2012. Dir: Ridley Scott. Starring: Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba and Logan Marshall-Green. ●●●○○
The levels of anticipation for Ridley Scott's Prometheus have been extraordinary, which does make it very difficult to review. I suppose I should start by saying that if want to see Ridley returning the "Alien" universe, albeit with a film that isn't a sequel or a direct prequel, then you should do so without reading any reviews and without - if at all possible - watching the trailers. That is not to say you should be wary of spoilers (I'm always wary of people who over concern themselves with spoilers, it's an Alien movie people will go to space and most of them will die is the basic plot). I say it because I feel you as an audience member need to have the opportunity to make your own mind up about the film and about the points it's trying to make.
Prometheus itself, named after the mythological anti-hero who stole fire from the Gods, is the exploratory space ship looking for life forms on planet LV-223. Headed by archaeology professors Noomi Rapace and Logan Marshall-Green their aim is to identify whether a collection of cave drawings and hieroglyphs that indicate ancient civilisations worshipping at the feet of intergalactic beings point to the creators, the engineers who created mankind. Meanwhile corporate bigwig Charlize Theron is there to keep the expedition under control on behalf of the Weyland Corporation with the able yet sinister support of android Michael Fassbender and oddly laid back ships captain Idris Alba. There's even an extended cameo from Weyland himself, a holographic Guy Pearce with shit on his face (apparently the 80+ actors like Kirk Douglas or Max von Sydow we'd have love to see in this weren't available) pulling strings from the other side of the universe.
There are other crew members - the on-screen exposition tells us of a crew of 17 - but only 6 others have names and not all of those have any sort of character depth. It's like over half of the crew have been plucked from the Star Trek list of doomed minor characters. Not that cannon fodder is a bad thing but it's indicative of the change of tone between Scott initial explorations into space and the much larger canvas he utilises here. In 1979 the major topic of conversation - even after the star beast started to chew on the crew - was the rate of pay and the improvised devices used to stop it. In spite of the occasional nods to it's origins here we have more concern over the bigger picture, and the number of philosophical questions thrown at us is astounding:
If we were created by aliens can there be a God?
Who, then, created them?
What is it to be human?
Do genetics or shared ideas matter more to creating family?
Why do we die?
et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
I like a good philosophical point to a film as much as anyone, long term readers will know how I like to think deeply about certain mattters, but here the reeling off of questions dulled the senses, preventing me from choosing one to fix on and actually engage with. (For the record if anyone wants to discuss those points in the comments I would be delighted to do so)
The intrepid scientists head off to a possible settlement to search for further clues and stumble upon the chamber with the giant head and collection of egg like cylinders as seen in the poster above. In exposing the chamber to the atmosphere a chain reaction is set off and one by one our crew begin to meet their makers either singularly or in larger numbers where expedient for the plot. We get a glimpse of Alien like creatures, parasitic worms and sapphic organisms as well as discovering the identity of the macguffin space jockey from the initial movie.
Noomi Rapace does an excellent job in the lead role, proving there's more to her than a dragon tattoo, with her character's faith and emotional well-being tested through ecstatic pleasure, grief, betrayal and panic. There is one scene in particular where where has to deal with the death of another character then perform an medical procedure on herself to prevent her own death which is both grotesque and a surprisingly well performed set-piece.
Elsewhere the performances are fine, if a little one note, Theron is a bitch with daddy issues, Elba is salty and pragmatic. Many reviewers have praised Fassbender's performance as the android David and whilst technically virtuoso with it's influences of Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence, elements of fey valets and a keen physicality, but personally I was shocked by his emotion which felt inappropriate. There are moments where other characters discuss whether David is more than machine and you can tell he is taking on board what they think and responding to it - taking it on board to use it later. Unlike Ian Holm's malevolent programming Fassbender appears to be choosing his own destiny - he is capable of decision making in a way none of his android counterparts in the franchise were able to do.
Ridley is in his element here, planet building on a massive scale. It was filmed predominantly in Iceland and sound-stages but you buy LV-226's geographical set-up and the organic superstructures that house the chambers. He does a fine job of wringing the tension out of the screenplay, deftly allowing the grand themes to carry us along, although it's worth noting this has none of the sense of impending doom we felt in the original Alien movie. Although I would point out my theory that Scott is only as good a director as the script he's given is not challenged here.
Damon Lindehof is probably responsible for the weakest element with much of the dialogue feeling false and unnecessarily expositionary, far from the naturalism of Dan O'Bannon.
The design of Premtheus is fascinating, more sleek and apparently hi-tech than the Nostromo it shows the importance Weyland industries places on the mission's success.
I really don't trust the biology of the film. I struggle with understanding how certain creatures can grow at such incredible rates without taking in any food (this always struck me as the weak link in the Alien life cycle) and if we are created from the DNA of alien lifeforms how come our DNA strands is so similar to other creatures on Earth, evolution is given a brief mention but batted aside by the faithful. There are also many more questions than answers in this episode, what is the effect of the infection on the brain, how does the space jockey breath, what is David motivation and whilst I agree a good film leaves you with questions there seem to be too many here. I am also reminded of the old joke about a man ran over by a train who was asked why he didn't run up the embankment to escape and replied "If I couldn't outrun it on the flat how could I outrun it going uphill?" You will have to watch until the end to get that.
Overall I can recommend the spectacle of Prometheus and would even go as far as saying it should be seen in cinemas, but I won't pretend it's a great film and I expect they're be much better sci-fi's and blockbusters in the coming months.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Prometheus
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Daytrip to LV-223 (Out this week - 01/06/12)
I have probably said this before (many many times before) but I have a complex relationship with blockbuster movies. On the one hand I do like to see the odd crowd-pleaser - last year I saw Thor, Pirates and Twilight at cinemas - I'm always more of a sucker for dramas. So the background of those blockbuster, female friendly franchises and one directed by a known Shakespearean is telling. More often I don't watch them and when I do it's only half heartedly, you have to go back to The Hunger Games in mid March before I last choose a top grossing movie as my pick of the week (and note I stayed at home that weekend). This weekend though I'm going to change my usual tack and sail into the wind of box office champions. There are two hugely anticipated cinematic treats over the Jubilee both looking for very different audiences, but my clear favourite (the sci-fi geek within me is jumping for joy), the RLAG film of the week, is Ridley Scott's Prometheus.
MIB3 did indeed squeeze it's way to the top of the UK box office last weekend, but it's performance was notably bad, falling well short of expectations partly due to the scathing reviews but also because of the lovely weather. Naturally it won't stay at the top as the Alien prequel of sorts battles it out with Snow White version 2 so which of the newbies will take the crown. On the one hand Prometheus has more screens, however we're at the beginning of half term, Jubilee weekend and Snow White skews younger with a much more marketable cast. I'm biased though so I'm plumping for Prometheus as the box office champion next weekend.
Prometheus
Well, here we are. Nearly 35 years after Ridley Scott kicked off the Alien franchise he is finally returning to the sci-fi cash cow that both made his name and changed the way we look at outer space. It's been high on the list if anticipated titles for 2012 so audiences will be flocking to see whether Scott can once again produce the intensity and naturalism in extraordinary circumstances that he was able to achieve before.
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Read on for whisky tasting, manga inspired fantasies and a wicked, wicked queen as well as all of this weeks trailers.
No doubt you've seen nearly all of the trailers released so far, but if you haven't I wouldn't recommend starting now as the sense of incoming spoilerish is overpowering.
Angels' Share
Ken Loach has just received the Jury prize from Cannes from his eleventh appearance competing for the Palme D'Or, known for his realist portrayal of working class Britain this time he reunites with Sweet Sixteen writer Paul Laverty for another look at young Glaswegians teetering on the edge of society. Although the rare whisky plot brings some much needed humanity to the proceedings.
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Himizu
Shion Sono's latest feature made a big splash at Venice last year partly because of the films backstory. When the making of this Manga adaptation was interrupted by the tsunami instead of putting production on hold Sono decided to use the devastated landscapes to underscore the protagonists drift towards psychosis. Worth making the journey to catch it.
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Snow White and the Huntsman
Charlize Theron is simply having a ball at Rowena the wicked queen at the poisonous core of this latest fairy tale adaptation. With nods to 21st century concerns of body image and chaste love triangles I expect audiences will flock to see Kristen Stewart trying out a new franchise started and with the dwarves including Bob Hoskins, Nick Frost and Ray Winstone there's pretty much something for everyone.
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Turin Horse
Billed as Bela Tarr's final movie (I'm not completely sure why given the Hungarian auteur is only 57) this deeply philosophical apocalyptic piece inspired by Nietsche's mental breakdown astounded and confounded audiences at last years Berlin film festival. I did want to give it a better blob rating but it's best surprisingly under-reviewed and will only be shown at one cinema.
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Mallu Singh
Bollywood fans have three options this weekend, although two of them (including this effort) have extremely limited releases so won't build up huge returns. The plot involves two friends from the same village the first of whom needs to persuade the other to return.
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On the Sly
For a long time I thought this French movie starred everyone's favourite shoplifting tomboyish actress. But it turns out it's Wynona Ringer, the daughter of the films director, who plays a young girl who runs away and builds her own life in the woods. Visually interesting I wonder if there's enough plot to keep the adults entertained?
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Rowdy Rathore
Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar headlines this action comedy - complete with ridiculous moustache - about a small town con-man, the girl he falls for, a mafia boss who's out to kill him and a strange child convinced Akshay's her father. Akshay has his fans so it could pick up an audience.
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22 Female Kottayam
Strange looking Mayamalan feature which starts off looking like a low key romance, but then's then a fight in a urinal and the visuals veer into something close to Funny Games lite. What do you think?
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LOL
Why do I feel Miley Cyrus is older than she actually is? At 20 she certainly isn't too old to play a high-schooler churning through boyfriends in this family friendly pic. Whether she can command an audience here in the UK remains to be seen.
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Top Cat - The Movie
I used to love Top Cat as a kid and no doubt I wasn't alone, especially in Mexico where it was such a huge hit Warners lent the property rights to Anima Estudios to make a big screen version. It's taken an amazing $8m there but remains to be seen if it will travel, especially with a slightly convoluted plot and over stretched jokes we see in this trailer.
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Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Young Adult
2011. Dir: Jason Reitman. Starring: Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, Patton Oswalt, Elizabeth Reaser and Collette Wolfe. ●●●●○
I have yet to see all of the nominated performances in the Academy Award for best actress this year, or at least six of the higher profile contenders that didn't make the cut, however it's hard to believe there are five more deserving, more lived in performances than Charlize Theron's monstrous Mavis Gary inYoung Adult. But to single out Jason Reitman's fourth feature for it's central performance feels as insubstantial as praising George Clooney in Up in the Air or Ellen Page in Juno, almost as if it's missing the point. Not only does Reitman coax out these superb characterisations he, along with screenwriter Diablo Cody, create these distinct believable roles for the actors to inhabit.
The ghost writer of a popular (waning but still generating enough buzz to render her with minor celebrity status in her home town) series of teenager fictional novels, gripped by writer's block and sensing a lack of direction following her divorce, Mavis journeys homeward in a vague but determined attempt to reclaim her highschool sweetheart, the popular jock Buddy Slade, played by Patrick Wilson. Unfortunately Wilson isn't just married but his wife (a special needs teacher with a pub band) has recently pushed out their first baby, or "baggage" in Mavis's eye.
Added to this the biggest emotional connection she seems to able to make in Mercury, Minnesota, beating out her parents and her dog accessory (another contender for best dog of 2011), is with a overweight comic-book geek Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt). A high-school alumni who she barely remembers as "hate-crime guy" - the result of a perceptive homophobic attack which left Freehauf unable to walk without a stick (as well as damaging other vital organs) - in spite of sharing neighbouring lockers for their entire education.
Mavis no longer fits in Mercury. She has ostracised herself, at once romanticising her recollections and editing out the emotional damage she caused to those classmates not in her circle, creating a secondary world where she was the victim of a small town that held her back rather than the bitchy spider at the centre of the web of teenage malice. In her memory the past was as rosy and perfect as the storylines of her novels, where she was lauded for her fair mindedness and beauty by all her classmates, where her self confidence and determination give her the rewards she deserves.
Charlize is able to bring all this out in her finest performance to date, a sneer, a squint, a complicated make-up routine all weapons in the arsenal to show disdain for her fellow humanity and to ensnare her former beau. Even her self-acknowledged alcoholism and delusional fantasies regarding her emotional levelheadedness seem to be engineered internally to make the grand gesture. Never for a moment do you not know how Mavis is feeling but at the same time it's obvious she believes she's never letting it on.
Oswalt is also a revelation, hitherto best known for his stand-up and TV comedy work, his holy fool of a character combines obvious provision of comic relief with his anarchic opinions and frank sexual talk and yet he is incisive seeing through Mavis and her plot machinations with ease. Everytime he talks you feel the resentment of the town as much as Mavis and with a much clearer peception and cause than her disgust, yet he is unable to escape, tied down by his disability emotionally and physically.
Like the real world Mavis both grows and doesn't grow over the period of the movie, the path she is on is both different and the same, she goes on a journey and yet ends in the same emotional space. Reitman and Cody expertly lets the back story permeate through the piece, saving the sucker punch of Mavis and Buddy's split until major monologue closing the second act. It's so perfectly rendered by all involved that we begin to sympathise with the monster, against all our better judgements we want better for Mavis. It's that empathy which allows us to put our own thoughts on the last scene, where does Mavis go after that will largely depend on where you would go. Would Mavis develop and learn? Only if you would.
Diablo Cody deserves a major shout-out for her delicious dialogue, it's not the geeky hipster speak she virtually invented in Juno (her detractors get some sly knocks her as she virtually admits to how she picked up on teenage dialects), but instead is nuanced as well as pithy when required.
I would love to give this film five blobs, but in all fairness it didn't blow me away like my previous lucky few to receive that accolade, that said this is a very strong four blob film and I heartily recommend it to all of my readers.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
20 for 2011: 5 - Young Adult
Kicking off the top five is a unlikely non-romance Young Adult.
It's extremely difficult to imagine a world where Charlize Theron can't just click her fingers and get any man she wants, but in the latest collaboration between director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody we are expected to do just that. The last time the two joined forces they createdthe critical and commercial smash hit Juno and whilst the dialogue will probably be less self-conciously hip this time around we can still expect some classy zingers and real understanding of how people work.
Theron plays an author of "young adult" fiction who moves back to her midwest hometown to reconnect with old flame Patrick Wilson, who's now married to Elizabeth Reaser (Esme Cullen in the Twilight movies so no stunt casting there). Lessons will probably be learnt about being yourself and accepting other people for who they are - I don't mean to be trite I am looking forward to this.
Saturday, 7 August 2010
Charlize Theron
Happy Birthday to
Charlize Theron
35 today
Easily one of the most beautiful women on the planet Charlize only seems to get any attention for her performances when she uglies up (or at least dowdies down). Taking a break at the moment Charlize looks like she next hit our screens in the Jason Reitman/Diablo Cody project Young Adults or the on-off Mad Max:Fury Road (currently off but I expect it'll be back).
Friday, 5 February 2010
Out this week (05/02/10)
Just three days after the Oscar nominations it's no surprise that this weeks top film managed to pick up some attention, even if it missed out on the big prize. More complex is the battle for audiences with 2 animated features both opening this week - I suspect Disney to take the box office crown. We also have a bit of a cathch up session as 4 films were quietly released last week without me spotting them - so if you're interested in Turkish cinema then skip to the end. Nevertheless ehe film of the week is still Invictus.
Asal
Effectively looking Bollywood actioner with Ajith Kumar as a one man army fighting to get to Sameera Reddy. Some nice stuntwork in the trailer but it may be one for the fans.
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Astro Boy
Middling animated fabtasy about aelectronic boy with exception firepower created in the image of a scientist's lost son. A tiny bit like Pinnochio then. Personally I'm not sure why you'd give a replacement for your son laser vision and rocket launchers, but there you go. Starry voice cast (including Nic Cage, Charlize Theron and Samuel L. Jackson) is all it has to recommend it.
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Holy Water
Irish comedy about a skiffle band who steal a bus load of viagra's. Much hilarity then ensues - not that you'd guess from the trailer which has it's fair share of silly car chases and jokes about middle aged couples refinding their sex drive.
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Invictus
It may have missed out on a best picture nomination this week, to Sandra Bullock vehicle The Blind Side, but Clint Eastwood's recreation of the infamous Sprinbok Rugby World Cup win and it's South African political ramifications still look like a worthy film to view.
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The Island
Set within a remote monastic community Pavel Lounguine's sophomore picture shines a light on a dying religion (in this case the Russian Othodox Church) and how this can be shaken as one priest offers a faith-healing. It comes with fine pedigree 6 wins at the 2007 Nika Awards.
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Malice in Wonderland
It's our first Danny Dyer movie of 2010 - there will be a few, don't worry. In this twisted version of Lewis Carroll's famous story he plays a Whitey, a taxi driver obsessed with being late. There are some nice touches - Tweedledum and Tweedledee are doormen and Wonderland is a big nightclub, but I'm personally waiting for Burton's take on it.
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The Princess and The Frog
Disney return to hand-drawn animation with this 20th century fairytale, set during the Jazz age in Louisiana. It's not as starry as this week Astro Boy - Anika Noni-Rose is the lead with Terrence Howard and Oprah Winfrey the only other names I really recognise - but the songs are great and the trailer mixes a family comic feel with suitably scary villians.
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Psych 9
Cliche filled thriller about a girl who (trailer voice) must confront her past to prevent a murder... Set in an abandoned insane Asylum with Cary Elwes as her shrink (so clearly he's also the killer). Avoid.
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Tony
Tony (Frank Boyce) is a lonely mild mannered guy you could easier miss as you walk past him in central London. Unemployed, and largely unemployable he spends his days wanering through the markets and chatting to hookers. Until he flips and becomes a serial killer. Darkly comic this British film may be worth making the effort.
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Youth in Revolt
It's box office performance in the States may have been abysmal but I really enjoyed the trailer for this Michael Cera vehicle. He stars as a late teen inventing a new persona in order to sleep with the girl of his dreams. Unfortunatly his imaginery doppelganger is both more irresistible and irresponsible than he is.
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And missed off from last week (29 January 2010):
A Bit of Tom Jones
Star-free Welsh comedy which seems to be developing as a cult hit according to imdb.com. The plot, such as it is, revolves around Tom Jones' stolen member and the apparent market for celebrity willies. So bizarre it might be worth a look.
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Edjer Kapani
Turkish suspense thriller about a serial killer targeting peadophiles and the police who must stop him. The trailer looks more like a extended episode of CSI: Ankara but with an interesting plot and a couple of car chases.
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Kutsal Damacana 2
Did anyone see Kutsal Damacana 1? I didn't think so... It's a comedy along the lines of a parody of Buffy the Vampire slayer with a highly trained group of priests (and nuns) fighting demons.
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Yahsi Bati
And our final Turkish film - was there a festival or something?- is a comic western examining the culture clashes betwen to Turkish embassy officials towards the end of the last century and the wild west communities they encounter as they cross the states.
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Oh, and to celebrate another Danny Dyer release here's my traditional semi naked picture of him:
Friday, 8 January 2010
Out this week (08/01/2010)
You've actually got a decent chance of seeing a film worth the ticket price this week, with 5 that look just as good, if not better, than last weeks victor (there're also 3 Bollywood releases if you fancy that). Personally I'm going to be seeing Meryl Streep (I just can't help myself) but the most interesting looking project, and therefore the film of the week, is The Road.
Daybreakers
Sometime in the not too distant future a virus will come along which turns most, but not all people, into blood thirsty vampires. Faced with a limited supply of non-vampiric humans to feast upon there is a moral dilemma of whether to farm people or create a synthetic substitute - that is before it descends into a chaotic third act, probably.
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Dulha Mil Gaya
The first of our Bollywood releases is a look at 4 different modern relationships and how the couples live their lives. Doesn't sound innovative or ground-breaking, but apparantly the lead has remarried to publicise the film.
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Exam
A mixed bunch of job candidates have to take an exam in a closed environment, only to find the sheet has no question. Naturally the candidates turn on each other in increasingly violent ways. Taut looking Brit thriller from debut director Stuart Hazeldine.
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Fireball
Have you noticed that all future set sports dramas have seen the rules relaxed so much that death is an acceptable by-product, but in reality competitive sports are getting less and less about contact? Anyway, this Thai drama sees a game where the first basket leads to a win, but that's the only rule. Immensely missable.
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It's Complicated
So, Meryl Streep used to married to Alec Baldwin, who had an affair and left her for the much younger Lake Bell. Only now he's missing what he's left behind and Alec is having an affair with Meryl. Add to this a new beau for Ms Streep in the guise of Steve Martin and we have the potential for a superb farce. We'll see.
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Mitti
Bollywood drama with a poster involving a large army and a set of four young men with their faces plastered at the top. The only plot outline I can find, which is about corrupt politicians, makes no sense in relation to the image. I don't know: See it, don't see it... Up to you.
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Pyaar Impossible
I could have sworn this came out last year... The tagline to the Hindi version of Notting Hill is 1 beauty plus 1 geek equals Pyaar Impossible, which will probably pack them in.
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The Road
It's not really my cup of tea but it's hard to argue the raw power of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer prize winning novel The Road. Here John Hillcoat has tried to distill the sense of foreboding as the Man and the Boy move through the desolation of a post-apolcalyptic America. It's had mixed responses but you cannot take away the ambition of such an endeavour.
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Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
It's rare that Andy Serkis plays a person, let alone a historical figure as he does in this warts and all biopic of legendary punk rocker Ian Dury. It's getting some very early buzz for next years awards season so it might sitting through it.
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Treeless Mountain
Two young sisters are left to fend for themselves when their Mother goes in search of the father who abandoned them in this rich film from South Korea. It's done well on the festival circuit, winning the best film award in Dubai. Art-house certainly but well worth the trip if you want something a little different.
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Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Monster
2003. Dir: Patty Jenkins. Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen and Annie Corley. ●●●○○
I think we can all agree that Charlize Theron is one of the most beautiful women on the planet, and that Aileen Wuornos the Daytone Beach prostitute - whose life story forms the basis for Monster - is not. Yet somewhere along the line it was felt best that Cahrlize take the role and gain 30lbs in order to play it correctly.
That sort of dedication to a role, or to unlikely casting, is commendable. However I am forced to ask why they did it? Sure Charlize is a good actress, and having her deglamming probably sold extra tickets and maybe without that the oscar wouldn't have been won, but surely there are some chunky blond actresses that could have equally taken the role.
I will confess it does make me slightly angry when this sort of thing happens. As a character actor myself (OK, not hugely celebrated now but there's still time) I can recognise this is the sort of role where someone previously unnoticed can breakout. Charlize was already making the big bucks, the prestige performance feels like it's be stolen from someone else.
This is not to say I wasn't moved by the performance - it is very good. The tale of a Floridean serial-killing, lesbian, street walker is fascinating and Theron hits all the rights notes of desperation, self pity and seething anger. So much so that you almost start cheering her on as she murders each of her victims, although that's a function of the screenplay more than the performance.
We see 4 murders. The first (which really is the first kill) is essentially self defence, Wournos is beaten and raped but manages to shoot her captor before he kills her, but each of the subsequent kills seem less and less rational (is he a peadophile, why is there a gun in the car, did this guy just want to offer help?). By ordering the murders in this way we are able to appreciate how Wuornos spirals out of control.
For me the stand out performance is by Cristina Ricci. The Selby character, girlfriend of Wuornos, has to be by turns infatuated, childish, self absorbed and frightened. Ricci shows her range, but also makes it clear that this is the same person, it's a totally organic performance with elements of her personality showing through in all scenes.
The production design is grungy enough and top marks for the make-up department.
Ultimately it's worth seeing this film, an interesting addition to the real life serial killer genre, without it becoming exploitation, but there are too little great elements to really recommend it.
Thursday, 7 August 2008
Charlize Theron
Happy Birthday to
Charlize Theron
33 today
The walking clothes horse that is Charlize Theron is celebrating another birthday - amazingly she looks as gorgeous now as much as she's ever been. She's a fascinating actress as well, with projects from auteurs like Arriaga and Hillcoat coming up.
