it along, much to her character's detriment.

One set piece which sees the trio chasing the Queen as they race after the Crown packs in a visual inventiveness which is punchy and exciting, but there's far too little of this on show as Minions progresses.

Ultimately, the kids among us will adore this - its gibberish core, bright colours and occasionally wacky sensibilities will keep them engaged throughout - but for my money, it's just not quite Despicable enough to have delivered on the promise the trailers gave.

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Love & Mercy: Film Review

Love & Mercy: Film Review

Cast: Paul Dano, John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti
Director: Bill Pohlad

"What if I lose it and never get it back?"

The latest musician to get the big screen treatment is Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, but Bill Pohlad's film is anything but conventional for the most part as it juggles two timelines in Wilson's life.

Starting with the whirlwind ascent of the Beach Boys in the 1960s as they surfed the wave of critical success and popular acclaim, Little Miss Sunshine star Paul Dano is Wilson. As the film begins, Wilson suffers from a panic attack on a plane and convinces the rest of the band he's better suited to staying in the studio concocting their next album to fend off the Beatles' challenge.

Flash forward to the 1980s, and Wilson's in a car dealership where he meets Melinda Ledbetter, a saleswoman who has no idea who he is but is intrigued by his presence, his distance and his passion. The two strike up a friendship, but that bond is threatened by Dr Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti complete with wig) who appears to have the best of intentions for Brian, but whose unconventional methods seem dangerous to Ledbetter.

Juxtaposing two timelines at two ends of Wilson's life is Pohlad's masterstroke in this flick that at times threatens to feel like a normal biopic as we witness his control under Landy and one woman's quest to free him from this abusive tyranny.

Banks is nothing short of incredible as Ledbetter, a soothing and tender presence that radiates warmth as she tries to negotiate the perils of the controlling Landy, even if there are moments when all she does is look aghast at what's going on. Her scenes with the older Wilson (portrayed by a distant and fearful John Cusack) have a compassionate heart that anchors the film and the pair work well together.

But it's Dano's sections as the younger and more experimental producer Wilson which impress as his troubled genius comes to the fore and the likes of Pet Sounds, Good Vibrations and God Only Knows come to life.

Scenes of working in the studio with the Wrecking Crew musicians are electric, evocative, and give an insight into the confusion he begins to feel as voices eat away at him, as well as recollections of his lack of self-worth due to his father's abuse. It's the sound which plays the greatest part here as Pohlad loops dissonant voices, music building to a crescendo and white noise to give us an insight into Wilson's state of mind and also the creative process. Studio sequences pursuing the perfect note to the horror of fellow Beach Boys take a poignancy as Wilson tries to give some form to the swirling sounds in his head.

Sensitive Dano brings a frailty to Wilson that gives you a feeling that he's likely to crumble at any moment, especially in scenes where he tries desperately to impress his bullying father with just a piano and God Only Knows. It's here that Dano conveys a level of pain and anguish that's heartbreaking and stands in stark contrast to Cusack's older portrayal of a man fearful of his guardian and broken after years of torment.

It's in these parts that the movie is the most successful as there are a few sections where it feels like more could have been made of it.

While the timelines intersect well, there's no introduction of how Landy came into contact with Wilson other than allusions to the Beach Boy's apparent 3 years in bed and treatment; equally, the rest of the Beach Boys are relatively blank canvasses (meaning the conflict with Wilson in the studio feels forced) as is Wilson's first wife, Marilyn. But these are minor niggles in a movie that really does its subject justice and re-states the case for the Beach Boys' musical legacy.

Love & Mercy is a surprising film, and believe it or not, thanks to Dano and Banks, it'll give you good vibrations.

In support of the release of Love & Mercy, Roadshow Films NZ have teamed up with the New Zealand Music Foundation – a unique charity going great things to change lives through music. To donate to this fantastic charity go to http://bit.ly/NZMFLoveAndMercy

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Birdman: Blu Ray Review

Birdman: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by 20th Century Fox Home Ent


There's no ducking the metaphor - and the meta - in Birdman.

Michael Keaton soars as Riggan Thomson, a former cinema superhero known as Birdman, who left the role and is trying to reinvent himself in a new Broadway play that he's adapted from Raymond Chandler.

But Thomson's creative gambit and vanity is threatened by those around him and more specifically by the doubts that eat away at him and manifest themselves as the voice of Birdman, gnawing at his self-confidence and fuelling the seeds of uncertainty.

Echoes of a past life haunt Michael Keaton and it can't be a coincidence that Batman allegories and allusions circle your mind as this thrilling piece that defies expectation and categorisation plays out.

Keaton delivers a career reinventing turn and shows that after the glutty excesses of the likes of Need For Speed and Total Recall, there's still some fire in that acting belly.

As he burns through the screen, Keaton's Thomson is a seething mass of uncertainty, awash in a world of self neuroses and in a world that blurs reality (Thomson appears to be able to channel his alter-ego's telekinetic super powers - although only it would appear for destructive intent and it's never witnessed by anyone else).

But there's something iconic about this role from an Icarus-like Keaton - from the moment he stalks through Times Square in just his tighty-whities to his searing confrontation with Lindsay Duncan's theatre critic in a bar (a scene that feels slightly false given the critic's vitriol but is made all the more plausible by Keaton's acting), Keaton owns the stage and finally delivers something close to a masterclass in acting that should see him garner some critical plaudits. (A deliciously ironic meta twist that's part of the perverse joy of Birdman). Switching emotions from scene to scene, Keaton channels everything he needs for Thomson meaning you simply can't take your eyes off him.

While the likes of Edward Norton as a temperamental method actor and Naomi Watts as an insecure actress on the brink of acceptance with Thomson's play soar in the early part of the film, they start to unfortunately take a back seat in the latter part of the movie. They fade away purely due to the power of Keaton's turn - although Emma Stone really delivers as the defeated and ignored daughter turned Thomson's assistant. Equally, a lighter Galifianakis as the show's producer and Thomson's agent, is a welcome mix to the ensemble.

Babel and 21 Grams director Inarritu also deserves plaudits for his direction. The whole movie feels like a camera is simply following Thomson from beginning to the end (which is likely to provoke much debate) and making the film feel more like a play than you'd initially expect as long takes and long shots prove to be the raison d'etre in this movie that seems to be commenting on Broadway, critics and actors alike. (The only scene to hit an unrealistic note sees Thomson confront Lindsay Duncan's theatre critic in a bar and let both barrels loose)

Thrilling and completely fresh, Birdman is a soar-away success; Keaton's portrayal of a man simultaneously unravelling and also rising up is nothing short of incredible.

Birdman is 2015's first true cinema experience; a film that commands your attention from the get-go it'll have you sitting bolt upright in the cinema and debating its artistic merits long after the lights have gone back up.

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Newstalk ZB Review - Man Up, Fifty Shades and Foxcatcher

Newstalk ZB Review - Man Up, Fifty Shades and Foxcatcher

This week, it was Simon Pegg's latest rom com, Man Up, the DVD releases were Fifty Shades of Grey and Foxcatcher.

Listen below

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-mornings-with-jack-tame/darren-bevan-man-up-50-shades-and-foxcatcher/

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-mornings-with-jack-tame/darren-bevan-man-up-50-shades-and-foxcatcher/

Far From The Madding Crowd: Film Review

Far From The Madding Crowd: Film Review

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge, Juno Temple
Director: Thomas Vinterberg

"Bathsheba Everdene"

It's a bold opening statement from Carey Mulligan's heroine in this adaptation of the Thomas Hardy book from The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg. But it's one which sets the stall out impressively and gives Mulligan a chance to shine as the Victorian heroine of the piece.

Through circumstance, Everdene finds herself the owner of a farm and attracting the attention of three different suitors; a gentle shepherd Gabriel Oak (Schoenaerts), her lonely and unhappy neighbour Boldwood (Sheen) and the jilted desperate Sergeant Frank Troy (Sturridge).

In adapting the novel for the big screen and today's audience sensibilities, Vinterberg has not taken his eye off the ball. Lushly shot, making the best of the occasionally desolate period settings, the sunsets and occasionally horrifying imagery (a haunting herding sequence early on being shocking), this Far From The Madding Crowd is a treat for the eyes and the mind.

Mulligan brings a stoic strength and moments of vulnerability to Everdene as the story plays out and the consequences of her triumvirate of suitors. But it's never entirely convincing when it comes to the chemistry between her and Schoenaerts as the love story builds in the face of such challenges, with scenes faltering as they head on their path. She intones at one point that "It is my intention to astonish you all" and that ethos could be applied to Mulligan who's never anything less than compelling as the feminist lead.

Subsequently another weak point is Sergeant Troy, a man who feels underdeveloped and whose actions probably felt more understandable among the prose but whose treatment on the screen suffers due to necessary narrative truncation.

But it's the heartbreak and sadness of Sheen's dignified yet tragic Boldwood that really hits the dramatic mark, imbuing each interaction with Everdene with a feeling that tears are never too far away and that a bittersweet life has left him teetering on the edge.

There's class riddled through this production though, with cinematography of the Dorset countryside, the costuming and attention to period detail shining all the way through, giving it a feeling of prestige.

Worth it for Mulligan and Sheen alone, this Far From The Madding Crowd takes a book from the 1800s and heaves a thrilling breath of cinematic air into it.

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Inside Out: Film Review

Inside Out: Film Review

Vocal cast: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Mindy Kaling
Director: Pete Dochter, Ronaldo del Carmen

For a film that’s squarely pitched at the kids, there’s something definitively adult about Pixar’s latest animation, a piece that puts them back on top of the game, but may see some younger elements scratching their own heads simply because life has not fully dealt to them yet.

A kind of Herman’s Head for the 21^st century, Inside Out focusses on 11 year old Riley, a young girl whose safe and happy life is upended when her parents force them to relocate to San Francisco from their beloved Minnesota.

But the turmoil in her life is all controlled by her emotions within her head – team leader and upbeat Joy (Poehler), the purple and overly cautious Fear (Hader), the permanently blue Sadness (Smith), the fiery hothead Anger (Black) and Disgust (Kaling). When Joy and Sadness end up displaced within Riley’s mind, it causes chaos for the 11 year old – and the two lost emotions race to get back to their proper place before it’s too late.

Juggling predominantly adult themes while never once alienating the kids, Inside Out ends up being one of the richest emotional – and occasionally abstract - experiences Pixar’s created.

As Riley deals with impending adolescence and the natural and sadly inevitable need to put aside childish things, the anthropomorphic emotions come to the fore and with them, a growing realisation that the joy which leads the formative years needs to be mixed with other emotions, chiefly sadness as part of the growing up cycle.

In parts, Inside Out is likely to hit several emotional targets higher with its older audience, because of the transition of life, the journey of growing up and the reality of benefiting from experience. Darker moments, like the toys facing their demise in Toy Story 3, pepper parts of the film, dulling perky Amy Poehler’s exuberantly peppy Joy and increasing Phyllis Smith’s character Sadness, an emotion in the ascendant so pertinent to mastering life.

One sequence involving a childhood imaginary friend reeks of such universality and recognition that you’ll be hard pressed to find an adult swiping away a tear in the dark. Equally, a series of abstract jokes manage a cross-generational appeal thanks to Pixar aiming for the fun in among the emotion.

But it’s to Inside Out’s credit that the powers that be never lose sight of the age range of their audience, ensuring that the three remaining emotions in charge of Riley’s head give the film its more manic edge (specifically Lewis Black’s Anger and Bill Hader’s Fear) to appeal to the kiddies as the tone darkens.  Smartly balancing inside Riley’s head with the outside world doesn’t mean the world class animation becomes too introspective, and Pixar’s used its palette with bright colours of the emotions mixing with the washed out world that Riley lives in to maximum effect.

Inside Out manages a brilliant balancing act between celebrating the best of childhood, growing up and what hand life deals you while never forgetting the humour and heart. It's Pixar's most rounded and most grounded film - and it's an instantly inventive classic from them you can't afford to miss.

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Fifty Shades of Grey: Blu Ray Review

Fifty Shades of Grey: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

The phrase goes that there's no pleasure without pain.

Sadly, in the film adaptation of EL James' soft-core mummy porn erotic novel 50 Shades of Grey, there's very little actual pleasure and a reasonable amount of cinematic pain.

For those uninitiated in the twisted love story of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey and unaware of the push and pull of the "romance" and story of the dominant and submissive, the story goes a little like this:

Steele (a mousy, lip-biting Dakota Johnson) finds her life upended when she meets the young billionaire head of a telecommunications corporation Christian Grey (The Fall star Jamie Dornan). There's an attraction between the pair and Grey pursues Steele in manner that many would consider creepy and a cause for a restraining order - but when Steele decides to give him a chance (to which many sensible minded people would scream "Why?") she finds his world is about the BDSM and control rather than love and relationships.

Determined to change him, Steele ploughs on and opens up her virgin world to the pursuit of other pleasures, despite her conflicted views...

It's tempting to simply dismiss the Fifty Shades of Grey series as nothing more than a male fantasy written by a woman (a submissive woman willing to do everything the man wants) and I suspect there's probably a good reason why the book series have been so perennially popular with the imagination and escapism proving a large part of their appeal.

But it can't disguise the fact that the film version of the steamiest book around, which has sent conservative groups into a frenzy of fear that civilisation will end, is so mind-crushingly boring and so terrifically unsexy. (Even if you argue that the core audience will lap it up without question)

To be fair, the cinematography is stunning; pristine business vistas, Grey's world is all staunch regimented colours and some wonderful lighting and shots are peppered throughout; even Dakota Johnson brings a rounded humanity to the relatively one-note virginal Steele that's surprising - and there are even dashes of humour throughout that prove unexpected and welcome.

But in between the push and pull of the romantic tussle (Steele's continual argument is that she doesn't want to do this relationship, then she does and then she she doesn't), the terrible dialogue is endlessly distracting and unintentionally hilarious.

Lines like "If you were mine, you wouldn't be able to sit down for a week" or "I'm not going to touch you until I have your written consent" as well as scenes of butt-naked Jamie Dornan aka Grey playing a piano as he's troubled elicit more titters on the screen than the dreaming that potentially they'd garner on a small page.

Equally, there is so much talking about contracts, submission and what it entails, the back and forth of deliberations, that the apparently inherent deviant sexiness of the book is completely lost in the execution on the screen - and is certainly not the MO of those likely to whip themselves up into an outraged frenzy.

None more so than the actual softcore overly scored sex scenes, which are so technically brought to life, it's like watching an unerotic manual enacted by robots whose slightest interaction and touch elicits OTT deep breathing and ecstatic moans.

Films like 9 1/2 Weeks, Unfaithful, Nymphomaniac and Basic Instinct may have shocked and  been derided over the years but at least they had a degree of sensuality and danger that struck a chord (even if people wouldn't admit it).

Also, a relative lack of chemistry between the leads doesn't help matters - sure, there are scenes of Steele biting her lip and Grey looking lustfully on and plenty of those breathless moments when they're in each other's arms, but the crippling lack of any kind of sizzling intensity makes it nigh on unwatchable. Dornan doesn't help with committed wooden delivery in the film which starts off with rom-com trappings and then moves into long winded melodrama that belie its fan-fiction origins.

I'm sure all of this won't matter, though - the ticket sales are already through the roof and the fans are already crying that the critics don't understand (a claim levelled at so many of us during the Twilight Saga releases), with the phenomenon likely to be massive at the box office and relatively bullet-proof.

Fifty Shades of Grey may be an attempt at a twisted love story, but it's so engrossed in its own seriousness and execution that it ends up being tied up in knots of its own as it works slavishly to satiate its trembling audience, rather than attract new recruits to the cause.

Terribly boring, terrifically unsexy and with a cliffhanger ending that's laughable, this series is likely to be style over substance; a damp squib of an R18 film that's afraid to shows its wares or get its sizzle on.

In fact, it's in dire need of some cinematic viagra for the following two movies.

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