Quickfire Reviews (Part 5)

Exams are over, and so it is time for me to share my cinematic experiences with you. Enjoy.

Evil Dead

Jane Levy is looking good

Well, I couldn't resist. After the Plasticine zombie romp became a cult film and spanned a cult trilogy, Sam Raimi and co. have decided to see if they can milk some more money out of it in the 21st Century with debut  director Fede Alvarez at the helm. And we all know that horror movie remakes have a tendency to be ever so slightly awful. This originally seemed to be an exception. The acting is infinitely better, and benefits without the wooden performances of Bruce Campbell and his zombified friends. Jane Levy radiated sympathy as Mia, a drug addict going cold turkey. Things start to get a bit out of hand when Mia's hairy friend reads from a scary book, defying common sense by ignoring many elaborate warnings against doing so. Then Mia is got by a tree, but her unpleasant friends won't let her leave. And then everyone turns into zombies.
There are many good things about this film. It is tremendously good at suspense in the early stages, and the theme of drug addiction and the shots of characters seeing zombified versions of themselves in the mirror adds a new level to the ensuing shenanigans. There's a lovely sequence involving Jane Levy and a flooded basement, and believe it or not, this remake actually has some emotional depth to it (it has to, there's violins), which the original embarrassingly searched for.
But there are still some blunders. Alvarez relies to much on gore, meaning that when we actually get round to the proper scares they lack impact and it succumbs to the familiar horror movie flaw of not knowing when to end, it always seems like there's one more demon that threatens to kill our protagonists, whilst the encounters with the zombies do become a little repetitive, as they tend to be strangely inspired by 127 Hours.
But the main flaw with trying to remake Evil Dead is that there is already a remake, it's called The Cabin in the Woods and is a lot better. This plucky reboot was doomed from the start.

Rating: 5/10

The Tree of Life

Brad Pitt's fathering skills come into question

Throughout Terrence Malick's movie, you get the feeling that the director is sitting somewhere, smug about how clever he is. This film oozes 'deep and meaningful' undertones, with tortured characters murmuring profound phrases against scenes of the creation of the universe whilst an enthusiastic soprano sings the Agnus Dei. The film is meant to be about the search for God, but it ends up being about Brad Pitt being generally unpleasant and corrupting a child that has the pleasure of growing up to be Sean Penn, who wanders aimlessly around Wall Street looking grief stricken. Critics love it, but I found it unengaging, with some visually breathtaking or eye opening moments lost in a desert of far too many close ups of Brad Pitt's odd looking child (Hunter McCracken). And after two hours of not a lot happening, everyone decides gleefully that God does exist without any prompting. Perhaps I'm missing something, but after rave reviews this was a bloated disappointment.

Rating: 4/10

Moonrise Kingdom

Everyone loves a wedding

From Wes Anderson comes one of those conscientiously quirky films designed to make your heart melt. Every shot is so self-consciously odd that its bound to put a smile on your face. Bob Balaban's Narrator appears randomly across the idyllic New England isle we find ourselves on, informing us of the surrounding environment and weather conditions with the zeal (and appearance) of an enthusiastic geography teacher. Edward Norton's Scout Master Ward seems like FBI Agent Dale Cooper in a parallel universe where his career hasn't gone quite as planned. Our two young leads (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) seem like younger versions of the protagonists in Submarine, playing troubled children who find each other in their chaotic lives, and both come across as completely charming. This is pure escapism, reaching back to a simpler time where all it took was survival skills and a few sci-fi hardbacks to flee from the mundane nature of everyday life. And there's fireballs and hurricanes. I defy anyone not to enjoy this!

Rating: 10/10

The Reader

Kate Winslet makes the difficult decision as to whether she prefers Fiennes or DiCaprio

In a role that's about as far away from Titanic as you can possibly get, Kate Winslet plays Hanna Schmitz, a mysterious woman who seduces an impressionable 15 year old (David Gross). The 'lovers' are abruptly parted, until Schmitz awkwardly resurfaces at one of the later Nuremberg Trials, uncovered as a heartless Nazi who compiled lists of people to send to death camps and watched coldly as Jews were incinerated in a burning church. Director Stephen Daldry enjoys creating moral ambiguity, bizarrely encouraging us to root for Schmitz despite her heinous crimes. Joyously, Schmitz's conquest grows up to be Ralph Fiennes in a typically fantastic performance, but even he isn't very nice and verges on being solipsistic.Although the film contains some important lessons about the Holocaust, the focus is always firmly on the relationship between the two protagonists, preventing the viewer from being consumed by the sheer awfulness of history. The result is an accomplished tragic love story.

Rating: 8/10

Into The Wild

Christopher McCandless goes for a walk

I more than anyone am sick of books and films claiming that they are going to change the way I think forever, or something very similar. This one makes no such grand statements, and ironically is one of the few movies that would be justified in making them. Based on the true story of Christopher McCandless, a college student who sold all his possessions in order to journey across America, with his ultimate goal being to live alone in the wilds of Alaska. McCandless is intriguing from the start, embodying the very American idea of self-creation by christening himself Alexander Supertramp, but rejecting out of hand the materialism at the heart of society which arguably imprisons us all. However, this is not a gleeful call to arms for us to all up sticks and live on the open road. This is a tragedy, with McCandless's hubris being his disregard of other people, often abandoning those who have grown to love him and showing clear callousness to his broken family, and his dream of living in the wilderness threatens to destroy him. Emile Hirsch does a great job of playing Christopher, really capturing his spirit and making it hard for us not to love him. Jena Malone plays Christopher's long suffering sister, reminding us throughout of the devastating effect of Christopher's abandonment and explaining the reasons for his escape. The supporting cast are equally brilliant, the soundtrack irresistible, the shots on location breathtaking. This film will make you heart soar, and then mercilessly break it.

Rating: 10/10

The Great Gatsby

Jay Gatsby invites us to admire his bowtie

Well, there certainly has been a bit of controversy surrounding this one. Baz Luhrman's attempt to adapt F. Scott Fitzgerald's much loved novel has its lovers and loathers. His decisions to use rap, 3D and place poor old Nick Carraway in a metal hospital have received excited criticism. Nevertheless, something we should agree on is that Leonardo DiCaprio makes a great Gatsby, with more charm than Rodger Redford's take and capturing both the "irresistible imagination" of Gatsby and his more dangerous and criminal side. Carey Mulligan manages to make Daisy marginally sympathetic, no easy feat, and Tobey Maguire makes a touching Carraway. Some may object to what has been called the "neon" Gatsby (bright, empty and slightly painful to look at), but it is exciting to watch and accessible to a modern audience. It's two and a half running time doesn't have a dull moment, with humour, romance and heartbreaking tragedy. Fitzgerald's best line are fitted in nicely, the soundtrack works surprisingly well and the haunting green light reminds us that there's a little Gatsby in all of us.

Rating: 9/10