Labor Day

Mini Review 

http://www.labordaymovie.co.uk/

I really didn't know what to expect from Labor Day from the trailer but I knew I wanted to see it. Thankfully, unlike a lot of other films lately that have only come out at independent cinemas (or the really big Cineworld in Crawley), Labor Day did come out at Cineworld in Brighton and so my friend and I went along to see what it really was all about.

The film opens on single mother Adele (Kate Winslet) and her son Henry (Gattlin Griffith). We soon learn that Henry's father Gerald (Clark Gregg) left Adele for his secretary, and immediately you get the feeling this was due to more than him not being able to remain faithful to his wife. It is intimated that Adele is suffering in some way, at first I thought from depression, but later you get the full story (which I won't go into as I feel it really should be seen). One day when Henry has managed to get his mother out of the house and to the supermarket, they happen upon Frank (Josh Brolin) who has recently escaped police custody after an operation. He convinces Adele to take him home with them and while at first Frank intends to leave the next morning, he ends up having to stay due to it being the Labor Day weekend, as he is unable to get out of town. As Adele and Henry get to know Frank, they see that first impressions do not always get to the heart of the matter, and in harboring a fugitive, they may actually save themselves.

I'm actually really sad that it has taken me a week to write this review because I believe that Labor Day has now finished in Brighton, and it is one of the best films I have seen so far this year.

Winslet and Brolin are superb and have such wonderful chemistry, but it's a combination of fantastic writing, spot on direction and cinematography, the acting and the pacing of the movie that make it so enjoyable and watchable. I suppose at heart it is a love story but it's not soppy in any way. You might also think that the likelihood of a woman like Adele falling for a convicted fellon over a weekend is rather dubious, but their relationship never feels rushed or unrealistic. The narration by the older Henry, played by Tobey Maguire, also adds a touch of familiarity and almost cocoons you into thinking everything will be alright. He has a nice voice which I never really noticed until now.

If Labor Day is still showing near you I really do urge you to see it. And if my review came too late I can only apologise that you'll have to wait for the DVD. It is so good though, I can only ask that you please do invest in that wait. 9.5 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 22nd March 2014 

UK Release Date - 21st March 2014 

Cast Overview:

Adele ~ Kate Winslet

Frank ~ Josh Brolin

Henry ~ Gattlin Griffith

Adult Henry ~ Tobey Maguire

Young Frank ~ Tom Lipinski

Mandy ~ Maika Monroe

Gerald ~ Clark Gregg

Officer Treadwell ~ James Van Der Beek

Mr Jervis ~ J.K. Simmons

Evelyn ~ Brooke Smith

Director ~ Jason Reitman

Writer(s) ~ Jason Reitman (Screenplay) and Joyce Maynard (Novel)

Under The Skin

http://undertheskinmovie.com/

My first exposure to Under The Skin was when I saw a post from one of my friends on Tumblr who was very excited about the movie. She had read the book some years ago and forgotten the title, and then by chance discovered they'd made said book into a movie. I then read up on the film and read several glowing reviews, and I managed to convince my friend who, shall we say is less than keen on Scarlett Johansson, to come and watch it with me as it was only showing at the local independent cinema. 

The film opens on the creation of an eyeball (in case you saw the film and were wondering). The eyeball in question belongs to an alien who takes the form of Scarlett Johansson, although think Scarlett Johansson in the 80s with a dodgy hairdo rather than the blonde bombshell we've all come to recognise. The film is set in the present day so I'm not sure why she has such terrible hair other than maybe the production blew so much money on her fee that they could only afford a really crap wig off ebay to disguise their star? Anyway, the alien drives around Scotland in a transit van and talks men into having a lift, taking them back to her place and submerging them all in fluid that preserves them but doesn't kill them. What does she want with them? Is she eating them? Studying them? And who is the mysterious stranger on the motorbike?

Unless you have read the book (as my friend who's read the book tells me), you will not find out the answer to any of these questions. The film has received a lot of praise but it really did nothing for me. It thought it was being arty and cool but I just found it confusing and misleading, and if I'm honest, really really boring. So Scarlett Johansson takes her clothes off. Big whoop. The biggest revelation here was that *shock horror* she has a very normal body underneath her clothes, and she clearly has a supplier of very good underwear that minimises her rather big bottom and thighs and maximises her rather small bosom. And before anyone replies to my review and tells me "you're only jealous", allow me to say I'm not having a go at Ms Johansson, quite the opposite, it was refreshing to see a Hollywood star look like an average Jane. But if this was an entirely Scottish film, with a Scottish nobody in the lead role who was taking her clothes off, would anyone care? Would anyone have seen it? Would it have received rave reviews? I highly doubt it. Because yet again that proves that a Hollywood star taking her clothes off is more of a draw than a great story. Which the book of this may well be.

The movie did manage to achieve one thing, but in all honesty, just talking to my friend who has read the book probably would have done this just as well. It has made me want to read the book, just to find out if any of my questions above are actually answered. 

One final point. The music (by Mica Levi) was very atmospheric. It set a good tone. It's just a shame the movie didn't live up to that. 3 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 14th March 2014

UK Release Date - 14th March 2014

Cast Overview:

Scarlett Johansson

Director ~ Jonathan Glazer

Writer(s) ~ Walter Campbell (Screenplay), Michel Faber (Novel) and Jonathan Glazer

The Book Thief

http://www.thebookthief.com/

I was told by my bestie in the states that The Book Thief was an amazing book, and on the strength of her recommendation, I bought a second hand copy for myself. Not long after I heard it was being made into a movie, and after seeing the trailer, without having read the book yet, I did want to see the film. That was until my cinema buddy saw it and told me that the acting from the child stars was really quite bad. However, having seen some awful films recently, I still wasn't put off, and so my friend and I decided to see The Book Thief anyway.

The story is narrated by death, as he observes a communist woman in Nazi Germany who is fleeing with her two children, Liesel (Sophie Nelisse) and her brother Werner. Death takes the sickly Werner before Liesel's mother can hand over the two children to be re-homed with Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa Hubermann (Emily Watson), leaving the childless couple with only Liesel to care for. Whilst the war rages, Liesel befriends her next door neighbour Rudy (Nico Liersch) and learns how to read with the help of Hans and a book she stole from a book burning ceremony in the town square. One night she bears witness to the Hubermann's taking in a young Jewish boy by the name of Max (Ben Schnetzer), who they hide in their basement. Will Liesel be able to keep Max a secret, or will Rudy, and in turn, Rudy's Nazi father, find out what the Hubermann's are up to?

Straight off let me say that the child acting is nowhere near as bad as my friend made out. I actually thought that considering both children had not had a lot of acting experience, and given that Sophie Nelisse is of French Canadian descent, but had to speak in English with a German accent, they both did fantastically well. Their performances were believable and I was emotionally invested in the characters they created. Similarly I thought that the adult actors were superb too, again considering they had to speak in English with German accents and none of them are German. 

I have not read the book and although I now know how the story ends I would still be keen to read it, to see if it goes into anymore detail about Death, as he didn't feature all that much, he merely bookends the film. I found his narration to be fascinating and I would have liked a little more of that if anything. I will certainly be interested to see if he appears more in the novel. 

The Book Thief is certainly not a cheery film, but I think if you know that going in then you won't be disappointed. It's also engaging, thought provoking and moving. I can't tell you if it's a faithful adaptation, but I'd certainly say it was worth seeing. 7.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 11th March 2014

UK Release Date - 26th February 2014

Cast Overview:

Hans Hubermann ~ Geoffrey Rush

Liesel Meminger ~ Sophie Nelisse

Rosa Hubermann ~ Emily Watson

Max Vandenburg ~ Ben Schnetzer

Rudy Steiner ~ Nico Liersch

Death ~ Roger Allam

Director ~ Brian Percival

Writer(s) ~ Markus Zusak (Novel) and Michael Petroni (Adaptation)

The Invisible Woman

http://www.sonyclassics.com/theinvisiblewoman/

No preamble on this one folks, I'm going to get straight to the nitty gritty.

Ellen (Jones), or Nelly to her friends and family, and her mother and sister, travel to Manchester to perform in a play being directed by Charles Dickens (Fiennes). Nelly is only 17 and hopes to one day follow her mother and two other sisters into acting, this being her first performance. Charles sees something extraordinary in Nelly where others do not. He encourages her pursuits and the two of them become close, something Charles would like to take further once Nelly has turned 18. However, Mr Dickens has a wife and children at home, making it impossible for him to make an honest woman of Nelly. Will their love for one-another prove more powerful than the Dickens' marriage vows?

I must say that I am somewhat puzzled by the name of the film, as the trailer certainly implies that Nelly is the invisible woman of the title. In my eyes she is anything but invisible, in fact she is probably the one person that Charles sees the clearest, and really it is his wife who becomes the invisible woman. And it is in those scenes that Joanna Scanlan (who plays Catherine Dickens) absolutely shines. 

There is one scene in particular after Catherine becomes aware of Nelly's involvement with Charles, which is actually prior to anything happening between them. Catherine goes to see Nelly on her 18th birthday and you immediately get the most uneasy feeling that a horrendous scene is about to take place. You can't help but feel that Catherine has timed her visit in order to ruin Nelly's birthday, and that she is going to warn her off her husband, but what follows is much more heartbreaking, and I certainly won't spoil that for anyone looking to see the film. 

Having explained all that, I will also say that I have never seen a more delicate and considered performance from Felicity Jones. She is worthy of all the praise being heaped on her for this movie because she really puts her heart and soul into every scene. Seeming innocent and naive in the early scenes and yet so worldly wise and strong in the latter ones. My only nitpick here would be that they didn't age her enough for the later scenes, so it seems rather hard to grasp that she is THAT much older. My guess is that she should be at least 10 years older in the later scenes and she just doesn't look it. 

It's a small gripe with a truly wonderful film. Ralph Fiennes also puts in a solid double performance, acting as lead actor and director for the second time. His film feels perfectly at home amongst other recent period pieces and his cast of strong and ballsy women do him a great deed by all outshining him somewhat. The fact that he puts in a rather reserved performance and lets them shine, I think speaks volumes about his character, and as such, he has gone up a great deal in my estimations.

The Invisible Woman was only showing at my local independent cinema, if it's at one near you I urge you to catch it. 8.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 9th March 2014

UK Release Date - 21st February 2014

Cast Overview:

Charles Dickens ~ Ralph Fiennes

Nelly Ternan ~ Felicity Jones

Catherine Ternan ~ Kristin Scott Thomas

Wilkie Collins ~ Tom Hollander

Catherine Dickens ~ Joanna Scanlan

Caroline Graves ~ Michelle Fairley

Mr Arnott ~ Jonathan Harden

George Wharton Robinson ~ Tom Burke

Maria Ternan ~ Perdita Weeks

Reverend Benham ~ John Kavanagh

Director ~ Ralph Fiennes

Writer(s) ~ Abi Morgan (Screenplay) and Claire Tomalin (Book)

Cuban Fury

 

http://www.bigtalkproductions.com/cuban-fury/

Those who know me, or who read my reviews frequently, will know that I am not really a fan of British movies, and specifically, of British comedies. I know this is a strange thing for someone who is British and an avid cinema goer, but I just can't abide them. Of course, I don't like to generalise as one of my favourite movies of last year was About Time, which was a British romantic comedy. But I must admit that I chose Cuban Fury as it seemed like the best of a bad bunch of the films on offer that week, not because I thought it would be the new About Time.

As a huge fan of Spaced (and having met Nick Frost), I also felt a sense of loyalty towards the film and as though I should support not only the career of a genuinely lovely man, but also the British Film Industry as a whole, by seeing this movie. And so.

The film starts in the 1980s, where a young boy named Bruce was learning to Salsa dance. He had fire in his heels, and although it's not something you would expect to find a boy of his age doing, it's something he was passionate about. He and his sister Sam were actually very good and won a number of trophies from entering Salsa competitions, that was until a group of bullies cornered Bruce and stopped him from winning the biggest contest of his career, and humiliating him in the process. We fast forward 20 odd years and Bruce (Nick Frost) is now an overweight office worker, with no real passion for his life or work and no girlfriend in sight. That is until his firm hires American Julia (Rashida Jones) to take over the UK business. Bruce is immediately attracted to Julia, and upon trying to find common ground for them to become friends, he discovers that she is learning to Salsa. Will Bruce re-light the fire in his heels, or will he let Julia slip through his fingers into the arms of his foul-mouthed co-worker Drew (Chris O'Dowd)?

Cuban Fury has a charm about it which I am going to attribute to the cast. Without the chemistry they all have together I don't think the movie would have worked. Having said that, it could have, and probably should have, been a LOT funnier than it was. It has it's moments sure, but it's not laugh out loud hilarious at any point, and with comedic actors such as Frost and O'Dowd, it ought to have been.

The movie is perfectly watchable, but much like The Monuments Men, it's not really anything to write home about. I wish it had been this year's About Time but sadly, it's just nowhere near. Nice try though boys. 6.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 5th March 2014
UK Release Date - 14th February 2014

Cast Overview:
Bruce ~ Nick Frost
Drew ~ Chris O'Dowd
Julia ~ Rashida Jones
Sam ~ Olivia Colman
Ron ~ Ian McShane
Bejan ~ Kayvan Novak

Director ~ James Griffiths
Writer ~ Jon Brown (based on an original idea by Nick Frost)

The Monuments Men

Mini Review

 

http://www.monumentsmenmovie.com/site/

The Monuments Men tells the true story of the band of architects, art historians, and art appreciators, who were tasked with protecting art in any form during the Second World War. Specifically, they wanted to stop it from falling into enemy hands and being destroyed, because what good is it winning the war if man's greatest achievements are lost?
 
I liked the initial idea of The Monuments Men, and for the most part, I liked the film too. I can't help but feel like it's just been released at a bad time, and much like The Book Thief, it has been swallowed up in the barrage of Oscar nominated movies that are all released at this time of year.
 
It's got a likeable and recognisable cast of good, solid actors, it's essentially about the Americans winning the war, which always goes down well, and it's safe to take your mother to, as there is no sex or swearing and very little violence, except for things you would expect in a war movie, such as people stepping on land-mines. 

Although the acting is good amongst the ensemble cast, I did not feel an overwhelming emotional connection to any of the characters. Therefore, I wasn't particularly concerned or upset when they were in danger. And whilst that is a fairly sizable flaw in the Monuments Men's armor, it's the only thing I can put my finger on that was missing.

What I will say is that if The Monuments Men sounds like your cup of tea, then don't let me put you off, I'm sure you will enjoy it just fine. Just don't expect to have your socks knocked off. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 24th February 2014

UK Release Date - 14th February 2014

Cast Overview:

Frank Stokes ~ George Clooney

James Granger ~ Matt Damon

Richard Campbell ~ Bill Murray

Claire Simone ~ Cate Blanchett

Walter Garfield ~ John Goodman

Jean Claude Clermont ~ Jean Dujardin

Donald Jeffries ~ Hugh Bonneville

Preston Savitz ~ Bob Balaban

Sam Epstein ~ Dimitri Leonidas

Director ~ George Clooney

Writer(s) ~ George Clooney (Screenplay), Grant Heslov (Screenplay), Robert M Edsei (Book) and Bret Witter (Book)

Out Of The Furnace

http://outofthefurnacemovie.tumblr.com/

The only problem I have with the cinema, and this is not limited to Cineworld, this is all cinemas, including the one I used to work at more than 10 years ago, is that they advertise films that are 'coming soon' that they then never show. 

This happened recently at Cineworld where they showed the trailer for August: Osage County for months leading up to it's release, and then they never got the damn film. The same thing happened with Out Of The Furnace. They showed the trailer, even had the poster up to signal the film's imminent release, and then lo and behold, they never showed the film. I found out a couple of weeks after it's scheduled release date that my local independent cinema, The Duke Of York's, was showing the film, and so my cinema buddy and I went to watch it.

The last film we saw at the Dukes was On The Road. Which was a pretty awful movie by any standards, but the fact that we paid £9+ for the privilege made the film that little bit more awful. I hoped Out Of The Furnace would not leave us with that same ache in our wallets.

The film tells the story of the Baze brothers; Rodney (Affleck), who between tours of Iraq looks after his ailing father, and Russell (Bale), who has a simple but fulfilling life with his girlfriend Lena (Saldana) and a good job at the local steel mill. Russell's life gets turned upside down due to bad decisions made by his brother, all starting with Rodney's involvement with a small time loan shark John (Dafoe), and leading up to him taking part in a shady underground boxing ring upon returning from Iraq. Rodney and John meet some very unsavory characters on the boxing circuit, but none more-so than Harlan (Harrelson). They soon find out they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

From the trailer I knew this was not going to be a fun film, but it looked worthy of seeing, and like the performances would pack a punch. In that respect the trailer definitely sold the film on the right merits. And I have to say that I wasn't especially disappointed with the film, I just didn't love it. 

The performances are all exemplary, and although this is definitely an ensemble piece, Christian Bale yet again shines out the brightest. Something I think everyone has become accustomed to. I don't think he knows how to give a bad performance these days, but it's a good thing because everyone else seems to step up their game around him. I certainly don't think I've seen Casey Affleck or Forest Whitaker give performances this good, maybe ever?  Woody Harrelson on the other hand is another actor who I just think gets better and better with time, and he is a wonderful adversary to Bale's protagonist. I don't think I've ever seen him be more unhinged, and he certainly played a character the likes of which I hope I never meet. 

*Spoiler Alert* I just wish there had been a better outcome for Russell in the movie so that it didn't feel as though you went through this horrible situation with him, and then for him to come out the other side with nothing but his freedom? *End Spoiler*

If you enjoy the darker side of cinema, and want to see some really great acting from some of the best Hollywood has, I would definitely recommend Out Of The Furnace if it's showing at a cinema near you. But as that's unlikely I would recommend you get the DVD when it's out. If you prefer something a little more fluffy with a happy ending then avoid, this one is not for you. 7.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 23rd February 2014

UK Release Date - 29th January 2014

Cast Overview:

Russell Baze ~ Christian Bale

Rodney Baze Jr ~ Casey Affleck

Harlan DeGroat ~ Woody Harrelson

Lena Warren ~ Zoe Saldana

Wesley Barnes ~ Forest Whitaker

John Petty ~ Willem Dafoe

Gerald "Red" Baze ~ Sam Shepard

Director ~ Scott Cooper

Writer(s) ~ Brad Ingelsby and Scott Cooper