Review: The World's End

Review: The World’s End

A tight, sophisticated Sci-Fi romp, with an emotional heart beating at its core, The World's End is a more than fitting finale to The Cornetto Trilogy, the genre mashing comedies of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The film sees forty something Gary King decide it is time to get the old gang back together to complete a legendary pub crawl in their hometown, which they failed to do in their teenage years. Tensions between the friends are high, particularly between Pegg's King and Frost's Andy who seemed to cut ties sixteen years before; at around that time that Andy stopped drinking. As the evening progresses old wounds are opened and it's clear they've all changed- or is it the town? The group unfortunately discover the town has been taken over by alien robots filled with blue stuff. The evening then becomes a fight for survival and to get out of the town- after finishing the pub crawl, of course.

Edgar Wright's directorial tropes are present throughout, with snappy edits and a heavy emphasis on the score and soundtrack. Many will criticise The World's End for not being as laugh-out-loud funny as its two predecessors. However, the laughs are there, but so is an emotional thread and maturity, allowing both Pegg and Frost to put in some brilliant dramatic performances around all the comedy. Excellent support is provided by Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman and Eddie Marsan, who deserves a special mention for his moving monologue on bullying that we can all relate too. There are also a number of cameos, some to be expected and some a complete surprise which are worth going for alone.

Like the sci-fi films its referencing The World's End tackles questions of humanity, friendship and the state of our current society. There is a clear bitterness toward the commercialisation of the high street. The film was shot largely in Letchworth Garden City, a Quaker town that has ironically few pubs, but does have a Weatherspoon and a town centre that has suffered direly from the recession, but retains the key chain stores seen everywhere with little character. It is testament to the filmmakers that they went out of their way to benefit local businesses with their filming; pub number eight "The Mermaid" is the local independent cinema, whilst pub number eleven "The Hole In The Wall" is the train station and has provided much needed renovation funding and the UK's first roundabout was given some much needed time in the spotlight. The film delivers an ultimate message that it is our individuality that makes us human and our consumerist society detrimental to our nature.

The World's End is the final product in the development of Wright and Frost as a pair of filmmakers and writers, delivering a level of maturity not seen in Hot Fuzz or Shaun Of The Dead. Carrying a tight script filled with humour and heart The World's end is a more than worthy member of The Cornetto Trilogy, which is hopefully just the beginning of Wright and Pegg's screen partnership.

Review: Trance

Review: Trance

Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson

 

A stylish thriller, Danny Boyle's Trance tries to bend our minds with hypnotism, yet only manages to path way for predictability. Opening in the classic Boyle style, a disjointed montage shows us the stasis of the protagonist James McAvoy's Simon, a Fine Art auctioneer forced to aid a heist to pay off a gambling debt. A dry voiceover takes us through the event and to the key problem- a hit on the head has left Simon with amnesia and he cannot remember where he has hidden the painting. Desperate Franck (Vincent Cassel), the head of the organisation, hires Harley Street hypnotherapist Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson) to find the memory in his mind. The film then plays out in a number of trances, leaving the audience to decipher the difference between truth and imagination within the character's mind.

Boyle keeps the strong visual style present in all his work vivid throughout the film, allowing the audience to submerge themselves in the trances. This works to create a sense of ambiguity surrounding the information gained from the hypnotherapy sessions and leads the audience to question the intention of each character. The narrative gets a bit too clever for its own good in the final act, leading to a plot twist that whilst well laid, does not have enough integrity to be believed. This is because of the difficulties in developing characters other than Simon when the majority of the film takes place inside his head.

The film remains an enjoyable watch, as with all of Boyle's work, with the integral problems lying with the script. There is an opportunity in the last third to flip everything one more time, but is turned away in favour of providing the audience with solid answers. In a film actively trying to be ambiguous, the end is in the wrong style. Leaving a narrative as subjective as Trance open to interpretation would have provided a needed distraction from the other flaws in the story. As it is, Trance is an enjoyable, well made thriller that thinks its much cleverer than it is. 

3/5

Review: Side Effects

Review: Side Effects

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Steven Soderbergh's swansong is a slick psychological thriller, packed with conniving twists and sinister turns. The story centres around Emily (Mara), whose husband Martin (Chattum) has just been released from jail for inside trading, must battle crippling depression to adjust to the change in her life and become the wife he wants her to be. She meets Dr Banks (Law) as she tries to curb her urges to harm herself through a number of different medications. The one she settles on lead to some unexpected side effects, sending her world into turmoil once more. It is then up to Banks to set everything straight.

Each performance is strong, with a stand out turn from Law who has not looked so alert for the best part of a decade. Rooney Mara is also reliably excellent, providing the right balance of subtlety and sincerity to derail the audience at every corner. Soderbergh's direction is reliably excellent, with an understated, murky visual style perfect for an unpredictable ride.

The key to a successful thriller is genuine surprises taking the audience in unexpected directions, which Side Effects achieves with ease. Each time a direction seems set the narrative changes gears, leaving the audience reeling, trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle. This leads to a highly entertaining picture, allowing Soderbergh to leave us with a fist bump of respect rather than a loud bang. It was puzzling that he would make Side Effects his final film rather than last summer's magnificent Magic Mike, yet this seems more appropriate. For years Soderbergh has been reliable in providing reliable out put of strong, sturdy films that got the job done with little fuss. Why bow out on anything different?

 4/5

Review: Welcome To The Punch

 Review: Welcome To The Punch

Director: Eran Creevy

Starring: James McAvoy, Mark Strong, Peter Mullan, David Morrissey, Andrea Riseborough  

Welcome To The Punch is a stylish, glossy british crime thriller that gets caught up in its American aspirations at the cost of plot and character development. The film sees detective Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy) presented with a chance to convict his long time enemy Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) after Sternwood's son gets caught up in a world of drugs and organised crime. The basic premise works well, but quickly descends into a mess as layers are added and an unnecessarily large number of characters are introduced. The audience are left confused and uncaring, having not been allowed enough time to empathise with any of the characters or to orient themselves with the narrative.

The film is not without merit. Clearly inspired by American crime thrillers the film is a mass with scenery porn. The audience are treated to sweeping ariel shots of London's magnificent skyline at night, along with well shot action sequences. Director Eran Creevy puzzlingly tries to depict London as dark and gritty by adding blue filter to every shot, yet leaving the streets themselves oddly empty and clean. Whilst this provides a feast for the eyes, it serves to further baffle the audience as they must reconcile this glossy London with the city riddled with gun crime and corruption presented to them in the plot. 

There is also fun to be had with the cast. The result of having an excessive number of characters is that it provides lots of jobs for actors and one could play British characters actor bingo whilst watching the picture. McAvoy and Strong are joined by Andrea Riseborough, David Morrissey, Ruth Sheen, Peter Mullen, Johnny Harris and Daniel Mays to name just a few. One is just about ready to applaud when Steve Oram appears as a pesky journalist for just one scene. Everyone here is having a great time, sticking their teeth into the grizzly drama and action. These performances are what makes the film watchable, providing a level of camp that prevents it from heading into Nick Love territory. 

Welcome To The Punch is a fun ride if you turn of your brain and embrace the silliness. As a serious crime thriller it's not great, but there are much worse things out there. 

2.5/5

Films in 100: Cosmopolis (2012)

Cosmopolis (2012, David Cronenberg)

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Sarah Gadon, Paul Giamatti, Juliette Binoche, Samantha Morton, Jay Baruchel, Kevin Durand and Emily Hampshire.

A fantastic, timely dissection of the consumerist society in which we live. The film charts Eric Packer as he makes his way across Manhattan to get a haircut. The casting of Robert Pattinson is genius, with delicious irony in the line “talent is erotic when it is wasted,” clearly comparing his frozen performances in the Twilight films and his revelatory performance here. Pattinson and the other cast are wonderful. The cold, stilted dialogue, confined space and framing provide a theatrical feel, claiming the audience and making them feel gloriously uncomfortable. This film is brilliant, but is too inaccessible to get the consideration and recognition it deserves. 

5/5

Films in 100: Pitch Perfect (2012)

Pitch Perfect (Jason Moore, 2012)

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin,  Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp and Ben Platt.

The similarities to Glee are clear; it's a musical comedy, it shows the rise of an unpopular group of misfits to success and an alumni from the original broadway cast of Spring Awakening is in one of the main roles (Astin). The dialogue is often quick witted but sometimes falls flat with Rebel Wilson improvising to provide the majority of the laughs. The generic romance at the centre of the narrative is sweet but nothing new, with the mashups so “mashed” that it is difficult to shake them out like a polaroid picture. Less Pitch Perfect more pitch predictable.

3/5

Films in 100: Beasts Of The Southern Wild (2012)

Beasts Of The Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin, 2012)

Starring: Quvenzhane Wallis and Dwight Henry.
 

Beautiful story of wonder and belonging. Fantastical in a very real setting with relatable images of the post Hurricane Katrina South. The film follows six year old Hushpuppy as she must face the melting icecaps flooding the only home she has ever known and the failing health of her father, with bravery and courage. There are wonderful performances from the two leads, who are not professional actors providing an authenticity that may not have been achieved otherwise. Shot beautifully, great soundtrack and screenplay, with a heartbreaking finale. A true marvel.

5/5