The Case for Captaining America 2

The first Captain America film (well, the first one starring Chris Evans) was really a set up for the Avengers movie, showing Captain America’s origins and setting almost everything else up so that a bunch of diverse superheroes could get together to try and stop a bad man from using a macguffin to destroy the world (one way or another).

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a lot more satisfying than the first film and to my way of thinking, is much better than Thor: The Dark World (though perhaps not quite as up there as the first Thor).  Steve Rodgers may be a man out of time, but when he has the Black Widow (the amazingly cool and gorgeous Scarlett Johanson) by his side, sharing an amazingly awesome rapport while not necessarily having a huge amount of romantic tension between them) and is following in the footsteps of Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) who has an amazing amount of action in this film, then you know the character development and interaction will be brilliant.  And with acting legend Robert Redford along for the ride too, well, what is not to like?

Well, about the only thing I did not like was what appeared to be a brief cameo from a guy who won a competition to be in the movie by being an i-store employee, delivering a rather odd line about the Captain’s “attractiveness”, though the actor himself handled it quite well.  

Elsewise, the film starts with action, slows to great character interaction, and then ends with bigger action and explosions than ever, and all around… rocks.

Of course, there is not enough Cobie Smulders (can there ever be enough?) and the Winter Soldier, the super villain of the title, is actually pretty inconsequential to the main story and may come up again in later tales.  Sure, he looks like a Communist emo who spends huge amounts of time at the gym and getting himself waxed, but really he doesn’t get much to say or do… and I will leave it there for the sake of not revealing any spoilers.

Evans is great though.  I have always quite liked his attitude, and he does earnest almost as well as he does cocky (and he gets the chance to do a bit of both).  So, unlike Hemsworth in Thor: the Dark World, he doesn’t get a bit eclipsed by all the other incredible thesping going on around him, and seeing Redford’s cool demeanour alongside Jackson’s more wild eyed style is pretty amazing in itself.  

So, yeah, it was a great movie.  Not a short one, not by a long shot, and in theory some of the action scenes could be whittled down a bit.  But really, I just enjoyed the highly entertaining ride, and could probably see this on the big screen again, though it definitely does not to be seen in 3D.

Loved the gravestone too.

Verdict: Captain America: The Winter Soldier has very little to do with the Winter Soldier and everything to do with a great blockbusting action film.  Loved it, wish more were like it.  9 stars out of 10 stripes.

The Case for Noahing

A friend summarised Noah, the first of a new wave (as it were) of Biblical epic films, thusly (spoiler alert!):

Noah: Man that was a weird dream – I gotta build me a boat!
Walking MacDonald’s toys: We’ll help you build it
Various members of Noah’s family [to Noah]: I love you! I hate you! Wail! Sob!
Methuselah: I gotta get me some berries!
Noah: Those babies must die! It is God’s plan!
[A little later]
Noah: Darn it, those babies are just too cute
[A little later]
Noah: Firighnigh, go-away-lemme-alone, slobber slurp
[A little later]
Noah: Gardening is so relaxing. Oh go on, let’s start humanity over again

Yeah, that’s pretty much the plot, and speaks loads to the story too.

As much as this is a Darren Aronofsky film and so has some amazing touches in it, it never really seems to gel as a movie.  The visual retelling of “stories” seem blended together from Richard Attenborough nature documentaries and scenes from Cocoon, and the decision to tell the story as more of a fantasy film kind of works except there does not really seem to be any attempt to make the hero likeable.

To be honest, it was actually this quality that lured me to see the film: if you know the story, Noah condemned thousands of people to die as he refused to allow them on the ark that would save 2 of each species to repopulate the planet.  How would his family react?  As Noah’s wife, Jennifer Connolly shows the dilemma she (and some other people who are fairly inconsequential, even if one of them is Emma Watson) faced when confronted with the reality of the situation when, for the most part, they did not have a direct line link to the Creator.

However, the film squandered a bit of the intrigue by being ridiculously long and slow, and when the two horrific CGI babies showed up, I had traumatic flashbacks to Renesme from the Twilight series and almost fled from the cinema in terror.

Connelly is really the main saving grace in the film, odd considering she isn’t given that much to do.  The tale is meant to be about Noah (Russell Crowe, who gets to sing a la Les Miserables – take that as you will) and we follow him a lot, but its very hard to feel sympathy or empathy with him, his “dream messages” from the Creator drying up (pardon the pun) shortly before they start building the Ark and so his decisions from then on a bit… well, unclear. 

When dealing with an all powerful deity, there is always that tension between free will and predestination, and to my way of thinking, the film didn’t really overcome this problem.  Noah’s regret and the like therefore seems a bit false:  Does he trust the Creator implicitly or not?  Is the Creator always right or not?  And did it ever rain before the great flood?

Still, on the plus side, the special effects are wonderful, Connelly is outstanding, and Watson gets to sing a bit as well.  Crowe is fine (the singing…) with the real impediment to his character being more the script and direction than his portrayal.  His sons however are all fairly bland, with Watson’s costar in Perks of Being a Wallflower, Logan Lerman, managing to play an exceedingly annoying and mostly unsympathetic d!ck quite well (not sure if he was meant to).  Ray Winston is along as the main baddy and seems to be literally as well as figuratively chewing the scenery.  Anthony Hopkins as Methuselah has a bit of fun with berries, but it is Marton Csokas who I remember most strongly for purely patriotic reasons.

Verdict:  Noah is visually impressive but uneven, overlong and a bit soulless.  But the “creation in seven days” sequence is actually pretty awesome (though not quite as literalists would have it) and Connolly rescues the film from drowning (as it were) by being pretty awesome.  50% chance of rain.

The Case for Raid-ience

Does it snow in Jakarta?

That was one of my few questions about the awesome action martial arts epic The Raid 2, as really, if you are there to question the plot and try and poke holes in the plot, you are at the wrong movie.

The snow in question comes about two thirds of the way through the movie’s rather impressive running time of two and a half hours, beautifying up the death of a relatively cool character.  I am sure the only reason it is in there is to give this character’s demise a bit more poignancy, but my fellow travellers on this martial arts journey barely even registered that snow might be out of place given the climate, so evidently for most people, it is not enough to distract them from the film.

Because the film, despite its running time, is packed full of action and one on one or one on many fisticuffs.  Sure, the in between bits can drag as the story slowly but surely unfolds following on from the tighter, tauter script from the first Raid movie.  But that movie was based on one evening and was confined to a building: this time, there are prisons and warehouses and car chases and subway trains.  

And the people populating this expanded universe are also a lot more varied.  Hammer Girl is rightly famous for being, well, a girl who knows how to use her hammers, but there’s a guy with a baseball bat, another with a couple of curved knives, and a few others with their own particular shtick.  The least successful for me was the criminal mastermind / big bad guy who, with his limp, gloves and dark sunglasses, came across as a comic Doctor Strangelove rather than as a criminal genius that, as an audience member, I am expected to loathe.  

However, the shticks are all just excuses for throwing a wide variety of martial arts action styles at the viewer and at the hero, Rama, back for more of the same after the last film’s finish.  You don’t really get the chance to experience a lot of Rama’s character development, but that is because that is really not the point of the film.  His storyline is there to guide the viewer to different action set pieces, not to provide the actor with a chance to show his emotional range.  And highly successful and enjoyable that path is!

This film will not be to everyone’s taste as it is very much as it says on the box: every death has to have some particular twist to it (if they are a named character of course!) and the martial arts action comes thick, fast, and fatally.  Likewise the camerawork, incredible in its execution (keeping up with the martial arts action must have been difficult or else highly choreographed), could leave you a bit nauseous considering how much and often it moves.

But for a fan of the first film, like me, the sequel to the Raid delivered everything I was hoping for and expected, and then a bit more – including length.  Sure, the extended story did count against it at times, but overall, it came out on top.

Verdict: The Raid 2 is an awesome action film and I was thrilled that it was shown at Readings, and in VO, in Indonesian with English subtitles. 4 broken fingers out of 5.

The Case for Inside the 60s

Inside Llewyn Davis is the latest Coen Brothers film.  It hasn't been received with quite the praise of some of their other work, but as a Coen film, and even knowing that Justin Timberlake is in there and the touch of death he seems to have on films, I was keen to give this one a shot.

Oscar Isaac stars as Davis, and despite the fact the character is incredibly annoying, the actor himself is amazing.  The songs all come across as pre-recorded (which is a major shame) but it is quite apparent that the man is a talented singer and guitar player, and he can portray the fairly unlikeable Davis remarkably and irritatingly well.

Carey Mulligan also gets the chance to show how much she can sing (and swear) as Jean, half of Jim and Jean with the multi talented Justine Timberlake.  Adam Driver, "the" boyfriend in Girls, also sings a little as Al Cody, and some familiar faces (John Goodman, Ethan Phillips and a lot of others) show up in smaller supporting roles, some more memorable than others.

The story concerns a 60s folk singer trying to make it on his own after his partner passes away.  However, talented as the folk singer may be, Davis is trying to break into a scene that has not yet been painted: Bob Dylan has not yet arrived, and folk singing is mainly relegated to small dusty bars.  Davis totally believes in his destiny to be a major star, though, and so devotes himself completely to his craft, avoiding jobs, relationships or posessoins that might slow him down.  He also happens to be a bit of an ar$ehole, so his existence is a fairly lonely one.

The film follows a couple of days in his life, as he follows the beatnik trail to Chicago and then back again, finding minor successes and some pretty major failures along the way.  Of course, there are twists along the way, but while all of these are dealt with, not all of them are acted upon (if I can be very obtuse about them all), which I found refreshing.  One of the twists had the person next to me inhaling sharply as every minor point was slowly and painfully revealed, so much so, I was either going to have to stab her for being so clueless and annoying ot else call a Doctor if she hyperventilated.

Anyway, annoying fellow cinema-goers aside, the film is amazingly well put together with some great songs, but overall is not as engrossing and engaging as some other Coen films.  It could be that the main character is just too hard to empathise with (he is nigh on impossible to like to be sure), and so it stopped me from really getting into what was going on, and there is no other character that we really learn that much about or follow with anything approaching regularity.

So, while a finely crafted film with some amazing performances, I had to say I was a little underwhelmed by the film, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  And the person next to me made it all the way to the end without fainting.

Verdict: Inside Llewyn Davis is a good film, solid all around one could say, with amazing actors giving incredible performances in a beautifully realised world, but it lacks a certain oomph to make it highly memorable.  7 harmonicas out of 10.

The Case for Another 300

300 Rise of an Empire.

Well, what can I really say.

I went in with my eyes open, expecting swords and sandals and well oiled muscles and it delivered.

The muscles are not quite as cut or well oiled this time though, as this time the story is about the Athenians, not the legendary Spartan 300.  While the gang of super cut super warriors fought the forces of Xerxes to the south, the Athenian led Greeks, who spent much less time in the gym honing their six packs, fought the Persian navy.

And that's it, really.  The film reunites some of the old cast (Lena Hedy and David Wenham are back as Spartans, Rodrigo Santoro camps things up as giant Xerxes) to be background to the new battle waged with earnestness by Sullivan Stapleton as Themistocles and with high camp by Eva Green as Artemisia.

Green seems to relish the chance to chew the scenery (luckily it is all low calorie CG) and basically takes the centre stage from the far less interesting Greek heroes.  The battles on the water are... well, lack any sense of actual strategy or tactics and reek of convenience and plot contrivance, but the action is a lot more entertaining than the turgid dialogue.  Whenever the characters interact, the whole enterprise slows to a crawl, and even the obligatory "attempted conversion" sex scene starts off with a cliche heavy exchange and then the act itself comes across as confused and ill conceived.

Besides Green, it is really hard to tell if anyone is really enjoying themselves - though I would wager that Santoro had fun swanning around as Xerxes again.  I know my own enjoyment varied from entertained to nodding off to wanting to shout out MontyPython quotes at the screen ("'Tis but a scratch!", "Fwee Bawabas!"), but as my expectations were low, I can't say I came out of the film disappointed.

No, I came away with what I expected: rubbish, drivel, and lots of slow motion CGI blood.  Though I was concerned for the (rather stupidly used) horse, and hope it too was a CGI construction.

Verdict: 300 Rise of an Empire is a nice way for some actors to work out and get great abs and earn a bit of money, and for an army of CG artists to render uber violence in new and creative ways.  No need for interesting characters or witty dialogue or innovative direction, and the film definitely steers away from these.  2 abs in a six pack.

The Case for the Ghost in the Machine

I am not entirely sure why I had reservations before I went into Her.

Considering Spike Jonz's previous works, I should have been looking forward to a beautifully crafted, funny, quirky film, which is actually totally what Her is.  Instead, the low key posters and trailers had made me a bit nervous that I would find it all just a bit dull.

But yes, as I said, I was totally wrong.  Despite a two hour running time in which not a whole lot happens, the time just flew by and the film effortlessly entertained throughout.

Joaquin Phoenix, in the lead role of Theodore, is completely captivating as a single man living in a possible near future world where everyone lives through their phones and the next generation of operating system gives him the option of having an artificially intelligent companion to help him with his day to day activities.  His new OS, Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johanssen) slowly develops into his best friend, and from there...

It's not just Phoenix on screen: a frazzle-haired Amy Adams and a wide eyed Chris Pratt show up as Theodore's physical friends, but mainly the scenes (I can't really say "action") sticks to Theodore and his daily life, with insane computer games (hilarious) and a few trips on an incredible public transport  system and of course the high waisted trousers.

The film is witty, funny, full of foul language and is all about sex, and it is incredibly sweet and tender and wonderful to boot.  It's about love and finding companionship and growing apart and dealing with loss, and despite the premise, it all feels genuine and engaging and is very, very cool.

Can I gush more?  Yes, but I won't.

Suffice to say that Her is an incredible film and totally worth seeing.

Verdict: Her is all about him, and has so much to say and says it so well, with humour, depth, insight, and no violence whatsover.  Amazing film, and deserving 9.5 OS's out of 10.

The Case for Purchases

The Dallas Buyers Club has just won several Oscars for its leading characters - and deservedly so.

It really is a McConough-sance, as Mathew takes on the role of Ron Woodruff a partier afflicted by HIV who does all he can to obtain the drugs to keep him alive.

Along the way he encounters a Doctor (Jennifer Garner) disturbed by the FDA and its bureaucratic and perhaps corrupt way to find a drug that will help the AIDS sufferers, and Jared Leto as Rayon, a transvestite who also contracts AIDS.

It's all very well acted though oddly enough enough the story itself is a little less engrossing than the performances.  It starts off with a hiss and a roar - literally - with bull fighting and much machismo, and then, once Woodruff processes that he has AIDS, his energy is directed to finding drugs that may not be FDA approved but which are more efficacious when dealing with the symptoms.

It then gets a little murkier as the story widens to Woodruff's battles with the FDA and his growing contact and interaction with the AIDS community.  His drive and determination and capitalist spirit make him a kind of hero, though his interactions with others, even Rayon, are more superficial than really affecting.

Luckily, Woodruff's story is quite engrossing.  And McConoughy rightly deserves his acolades.  As to Leto, well, I was not convinced that his character was being rewarded more than his actual performance, but still, he does really well.

Verdict: The Dallas Buyers Club is a good movie made great by some amazing performances and a compelling story.  The style of the telling is perhaps a bit uneven and pedestrian, but it is definitely worthwhile and deserving of all its accolades.