Each year in film, while the big blockbusters are storming through the collective consciousness with all the subtlety of a terminator in a Sarah Connor shop, there are a few unsung heroes that slip past unnoticed by most, and, like a celluloid equivalent of Kyle Reese, steal our hearts and leave a lasting impression. (more…)
“Even a man, who says his prayers every night, can become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon shines bright.” The opening introduction to Joe Johnston’s remake of the 1941 George Waggner classic horror flick is timeless, immediately addressing the mythology of the werewolf. Its closeness to the classic horror images keep this film affirmed as a werewolf film, but it disappointingly seems to struggle as a remake that could have been relatively simple, all the story really needed was a few extra twists to keep it fresh. Instead what we are treated to is a laughable cross between a tribute to the original horror and an attempted stylish modern adaption of the werewolf phenomenon. (more…)
Surrogates is based on the five-issue limited comic book series by Robert Venditti entitled The Surrogates. On paper, the basic story-line sounds like it could make for a decent sci-fi flick. The film is set in 2017, where people live in near isolation using “surrogates” (remote controlled robotic bodies) to interact with each other in everyday life. (more…)
Up In The Air deserves all the critical acclaim it has received, after winning 34 various film awards and being nominated for a further 51. Jason Reitman has co-written and directed an easily accessible film that is inventive, fresh and witty. It is a new form for Hollywood, in which the characters’ lives can contain drama and tragedy, at the same time as comedy and love – without being labelled as a ‘weepy’ or soppy romcom.
(500) Days of Summer is supposed to be a quirky take on a love story. In fact, it actually declares itself as a non-love story, however, it is a love story; director Marc Webb was clearly just trying to be “clever”, which is typical of this kind of film.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Tom – a soppy, wet Topshop-esque indie boy who falls for Summer (played by Zooey Deschanel). Summer doesn’t believe in love but Tom does and they embark upon an irritating relationship whereby Tom gets treated like an emotional doormat by Summer, who embodies everything you don’t want in a girlfriend – emotionally high maintenance, distant and rude.
This film was about as “indie schmindie” as it gets – it perpetuates all the typical “indie” stereotypes you’d expect from the characters to the soundtrack. As soon as Summer mutters “I like the Smiths…” You basically know what you’re in for.
There’s the constant feeling that perhaps Webb should have developed the characters a little more – afterall, a film like this is quite character-drive, or should be. However, you never feel like there’s more to Tom or Summer – just the fact that one is wet beyond annoying and the other is emotionally bereft. The film constantly tries to make you feel for Tom but the guy is just so one-dimensional and idiotic that you can’t feel anything more than annoyance. Even when you get the feeling you’re about to perhaps delve a little deeper into the characters, Webb slaps some trendy tunes over shots of laughter, doe eyes then cuts back to Tom dissecting his feelings and relationship with Summer.
Moving away from the characters, the actual story is full of stereotypes. The role reversal of the love sick boy instead of the love sick girl, just doesn’t cut it. The 500 days of Tom’s “relationship” with Summer doesn’t actually span 500 days. It seems the relationship runs it’s course quite early and the rest of the days are spent looking longingly into the middle distance, getting advice from his more with it younger sister (the only bearable character in the film), interjected with the typical comedy relief type buddies and trying to get over this very short lived relationship.
By the time you find out what has become of Summer and the conclusions they both reach, you feel exhausted and highly annoyed. And speaking of those conclusions, they’re completely empty and devoid of anything philosophical you may be looking for about romance and love underneath this commercial, stylishly shot film.
Daybreaker starts with a jump, and it explains a lot about the genre it is trying to attract and the style of the movie from the opening sequence. With all the recent Vampire movies recently I walked into this movie with some trepidation, but the film had a fresh and fascinating idea, one that almost kept it going to the end.
