2010. Dir: Anand Tucker. Starring: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott, John Lithgow and Neal O'Donovan. ●○○○○
I am, at last, returning to the shocking load of outstanding reviews. You could say I was perfectly entitled to procrastinate as job number one is the unenviable task of reviewing Anand Tucker's Leap Year. I suppose I could sum up my poinions of it by saying I want my money (and possibly the two hours of my life) back, but there were some - very minor - positives so here goes.
For those of you far more savvy to the dangers of rom-com hell than I am here is the back of a fag packet version of the plot: 20 something decorator (Amy Adams, looking more and more like an excited rodent - honestly she should join up with Renee Zellweger's squinty guinea pig and they could do a live action Wind in the Willows) in a long-term relationship (with dull Adam Scott, acting dull-ly) and desperate to marry follows her beau to Picture postcard Ireland to propose to him on February 29th. Only to land on the wrong end of the country. She gets a lift with hunky local barman (Matthew - actually quite - Goode) and craaazzeeee stuff happens.
Oh, where to begin. I will ignore the dodgy geography, the crude stereotyping and even the twee moralising as all of these are Hollywood Ireland tropes that have become as much a part of the legend of the Emerald Isle as the reality (and you only have to look at a film like The Quiet Man to know those factors aren't really an issue at all). In fact as an advert for Ireland it works very well - I know I want to go back to take another look now I've seen the rolling countryside and beautiful scenery.
Amy Adams is a very pretty and very talented actress, but I'm not sure if these work as a combination. If you look at her last two performances - in this and Julie and Julia she tries so hard to be likeable as well that she comes across as smug and grating. Perhaps the doe-eyed innocent really is the limit of her capabilities.
Matthew Goode fares slightly better, in a rogueish sort of way, but that's possible due to the set-up where you're comparing his devil-may-care live-life-to-the-full attitude to the practical Scott. Even so it's less of a performance than a caricature - and it pares horribly in comparison to A Single Man.
I'd also like to point out that John Lithgow was in this movie, as Amy's drunk Irish father. Of course you know he's in the movie because he's in the trailer - not that you'd know from watching the movie where his screen time is less than it is in the trailer. Really. It's a worrying trend of putting scenes in the trailer that don't make it to the film but I'll rant about that some other time.
The writing is fairly by the book, with every twist and turn coming a mile off and no cliche left unturned. Anand Tucker's direction is also terribly pedestrian, he appears to be regressing in his ability and all the majesty he created in Hilary and Jackie now seems like a very distant memory.
There were some nice moments - the kitchen scene was special and for the one moment in the film you felt there was some chemistry between the two leads - but on the whole these were too few and far between to make the slightest difference. It remains my second one star film for 2010. I hope to God [or at least I did at this point bearing in mind I've been to the cinema 4 more times since then] I start seeing better movies soon.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Leap Year
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Out This week (26/02/10)
You will struggle to find a good film out this week - odd after the glut of high profile releases just seven days ago. Personally I sahll be seeing Amy Adams going all blarney, but I certainly don't think I can recommend that. So I suppose the film of the week will have to be the latest embarassement in Robert De Niro's CV: Everybody's Fine.
The Crazies
Remake of George Romero horror classic sees Timothy Olyphant and his heavily pregnant wife avoiding a horde of psychotic townsfolk and a military plot to kill everyone in the town to contain the virulent cause. Hokum, which has probably lost all trace of it's paranoia roots but the trailer looks fun.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Everybody's Fine
Robert De Niro tries hard to copy Jack Nicholson's recent successes by playing a recent widower reconnecting with his children who never felt able to communicate with the old man. This ain't About Schmidt by a long stretch but with Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale and Drew Barrymore as his kids there are some pretty things to look at.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Extraordinary Measures
Is Extraordinary measures, with it's medical research storyline give a reasoned arguement against a profit based medical system where orphan diseases get no funding? Or does it say that if you have the money you can cure your terminal children? Who cares when the trailer was a dull as this one?
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Freestyle
British girl has to choose between completing her studies or following her dreams to become a professional baseketball player. At the risk of being incredibly insensitive I wasn't aware women played basketball.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
From Paris With love
Pierre Morel's Taken was a surprise hit in 2008 thanks to Liam Neeson's committed performance, some chewy dialogue and quality action choreography. The follow-up has camply bearded John Travolta and bored looking Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Karthik calling Karthik
It's an evil doppleganger movie from Bollywood. Starring Farhan Akhtar. (Sorry I don't know anything more about this.)
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Leap Year
Absolutely rubbish looking rom-com with Amy Adams falling for Matthew Goode during an unnecessary dash across Hollywood's version of Ireland. Both Adams and Goode are riding high on other projects at the moment, and it looks like the sales weren't so bad this will destroy their careers so naturally this is the film I intend to watch this week.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Micmacs
Jean-Pierre Jeunet is one of the few international directors with a clear auterial style, and with his latest, which looks at illegal gun trading and a community based around recycling rubbish (no, not the Wombles) has many of his usual visual tics - such as a brown palette and Dominic Pinon. Well worth braving the subtitles.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
She, A Chinese
Depressing looking view of a Chinese woman who exchanges an unhappy life in China for an even more unhappy woman as a mail order Bride in Britain. See this if you think your life has too much fun in it.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Teen Patti
Hindi movie directed by Leena Yadav about a mathematical formula concerning probability and randomness that profoundly impacts the life of the mathematician who discovers it. In a casting coup Ben Kingsley plays another statistician who aims to helps publicise the formula.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa
Boring looking love story from Sri Lanka, noted lack of conflict in the trailer. I really can't imagine why anyone would want to see it.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Tuesday Trailers - Leap Year
For the second week in a row I'm going to use Tuesday's trailers as a showcase for romantic comedies, with Leap Year getting the chance to shine. If you could accuse it of shining, that is. It's opened to disastrous US reviews with a very unimpressive $9m box office take. It may do a little better over here, with it's rural Irish setting, but it certainly won't be a star making release for Amy Adams, who perhaps deserves better than this sort of blarney.
Leap Year opens on 26 February 2010.
Saturday, 14 February 2009
Film News (14/02/09)
February must be a good time for butering up studio execs, or at least making the press teams work overtime as there's been another 7 stories worth mentioning this week.
The Matarese Circle
Robert Ludlum was a reasonably successful writer during his lifetime, but in the a5 years since his death his books have really taken off cinematically. The Bourne trilogy is as obvious example. This week two of his books have been the subject of news. The Parsifal Mosiac, which has been optioned by Universal, and The Matarese Circle which is going into production later this year. The film will star the incredible pairing of Denzel Washington and Tom Crise as enemy spies who have to join forces, and if that wasn't enough to get me going David Cronenberg is set to direct. Now I don't know much about action thriller franchises, but starting with the director of Scanners and Crash is certainly going to be fascinating.
Gemini Man
The script of Gemini Man has been drifting around Hollywood for over ten years and it looks like it's finally going to start production soon under the guidance of L.A. Confidential director Curtis Hanson. I like Curtis, his direction is usually assured, but he's an unusual choice for this clone assassin starts trailing his "father". His only action film to date, The River Wild, is hardly a great barometer of his suitability.
Inception
Christopher Nolan has annouced his next pic is the self-penned contemporary adult sci-fi Inception. Nolan will have a lot to prove after The Dark Knights massive success, so let's hope this isn't a Fountain.
Leap Year
I feel a bit bad about my anti-Amy tirade in the Doubt review. I actually love Miss Adams to bits - her performance in Enchanted was divine - so any chance I get to see her in a romantic comedy I will jump at. In Leap Year she will enlist the help of newly cast Matthew Goode to cross Ireland in order to propose to her beau. Somehow I think they'll fall in love on the way. Ahhh.
Nottingham
Apparenly Cate Blanchett has signed up to play Maid Marian in Scott's revisionist tale of men in green. No, I can't see that casting work either.
Untitled James Mangold picture
Another month another rumour about James Mangold. His next film is now based on a true stroy where a pair lawyers from New Orleans faced off against a Multinational Petrolium Giant in order to get compensation for families who lost their loved ones overseas. As with all James Mangold stories including my recent story of Juliet, I will wait until the camera starts rolling before I believe it.
Untitled Woody Allen Picture
I already slipped in the news on Josh Brolin's birthday buit just to reiterate Brolin and Anthony Hopkins have signed up to star in Woody's next UK based film which will shot later this year. Could be brilliant, could be pants - you never really know with Woody. (By the way picture is proof you can never have too much Brolin)
