Star Trek Into Darkness

12, 2013, Directed by JJ Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Qunito, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch

 

Whereas JJ Abrams’ reboot of Gene Rodenberry’s mammoth classic sci-fi took its time in introducing just which actor had been tasked with playing which famous character, whilst carefully explaining potentially complex elements (with success, it should be added,) the sequel Star Trek Into Darkness begins mid-mission, with the engine revved as far as it can go; Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Doc ‘Bones’ McCoy (Karl Urban) are legging it away from a pursuing alien race, as Zachary Quinto’s Spock is being lowered into a volcano to prevent eruption - as it is erupting. It's as if the crew have been enacting missions every day since we left them back in '09.

It is this noble, yet under-assuming way of storytelling that JJ Abrams can nail. Together with his writing team of Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and LOST alumni Damon Lindelof, characters interact during different strands of simultaneous action so fluently that it's a wonder confusion is not induced. And let’s not forget, this can be mind-bending material. 

Into Darkness’ plot aptly revolves around Benedict Cumberbatch’s John Harrison, a terrorist who declares war on Starfleet, which forces James T. Kirk on a mission to apprehend him. It is Abrams’ casting of Britain’s man-of-the-moment Cumberbatch that best encapsulates the hugely talented filmmaker’s style; glorifying the oddball and making it cool. In John Harrison, we have a malevolent villain whose strange motives don’t make for confused questions, but chilling illogic.

The real film-winner though comes in Zachary Quinto's Spock. The lack of emotion running through his half human-half Vulcan character provides fellow crew members with many an issue, whether it be the anger Zoe Saldana’s love interest Uhura feels over his apparent willingness to die (touchingly, in order to prevent a planet’s devestation) or Kirk’s confusion at Spock’s unthankful reaction to having his life saved when it meant breaching protocol. It is these character moments that provide the film’s highlights; namely a hilarious bickering match during a life-threatening exploration that turns into a throat-choker within 30 seconds. It is Quinto’s precisely-played performance, and his core relationship with Kirk – thankfully at the forefront of these films - that ironically injects the film with the emotional investment necessary to make something of this stature work.

Time to give Chris Pine his credit; this time around, Kirk is an immensely likeable and reliable leader, despite his many confessions he has no clue what is the right thing to do… a very human trait. Simon Pegg returns in a brilliantly larger role as engineer Scotty, and although John Cho and Anton Yelchin are massively sidelined (as Sulu and Chekhov, respectively,) it is Karl Urban’s Doc Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy who manages to steal scenes with his one metaphor too many. And yep, all Alice Eve’s addition as Dr. Carol Marcus generically adds to the fore is red herring status, promise not quite grasped and flesh.

It’s safe to say that this is one film you won’t find yourself checking your watch in. With ambitiously crafted action set-pieces, more than one attempt to blind side the audience with narrative rug-pulls and simply enjoyable fun interaction between all members of the cast, if this is Abrams' trek into darkness then sign up now for future treks to come.

Not before he visits a galaxy far far away, mind.

4/5

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Iron Man 3

12, 2013, Directed by Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley

Robert Downey Jr is Iron Man. Having developed the self-professed billionaire philanthropic ‘mechanic’ over three films before it (Jon Favreau’s original two and Joss Whedon’s assemblage of those Avengers,) this third outing is as intricately layered as those new iron suits Tony Stark has been creating during his sleepless nights following the climactic events of Avengers Assemble. Be sure of this: Iron Man 3 - what many have been touting as the commencement of Marvel's second phase - should immediately be re-touted inexplicably as the single best Marvel flick yet. Step forward, Shane Black.

A writer/director who’s something of a pioneer of action movie scriptwriting (Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight,) it was the scriptwriter’s 2005 directorial debut Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang that led Downey Jr not only back into the clutches of Hollywood, but towards Stark himself. Quick-witted, punchy as hell and often hilarious, the words of Black spoken by RDJ are music to the ears. You can only imagine how funny Iron Man 3 can be.

Top rated dialogue. Check. An on-form Downey Jr. Always. Genuinely thrilling action? You betcha. Whereas Iron Man 2 dabbled with bloated action motivated by underdeveloped motives, this third venture immediately embarks upon establishing actions in an unnerving yet convenient manner: voiceover (this is a Shane Black film after all - and yep, you guessed it; it’s set at Christmas.) As the film opens, we join Stark and cast-addition Rebecca Hall’s Maya Hansen at a 1999 New Year’s Eve party in Switzerland; they are enthusiastically approached by Guy Pearce’s grimy Aldrich Killian, a scientist who expresses interest in working with them both. After Stark's snub, we're teased with the notion that this moment has since come back to haunt him. Cue present day, where a mystery-cloaked terrorist, known only as The Mandarin, continually intercepts the airwaves to spread forewarning of the horror he is about to induce upon America. This leads the way for Black to throw in more breathlessly-paced and edited mammoth sequences than is usually permitted, and ones that will leave you gasping for air.

Stark, battling with post-Avengers anxiety attacks and – for the most part – no Iron Man suit to aid him is stripped-back and as human as can be, pushing his relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts to the limit. A stretch of the narrative sees him partnered with Ty Simpkin’s young kid and under the supervision of most, these moments would have undoubtedly swayed into snore-inducing schmaltz; these scenes light up the film. Structurally, Iron Man 3 nails it - if perhaps in need of a slight trim. Character-wise, Guy Pearce is effective (as ever) as the slime-ball scientist, whilst Ben Kingsley will prove to be the film’s talking point. Although more established here than before, Don Cheadle’s Captain James Rhodes/Iron Patriot is star of the film’s baggier scenes, and the less said about James Badge Dale’s eye-rolling villain‘s accomplice the better; motives may be explored, but they don’t completely convince.

Although Iron Man 3 may not sway the more cynical viewer, it will shoot the fan’s expectations to sunshine in being something nobody anticipated. Fit with zingers galore (one of which includes, against all the odds, Croydon) and one incredibly brave make-or-break twist, audiences should simply sit back and admire a film that is better than it had any right to be. Impressively, Stark’s fellow Avengers are pushed to the back of the memory. The ball's in your court, Thor.

4/5

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The Place Beyond the Pines

15, 2013, Directed by Derek Cianfrance  
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Dane DeHaan

Director Derek Cianfrance broke onto the feature film scene in 2010 with Blue Valentine, his endearingly-performed drama starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, an actor currently so at the top of his game, his directors snatch him up for another (Drive’s Nicolas Winding Refn as guilty as Cianfrance, following his role in Only God Forgives, out later this year.) But whereas his former was a taut profile of a marriage breakdown, The Place Beyond the Pines is very much a decade-spanning generational epic. Screen time is shared between Gosling's “Handsome” Luke Glanton, a motorcycle stunt driver who turns to bank robbing upon learning that old flame Romina (Eva Mendes) has had his baby and Bradley Cooper, fresh from his Oscar nomination and continuing to add credibility to his Hangover-incited career scalds. Here, he stars as Avery Cross, a cop who learns that the ladder of law is a corrupt one when he crosses paths with Glanton.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, The Place Beyond the Pines has been billed as a Ryan Gosling film. He remains the film’s heart, the camera tracking his character’s charisma with ease. Numerous tattoos littered over his body, some hidden by a baggy Metallica vest, you just know Gosling is channelling the nameless driver that granted him cult status in 2011. The earlier scenes which place Glanton as prime focus are the standout, as we see his genuine amoration for Mendes or bank-robbing mentorship from fellow greaser Robin (an ever welcome Ben Mendelsohn.) His story is a bold one, conveyed by a performance that would be easy to label with career-best. He loiters in the brain long after, with Luke Glanton joining a long line of misunderstood movie characters. Not to detract from Cooper’s performance; the fact you even marginally empathise with his character as the film continues is a feat in itself. All the cast prove their worth, with deserved mention towards Ray Liotta, who nails unnerving once again, and a strangely underused Rose Byrne - doing lots with a little - as Avery’s wife. 

At times, it may be a struggle to decipher just what message Cianfrance is trying to deliver, but it's glaringly obvious: our future generation will have to deal with the consequences of our elders someday in the future. This message is conveyed no better in Pines’ final coda, where the worlds of Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) and Emory Cohen’s teenagers collide in a way you will probably see coming a mile off – one of the film’s minor downfalls.

Pines may not add any flourishes to the crime thriller genre, nor anything fresh in the way of structural storytelling, but through Derek Cianfrance’s filmmaking skill, he has created an immensely cool, watchable yet unnerving offering that could vie as one of the year’s best thus far.

The Place Beyond the Pines is a place worth seeking out.

 

4/5

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Dark Skies

15, 2013, Directed by Scott Stewart 
Starring: Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo, JK Simmons

Many may initially scoff at this little-hyped horror upon discovering it’s crafted from the same production house as Paranormal Activity, Insidious and Sinister – all of which have had or are due sequels at one time or another.  However, this scare-attempt - which follows the Barret family as they begin to experience disturbing encounters with a malevolent force - is more successful than you would expect. Racking up the suspense-laden tension, director Scott Stewart deals adeptly with what could potentially be run-of-the-mill fodder; decent performances from the Barret family, led by Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton’s parents, lead to a misplaced cameo from JK Simmons as an extra-terrestrial specialist. Unsettling jumps during memorable scenes, with genuinely spine-tingling portrayals of a factor that has been interpreted in films countless times before (if the picture doesn't give the game away, I refuse to here,) all assist in elevating Dark Skies to being one of those numerous entries into the horror genre you should actually check out.

3/5

  

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Broken

15, 2012, Directed by Rufus Norris

Starring: Eloise Laurence, Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy, Rory Kinnear

Theatre director Rufus Norris makes the most out of his first-time stint behind the camera, delivering us Broken - a straight-forward yet convoluted story regarding a set of neighbours on a cul-de-sac and their affect on each other’s lives. Interweaving plots, presented in underused non-linear fashion all aid in engaging you into the interactions of these characters; Rory Kinnear's abrasive, violent widow Mr Oswald, and his tearaway daughters; Cillian Murphy's warm albeit conflicted, Mike who is teacher to the children of Tim Roth's calm psychiatrist, Archie. We are introduced to the world of these creations – adapted from Daniel Clay’s 2008 novel of the same name – when Mr. Oswald brutally attacks a troubled boy in front of Archie’s daughter, Skunk, the catalyst for the eye-opening events that proves to diabetic 11-year-old Skunk the world is anything but innocent. As our warm-hearted  guide through an otherwise quite dreary affair, first-timer Eloise Laurence does nothing to aid her power in stealing this show – it’s quite clear that comes naturally to the actress who undoubtedly will go on to big things.

Norris’ film is easy to follow, despite the many character’s weighing down and extending the running time - yet Broken manages to deliver on its British Independent Film Award win, proving to be extremely watchable with several charming moments. The climactic showdowns may amount to contrived melodramatic fare, but it is easy to overlook this when Broken is a well-crafted debut from a director who can quite clearly garner top performances from a great cast.

4/5

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Oscar Best Picture Rundown #9:

ZERO DARK THIRTY

 Kathryn Bigelow’s first film since her Oscar winning turn behind the camera for The Hurt Locker  three years back, Zero Dark Thirty tracks the ten year hunt for Osama Bin Laden as led by Jessica Chastain’s Maya, a fiercely determined CIA operative. It seems to be that every year the Academy opts to pinpoint one film and shed controversial light over it, thus ruining its chances. This year,Bigelow’s thrillingly brilliant film is the victim, with several members requesting their fellow Academy members to boycott this film due to its depiction of torture. Shameful, considering the final hour of this film is the most thrilling hour of all the films nominated.

Will it win?

Once upon a time, it was a contender. It’s a crying shame – and a disservice to the past year in film – that it no longer is. The controversy has really damaged its chances, with the final nail in the coffin coming in the form of Bigelow not receiving a nomination in the Directing category. Many of the Academy members who spoke out about Zero Dark Thirty have since spoken out about their comments, stating they didn’t mean what they said… Alas, the damage had been done.

Film: 5/5
Chances of Winning: 2.5/5

Read my Zero Dark Thirty review here

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Oscars Best Picture Rundown #8:

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

David O. Russell’s first film since The Fighter was somewhat different to what everybody expected the guy to do, but his ever-present quirkiness is definitely embraced in Silver Linings Playbook, a charming comedy-drama about Bradley Cooper’s Pat who clashes with Jennifer Lawrence’s Tiffany following a stint in a mental institution. What ensues is an electrical on-screen chemistry - which is probably to thank for its huge success in the nominations.

Will it win?

I’ve said Argo is the former dark horse… Well, Silver Linings Playbook is officially the new one going into the ceremony. With the backing of producing and campaigning heavyweight Harvey Weinstein, the film could very well find awards glory tonight; Silver Linings is the first film to be nominated in all 5 main categories since Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby in 2006, so it’s carrying quite some heft. When you bear in mind that the winner of Best Editing has more often than not gone on to win Best Picture also, its appearance in this category should have  ensured  the film was an odds-on favourite. As it stands, its best chance of picking something up tonight goes to the fantastic Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress, despite fierce competition.

Film: 4/5
 Chances of Winning: 3.5/5

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