Precious - Review

There is people in this world who tend to argue, we live in a society bereft of shock. The same arguably applies to watching films. For all the gore, the sex, the foul language, we have all became completely desensitized to such acts that it has now become second nature. For the most part I would even agree with this argument, however people who preach this conclusion should maybe watch Lee Daniels' (of Monster's Ball fame) latest offering: Precious.

The story, based on the 1996 novel by Sapphire entitled Push, is centred around obese, illiterate, black 16-year-old Claireece Precious Jones (referred to by her middle name) living in the New York City neighbourhood of Harlem. She has been impregnated twice by her father, Carl, and suffers long term physical, mental and sexual abuse from her unemployed mother. Heavy stuff you say? You have no idea...

Within the opening 10 minutes I was actually shocked and appalled at the level of abuse this poor girl faced, it was so visceral and intense you almost forgot you were watching a film which involved people acting. Totally captivating. The debut performance of Gabourey Sidibe was an utter joy to behold, she clearly poured her heart and soul into this performance and the same can also be said for Mo'Nique as Precious' horrible, bitter, twisted mother Mary. Her character was what drove the film's harsher moments into the realms of nightmares.

The film thankfully was not entirely set in a pit of despair, as the support characters in Precious' life gave her some uplifting moments of hope and teased at the idea there might even be some heavenly light at the end of the tunnel. It was a surreal experience sitting through a film with Mariah Carey in it with zero makeup trying to act, what was perhaps even more surreal was the fact I actually thought she was very good.

Despite the amazing performances, the film's production values were a rather unbalanced. Though I can see the purpose for the dream-like sequences in the backdrop of Precious' personal anguish, the sequences themselves looked cheap and too 'MTV' in comparison to the harsh gritty reality the poor girl actually faced. It wasn't quite as silly as Antichrist but compared to the horrifying scenes between Precious and her mother I was maybe expecting a bit more.

Final Thoughts
It will leave you numb. Precious is a film like no other you will see this month, it will slap you in the face and demand you take notice. It is a bit like watching a train crash, utterly horrifying and unrelenting in human pain and suffering, but you are completely compelled to watch on and see what happens next. Precious is a film everyone needs to watch and could even be hailed as one of the best dramas in years, however you would have to be a brave person to watch it more than once. I need a stiff drink...

8.5/10

See this if you liked...
Monster's Ball, The Wrestler, The Colour Purple

Precious is on release in limited cinemas across now. Or at least it should be...

This has possibly been one of the best months for films I've had since starting this blog. Hopefully the rest of 2010 can follow by the same example!

The Princess and the Frog - Review

Oh Walt Disney, how I have missed you. For the people who know me, you probably know how this review is going to play out, for those who don't I just want to say that very few types of films in the world give me as much honest, heartfelt enjoyment as an animated movie from Walt Disney Pictures. My childhood was frankly spoilt with classics such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King and Hercules - to name a few - being released in the cinema for the first time.

Then through perhaps a mixture of the CG revolution from Pixar, Dreamworks and the like as well as a lack of passion from the strayed board of directors running the company, Disney lost their magic, their heart, their soul. After releasing pieces of bland and uninspiring features like Dinosaur, Home on the Range, Meet the Robinsons, Chicken Little etc, the company looked dead and buried, until Pixar head honcho John Lasseter returned as the company's creative director and gave the Mouse his heart back.

The Princess and the Frog is a much more significant movie than simply being the first with a black princess, it marks the return of Disney doing what they are frankly, head and shoulders better than everyone else at, 2D hand drawn, fairy tales. Obviously taking loose cues from the classic Grimm fairy tale, the Frog Prince, this fresh adaptation is set in early 20th century New Orleans about a struggling waitress Tiana encountering the suave and charismatic Prince Naveen albeit in frog form which sets the two of them off on a magical journey through the colourful eclectic environments of that part of America, meeting some genuinely amazing characters along the way.

Firstly I won't lie, the story is your typical text book Disney, anyone over the age of 12 is going to guess the ending and how it's mainly going to play out within the first 10 minutes. But does that make it any less enjoyable? Certainly not. From the moment the film begins, you can feel this is something truly special, and after being bombarded with a mountain of computer animated features in recent years, genuinely refreshing. The opening, with references to 'wishing upon a star' will clearly evoke memories of Pinocchio, while the feel of the movie will clearly place it next to some of the company's best from the 90s.

The characters themselves were delightful, Tiana was the typical Disney heroine archetype, headstrong, holding on to a dream, hoping for more than what she already has, never looking for love initially as well as having a cracking singing voice. While Prince Naveen was perhaps a more surprising package, I can't really recall a Disney prince as instantly likable nor with as much personality, providing some genuinely funny one liners as him. The support characters equally just as captivating, the standouts being Louis, the jazz playing alligator who reminded me slightly of Baloo from The Jungle Book and Ray the Cajun firefly who could have easily been irritating turned out to have the biggest heart of all the support characters.

It is always hard to find a brilliant villain in a modern Disney film, someone on par with the likes of the Queen from Snow White, Cruella DeVille from 101 Dalmatians, Malificent from Sleeping Beauty etc, and though The Shadow Man was, in my opinion, not the most memorable villain I will ever encounter he still provided some pretty unsettling imagery, delving into darkness you wouldn't often see in a Disney film of this nature.

As much as I love The Princess and the Frog, it would be silly for me to compare it to the Disney films I grew up with. If I'm being honest this isn't as good as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King or Aladdin. That cruel assessment doesn't change the fact that I believe it still wouldn't be out of place next to them however. The animation is genuinely beautiful in places, almost magical.

What the Princess and the Frog was maybe lacking was scope, it never dared to be epic, you never quite got that moment that will define it next to its peers. You know what I'm talking about right? That opening sequence of The Lion King, that ballroom dance in Beauty and the Beast, that Whole New World in Aladdin. If anything The Princess and the Frog, despite the ethnicity of its princess - which is a far bigger issue than it ever needed to be - biggest problem was that it played it too safe.

Final Thoughts
After years of wandering the wilderness, Disney finally bring the world the magical, heartfelt beauty of 2D animation at its very best. The Princess and the Frog is a lovable fairy tale with colourful captivating characters, and some darker moments that the young kids might feel slightly unsettled by. I'm personally surprised I enjoyed it so much, since I'm still hanging on to those childhood classics of mine. Hopefully this will mark the beginning of a beautiful new era for 2D animation bringing Walt Disney Classics to a whole new generation. Just shows all those nights wishing upon a star may finally be starting to pay off...

8/10

See this if you like...
Suppose it would be quicker to say Disney films, than attempt to list them all like my first draft of this review...

The Princess and the Frog is in cinemas everywhere from 29th January 2009.

Brothers - Review

There seems to be an underlying theme amongst the films regarded as 'front-runners' in the award season this year. Up in the Air aside, between films like The Road, The Hurt Locker and with The Lovely Bones and Precious still to come there is a level of domestic despair, death and the consequences of war. The latest entry into the blog Brothers - remake of the 2004 Danish film of the same name - is no different.

Starring three very capable leads in Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman; Brothers is the tale of eh...two brothers, one an ex-convict and all round misfit (Gyllenhaal) and the other a marine in the U.S Army and all round American hero. When oldest brother, Sam heads out to Afghanistan and falls victim to a terrible attack, it is up to his younger brother Tommy to be a man and look out for his brother's grieving wife Grace (Portman) and her two young daughters.

I thought the film started off quite poorly for the majority of the first half, where essentially nothing happened, completely void of any real emotional value. The film-makers seemingly could not decide which brother's story to follow and resulted in a largely unbalanced feature. However when the two narratives eventually collided and the true extent of Sam's mental injury became painfully evident the film started to hit pace resulting in a hard hitting climax between Maguire and Portman.

The performances individually were all excellent, with Maguire truly stepping up to the plate and delivering quite a chilling, intense portrayal of the sacrifices a man will go through just to see his family again. If the film centered entirely on him I would have probably given it a much better rating. However it was after all called Brothers which put you under the illusion that this was a joint performance, and frankly it was anything but. Though I could not fault Gyllenhaal, it would have been better to see him suffer a bit or display some real conflict for a man who is dealing with being on the outside after so long in prison, I wasn't expecting something on par with Freeman in Shawshank but I was expecting a bit better than this.

One of the main problems the film does suffer is that you barely see the 'brothers' on screen together for more than 2 minutes at a time, never getting a chance to explore a possibly strained relationship from two quite drastically different people. You almost got the impression they were just causal buds than two men who grew up together.

In production terms it did look pleasing on the eye and the score from Thomas Newman was surprisingly wonderful and emotive of the surroundings and themes carried in the film, which is a compliment in itself considering U2 also contributed a song to the soundtrack.

Perhaps I am looking for more holes than there is with Brothers, but I actually think it would have worked much better as a six part HBO drama as oppose to a film running under two hours, the characters were indeed captivating but their relationships were almost completely absent.

Final Thoughts
A film of two halves in more ways than one. Despite a slow, aimless and emotionless first half, the film delivered quite a immersive final act full of tension and drama fitting of horrible consequences war can leave on someone. Though the performances were very good, the director never quite seemed to get the balance right on which brother's woes to concentrate on. Also as already mentioned it would have been nice to see Maguire and Gyllenhaal have much more screen time together as their chemistry is remarkable. Not terrible, but not brilliant either. Probably doesn't help the film follows the plot to Pearl Harbour a bit too closely for my liking.

6.5/10

See this if you liked...
Pearl Harbour, Jarhead, Harsh Times

Brothers is at most cinemas now.

Up In The Air - Review

I often wonder and wondered once again when I first sat down to watch Up In The Air, does George Clooney actually act anymore? Brought to us by the director Jason Reitman (yes Ghostbusters fans, the son of Ivan), who boosts a solid record of the grossly under-rated Thank You For Smoking and the widely acclaimed Juno. Dear old Ivan better watch his back because his boy is gaining speed at matching or even surpassing his success.

Up in the Air, based on the 2001 book by Walter Kirn, tells the tale of a corporate downsizer (Clooney) and his travels. It follows his isolated life and philosophies along with the people that he meets along the way.

Having never read the book I'm not sure how accurate the adaptation is, but it was truly remarkable how relevent the role of Clooney was in the film, and his morally grey profession. Seriously, could you imagine being 'that guy' and doing what he does in these financially uncertain times? That said if I was going to be fired by a person I've never met, Clooney would probably be in my top 10 of men to do it. As always he manages to bring that suave, sophisticated, charisma to the character of Ryan.

His performance managed to sum up everything that is good about Clooney as an actor, the aforementioned charisma of someone every woman wants, and every man wants to be. That was 'the good', 'the amazing' was that he managed to add an extra level of depth to his natural attributes of a conflicted man - lonely, disconnected, obssesively career driven. A modern day equivalent of Mad Men's Don Draper.

The strong, confident supporting performances of the female leads were equally a pleasure to watch, the classy elegant Vera Farmiga was the perfect companion to Clooney, and their on screen chemistry in the more intimate moments brought a genuine smile to my face. Before watching UITA I did not know a big lot about young Anna Kendrick (besides being Kirsten Stewart's annoying chum in Twilight), but her performance was the true breakthrough of the entire feature as the smart, tightly wound, Natalie. Never shying away from the screen in the midst of the more experienced Clooney and Farmiga her character's journey was an extremely heart-warming whirlwind that made the entire viewing worth it.

The music and all round style of the film reminded me of the 2009 film Away We Go, from the folky soundtrack featuring a host of singer song writers to the city hopping dashes in the narrative, with the name of the city brought up in huge bold lettering. It almost harks of a film from a director at the height of the 1960s, making style and beauty look and feel completely effortless.

Final Thoughts
It requires zero effort to enjoy this film, sit back and enjoy a wonderful, hilarious, uplifting comedy with enough drama, plot twists and heart wrenching moments that may even cause a few members of the audience to shed a tear. George Clooney has made a lot of brilliant films during his time, but it is only now that he has managed to pull of his career defining performance, that sums up everything that makes him one of the biggest film stars in the world. Brilliant cast, writing and directing. I wait with much anticipation for what young Jason Reitman does next...

9/10

See This If You Like...
Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Mad Men, Away We Go.

A Serious Man - Review

The Coen Brothers seem to have this bizarre talent. For every masterpiece they make, and in all fairness they have made a few in their time, they usually always tend to follow it up with something equally as forgettable, verging on plain dire.

On the logic that their previous film Burn After Reading was nonsensical tripe, following on from the Oscar winning No Country For Old Men, then hopefully their latest entry into their catalogue, A Serious Man will surely be another classic in the same breath as the latter, as well as The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou and Fargo? Well it certainly makes a decent case...

A Serious Man is the tale of an ordinary man, Larry Gopnik, who is trying to find balance and understanding in the world. Through seemingly no fault of his own his entire life is crumbling around him, his wife leaving him for another man, his kids are taking advantage of him and his money, and one of his students is seemingly bribing him to get a better grade, amongst other onus of life.

One of the most wonderful aspects of this film was Larry himself (played by relative new-comer to cinema screens, Michael Stuhlbarg), who was quite possibly one of the most likeable losers this side of the Atlantic, a kind and generous man, yearning for a normal, stable life. Life unfortunately deals him a raw deal and forces him to demand answers from the heavens above, leading him on a journey of self-discovery.

Ethan and Joel Coen's screenplay is remarkable. A beautiful mixture of Woody Allen's highest moments with the modern idiosyncratic humour of Curb Your Enthusiasm. This is comedy at its most sophisticated. I know it's such a cliche but Jewish comedy is always better than regular comedy.

Visually the film was as much a joy to experience as it was to listen. With bright vibrant colours capturing the spirit of the decade the story was set in, verging into the realms of the psychedelic which brings back memories of their glorious Big Lewbowski. This was only mutiplied by the wonderful soundtrack featuring Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix and yet another emotive piano score from the ever talented Carter Burwell. It evoked memories of the 1999 comedy-drama, American Beauty in places.

Final Thoughts
Sophisticated, witty, uplifting and actually pretty hilarious. Once again the Coens have recovered from their previous failings of Burn After Reading and created a jaw dropping modern classic. If you didn't know of Michael Stuhlbarg before this, you will now. This unfortunately leaves the film-makers in a difficult position for breaking their much frustrating rule because regardless of how good their next movie may be, it would need to be something incredible to touch this. I know we're only ... 10 days into 2010 but this already is a serious contender for film of the year.

9/10

See This If You Like...
Woody Allen films, Curb Your Enthusiasm, American Beauty etc.

A Serious Man is at most cinemas now. See it. Seriously (no pun meant...)