Insidious

15, 2011, Directed by James Wan
Starring: Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Barbara Hershey, Ty Simpkins

From the director of mammoth horror franchise Saw and producer of on-its-way mammoth horror franchise Paranormal Activity, you would be forgiven for watching Insidious from behind your hands with a large amount of trepidation. The plot follows stereotypical hokum horror pokum, merging slamming doors with things that go bump in the night, but throws the haunted house idea to the side by focusing on… a haunted son. When Dalton slips into a comatose state, it becomes clear that some angry spirits are hanging around in the dead of night. For the first 45 minutes, Insidious provides not only mandatory jolts, but genuine scares; spooky set-pieces with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it imagery that will have viewers reaching for the rewind and pause buttons. Additionally, at times the scares are so well-constructed you have an overwhelming sense you could be watching the horror film of the decade. It’s a crying shame then that what the film descends into is something that the original Saw and Paranormal Activity both scored miles above. Predictable, if contrived plot twists harmed by clichéd performances from the unfortunate cast (who do all they can - especially Barbara Hershey in Black Swan mode for her second spooky supporting role of the year). Some fear-inducing creations aside, it is the unseen potential of the project, not to mention the gimmicky contrived climax, that heightens the disappointment. However, rest assured – you will never look at Darth Maul in the same way again.

2/5



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Midnight In Paris

2011, 12, Directed by Woody Allen
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel MacAdams, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hiddleston

Not since Vicky Cristina Barcelona has Woody Allen truly shown that he still can match his heyday offerings. A few passable inputs later (Whatever Works, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger), and Allen is less focused on the cynical side of life than the charming and influential. Merging elements from what have become sincere classics, Allen’s trademark cynicism is expressed through nostalgia. Owen Wilson fills his shoes here as Gil, a struggling writer who is lugged around Paris with his fiancée and her overbearing parents. Taking a walk one night, the clock strikes twelve – and he encounters what life would have been like if he were to rub shoulders with his literary heroes. Such a daft concept is dealt with deftly and it is largely down to the player’s Allen has assembled that Midnight in Paris works. Tom Hiddleston charms as F. Scott Fitzgerald, with Scott Pilgrim alumni Alison Pill playing his estranged wife, Darla. It’s Wilson’s awestruck wonder expressed whenever he is introduced to yet another literary icon that separate this from pure fantasy (a highlight is when Gil, attempting to make the most of this unusual circumstance, asks Ernest Hemingway to have a read of his troubled novel). To name who else appears would be to remove the numerous cherries on top, but let it be said, Wilson is a knockout. 

Time-travel occurs in Midnight in Paris, but without mention of space and time; science-fiction technicalities have nothing to do with the point Woody Allen is trying to make (or the fun he is trying to have). The clock strikes twelve and a vintage car passes to signal the time change - it's as simple as that. As the film draws to a close, like Gil, you come to understand that whatever beauty is featured in the art surrounding us today will not manifest itself until this time is past. So for now, sit back and enjoy the ride whose charm will remain upheld long after the credits have rolled.  In an alternate universe, Midnight in Paris is actually a film about an aspiring director who converses with his idols come nightfall; Woody Allen will no doubt be among them. And yes, he is playing himself.

4/5

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We Need to Talk About Kevin

2011, 15, Directed by Lynne Ramsay

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly, Sioban Fallon

 Her first feature film since 2002's Morvern Callar, director Lynne Ramsay need not make another film to prove her worth; We Need To Talk About Kevin does so in an effortless manner that countless filmmaker's strive to master throughout embittered careers.  Let it be said, this is an uneasy watch. Adapted from Lionel Shriver's 2003 bestseller, the film centres on Eva Katchadourian, a mother attempting to deal with the anguish and backlash following a traumatic act committed by her son, Kevin. Tilda Swinton plays Eva and it is near impossible to imagine anybody else tackling such a role; flitting back to her days before Kevin arrived, through to his birth and her inability to conect with her son even as a toddler, Swinton connects instead with the watchful audience, providing a true insight into what it is to be this woman pushed to the edge by motherhood (just try and prevent your heart from sinking when, in a rare moment of affection, Kevin snuggles up with his mother whilst she reads him a bedtime story, causing Eva to have a fist-in-the-air moment). Her every action evokes an emotive response; you yearn to acquire the ability to reach into the screen, simply to reassuringly pat her on the back. In one word, Swinton is a knockout - quite possibly the performance of the year.

John C. Reilly as the ignorant father who sees Kevin as the inocent angel he definitely isn't, does quite a bit with not a lot. As for Kevin himself, he is a malevolent on-screen force; an out-and-out pure villainous creation - Ezra Miller plays the part so perfectly that he is in danger of becoming typecast for a long time to come.

The film is non-linear but somehow does not feel so due to a fathomable format that Ramsay adopts. There appear to be narrative lapses that are stitched together come the film's climax, and after glimpsing Eva's character before and then after the event that the film is moulded around, you piece the puzzle together, formulating debatable ideas in the process. Is it entirely her fault? Definitely not. Is she blameless? Probably not. Either way, this is one film that will have you talking all the way home. Although the difference in timeframe is present, you never once feel isolated in the plot - all you know is that something truly terrible occured. It is to Ramsay's credit that you wait so patiently to find out what. In lesser hands, the feature would have used this potentially gory event as a harrowing set-piece, but here, emphasis is placed on the interaction between mother and son, followed by mother's way of dealing with a situation she should never have had to deal with. Fearfully doing her weekly shop; unable to smile in the street at the risk of passers-by spotting her... Swinton plays it so it could be somebody down the stree, grounding the film with a sense of overwhelming realism. 

Barely any blood is spilt on screen. Ramsay knows the imagination is enough; so much so that when visceral images are shown, the shock and awe are enhanced. Pair this with a highlight on innocent imagery (Eva's house being repeatedly pelted with red paint), paired with the claustrophoic probing camerawork refusing to release the grip around Eva, and the sense of dread is unpalpable. This is truly remarkable filmmaking, aided by a talented visionary and performer at the top of their game. If there's one thing to talk about, it is most certainly We Need to Talk About Kevin.

4.5/5

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Limitless

2011, 15, Directed by Neil Burger
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro, Anna Friel

The tagline to Limitless reads ‘What if a pill could make you rich and powerful?’: to the point, tongue-in-cheek and completely zany. It just so happens that Limitless is all of these things heightened by Neil Burger’s apt way of shooting the simplest action in a frenetic manner, causing the audience to question whether that very same pill has been slipped into their popcorn. Bradley Cooper is a down on his luck writer, his mind blocked by the world weighing him down. That is until he bumps into the brother of his ex (Anna Friel) who introduces him to one tiny pill that will alter many things in his life on a grand scale. Many genres somehow weave their way into the fast-paced set-pieces, from inane action (think a doped up but less extreme Crank) to horror (a cat-and-mouse chase with a mind-enhancing pill as your only getaway). Cooper – taking a break from one-dimensional roles – brings charm to what could have been more smarm. It seems Burger takes his film’s title literally, believing the ambition involved to be just that. Unfortunately, through the pushing of these limits is where the film manages to falter.

Saying that, it’s always nice to see Robert De Niro doing something worth talking about these days…

3/5

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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

2011, 15, Directed by Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy

It has been commented that plans to re-adapt John Le Carré's classic spy novel (or depending on where you stand, remake the classic BBC series) were close to shutting down because of George Smiley... Sir Alec Guiness embodied him so well, the sheer thought of anybody filing his boots seemed scandalous. And then a bright spark in the room suggested Gary Oldman.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a British film through and through. Embedded in a Cold War era, London is a murky, drab and bloody realistic depiction, enhancing the accomplishment achieved by Swedish talent Tomas Alfredson. Best known for critically-acclaimed Let the Right One In, it is near impossible to believe this to be his first feature in the English language - a film that relies heavily upon the dialogue delivered in hushed tones. In honesty, if you’re unfortunate enough to miss a line, it's fully possible you'll be thrown for the remaining running time. The plot, however, is simple. Four men - Percy Alleline (Tinker), Bill Haydon (Tailor), Roy Brand (Soldier) and Toby Esterhase (Poor Man). One spy. Previously dismissed member of the MI5 Circus, George Smiley is the man assigned by John Hurt's Control to crack down on the defector. This being a 'spy' film, nothing is as it seems... apart from one thing. Gary Oldman is electric. Surrounded by a cast at the top of their game - Mark Strong making little go such a long way; Tom Hardy continuing to establish himself as the one-to-watch; Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch being damn privileged to work with a top notch cast at such an early stage of his career – this is undeniably Oldman’s film. A stark contrast to the bellowing zany types of Leon, The Fifth Element and Sid and Nancy, his Smiley, slow in movement – strong in presence, doesn’t have to speak to command attention. A twitch of an eyebrow, a curl of the lip – it is menial actions such as these that become portals into the mind of the character he embodies just as well as Guiness.

Those expecting plenty of Bourne-esque rooftop shootouts, look elsewhere. For Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy is a complex, non-linear, flashback-fuelled puzzle. Dialogue free scenes that rely on actions to indicate events are prominent. Alfredson wants his audience to work. The harder they work, the bigger the rewards– which include the pleasure of watching what is surely to become a modern classic. If the outcome of the plot seems to be furnished over briskly, see it as the point. Who the spy happens to be is not what’s important – it is the journey you experience with George Smiley and his faceless companions who have had such an impact on his life that rings in the memory long afterwards. No scene speaks this louder than when Smiley recounts meeting the mysterious Soviet spymaster Karla; the positioning of the camera upon the effectual emotive performance Oldman delivers ensure this scene to be the best cinema has offered all year.

With any luck, Alfredson and Oldman will be rewarded for their efforts come award season…

4.5/5

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Friends with Benefits

2011, 15, Directed by Will Gluck
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson

Natalie Portman made a pact with Ashton Kutcher early on in the year to have sex, as long as there were No String's Attached. Strangely, her Black Swan co-star finds herself in a similar predicament, only with Justin Timberlake. Here, we have a film truly based in the 21st century; not only does Friends with Benefits feature enough technical product placement to put You’ve Got Mail to shame, but asks the question: can two pals who decide to ‘play tennis’ between the sheets keep their emotions at bay? After impressing in The Social Network, Timberlake - surprisingly capable in a lead role and not afraid to make a fool of himself - teams up with sassy sweetheart Kunis to play Dylan and Jamie, the mates who put this to the test. Comedy ensues through the inevitably awkward circumstances the characters find themselves in and the comments by supporting players (Dylan tells his GQ workbuddy that Jamie is different to the other girls, to which he asks 'Does she have a penis where most girls have a vagina...? Then she's no different!'). The sex scenes themselves that seem more grounded in reality through the unflattering way in which they are filmed – a tough feat for a scene involving two desirable figures - are wittily played with help from the inclusion of previously mentioned aspects in the screenplay. One word: sneeze.

Will Gluck’s previous feature Easy A, which made a star out of Emma Stone (who politely cameos at the start as a John Mayer superfan), approached the rom-com in a fresh manner, the influence of 80s Brat Pack films apparent. The same is attempted in Friends with Benefits with postmodernist montage bluff sequences and self-referencing applied, as well as homages of the obvious: Annie Hall, When Harry Met Sally... . But, as the film reaches its final third, Timberlake and Kunis seemingly intentionally re-enact the cliches that the screenplay explicitly mocks earlier on in the film. Destructive? No. Cheeky? Most certainly, but the film does suffer for it; what once was credible becomes a cop out. Moreover, an unnecessary sub-plot involving Dylan's father (an always welcome Richrd Jenkins) is introduced and dealt with shoddily. There's plenty of fun to be had though, with laughs through the relatable insightful script and offbeat support (Woody Harrelson hilariously cast against type as a gay workmate of Dylan's at GQ), not to mention Kunis' assured dialogue delivery; her timing is spot on, and it seems she is finally blossoming into the superstar she deserves to be.

For the least awkward viewing experience, avoid watching with friends of the opposite sex.

3/5



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Super 8

2011, 12, Directed by JJ Abrams
Starring: Joel Courtney, Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Noah Emmerich

JJ Abrams is not like the others.

Mystery shrouds everything the director involves himself with. From phenomenal cult television hit LOST to monster-hit Cloverfield, he evidently prides himself in immersing the paying crowds into a pure cinematic experience before they even step foot into the local multiplex. Here we have a man desperate for blockbusters to be made like they used to be; to contain not only quality bang-for-buck action, but distinguished heart through the established characters - in short, films cut from the same cloth as those crafted back in the late 70s and early 80s. Abrams' latest follows a group of teens who are making their own Super 8 zombie film - but after witnessing the derailing of an airforce train, the horror becomes very real as an unknown creature is unleashed into their miniscule unsuspecting town. So far, so very Spielberg; and that's how it remains.

Super 8 is a homage at heart. Reading the plot alone is a reminiscent mixbag of esteemed classics. E.T. meets The Goonies. Stand by Me meets Gremlins. A group of disassociated children. Check. A small town rocked by an other-worldly presence. Check. You would be mistaken for thinking that Abrams was channeling the bearded wonder (especially considering his presence on the producing credit). Regardless, new material is offered here. For instance, unlike E.T's friendly nature, the creature roaming the fictional town of Lilian has no interest in playing nice. On top of this, the central teens' performances are fuelled by pure daddy issues (something spliced throughout Abrams' projects), as opposed to the absence of these figures in the influential films spoken of. The young talent on display is undeniable. Joel Courtney, who seriously deserves lead credit here over Kyle Chandler who plays his weighed down cop father, guides us through events in a convincingly grounded way amidst the ensuing chaos that surrounds him and his friends.

Playing his cards too close to his chest resulted in the Matt Reeves helmed Cloverfield to be bettered by the cryptic promotional trailer, the film dumbed down by the ever-present expectation of glimpsing the creature roaming New York City (a staple of creature features). The cards are dealt out here, albeit with a few jokers in the pack. More time is given to characterisation and intriguing, if a little forced sub-plots (two words: doggy disappearance). It would be plain wrong not to mention Elle Fanning's assured performance also - combined with the spectacular set-piece near the opening, these functions indicate that sighting Super 8's antagonist is not pivotal to the films enjoyability. What Abrams has done for network television he has now done for the summer blockbuster, however not to as large a scale as he could have. Instead of evolving his extreme influence of fellow peers into something overtly original, he veers down schmaltz avenue. Some will lap this up, the mystifying John Williams-esque score (composed by the uber-talented Oscar winning Michael Giacchino) adding to the aesthetic; others will undoubtedly scoff. Whichever it is, respect what Abrams has attempted to achieve. After all, for a man who has officially carved out a successful career, this could just be the tip of the (ice)berg.

4/5

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