Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

It can't be overstated how impressive the Harry Potter Franchise has become. Yes it's made a Buhgillion dollars, and yes it's going to make more, but money aside, the series has grown in a way that is almost unheard of, collecting the finest ensemble cast ever amassed along the way and pushing the boundaries of family entertainment. Regardless of how you view them, the films haven't rested on their laurels and simply coasted by on the film's fan base, they have improved and expanded with every installment. That tradition continues in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1. It isn't the best Potter film, (Alfonso Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban still holds that place) but in terms of maturity and depth it is such a huge leap forward it's frightening.

It comes from the source material. Rowling's finale to her titanic series of books stuck the landing in a way few thought possible. 'Dark' is the word of choice, and while it's an easy way to describe the story it's appropriate. The film follows the book's story rigidly. After the devastating blow of losing his mentor, Harry Potter has been left with an impossible task: Find and destroy the remaining fragments of Lord Voldemorts soul, the rub being that he doesn't know where they are, what they are or indeed, how to destroy them. The task is hopeless and without wishing to spoil it doesn't seem all that rosier come the end, an end that dumps a big fat cliffhanger on our lap to keep us excited for Part 2.

Which brings us to the obvious. Was the decision to split the book, a book which most agree contains a fair amount of, I don't want to say filler, but certainly "fat", artistically justified, or was it, as many feared, an excuse to get people to pay twice to see one movie.

Review: The Town

If Gigli was the worst thing to happen to Ben Affleck's career, then The Town is the best.

The Wire by way of Heat, Affleck's second directorial offering is an astonishing film, one that absolutely confirms him as one of the most exciting new Director's working today. Gone Baby Gone, by it's very premise required a subtle hand. Here Affleck gets a chance to show off a more dynamic skill set. When people talk about his career in years to come they will talk about The Town before they talk about Good Will Hunting.

The Town is set in Charleston, Boston. After the opening text introducing the neighbourhood and it's legacy of bank robbers we are treated to a blistering raid on one such bank, which culminates in the gang, lead by Doug MacRay (Affleck), taking the bank manager Clare Keesey as a temporary hostage. With the robbery a success, and Clare free to aid FBI agent Adam Frawley, Doug decides to tail her in an attempt to suss out how much she knows about her captors.

Comparing The Town to Heat may be a little generous. The Town is no where near as dense or grand as Michael Mann's classic, but the influence is there. For a second film Affleck shows a great deal of confidence, aside from some early use of CCTV footage there are no gimmicks used, just good old fashioned strong, clear direction.

In front of the camera Affleck plays Doug as the crook with a heart of gold, which in all honesty is a little disappointing. Doug is a man who is perpetually surrounded by violence, in fact he was born into it. Seeing him portrayed as such a stand up guy is a little too neat. Giving him a darker side would have added an interesting dynamic to his courtship with Clare. Having said that, Affleck plays him with an earnest sincerity and when it comes time for him to open up (both to Clare and his jailbird father) he manages to flesh out the character successfully. 

Review: The Last Exorcism

The triumph of The Last Exorcism is in it's slight of hand. Showing you something while doing something completely unexpected and then pulling the rug out from under you for good measure.

Don't be fooled by the seen-it-all-before trailer, The Last Exorcism is an incredibly effective horror.

Louisiana born Reverend Cotton Marcus is an evangelical minister who doesn't believe in God. He is a good minister and a good man but his faith has slipped away from him. When his young son became ill, it wasn't prayer that healed him but medicine, so he turned to science and his belief in a higher power began to wane. His faith was shaken further when he read the story of young boy who died while priests performed a staged exorcism on him, an exorcism just like the ones Marcus used to perform himself. With his faith in both God and his clergy in ruins he enlists the help of a film producer to expose the bogus exorcisms by visiting the home of Nell Sweetzer an allegedly possessed teenage girl.

These days the found footage/mockumentary genre is beginning to feel old hat. Gone are the days when a film like The Blair Witch Project could explode into the mainstream and really make it's audience question what they were seeing. Even in the best examples the same cracks in the logic pop up. In addition to the typical "Why would you keep filming that?" question director Daniel Stamm doesn't really commit to the tool he has chosen. The trio only have one camera, for example, but often a conversation has multiple perspectives shot from different angles. The film uses a score which, again undercuts the idea that this is "found" footage. It would be very interesting to see this film again without the score, there are certain moments that I honestly think would have worked even better without the shrieking violin telling you to jump. It doesn't detract from the film, but it feels like a definite decision made early in pre-prodution would have yielded a stronger result.

Review: Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

Lord help me, I just didn't get it.

It seems that this film has been on the horizon forever and on paper it's a winner. Edgar Wright, creator of the sublime Spaced, the brilliant Shaun of the Dead and the very good Hot Fuzz, was to adapt Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series into a feature film. This is what's known as a match made in heaven.

But Scott Pilgrim just isn't quite as good as that promise and the fact that it comes so close makes it worse.

You've seen the trailers. Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is your typical slacker twenty something. Coasting through life, he is in a go nowhere band and in a relationship with a highschooler when  he meets and falls in love with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Much to his surprise she returns his affections but there is a catch, he must defeat her seven evil exes.

First things first, the film is every bit as beautiful as those trailers promise. On a visual level, Wright has made an incredible film. No comic book adaptation has done this much to translate the aesthetic of a "funny book" to the screen. POWs, BANGS and WHIPS litter the screen, music comes to life and weaponry is summoned from thin air. At the moment the comic book movie is on the verge of shifting; Snyder's Watchmen, Vaughn's Kick-Ass and Nolan's Batman films are all pushing the genre and experimenting with what it can do. Edgar Wright has taking it a giant leap further and on that level Scott Pilgrim is a slam dunk.

Review: Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 will make you ponder your mortality.

Yeah, I wasn't expecting that either.

Pixar studios have made their name loading their films with concepts and themes that, on paper, have no business being in family films and yet time and time again they succeed. Each film feels like a challenge to the rest of the industry to, well, challenge their audience.

Now that this trilogy is complete (and it is definitely complete) the themes it has laid down are clear. The first film was about Love, the second about abandonment and the third, death. The best thing to be said about Toy Story 3 is that this truly feels like a necessary chapter in the story and a worthy finish to the franchise. Compare this to Dreamwork's Shrek the Third and the difference is clear. Consider as well the eleven years since the first sequel, and Toy Story 3 is something to be truly admired.

Taking place eleven years after the events of the last installment, Toy Story 3 sees a 17 year old Andy ready to leave for college. After a mixup during a clearout of his room Woody, Buzz and the gang find themselves donated to Sunnyside Daycare centre a paradise for toys who have "moved on". In most cases toys accept and embrace this new life but Woody cannot let go and sets out to find his owner.

These deep themes have been present throughout but have never been quite so explicit as in this instalment and never have they been so singularly personified than in the film's antagonist, Lotso. Lotso's backstory mirrors Jessie's in Toy Story 2. Both were seemingly abandoned by the people they loved the most and left alone. But while Jessie eventually came to terms with her loss, Lotso got angry. Lotso is a villain who, unlike Sid, Al or Stinky Pete, has nothing to lose. What's interesting is that while all of the toys in the series have been aware that they are just toys, Lotso is the only who realises how disposable they are and that even the most cherished of toys are replaceable. Perhaps moreso that Jessie, his story is the most tragic.

Review: Inception

While watching Inception I realised I haven't been genuinely wowed by a film in years.

In fact, I can't think of the last time I watched something and felt like I was seeing something I really hadn't seen before. Last year's big hitter Avatar certainly promised to be that film. It wasn't. Sure, it provided some admittedly dazzling spectacle, but in terms of story, in terms of ideas, it was disappointingly familiar.

Enter Chris Nolan who, with Inception, is playing in a world all of his own. The imagination and creativity on display here is nothing short of astounding and it is the work of an auteur at the absolute top of his game. Films as rich and huge as this just don't get made anymore and they're rarely, if ever, tackled this well.

In terms of plot I'm reluctant to go into detail. Leonardo Di Caprio plays Dominic Cobb, the world's best "extractor". His, highly illegal, talent involves him and his team entering a target's mind and stealing their ideas while they sleep. A very lucrative offer comes along to attempt the impossible; Inception. Planting an idea inside someone's mind as they dream. If Cobb can pull this off the past that is haunting him may just go away.

Moreso than any film in recent memory the less you know about this film the better, not because of any potential twists, but simply because me outlining the plot would rob you of the way Nolan presents it. It's an amazing feat of story telling. Inception could have been a expositional nightmare but Nolan presents the concept and explains the rules quickly and clearly. To be fair he cheats a little, (new recruit Ariadne played by Ellen Page is the stand in for the audience asking questions she should probably already know) but Nolan is confident enough not hold your hand through the film. To watch a mainstream summer blockbuster this big that allows and trusts you to think for yourself is such a refreshing experience and doesn't happen nearly enough.

The Internet became a flurry of excitement when Di Caprio said he based Cobb on Nolan himself and that adds an incredible new layer to the film. People talk about films being personal, here Nolan is showing us how he dreams or at least an approximation of it. Perhaps disappointingly there is restraint shown within the dream world presented. It's far more logical than any I've ever had and you have to wonder whether Nolan tried to push the surreal but was reigned in by Warner Brothers. Whatever the case he manages to craft some incredible imagery, the city folding itself in half, a freight train appearing in a busy street and even MC Esher's Infinite Staircase brought to life by some crafty special effects.

Mr Nolan would also like to announce that he can shoot action. One of the main criticisms of his two Batman films was the rather pedestrian action sequences. Not here. Inception is bursting at the seams with some incredibly realised set pieces, the stand out being a zero gravity fist fight in a spinning hotel room. Tense, exciting, inventive and beautifully choreographed the entire scene is utterly mesmerising and is instantly one of the most stunningly realised action scenes since Neo ordered all those guns.

But as with all of Nolan's films the concept revolves around the human. DiCaprio is the heart and soul of Inception and it's difficult to go into how well he portrays his character without revealing some of the film's mystery. Cobb has a secret, one that could jeopardise everything for the team he has assembled. In fact, this new job offer could be the answer he is looking for. Many have compared Cobb to Teddy Daniels, DiCaprio's US Marshal in Shutter Island. The comparison is apt, both men have a darkness eating them alive as they try desperately to unravel something. DiCaprio has always played desperate well, he can build that anger and despair in such a subtle way that when he does inevitably snap he is electric.

If there is one criticism of Inception it's that it's overlong. There is enough content here for a trilogy of films. The film is crammed full of ideas and concepts that can barely be contained in the almost two and a half hour runtime. What's worse is that the third act contains an extended action sequence that just isn't necessary, in fact it distracts from what's actually happening. The Dark Knight suffered from some excess bloat and unfortunately the same applies here keeping the film shy of perfect. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing.

But this is a minor criticism of an incredible film. After Inception I have no reservations calling Nolan one of the most important Directors working today. Not only has he made a cerebral brain bender but he manged to smuggle it into a mainstream blockbuster. If he had only done that I would be impressed, the fact that it's this is good is staggering.

Nolan has said he wanted to make a Bond film. You hear that MGM? Give him the next film, give him the whole franchise.

Review: Predators

Wouldn't it be nice if Predator 2 hadn't happened?

The law of diminishing returns hasn't been kind to our dreadlocked friends. Predator 2 had a seriously hard time matching the first film's visceral punch and if we're being honest Danny Glover is a poor replacement of Arnold Schwarzenegger in anyone's book. Then, of course, there are the Alien vs Predator films that not only failed on just about every level but also managed the impressive feat of running two franchises into the ground. Naturally, any attempt to resurrect this saga would be met with a cynical eye. As far as expectations go mine were rock bottom.

So colour me surprised that Predators is good. In fact it is almost a perfect template for a sequel. It's flawed so it's in no way a perfect movie, but in the traditional sense it does exactly what a sequel should do. Producer Robert Rodriguez and Director Nimrod Antal have taken what worked with Predator and added to it. It's effectively a retread of the original but it manages to create an identity of it's own, successfully honouring the original whilst taking the franchise forward.

The result is a throwback so pleasing I couldn't stop grinning the entire time.

Review: loudQUIETloud - A film about The Pixies

In 2004, Boston born rock band The Pixies reformed after 11 years apart. The Pixies are the Vincent Van Goch of Alternative Rock music. Achieving modest success when they were together their legacy grew and grew in the years since they split. Kurt Cobain famously stated that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was his attempt to write a Pixies song, and David Bowie has since called them "the band of the eighties" (maybe you could have said it at the time, Dave?). Various tensions in the band, mainly between lead singer Frank Black and bass player Kim Deal caused a schism in the band and they parted on pretty unfriendly terms in 1993.

loudQUIETloud - A film about The Pixies follows the band on their reunion tour, documents the initial split and explores the decision to reunite and tour again. For a fan of the band, and of music in general, it's fascinating seeing where these people have ended up, both in terms of careers and their personal lives.

Review: Get Him to the Greek

I made a prediction a few years ago that Russell Brand would successfully make the jump to feature films and surprise a lot of people. The Essex born Hellraiser isn't just a hairdo. He is a legitimate entertainer and a very intelligent, talented performer. And while his performance in Get Him to the Greek isn't going to have his critics singing from the rooftops it is a giant leap in the right direction.

Brand reprises his role as Aldous Snow, the last of the great British rockstars. Snow was introduced in the not terrible Forgetting Sarah Marshall, where he stole every scene that Paul Rudd hadn't already walked off with. The difference here is that that Aldous was seven years sober. This Aldous is not, having leapt spectacularly off the wagon. In an attempt to get him back on track, record label intern Aaron Green, played by Jonah Hill, is given the unenviable task of getting Snow from London to LA in 72 hours to play what could be a career reviving gig.

As far as premises go it's not the most complex, in fact the plot is nothing more than an excuse to capitalise on the chemistry found between Brand and Hill in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Get Him to the Greek in concept is just a road movie tying a handful of sketches together, but while it's lite on plot what it does, it does very well. One of the problems some of the Apatow films have had (Sarah Marshall included) is the tendency to cram the gags into the beginning of the film and spend the last act getting a bit po faced. Get Him to the Greek keeps things balanced, the jokes come thick and fast from start to end but it weaves a touching (if very familiar) tale of redemption throughout.

Mikey's Musings: M. Night Shyamalan and the Amazing Backwards Career

As of the third of July The Last Airbender, M Night Shyamalan's latest film, has an 8% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 109 reviews and opened to $16 million in the US.

What the hell happened? Eleven years ago Shyamalan gave us the Oscar nominated The Sixth Sense, a film which instantly became a global phenomenon and went on to earn just over $670 million worldwide. Has there ever been a career trajectory quite like this before? In 1999 Shyamalan was being called the next Hitchcock, eleven years later and some people are arguing he doesn't even have a career left. It's an astonishing notion and it's desperately disappointing to see this once exciting filmaker's work decline so rapidly.

Here's the thing though. The Sixth Sense wasn't a fluke. It is a tremendous film and remains a powerfully effective thriller and a showcase for a director with a serious understanding of cinema and film making. The film is so much more than that twist, it's a beautiful film, perfectly paced and to this day terrifying. A film as well crafted as that doesn't happen by accident. It fully deserves it's place in cinematic history. And it's not like Shyamalan is a one hit wonder either, his second film, while not as well received as it's predecessor was a success. In fact, Unbreakable suffered only from being released too soon. Had it been released during the current superhero boom maybe it would have had a far warmer reception. It's an intriguing film, a superhero movie disguised as a psychological thriller. Unbreakable is a fascinating alternative look at the mythology of superheroes and a wonderful example of the now stale "origin" movie.

Spoilerific Review: Moon

Stop. What follows is a spoiler filled review of Duncan Jones' Moon

There is no twist in Moon. Well, not in the traditional sense anyway. There is, though, a plot development about twenty minutes in that, if revealed beforehand, would rob the film of some of it's secrets. It's almost impossible to discuss how well the film works without addressing, in some detail, that change in direction.

Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell. An astronaut at the end of a three year assignment on an isolated Moon base harvesting Helium 3, a new, very efficient energy source, and sending it back to Earth. Even though he receives messages from his wife and two year old daughter the last three years of solitude have taken their tole on him. He is lonely, disconnected and suffering hallucinations.

After an accident on the surface, Sam wakes up in the base infirmary and journeys back out to the crash site where he finds (here be spoilers) himself.

Mikey's Musings: A suggestion for the BBFC

This should be a review of Shutter Island. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to review Shutter Island.

I've been trying and I really want to, I saw the film on release and loved it. I'm a huge fan of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio and I love nothing more than a dark, creepy thriller.

I can't review Shutter Island, however, because the film was utterly decimated by the two mouth breathers to the immediate left of me.

There is nothing wrong with chatting once and a while through a film. I've done it myself. Discretely commenting on a particular moment to your viewing partner is relatively inoffensive. However, discretion wasn't the name of the game for these chaps. Each announcement was preceded by that weird noise idiots make, you know the one, it sounds like a lobotomised fog horn, "aaaahhhwwww, this is weird". I suppose it's a valid critique of the film, Shutter Island is weird. Wonderfully so. It begins as a seeming homage to the noir films of old, all moody lighting and shrieking violins, but as the story unfolds it becomes clear there may be something else at work. The story follows US Marshall Teddy Daniels, played by Leonardo DiCaprio at his twitchy, paranoid best. Daniels has been sent to the titular Shutter Island, home to the Ashcliffe hospital for the criminally insane to investigate a missing patient. Digging deeply into the Island's past he begins to realise that there is secret that the patients and staff are keeping from him. A secret that may be better left alone.

Round Table Review: Watchmen

Welcome to Got Me A Movie's first Round Table review (a concept shamelessly stolen from other, better sites).

In the coming months I hope to invite a myriad of intelligent, witty and attractive guest contributors to the site to discuss and review some of the big upcoming summer releases. Expect Iron Man 2, certainly expect Toy Story 3, don't hold your breath for Eclipse.

We've decided to start with last years most anticipated (alright, second most anticipated) release: Watchmen.



Note: We welcome Dan Nicholls for our first review. We've decided to review the Director's Cut of Watchmen rather than the Theatrical or "Ultimate" cut. Zack Snyder has stated that this is his preferred version. He has a point, this cut gives the film a stronger narrative, fleshes characters out and vastly improves some of the pacing issues from the Theatrical Cut. If you haven't seen the Director's Cut yet Devin Faraci at CHUD.com posted a comprehensive breakdown of the additional scenes which can be found here.

Review: Sex and the City 2

Where to begin? Sex and the City 2 is eye-wateringly awful.

I can not stress strongly enough though, that this is not a knee jerk reaction to the franchise. While I wouldn't call myself a fan of the series, only a fool could deny how groundbreaking it was both as a statement of female empowerment and as a piece of entertainment. And while the first cinematic entry didn't quite have the spark of the series it was an entertaining enough romp and a serviceable adaptation.

The sequel however, is not. Seemingly content to do away with anything that made the show relevant or intelligent, Sex and the City 2 instead opts to hammer it's audience about the head with a slew of childish innuendo, toilet humour and some simply jaw dropping political incorrectness for good measure, but more on that in a moment.

Perhaps the biggest issue that Sex and the City 2 has initially is that it's lead character Carrie Bradshaw is perhaps the least likeable central character in recent memory. Her trials and tribulations have always been trite but they were offset by some real drama, smart writing and when else failed more interesting characters. Here with all that stripped away Carrie is vacuous, boring, short tempered and monstrously self centred. Her worries and concerns so trivial that it eventually becomes insulting.

Review: Iron Man 2

Balance.

Balance is the reason this jam packed Superhero sequel succeeds where others have failed.

By and large a sequel's job is to outdo the original in anyway it can. The easiest and most obvious way to do this often seems to be the "more is more" approach, whereby studios throw as much as they can at the screen often not realising what made the previous film so successful. Some times it tries to cram numerous new characters in, sometimes it's just action overload, but in most cases this strategy backfires. When you can't quite manage the characters you've added into a coherent narrative you get Spider-Man 3, if you eschew any notion of plot in favour of upping the 'splosions and sparks you get Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. But if you can find the balance, that sweet spot in the middle, that beautiful alchemic reaction, you get Iron Man 2.

Six months after revealing to the world that he is Iron Man, Tony Stark's ego has inflated beyond all proportion. He has declared himself a "nuclear deterrent" and the world's protector having "privatised world peace". Naturally the U.S. government is unimpressed and demand that he turn the weapon over to the American people lest it fall into the wrong hands. Stark's response is that his suit is so advanced that it would take at least twenty years for the world to catch up, "America is safe". What Stark isn't telling anyone is that the Iron Man suit and the technology that is keeping him alive may also be killing him, and what Stark doesn't know is that he may be overestimating how far behind his competitors are.

Review: Dear John

There is a moment, a third of the way into Dear John, where Sgt. John Tyree, having recently fallen in love while on shore leave and yearning for the end of his tour of duty, walks into a bar in the German town where he is stationed and watches the World Trade Centre collapse.

I thought that this would be a turning point for the film. Up until that point Dear John, based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, was a perfectly acceptable tale of two young people falling in love one summer. It wasn't changing my life but I wasn't longing for the credits. The film plods along in a formulaic fashion, happily throwing out clichés with gay abandon.

And then, out of nowhere, it decides to tackle 9/11, and for the briefest of time it does an admirable job of it. Immediately after the attack John returns to the base and without hesitation requests to extend his tour. His decision isn't rational or thought out and its not presented as a gung ho call to arms. It's born out of fear, doubt, confusion and at the same time a powerful need to do something.

Review: Kick-Ass

When I began this blog I decided that I would try to post real reviews. Reviews that would be as professional and well thought out as possible. They would be considered, thorough and above all else would not descend into crass, nonsensical hyperbole.

With Kick-Ass such restraint isn't possible. It will literally melt your face.

Just as Mark Millar's already classic comic book series was a giant love letter to comic books, Matthew Vaughn's adaptation is an ode to comic book movies. It is a comedy but it is never a parody, never a spoof. It is a bonefide superhero movie, homaging, borrowing from and celebrating what came before it.

And it Kicks Ass.

The story (gleefully aware of how familiar it is) is your typical superhero origin story, but it begins with everyteen Dave Lizewski asking a question; Why aren't there superheroes in real life? It's a good question. So good in fact that Dave directly challenges the audience, demanding that you admit you've either thought about it or indeed fantasised about it. Tired of waiting Dave tries it himself and after quickly and painfully finding out EXACTLY why people don't fight crime in spandex, simply carries on and discovers that he may not be the first to try it after all.

Review: I Love You, Phillip Morris

The first thing I did after watching I Love You, Phillip Morris was race to my computer to research the life of Steven Jay Russel, the real life con man/jail bird on whom this film was based. His story is incredible, something that, if you weren't told was true, you would write off as pure fantasy. His exploits read like a one man Ocean's Eleven and it's no wonder Hollywood snapped up the rights to Steve McVickers book of the same name. Russel, or King Con as he is also known, created fourteen known aliases, managed to embezzle $800,000 from the company where he worked and escaped from Texas' Harris County Jail four times.

How do you cast a character like that? You call Jim Carrey.

Jim Carrey isn't given nearly enough credit. When he takes on more serious roles nobody pays attention, if he plays it broad suddenly he's pandering to the mainstream again. In Steven Russel Carrey has found the perfect role to display his strengths. He plays Russell broadly but never loses sight of the man. Its a tough balancing act and if misjudged could have been a disaster, had he gone over board the more emotional elements wouldn't have worked. Carrey walks the line expertly and come the quieter moments delivers his best work in years. It's difficult to sell a criminal, especially one who is (initially at least) motivated by greed but Carrey's natural charm shines through.

Review: Alice in Wonderland

I was bored to tears watching Alice in Wonderland.

Actually no, I was bored two years ago when it was announced that Tim Burton was directing Alice in Wonderland and that it would star Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. It's just so obvious and so maddeningly predictable that you wonder why bother? As early artwork found it's way onto the internet it landed with a dull thud, looking exactly what you might expect; pretty, quirky and gothic, neither moving you nor turning you off. Then as Disney's marketing machine began it became apparent that there was no Ace up the sleeve, that this would indeed be exactly what it looked like. Plenty of Johnny Depp mugging, Danny Elfman's score and the aforemenioned quirkyness.

It physically pains me to think that plenty of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton is a negative these days, but so help me it's true. It's difficult to remember a time when the thought of these two on a new project was something to celebrate. What was once a sure fire recipe for innovation and originality is now so repetitive it's just irritating. Anyone thinking Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was just an unfortunate hiccup will be disappointed. As much as that film was a failure it doesn't come close to depths that Alice sinks. The film is a complete mess. From conception to execution it stumbles on almost every level, starting with the bizarre to decision to make this a sequel, with Alice returning to Wonderland as an adult.

Mikey's Musings: The Happy Gilmore Effect

Years ago two brilliant, yet criminally overlooked media scholars devised a theory. They theorised that all films, regardless of genre, should, at their most base level not only engage but entertain the audience. They called it The Happy Gilmore Effect.

For those of you who don't know, Happy Gilmore is a cinematic masterpiece. A warm and touching character piece that deftly charts a man over coming personal and professional obstacles to achieve an insurmountable goal whilst also examining the fickle nature of celebrity and the psychological impact of losing a father.

It also includes the following exchange...

Review: Sherlock Holmes

I could watch Robert Downey Jnr. paint his house.

It's been wonderful charting the Renaissance of Robert. The man is the definition of charisma. He has enough charm and wit for five leading men. Imagine a film you may have seen recently where the headline actor hasn't kept your attention and it's probably because Downey Jnr was on set somewhere usurping everyone else's talent.

In Sherlock Holmes he brings that magic in spades, dominating every scene and imbuing Holmes with the perfect blend of eccentricity, pomposity and humour but with enough sincerity so as not to turn Holmes into a walking punchline. This new Holmes is every bit the Victorian genius from Arthur Conan Doyle's novels, but he has been given an injection of modern sensibility. That's not to say we get a slew of wink wink pop culture references, rather the film plays out like a modern film set 100 years ago. There is a playfulness about the film that Downey Jnr absolutely understands and plays the character accordingly.

Review: The Wrestler

Sweet is not the word I thought would best describe The Wrestler.

Darren Aronofsky's latest film treads very familiar ground. The Wrestler is the riches to rags tale of once champion wrestler Randy "The Ram" Ramzinsky trying to find a place in the world outside the ring when he realises his glory days are long passed.

In terms of tone this a seismic shift from Aronofsky's last movie "The Fountain", a film which divided viewers straight down the middle. To say The Fountain was ambitious is an understatement, but whereas that film pondered the nature of death and life on a grand scale, The Wrestler focuses on the smaller and more intimate aspects of real life. Here the director chooses to pull everything back, shooting the film in minimalist docu syle to let the story shine through.

Review: The Road

The Road is a very difficult film to watch. It's a film about struggle, despair, hunger and fear. Aesthetically and tonally it's very very grey.

The effect can be exhausting, but in the best way possible. The film is about exhaustion, both physical and mental. The effect brings you closer to the story, as the characters become more and more weary, a sense of fatigue engulfs the film which draws the viewer in even further.

Based on Cormac McCarthy's critically lauded novel, The Road is remarkably faithful to the source material. Unsurprising really considering the book is actually very low on plot, instead opting to focus solely on the relationship between a man and his son struggling to survive an unnamed apocalypse.

When adapting a story like this it must be very tempting to pull the camera back and reveal more of the ravaged world and attempt to fill in the blanks. Director John Hillcoat wisely avoids this, realising that the tension comes from the unknown. McCarthy went out of his way to reveal as little as possible about what happened to humanity. It's what made the book so horrifying and it keeps the tension high in the film.

Review: Milk

Sean Penn's party piece is biopics.

He's brilliant in everything, but he really truly shines when he is portraying a real person. In The Assassination of Richard Nixon, he showed what he can do when he has a real person with a real life and history to draw from.

As Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to major office in the state of California, Penn gives a subtle, human and very accurate portrayal, channelling Milk's persona and mannerisms without letting it descend into parody or simply impression. As a man Milk was strong and courageous but with a deep vulnerability and Penn nails the balance between shy mild mannered man to emotional and angry leader expertly.

Mikey's Musings: Why Cars 2 will be brilliant

Cars is Pixar's weakest film. It's not as funny or as touching as the likes of Toy Story and the characters never quite resonate in the same way as the Parr family did in The Incredibles.

It's still far superior to 90% of animated features released these days.

When it's sequel was announced in 2008 (the first Pixar film to get a sequel since Toy Story) it was met with bemusement. Why were we getting a sequel to Cars when Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo were so much better?

It's because Pixar aren't in the business of churning out sequel after sequel of their most popular works. They care about their stories and characters, aggressively defending and protecting them from corporate tampering. If Pixar were in it for the money we would currently be looking forward to "The Incredible Incredibles" and "Finding Nemo 3: Where'd he go now?"

Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Fox Executive 1: So, Wolverine is still popular right?

Fox Executive 2: Sure.

Fox Executive 1: And Hugh Jackman is a big big star?

Fox Executive 2: You bet!

Fox Executive 1: I got it! We'll make one of them prequel things. We can put all those characters in that we couldn't cram into the last one. How much money have you got on you?

Fox Executive 2: $50

Fox Executive 1: Terrific, that can go to the FX department. Get me a photo of Hugh Jackman, I'll make the poster myself. Start shooting it right now.

Fox Executive 2: OK but shouldn't we write the script fir...

Fox Executive 1: Guy, I got this ok!

Fox Executive 3: Hey guys i'm going to go and burn some money.

I have no proof that that conversation took place. However I remain absolutely convinced that the actual studio meeting that greenlit X-Men Origins: Wolverine was, if not quite that moronic, definitely that brief. It didn't matter what the film was, it didn't matter if it was good just as long is it came out before Joe Public forgot what an X-Man was.

It's quite apt I suppose that the X-Men series deals with evolution, Fox have managed to make the next evolutionary step in turning a respectable film franchise into nothing more than a revenue generator. If X-Men: The Last Stand was Homo Habilis on the "Evolution of Dumb" chart then Wolverine is using tools and making fire.

Review: Inglourious Basterds

No one else could have made this movie.

I know that sounds incredibly obvious. From the opening moments its clearly a Tarantino movie through and through. What I mean is that no other director working today could have gotten away with what he has. Not Scorcese, not Spielberg, not Scott.
He has made a 70 million dollar World War Two movie that is 60-70% subtitled, he cast Brad Pitt in a supporting role and cast relative unknowns in the main roles, the film features pretty horrific imagery and ends with somone machine gunning Hitler in the face.

He made a film with no concessions whatsoever. That needs to be admired and applauded.

He also made it very, very "Tarantino".

Mikey's Musings: What makes an event movie?

Last week James Cameron's Avatar became the highest grossing film of all time passing James Cameron's Titanic. According to Boxofficemojo as of 30/01/10 it has earned $1,924,744,073 worldwide and it's still looking comfortable.



Cynics might attest this success to the release date, the lack of any huge competition and of course the substantial extra revenue brought in from the 3D priced tickets, but there is no denying that Avatar has become something of a phenomenon. A film that just keeps going and going topping the weekend box office week after week living off word of mouth and repeat business.

It's an event movie.