With ten releases battling for our £10 this weekend it's inevitable there will be a couple that I'd actually like to see - as well as a few that are probably massive stinkers. I imagine the Johnny Depp lizard film ill own the box office, and I'd probably also be interested in seeing the New Zealand offering, however Shakespeare wins out over all of them. The film of the week is The Tempest.
The Tempest
Helen Mirren takes centre stage as Prospera, gender switched from the original telling, in Julie Taymor's latest re-telling of the Bard. If it's anything like Titus it will be a wonder to behold.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●●○○
The Adjustment Bureau
Matt Damon and Emily Blunt may fall in love at first sight but that isn't what fate, in the form of a shadowy bureaucracy run by Terence Stamp and Anthony Mackie, has in store for them in this Philip K. Dick adaptation.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Insatiable Moon
Highly commended New Zealand movie about a Maori convinced he's the son of God who must woo the woman of his dreams and save his half-way house from being closed. A unique blend of social-realism and unlikely love story.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Rango
Comic animation in which Johnny Depp, as a holidaying chameleon, must face up to the cut-throats and rustlers threatening the town of Dirt. Expect plenty of Western tropes to get caught in the crossfire.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Ironclad
Brian Cox is the hell-raising noble who along with Knight Templar James Purefoy defies King John (Paul Giamatti in very odd casting) in this Manga Carta related siege movie partly based on a true story. Not that historical accuracy is that important when you have broadswords and trebuchets.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Patagonia
Part-travelogue, part-road movie this film divides into two halves about an Elderly Chilean Woman visiting Wales and a Welsh couple in the titular area of South America. Exploiting the unlikely shared heritage of the two regions (Welsh settlers really did travel to Patagonia to escape persecution in the 1840s).
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Unknown
Liam Neeson wakes up from a car crash unable to remember much about his old life, save that he's a doctor and married to January Jones. Unfortunately she denies it in this twisty Euro-thriller also starring Frank Langella.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Archipelago
Joanna Hogg's follow-up to 2008's Unreleated is another dissection of upper middle class Brits on holiday slowly unravelling their insecurities and petty prejudices. Fascinating, but probably not worth a cinema ticket.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
As if I'm not there
A harsh dose of cinematic realism about the Bosnian War of the 1990s. Juanita Wilson's drama is taken from true stories revealed during the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Age of the Dragons
I get the feeling it's going to be a classic year for bad movies. This appalling looking dreck is a rehash of Melville's Moby Dick set in a world populated by dragons. Danny Glover and Vinnie Jones headline, which gives you an idea of the quality.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●○○○○○○○○○
And, naturally, there's a Bollywood release from last week that I missed out on.
Tannu weds Mannu
The Clue's in the title of this release from the sub-continent. Newlyweds from an arranged marriage are completely unsuited for each other, so of coursethey'll be head over heels by the final curtain.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Friday, 4 March 2011
Plunged in the Foaming Brine (Out this week - 04/03/11)
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
2010. Dir: Oliver Stone. Starring: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan and Eli Wallach. ●●○○○
When the producers first considering a belated sequel to 1987's Wall Street the probably envisioned a searing look at both the insatiable greed and the obscene politics that created the financial meltdown of 2008. By resurrecting the anti-hero of the previous film - yuppie iconoclast Gordon Gekko as performed to oscar winning effect by Michael Douglas - they had a ready made sneering villain all they needed was Oliver Stone to bring back his righteous anger. Unfortunately Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff's screenplay humanises Gekko and muzzles Stone leaving Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps a pale (even dull) imitation of it's predecessor.
As in 1987 the plot follows a young man torn between father figures. In 1987 it was Charlie Sheen (who has a fun cameo with a bitter aftertaste) who couldn't decide between following his father's (literally it's Martin) airline mechanic or Gekko's example of insider trading. Here it's Shia LaBeouf tossing his loyalties between old school trader Frank Langella, corporate shark Josh Brolin, fusion physicist Austin Pendleton and Douglas. However where Sheen could show the struggle and the script clearly delineated the two opposing forces here all of the potential father figures come with the same set of pros and cons and LaBeouf is unable to present the emotional burden placed upon him.
Shia's failure to convince with each of these relationships, as well as the ones with his mother (Susan Sarandon) or leftwing blogger girlfriend (Carey Mulligan) is a major issue with the movie. I honestly don't know why LaBeouf keeps getting high profile roles with quality directors; when did he put in a good performance? Personally I'd say he was quite good in 2003's Holes but it's been decidedly downhill since then.
This isn't the only problem. One of the main reasons that Gekko worked so well in the original was because whilst he was a gloriously quotable bastard there was a clear legal line he stepped over when insider trading. The most recent crash was perfectly legal if morally dubious so the badguys, mainly the superbly oily Josh Brolin but also his mentor Eli Wallach grunting and whistling through his lines with aplomb, are repugnant but have to resort to same crimes as Gekko in order to be punished.
The script even sits back from fully condemning Wall Street, clearing pointing out it doesn't fully understand all the concepts involved with these high end debt products but regularly reminding them of the values involved.
Most distressingly Gekko is given a heart. The plot contrives to make Carey Mulligan Gekko's estranged daughter (there's also a son who committed suicide!) so there's plenty of making up for Gordon to do, whilst he's still double dealing on all of the other characters. The final scene in particular (there are others but thy aren't always what they seem) involves Douglas making a number concessions to the character, and there are many occasions when Gekko insists he's human.
The film isn't all bad - Douglas does remind us how good his performance was in the original and the costumes are gorgeous and obscene. Director Oliver Stone does his best with the flat script using splitscreen and CGI to jazz up the trading a the use of Goya's Saturn devouring his Son is exemplary but the blunt visual motifs usually fail bubbles and dominoes among them.
Overall I would say this is a film worth missing. Just rent out the original for a far more invigorating look at the wolves in our financial services industry.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
20 for 2010 - Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps
Putting a sequel in the second place in my countdown is not just about having a 2 at 2 but it's certainly an interesting coincidence as we move to Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps.
Actually the timing for this is pretty good because Stone's been in the news this week preparing people for his upcoming true history of America. Without risking turning this post into a political tirade I welcome that a Network is prepared to make a documentary series about how the history of the 20th century has been shaped by a large number of factors and that very result has a build up, but I'm not sure that Stone is the man to do it. Purely because he's already despised by the right. It needs a level headed academic historian to front a series like that, one that the lunatic fringe will not be able to throw historical accusations at.
Some of these accusations will be down to the back catalogue of Stone's feature films. From his (anti) Vietnam trilogy to the portraits of 2 former Republican Presidents, his left wing credentials are worn proundly on his sleeve. In Wall Street Stone dared to hold up a mirror to the corruption of big business. His timely return to America financial capital will hopefully once again remind people of the mandacity of the traders and hedge fund managers that have slipped most of the world into recession.
The story will pick up 20 years after the riginal film with Michael Douglas as the infamous Gordon Gekko just getting out of the chokey for insider trading. His daughter (Carey Mulligan) is dating Shia LaBeouf, so naturally when laBeouf discovers some dodgy goings on at the firm, with villain Josh Brolin behind them, he turns to the penitent Gekko to help him investigate. Original cast members Charlie Sheen and Sylvia Miles also return for cameos.
If the plot sounds like a bit tired try to remember the first film was essentially a cliched thriller, too. The devil will be in the detail and how the mirror holds up to the reality of life in Wall Street today. Let's hope Stone has lost none of his conviction in the last couple of decades.
Friday, 1 January 2010
Frank Langella
Happy Birthday to
Frank Langella
72 today
The former pulp actor (Dracula, Skeletor...) has grown into a respectable elder statesman with performances as Nixon and CBS Chairman William Paley in recent years. Next up he's playing a, presumably positive, influence on Shia LaBeouf's stock market trader in Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps.
