Every wanted to be a Super Hero?

Just a little short on the old powers? Well, why let that hold you back?

Kick Ass shows you all you need is guts, heart and a green and yellow onesie and you’re on your way!

District 9 is everything Steven Spielberg is incapable of doing with modern science fiction, and that is perhaps the greatest compliment I can bestow upon this film. No cuddly aliens here, no heavy-handed moralising that would make Walt Disney blush.

The premise supposes an alien aircraft landing sometime in the late 20th century, but subverts the usual Hollywood clichés by having the aliens land in Johannesburg – not the well trodden NY or LA. This provides an exciting and new environment for such a story, and being less familiar as a celluloid setting for the viewer, a more believable one. This is a clever tool, preventing the viewer from anticipating the usual landmarks being destroyed or saved. What follows is a film that ticks all the boxes that any science fiction fan could hope for. It’s gritty, realistic, packed with action and lashings and lashings of blood and guts. But where this film excels is in its ability to bring to the piece a new take on an old theme: how would we react if the little green men really did disembark on Earth?  The aliens, pejoratively described as “prawns” by the locals, have been quarantined into a slum, the District 9, and after 20 years, are to be moved by MNU, a shadowy multinational organisation set up to “assist” – exploit? – the aliens. We follow, in a hand-held style documentary style the rather grey, civil servant type, Wikus de Merwe in his day serving eviction notices to the “prawns”. Just as the prawns are physically abhorrent initially, Wikus is an emotionally unpleasant and weak character, but as the film progresses, we see both in a changing light. It is a credit to the production team that this is done with a light touch, and none of the usual heavy-handed Hollywood signposting “now you like all the aliens”.

The apartheid reference, along with the look of the slum itself, and the presence of a Nigerian mafia – supplying quite a lot of gunpower – keep South Africa itself as a key character in the story. That said, no viewer would leave feeling that any other country would have handled the situation in any other way.

The director, Neil Blongkamp clearly knows his sci-fi with nods to Robocop (Ed209 anyone?) and The Fly. But while these similarities are apparent, Blongkamp is not simply serving up a re-hash of old favourites, but utilises these as a vehicle to craft and enhance the story.

Anyone who enjoys sci-fi should get to their nearest multiplex asap, but this is also a film which, given the questions it asks of us, can be appreciated on a deeper level.

Peter Jackson – time to give your prodigy Blongkamp a gold star, top of the class!

PS: this is based on Blongkamp’s lovingly crafted 6min short, “Alive in Joburg”, which can be seen on YouTube…

Rusty got in first with THIS review but now it’s Prendy’s turn to dish the dirt, over to you Captain…

Oh my God! They killed Nazi’s. You Basterds!

France, 1941. Germans have occupied, Jews have fled and are in hiding. Enter, the Jew Hunter (Christoph Waltz). A fiercely determined Nazi officer whose life mission is to hunt out those remaining Jews. And so begins Inglorious Basterds.

Don’t waste your time on any school yard arguments as to whether this is Quentin Tarantino’s best film to date – it isn’t. But it is a very good film in its own right. And really, that’s all that matters.

All of Tarantino’s usual bag of tricks are here; slowly paced, dialogue snappy and heavy, elaborate swoops and pans alongside plenty of more old fashioned simple camera work.

Due to the different backdrop to all of his other films, any comparisons are kind of moot. It is very much a Tarantino film, but to the causal audience member, it’s ‘just’ another war flick. Albeit quite unlike anything else that’s gone before. If you must insist on comparisons then think The Dirty Dozen on steroids. Violence is not a key player here but when it does erupt it’s sudden and shocking. And bloody.

The dialogue is perhaps unsurprisingly very slick and it’s just as well as there’s plenty of it. Hamburger Hill this ain’t. But, thankfully the Tarantino blueprint fits rather snugly across the war room table – including the usual eclectic mixed up soundtrack; horns, wanging bass guitar and even some poppy 80’s synthing. Despite the fact that is really shouldn’t, the film works. I ask you to consider the last two and half hour epic that passes so quickly.

As you’ve probably heard by now this is pure fantasy – not a history lesson. Everything you know is altered, overlooked or just completely ignored in order to serve up a 152 minute Quentin-esque view on how things may have gone back in WW2 in an alternate, cooler reality. To argue against it is to miss the point. If you’re willing to just go with it, you’ll have a blast.

“Ve haf vays ov making you talk”

And so back to the Jew Hunter, Col. Hans Landa. Yes, he is the best thing in it. Speaking more languages than C3PO and effortlessly breathing menace, fear and breezy charisma into every loquacious conversation he is fantastic. You cannot help but like to hate him. Indeed, it is hard to imagine many other actors working today that would have fit the role so perfectly. Will Oscar come knocking? Who knows, but it would come as no surprise if Waltz is at least invited to the party – just pay close attention during the opening fifteen minutes or ‘chapter one’. Every pause, every nuance feels so measured and smooth, so right.

So how does everyone else fare? Pitt is fine, if a little panto-buffoon and a little too larger than life at times. Fassbender is top drawer during perhaps the film’s best and most nerve-wringing scene set within a bar cellar. (Certainly one of the better scenes of recent cinema – and ironically for a war film, when the action is all but absent – to start with at any rate). It’s just a shame he isn’t a used a little more. The same should be said for Til Schweiger as Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz – think ‘the hard basterd’.

Despite popular opinion, Eli Roth’s (Sgt. Donny Donowitz), the ‘Bear Jew’ does not spoil the film. True, this is probably due to the fact that he doesn’t have enough screen time to do so, but the fact remains that he doesn’t. He’s fine and judging by the way he can swing a bat, it’s best to just leave it at that.

Diane Kruger turns in her finest performance to date and proves that when prompted she actually can act.

The final act is perhaps the best with some very memorable imagery is included (watch for the burning curtain, you’ll see). Ripe with symbolism, irony and playful piss-taking (on all fronts) there are many, many worse ways to spend a couple of hours.

Keep an open mind and you’ll find a feisty boys-own adventure that’s begging not to be taken too seriously and where the rules don’t apply. If, on the other hand you take offence to the revision of history and the ‘Hollywood-ising’ of some pretty dark times, then it’s not for you. But then, aren’t you just being a bit of an awkward basterd?

Pete’s back! Hot from another in-depth One Word Review, this time it’s I Love You, Man.

Over to you Pete!

“Tits”

In a good way, apparently.

There you are then, another great review from us to you!

This review is dedicated to those readers of a certain vintage who grew up under the influence of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. If you happened to spend your formative years with Tarantino movie posters on your bedroom wall and jungle boogie ringing out your speakers, then I have three words which you’ll be overjoyed to hear… Tarantino is back.

 Yes, Tarantino has been active since Pulp Fiction, and with momentary highlights such as Jackie Brown, but I think we’ve all been waiting for him to pull something special together. Something really special. He’s managed to do just that with the fabulous war movie Inglorious Basterds.

 To quickly summarise the plot, a young jewish girl sees her family murdered by the infamous Nazi ”jew hunter” Col. Hans Landa – played in a wonderfully subtle camp (but terrifying) manner by Christoph Waltz. Said girl flees to Paris and assumes a new identity. Fate dictates that an entire Nazi dream team spend an evening in her place of work, thus dealing her a chance to exact revenge.

 That’s enough about the plot, the fun parts of the movie are – I’m delighted to report – wonderfully executed violence, and rip-roaring fast-paced dialogue. In recent Tarantino outings such as  DeathProof,  his  particular style of bullet-fast dialogue had become grating – he returns to form in Basterds relying more on humour and execution of dialogue rather than speed of delivery. 

 Brad Pitt is excellent as Aldo Raine, the leader of a gang of head scalping ”basterds” on a special mission – ”killin’ nazis”. His southern drawl and wonderful lines are a joy, and look out for his effort at going undercover as an Italian stuntman!

 As with all good Tarantino movies, there are standout scenes. One such scene in Basterds involves a wonderfully uncomfortable drinking session in the cellar of a French bar with a group of pissed up nazi soldiers, an undercover British agent, two Basterds and a German actress in cahoots with the alliance. Predictably, a bloodbath unfolds, but not before the viewer has been taken on a very Tarantino ride…

 Although a solid cast is in place, they are always playing foil to the standout characters of Pitt’s Lt Raine, and Waltz’s Hans Landa – and rightly so. With these two characters Tarantino has created two thoroughly memorable movie legends. You spend the movie waiting for these two characters to cross swords, and swords do indeed make a cross – in the final frame of the movie.

 Tough to categorise this movie in a genre, but I’d opt for black comedy. Black comedy in the manner that only an on-form Tarantino can deliver. Welcome back Quentin, we’ve missed you!

Ron Howard takes a second stab at a Dan Brown book.

Like the Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons is a page turning popcorn novel with the usual preposterous ending and the film is much the same. Sticking rigidly to the plot and pacing of the book, Howard has created another paint by numbers movie that leaves little to remember once the credits role.

Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon, the code cracking professor, drawn into the secretive world of the Vatican. The last Pope has died and the four hots shots expected to replace him are kidnapped by the shadowy Illluminati. Will he be able to follow the centuries old clues and track down the missing Fathers before the time runs out? Does anyone care?

There’s really little to say about this film. If you’ve read the book, then you know exactly what’s going to happen. If you’ve not read it then there’s enough to keep you occupied for the duration of the film.

Again, the best thing about the books hasn’t transferred well to the screen. By that I mean playing along trying to guess the clues before you turn the next page. Here it’s all done for you. Spoon fed to you along with shot after shot of Rome at night time, and there’s no doubt about it, it’s a beautiful city. Wonderfully shot, with glorious sweeping pans from roof tops to the bowels of the Vatican itself.

Tom Hanks phones in another performance. Always dependable and enjoyable to watch, he’s hardly stretched by the script. Ewan McGregor lends support as the previous Popes right hand man. It’s a work man like performance but his ill advised “Oirish” accent really jars and at times become comical as he slips in and out of Scottish.

If you’re a fan of the first one, you’ll like this. If you thought it fell short of the mark, then this will do nothing to change your mind.

There is fun to be had here but it’s fleating and frivoulos with a side order of eye candy. Works well as an advert for a weekend in Rome though.

“The Hangover – Never has feeling so bad felt so good”.

Let’s be honest, the plot alone is a surefire winner – four men. A bachalor party (stag-do to us Brits). In Vegas. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, if Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (co-writers) are to be believed, pretty much everything.

Todd Philips has found fine form once again here. Much like with Road Trip and Old School (he snaffles a brief cameo in each), this film essentially boils down to a close group of guys finding themselves in ever increasing wild and weird situations for the entire duration of the film. The clichés are all here. You’ve got the obligatory nerd Stu (Ed Helms), the slightly creepy simpleton loner Alan (comedian Zach Galifianakis), the outgoing pack leader Phil (Bradley Cooper) and the ‘middle of the road’ sufferer dragged into the whole maelstrom – husband to be Doug (Justin Bartha). All are great but this film belongs to Alan, the brother-in-law to be who proves time and again that you should “Ignore the beard, he’s just a child”.

After an arrestingly menacing opener things quickly reduce into a farcical, near non-stop whodunnit? – or more accurately whodunwhat? After waking from the promised night to remember, nobody can remember a thing. And with one of the gang having disappeared the remaining three have no time to dwell on their mysterious injuries (fear the dentist? then prepare to squirm), lost belongings and newly acquired exotic pet as they are forced to drive, fight and run up and down the strip in an attempt to locate their missing groom to be. All the while the wedding is drawing ever closer – check out the utterly believable desperation come creeping on as the inevitable “everything’s fine!” calls that are made back home (we’ve all made them, just think of your worst example and x it by 50) to the anxious bride and Stu’s truly awful girlfriend – you will know someone like her.

All in all, The Hangover, simply put, is a great comedy. With an appropriate running time (95 mins), more gags then any one film rightfully deserves (keep an eye out for the sequel) and a genuine, liberal dose of that often missing ‘feel-good’ factor it accomplishes precisely what a comedy should – it makes you laugh. A lot.

Because of the huge heart at its centre you cannot help but laugh out-loud in good conscience at the films (many) grimier gags – keep an eye out for the baby and the numerous cameos. As in Knocked Up and Role Models Ken Jeong pops up later to provide another larger then life passive / aggressive turn (you just know they have a riot coming up with this stuff). Not quite so successful is the much publicised “Iron” Mike Tyson appearance. He himself is rubbish. He doesn’t spoil anything, it works that he’s rubbish. Trust me, you’ll see.

“You probably get this a lot but this isn’t the real Caesar’s Palace is it?”

In short, The Hangover is easily Todd’s best so far. It effortlessly manages to take you through the A-Z of gross, inappropriate group male behaviour but all the while keeps things feeling, well, “nice and fuzzy”. Ignore the negative reviews (and there have been many). They’ve missed the point and somehow the countless funny jokes – just listen closely for the hysterical one-liners that are almost tossed away.

There’s no malice here, no cheap tricks or lazy cynicism. It’s just a very funny film.

If you’re a guy (and I suspect the same applies for the girls) and you’re under fifty, chances are you will just “get” this film. You’ll find yourself wandering out of the cinema with a big grin on your face and your mind racing as to how/who/when you can rope into a boy’s holiday as if your life depends on it. You’ll be quoting it with the guys for years to come.

Oh, and you’ll never have been so happy to sit through the end credits either.

Director: Edward Zwick

Starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell, Defiance is the true story of three Jewish brothers (Tuvia, Zus and Asael Bielski) trying to survive the Nazis in occupied Eastern Europe.

Fleeing their destroyed farmland, the Bielski brothers escape to the surrounding forests. As word spreads, they are soon joined by other Jews and, finally a community of over 1000 people are sheltering from the Nazi threat.

This is a story of incredible heroism and courage. The sheer act of living in such an inhospitable place is in itself  amazing, but add in the always-present threat from the enemy forces and the story becomes truly inspirational.

Daniel Craig once again brings his ‘hard as nails’ image to the screen as the leader of the community. Ably supported by Jamie Bell, who has one of the more emotional speeches of the film. A rallying cry to the dispossessed near the end, when it looks like all hope is lost. It’s a powerful moment and resonates with the viewer long after the credits roll.

But, it’s Liev Schreiber’s portrayal of Zus Bielski where the real acting chops lie. This is the brother that feels that just surviving isn’t enough and joins with the Russian soldiers to fight the Germans. A thankless task as these fighting Jews are not seen as fellow combatants by their Russian counterparts, only at best expendable and at worst cannon fodder. Liev performance treads a careful line between simmering revenge and his sense of duty to his fellow brothers. Worth watching the film for on it’s own. The dynamic between the three is powerful enough to drive the film along but there is a problem.

There’s a Ray Mears episode that talks of this story. He digs into the background of the survival aspects and even talks to some of the original surviving escapees. It’s an amazing story, well told and rooted firmly in the here and now. If only the Edward Zwick had imbued this film with the same grounding, you can’t help but feel he’d have been onto a winner.

This leads us to the main problem. With Defiance there’s just too much artistic license going on, too many “Hollywood” moments and the sheer size of the forest is never adequately conveyed to the audience . For a place that eventually hides over 1000 people, you feel like the surrounding villages are never more than a few hundred meters away. This feeling of scale is crucial to the story and its absence really undermines the credibility of the film.

It’s a pity as there are some standout scenes and some beautiful camera work. But the high points only further serve to underline the lows,  and overall it makes for  an uneven film.

A gritty  true story that isn’t quite done justice by the movie makeover.

[rating:3]

What can I say? A blazing return to form from Scorsese? Best film since GoodFellas? Martin shows us why he’s considered one of the greatest directors of all time?

Yes, yes and yes.

Although there is also a BUT coming too and we’ll get to it in a second. First lets talk about the film itself.

The Departed is a complex story set in and around the police departments & underworld of Boston. Crime boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) manages to impregnate the Police staff with one of his own boys, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon). While new police graduate, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is drafted in by the cops to one of Costello’s crews. And so begins one of the most excellent games of cat and mouse ever brought to screen. Nicholson, Damon and DiCaprio are all on career best form and act up a storm. All three are ably supported by Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin and Mark Walberg. In fact, Walberg more than holds his own in this company and it’s the first time since Boogie Nights that we really get to see what he can be capable of.

Hey, It’s won 4 Oscars so it must be good! And it sure is, in fact I’d go as far to say that it’s one of the best films I’ve seen in a very long time.

But, and there is a BUT with this film, and this is the time for it. When you watch GoodFellas, you felt as if you were spying into a world of gangsters and mobsters. You were getting a front row seat to a world that really existed. Where these characters, although larger than life, were still very real and believable.

The problem I have with The Departed is that although it’s impeccably acted, it’s just that, “Acted”. I never feel as if I’m spying into that secret world like I did with GoodFellas. I simply felt as if I was watching a great film, with great actors and a great story. It never made that leap into the world where I was completely immersed in the story and characters. I just felt as if, “Wow, Jack Nicholson really is a great actor”. And I should have been thinking, “Christ, I really hope I never bump into Frank Costello!”.

And as a final point, that last shot on the balcony right at the end o f the film was completely unnecessary, if the idea was to underline the fact there’s a lot of Rat Bastards out there etc, it simply wasn’t needed and ends up being a rather cheap shot. But hey, that’s just my opinion.

That being said, The Departed is a great film and one that I fully intend to watch again. Plus, if you don’t agree, I want to hear about it. That’s what’s great about FilmDroid, we’re able to revaluate our opinions if you’re able to make a good enough point!

[rating:4.5]

Due to the wonderful acting, we really care for the characters, rooting for them to pull through when the going gets tough. Artfully shot, the director brings the stark beauty of the buildings and surrounding landscape to life, only helping to add to the feeling of isolation permeating the film.

It’s a real skill to make a ghost story that doesn’t need relay of the sudden jumps and loud noises tricks to get a reaction from the audience and still remain frightening, yet this film manages it ten fold. Showing the viewer that it’s not always the fear of the dead that can be the most terrifying, live ones can be pretty scary too.

 If you’ve not seen it, or aren’t usually a fan of chillers, give this one a shot.

A standout film in it’s own right and one of the greatest movies ever.