Quickfire Reviews (Part 4)

It's been a while. Here are some films I prescribe next time you find yourself on the hunt for DVDs, and some that I advise you avoid at all costs:

Sunshine

Danny Boyle's 2007 follow-up to the slightly manic 28 Days Later seems to have received a lukewarm reception, and I admit I'd never heard of it until I explored Mr Boyle's filmography. Nevertheless, this is a loving tribute to what Boyle calls "serious sci-fi films", and works with the templates created by Alien and 2001. It combines the horror of the former film and the imagination of the latter to create "a thinking man's thriller".There are buried religious themes, but bizarrely you can interpret them as both confirming and denying the existence of God, depending on which perspective you look at it from. The visual style is characteristically visceral, and we move from a low-key start to a gripping, if slightly confused, climax. My only criticism is that the ensemble cast of characters means you never really get to emphasise with any of them, but that's a common feature of these types of films. Cillian Murphy still performs admirably as our unwitting lead without really saying anything.

Rating: 8/10

Mars Attacks!

Speaking of filmographies, this is a surprise entry from Tim Burton. It seems to be a film without a real cause, tracking the lives of various oddball characters as badly animated Martians invade America. Unfortunately, oddball in this case means two dimensional characters with occasional propensities for strangeness. Nevertheless, there are some little gems. Jack Nicholson as the self-interested and incompetent oath who happens to be President is a highlight, and Tom Jones pops up near the end of the film for no apparent reason. As much as I admire Burton's stab at social commentary (saying that technologically advanced nations can't be barbaric is a bit rich coming from the USA), the characteristically beautiful "twisted fairytale" vibe that came to dominate his later films hasn't yet been established fully, and this is no Big Fish or Edward Scissorhands.

Rating: 5/10

The End of the Affair

Graham Greene's shocking and engaging book is turned into a slightly less shocking and engaging film. Although the soaring violins give the film a romantic dimension that was lacking in the book, there's been an annoying reshuffling of characters, and Sarah eventually gives up on her promise to God in the cinematic version, which seems to undermine the whole religious/redemptive element. Nevertheless, Ralph Fiennes excels as Bendrix, becoming the type of obsessive monster that develops when the moral laws he should have used to check himself with are slackened by the mid-20th Century. Julianne Moore arguably steals the show with the bomb scene, while elsewhere Stephen Rae is a truly dishevelled husband and Jason Isaacs (forever Jackson Brodie) is a condescending priest.

Rating: 7/10

Twelve in a Box

Pitching itself was a low-key comedy without the inherent quirkiness of In Memory of My Father, Twelve in a Box turns into one of those comedies where the best you get out of it is faint amusement. Essentially, it's a big game of  'spot the British sitcom actor'. The absurdly convoluted plot should lead to giggles, but doesn't. Twelve old school friends have to spend four days in a stately home to earn £12,000,000. Lives are ended and marriages are broken, but it plays out like the concoction of a few bored amateur dramatics. The worst part is that we're promised on the box that Miranda Hart will take the lead, only for her to be hysterically bungled into a spare room. A disappointment.

Rating: 6/10

The Boat That Rocked

Now here's how comedy should be done. We have nostalgia, a whole host of lovable characters, a killer soundtrack and an anarchic sense of humour. We're aboard a less than sea worthy vessel that broadcasts the popular pirate radio station: Radio Rock. Unfortunately, Kenneth Branagh is employing the evil Twatt (Jack Davenport) to close down the station for its promotion of sex, drugs and rock and roll. All three of these are in abundance, as James (Charlie Rowe) somehow ends up on board to correct his wayward nature (not the wisest idea) and embarks on a quest to lose his virginity and find his father. This is another film where the lead barely says anything (you're not the first Cillian Murphy!), but with a supporting cast this good, it's hard not to take a back seat. We have 2/3 of the cast of the IT Crowd, and Bill Nighy is always ready with a wonderful one-liner. Richard Curtis has delivered an absolute delight.

Rating: 9/10