Beasts of the Southern Wild

12, 2012, Directed by Benh Zeitlin
Starring: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly, Lowell Landes

 A scintillating debut from Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild may be hard to pin down, but it has unprecedentedly carved itself out as the independent film of 2012. Perhaps this is due to the director's captivatingly-crafted concept of a Louisianan Bayou community - branded ‘The Bathtub' - separated from the rest of mankind by a levee, allowing its residents to run amok within their own special community. It could, and probably is, equally thanks to Quvenzhané Wallis, a 9-year-old newcomer who has arguably out-acted every actress in the business playing Hushpuppy, a remarkable character brought to life by the little gem (as it stands, she is officially the youngest ever person to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award.) The truth is, Beasts of the Southern Wild is a magically effortless watch that remains – despite its attempt at commenting on eco issues of today – a pleasure to endure. Hushpuppy’s opening narration, occurring as we witness her escapades amongst the close-knit community, divulge all the information the audience require; one day, 'The Bathtub' will sink, the weather eroding every last man-made shack away. Until then, they aren't being moved. 

Six years old in the film, Hushpuppy’s fending is overseen by more mentor than father, Wink (Dwight Henry, plucked from a local New Orlean bakery to appear in Zeitlin’s film) whose ailing health is something that isn’t to be acknowledged. Henry is a sensation, bounding his way through the entire running time, bringing life to a role that has the life leaving him. The film has overarching allegorical themes, none more thematic than a particularly aggressive storm releasing ancient aurochs which are shown to be charging through the film aimlessly with every other scene. Nothing is aimless in this film however, with Hushpuppy the heart that sustains the life that surrounds her. Zeitlin embraces the fantastical, depicting his vision amongst a setting unfamiliar to most, hence making it strangely understandable; we are told how Hushpuppy’s faceless mother presence, who provides Wallis’ character with an aim, is a figure whose very presence could ignite flames and boil water – this is recollected to us by Wink. The point is, in this separated community increasingly under threat, anything is possible... And after the recognition the film has received from this years Oscar nominations, for first-time director Benh Zeitlin, possibilities are endless.

4.5/5  

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Brave

PG, 2012, Directed by Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Kevin McKidd

  Toys, Monsters, Superheroes, Cars, Waste-collecting robots; the Pixar list goes on, and will continue to do so as long as Pixar effortlessly manage to sustain their excellence, amidst some signs of - not so much stalling, than slowing down (the critical derision of Cars 2 from everybody bar 8-year old boys forms the integrity of that statement.) Fresh ideas may be sapping, with their last original offering being 2009’s Up - as well as two more sequels in the works - but with Pixar, (emphasis on the word 'but',) there’ll never be any empirical reason to lose faith.

 

Their latest, however, faces challenges: people have become content revisiting beloved characters, whether it’s Woody, Buzz or Lightning McQueen. Somewhat interestingly, one common link between the entire Pixar back-catalogue is that female leads are pretty scarce. So perhaps in an attempt to prove they are still the leading animated classic-churner in the movie kingdom, head honchos unveil Brave: an original fairytale about a Princess. Set in Scotland. It is fair to say excitement has been lower on the league table than with previous outings - with production troubles meaning female director Brenda Chapman and title The Bear and the Bow departed the shoot, paving the way for Mark Andrews to take the reigns - but it is very probable this may have worked in its advantage. After a solid opening proves that there is no fear in making the younger audience members fly off seats in fright, it grows ever apparent that Pixar still defy fear to transcend what is expected of them. Using their princess protagonist as a tool, Merida is a force to be reckoned with. Enduring her expectant day-to-day princess rituals, she showcases her desire for adventure through narration and visual spectacle that further prove Pixar can deprive you of breath easier than CG-driven live action set-pieces. Voiced by Kelly Macdonald, she is the heart and soul of the piece, with reliance on the audience taking to this character to embrace the end product. If at first you are put off by the talky folklore dialogue and Merida’s reckless attitude, by the film’s end you will more than likely have accepted her, not just down to the fire-haired teenage princess’s trajectory. The support surrounding her each select their attempts to show-steal; Billy Connolly’s King Fergus, a peg-legged booze-guzzler, or even Emma Thompson’s Queen Elinor, who gets embroiled into the film’s overarching plot in a way one genuinely might not expect via Julie Walters' bizarrly-concepted witch. 

Strip everything back however, and Brave – whether you like it or not – falls short of the mark. Perhaps this is due to the instant-classic nature of the studio’s previous, downright braver, efforts. But Brave’s most noble element is its insistence on not trying to better what has come before, instead opting to provide something on a smaller-scale than what no doubt will come next (Monsters, Inc. gets the prequel treatment next summer in Monsters University.) Meaning it's easier to embrace the film’s redeeming qualities, threatening to glow even brighter with a re-watch – if Brave even lingers long enough in your brain to warrant another.

The world sits even tighter for the return of Sully and Wazowski.

3.5/5

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Battleship

12, 2012, Directed by Peter Berg
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna, Liam Neeson

When a film is promoted as coming from ‘the same company that brought you Transformers’, there is good reason to be wary. Hasbro is that company, and their latest money-making venture (c’mon, why else would they promote it that way?!) is a film version of the love-it-or-hate-it game Battleships, as seen by Friday Night Light’s creator and Hancock director, Peter Berg.

The film takes an early misstep with Berg making the fatal error of painting his world and the worn out characters that fill it as loveable comedic buffoons, even going as far as to include the Pink Panther theme as part of the soundtrack to enhance the hilarity of an extraordinarily bizarre opening segment to what is promised to be an effects-driven action flick. The error be fatal due to the attempted veer in the direction of seriousness when the alien life forms that prove trouble for our navy fleet make one hell of a splash on earth. Taking these characters seriously proves troublesome in itself, hindered even more so by the dialogue (written by brother’s Eric and Jon Hoeber) that is so disastrously clunky, it could sink ships no matter what battle was thrown its way (perhaps this was realised, leading to an exchange where a scientist responds to a certain patriotic line by quipping 'who says that?'). All the acting talent do their best with what they have, which happens to be not a lot. Lead Taylor Kitsch as Hopper manages to escape without being as unlikeable as he should be – kudos to him.

It is fearful that everybody involved feels that they are involved in something of a game-changer; a blockbuster to rival rich vigilantes, men dressed in black and those Avengers. Okay, so the entire affair is not an unbearable one, with Berg proving he can capture impressively crafted effects-driven action that the most uninterested person wouldn’t roll their eyes at, as well as a few (read very few) scenes of promise (not to mention an out-there scene where the fleet adopt the actual rules of the game Battleships in an attempt to save the world... and you know, justify the film.) But everything else is too lacklustre to make it count; not even Neeson can salvage this. At 131 minutes, fit with sentimental sub-plots and people quipping snappy lines before blowing things up, the game here needs to be drastically raised if it wants to rub shoulders with the big dogs.

But if mindless, unrewarding mayhem is what you’re searching for - or you just fancy seeing Rihanna fire some heavy artillery - watch Battleship on repeat. 

1.5/5

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Bridesmaids

2011, 15, Directed by Paul Feig
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy

With all the hype surrounding Judd Apatow-produced comedy über-hit Bridesmaids, it seems a given that it be an enjoyable romp that does for wedding planning what The Hangover did for stag-dos. Right? Well, in a word, yes. Kristen Wiig headlines this female vehicle as the down-to-earth Annie, who is requested by her best friend bride to be chief bridesmaid at her forthcoming wedding. Plain-sailing it is anything but as set-pieces involving a dodgy Mexican coming back to haunt a dress-fitting (‘I just need to get off this white carpet!’), not to mention Annie having to contend with Rose Byrne’s pristine new friend on the block, Helen – are all evidence of the hilarity at bay. Where Bridesmaids works is through the Apatow-applying of witty conversational dialogue that could have easily been improvised by the stars, and on perhaps a less-important gender level, the induction of relatable policeman love-interest Chris O’Dowd (far away from The IT Crowd) to ensure this is as much for males as females (although make no mistake, more for females...). But whilst the supporting cast do their best to shove their comedic chops in the way of the audience, it is Wiig – who has writing credit alongside Annie Mumolo – who really comes through this with a flashing Next Big Thing beacon. Without her, Bridesmaids could have appeared as if it were trying too hard, whereas her presence gives the impression that the comedy provided is effortless. Mention also has to go to Melissa McCarthy’s Megan, the Zach Galiafanakis of the piece; it would have been terribly easy to play this one just for easy laughs, but instead decides to opt for heart also. You’re going to be see more from this one.

With the success and love Bridesmaids has heaped upon it, producers could opt for bigamy; an easy money-spinning venture (unfortunately much like The Hangover is in the process of becoming). The truth is, leaving this as a one-off truly witty dark horse would be the more clever option. There's just no room for other people in this marriage, Hollywood.  

4/5

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Black Swan

2010, 15, Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey

Darren Aronofsky’s first film since The Wrestler follows a near-identical formula: a character cannot deny their addiction to a talent they pursue powerlessly. Whereas Mickey Rourke’s wrestler was the protagonist in which that film was based, Black Swan focuses on Natalie Portman’s ballerina, Nina. Her every moment is shaped by ballet and it is this obsession which shapes the film (the opening sequence is a dream of Nina dancing as the Swan Queen, the role all ballerinas covet). We are permitted an immediate glimpse into Nina’s sheltered life, which aptly starts how Black Swan means to go on. You will question what is grounded in reality or what is in the mind, largely due to the digital trickery Aronofsky revels in shaking-up his audience with. Vincent Cassel’s expedient director, Thomas, makes no secret about the fact that Nina plays the White Swan to perfection, but that she just cannot convey the seductive scarred sexuality necessary for the Black Swan. Together with the forceful pressure placed onto her by the presence of new ballerina on the block Lily (Mila Kunis), Nina begins to make a tantalising transition. The casting here is inspired, with Portman epitomising Nina’s fragility in a beautiful manner – 8 months of dedicated training for the role is strongly indicated, causing the ballet scenes to be as awe-inspiring to even somebody who has no interest in dance. Cassel and Kunis impress, each adapting to their character with relative ease, whilst Barbara Hershey as the suffocating Mom of Nina plays just the right amount of mental-cased menace necessary so as not to belittle, but to partly influence her daughter’s inevitable spiral. But extreme kudos to Portman – she lingers in almost every shot: a shadow here, a reflection there (highlighting the extreme importance of mirrors). The amount of screen time she occupies in a film as challenging as this is pretty unthinkable and deserves to be rewarded (pay attention, Oscar).

Vitally, Aronofsky’s insistence on focusing on the intricacy of what his cast are doing is completely present – the scintillating cinematography will enable you to witness Swan Lake closer-up than you ever thought possible, experiencing every crack of the toe or toe out of line that Nina experiences. The camerawork on display effuses naturalism and surrealism simultaneously, birthing an uneasy feeling throughout: the claustrophobic camera constantly breathing down Nina’s neck; the technical flair of the camera matching her actions; the ingenious ability of capturing the beautiful and not-so-nice elements of the performances. The film insists upon weaving genres, but this simply adds to the unsettling nature at play and sets you up in such a way that you will welcome the scenes that will embed Black Swan into cult status forever more (and trust me, there are some seriously out-there moments).

Suffice to say, Black Swan is not for everyone, yet love it or loathe it there is no denying its palatable power. This is serious artistic ingenuity and Aronofsky has certainly defined himself as a genre director. Black Swan is the most horrific psychologically charged thriller there is. Prepare to be mesmerised.

4/5

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