Franklyn

Gerald McMorrow's first film (he both writes and directs) is something of an oddity. At first it feels like you're watching two different movies. On the one hand, stormy masked hero Jonathon Preest (Ryan Philippe), who could have been plucked straight out of a graphic novel, prowls the streets of Meanwhile City, where the all-powerful ministry seeks to use religion to control the masses. Preest's voice over growls well worn attacks on faith as he faces hordes of bizarrely dressed law enforces. Seems a little like a less good version of V For Vendetta.

Then suddenly we jump to modern day London, where three lost souls stumble around feeling sorry for themselves. In the first half I can guarantee you will feel nothing but confusion, and the four parallel storylines mean that they're not as well developed as you would like. But suddenly it all starts making sense, delusions are unearthed, and the four narrative strands suddenly start to connect. The finale involves all of our four protagonists' lives being put in danger as the assassination attempt Preest has spent the film grumbling about finally comes to fruition.

You'll still desperately be trying to make links after the closing credits, and be left with the impression that you've just experienced a very clever film. Yes, it is an attack on faith, but the overall impression is much more subtle than Jonathon Preest's preaching. "Life's too much of an adventure as it is without making anything else up" smiles Emilia (Eva Green), the childhood sweetheart of Milo (Sam Riley) who is not what she seems. This line sums up the entire film, as the character's delusions and departures from reality are exposed as the cause of their pain.

It's very cleverly shot, each narrative strand is filmed in a subtly different style to reflect the individual characters. The clockwork like music perfectly compliments the stunning visuals of Meanwhile City. The acting is top rate, Eva Green (the witch in Dark Shadows) plays both an emotionally fragile, self-destructive artist and a friendly and airy long lost love to perfection. Sam Riley (who was a fantastic villain as Pinky in Brighton Rock) is innocent and vulnerable as Milo.

Gerald McMorrow's hand gestures communicate hidden depths to Milo and Sally.

With an intricate plot to rival the work of Christopher Nolan coupled with the emotional intensity and philosophical ponderings of Richard Kelly, Gerald McMorrow has certainly delivered a promising debut, and offers a significant contribution to the film industry.

Rating: 8/10

Quickfire Reviews (Part 2)

It's that time again. Here are some films of varying quality that have been occupying me as of late:


The Descendants

"Paradise? Paradise can go f**k itself!" These opening lines leave us no qualms about the realities of life on Hawaii (or anywhere for that matter), where our protagonist Matt King (George Clooney) insists that people aren't "immune to life". He's understandably embittered, his wife is about to die, he's left in charge of two children he barely knows due to his workaholic tendencies and he's just discovered his beloved has in fact been cheating on him. It's hard not to feel intense sympathy for Clooney, it seems everyone on the island has it in for him. There's tragedy here certainly, which is managed brilliantly, but the tone is kept light and the pace leisurely. The outstanding acting talent helps to keep the situation understated, and the film intensely watchable despite the bleak content. One of the comic highlights is Nick Crause's Sid, who inadvertently manages to say the wrong thing every step of the way and has the bruises to show it. While this isn't exactly life changing material, it meditates lazily on the nature of family and responsibility, and it's easy to see why Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash's screenplay won an Oscar.

Rating: 8/10


Never Let Me Go

It's very hard not to try and compare this to The Remains of the Day, an infinitely better adaptation of a Kazuo Ishiargo novel. It's difficult to work out precisely what's wrong with this adaptation. The acting is fantastic, with Keria Knightley easily outshone by young talent in the form of Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield. But despite this, I have this lingering feeling that I don't quite get the characters in the way I should. The premise is a little heavy-handed, clones are brought up to donate all their organs to 'normal' people. More could have been made of this, the ethics of it are only considered fleetingly and sidelined by the central love triangle (itself a metaphor for the utter selfishness that started the whole nightmare off). It's well shot, but this makes it slightly bland, although the quaint Englishness of this dystopian alternative reality is both charming and disturbing. The whole affair threatens to turn into a fairytale at various points, and it lies in an uncomfortable no man's land between the brutality of a egotistical world which treats our protagonists as spare parts and a storybook world where true love can save everyone from certain death. Thankfully the film decides which side of the fence it lies on, and delivers a final emotional wallop made all the more poignant by the haunting string theme music.

Rating: 6/10


Grabbers

This understated Irish monster comedy was a straight to DVD release at the back end of 2012. While it's certainly enjoyable, it's attempt to be both a horror film and a comedy mean neither of these elements are realised as well as they could be. Aliens land just off the coast of a small Irish island, and it seems the only way to defeat them is...to get utterly plastered.This film thrives on simple pleasures, and we are meant to be enticed by the pretty CGI and the spectacle of lots of Irish people drinking too much. Nevertheless, the concept is satisfyingly random and maintains interest. Richard Coyle and Ruth Bradely go where many have gone before, playing a mismatched cop duo with simmering sexual tensions. Russel Tovey plays his usual brand of politeness and awkwardness, but I think being hurled into the ocean by a giant monster is a little bit of a harsh price to pay for constantly playing the same character. You can guess the ending, and the lack of originality means Grabbers never really manages to grab your attention.

Rating: 4/10


The Silence of the Lambs

According to IMDb voters, The Silence of the Lambs is the 24th highest rated film ever, and most would say it's a classic after winning 5 Oscars. I'm not sure I agree. It plays like an episode of Waking the Dead, and the choice to relegate the hunt for Buffalo Bill to a subplot means that the climax in his lair is ultimately disappointing, and we're not offered any sense of closure in terms of the film's main villain, Hannibal Lector. The movie thrives on disgust more than horror, but mercifully we're not exposed to anything too gruesome. There are two things in this film which are fantastic. The first is the creepy motif of the screaming lambs, symbolising all the innocent victims we can never save from a murky criminal underworld. The second is the performance of our two leads. Jodie Foster brilliantly captures the emotional vulnerability of Clarice Starling in the tough and unforgiving environment of the FBI. But by far the highlight is a career defining performance by Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Lector. His icy take on the psychopath mean that even when he's in captivity, those evil eyes can't fail to terrify.

Rating: 7/10


The Social Network

David Fincher is having a run of good films, this fantastic offering was sandwiched in between The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Cutting expertly between Mark Zuckeburg (Jesse Eisenberg of Zombieland, finally given a meaty role) being sued by two different parties and the tumultuous creation of Facebook and the rivalry that followed. Aaron Sorkin deservedly won an Oscar for the fabulous screenplay, reeled of at a million miles per hour by most of the characters. The destruction of friendships is balanced with absurd humour (Eduardo takes a hit for inducing a chicken in to forced cannibalism). The acting is top notch, Eisenberg excels in portraying egotism and a lack of empathy, and surprisingly Justin Timberlake puts in a good performance as Sean Parker, founder of Napster and leader of the youth revolution. I feel a little sorry for their real life equivalents as they are portrayed as truly unpleasant people. But my personal favourite is Andrew Garfield. He portrays the hurt of being trampled on by both Zuckerburg and Parker beautifully, and is completely different from his turn as Tommy in Never Let Me Go. Putting all these good things aside, this movie captures the mood of the early 21st century perfectly. The arrogant youth challenge the establishment of major corporations, and sometimes come out victorious and are made into billionaires. But as it does in every day life, the creation of online friendships tarnishes real ones, and the final shot leaves Zuckerburg stalking a woman he has just met on Facebook. Perhaps the world would have been better without it.

Rating: 9/10