Review: Lawless

Rating: 18
Duration: 116 mins

John Hillcoat's last film, The Road, was a faithfully-adapted, bleak take on the apocalypse, and his latest also falls into the category of novel adaptations; this time courtesy of Matt Bondurant (the grandson of the story's protagonists).

The transfer from novel -- originally titled The Wettest County in the World -- to big screen in the capable hands of Nick Cave (The Assassination of Jesse James; The Proposition) assures a well-paced, intensely authentic depiction of the Bondurant brothers (Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke and Shia LaBeouf, respectively) that proves an interesting if somewhat vague tale of the so-called immortal siblings.

With LaBeouf recently announcing his desire to pursue a career down the indie route, Lawless is appropriate to showcase his talents in an attempt to distance himself from the annoying twerp in Transformers. And it serves him well, because not only does he take centre stage ahead of the up-and-coming Hardy and the blink-and-you'll-miss-it contribution from Gary Oldman, he succeeds in delivering a performance to match the amount of screentime he's given.

Set in rural Virginia during the Depression, the three brothers make a living from their illicit dealings in moonshine, as they enforce a local Bondurant law of fear and violence. That is until a new, unhinged deputy (Guy Pearce) enters the fray. It's perhaps his portrayal that is most memorable, with his shaved eyebrows, centre-parted, slicked hair and (debateably) immaculate sense of style that set him apart. Both Hardy and Jessica Chastain offer subtle, more reserved performances, with the former generating humour with grunty nuances from time to time.

Whilst the acting is consistently strong, the narrative leaves a little more to be desired. As the feud between Bondurants and local law intensifies, there's little incident along the way that significantly builds to its climactic finale. Neither is there a particularly strong presence of sub plotting or subtext,  either, rendering the emotion of the characters somewhat impenetrable. What's more, the vagueness of plot points and lack of exposition prevents the characters from feeling particularly rounded or muster depth and engagement with them.

Even though the story is loose and tends to hone in on the plights of family and responsibility, it has its moments during a lengthy runtime, yet lacks the compelling nature of what it should be due to the overuse of ambiguity. Commendably, Hillcoat's period piece certainly looks the part with an authenticity that makes you wish you were able to experience things firsthand. However, such is the throwaway nature of the beast, Lawless ultimately culminates as a good film rather than a great one.

Review: Total Recall

Rating: 12a
Duration: 118 mins

Inevitable comparisons to Paul Verhoeven’s fantastic original sci-fi epic will be made, and even though it was released twenty two years previously, Len Wiseman has a lot to live up to if he wishes to satisfy existing fans and entice new ones.

Conceptually, the vision and premise are intriguing: the film begins with slick exposition of how the dystopian, bleak planet functions in the future, and is something audiences can buy into. Visually, it is, at times, noteworthy, but at others is awfully generic: The Colony -- a densely populated section of Earth -- is straight out of Blade Runner; the vehicles and action-orientated vertical chases are similar to Minority Report; whilst the legions of robotic authorities parallel I, Robot or even the clone armies of Star Wars. The result is droplets of imagination, drowned in rivers of creative laziness.

Len Wiseman -- known for his relentless Underworld series -- is simply unable to justify his decision to remake the Philip K Dick story. Rather than utilise the ideas of sci-fi, he simply moulds the existing story into a straightforward chase film, with a climax that possesses little in common with the genre. 

In fact, the two hour film is seemingly comprised of four overstretched, adrenaline-fuelled sequences. Glaringly apparent is Wiseman's obliviousness to over-indulgence, the narrative structure scraps any balance of action, exposition and storyline; instead opting for lengthy chase after lengthy chase.

What's more, the little storyline that is included feels like a condescending slap around the chops. Instead of the ambiguity and subtlety the original offered, Wiseman prefers to spoon feed his audience, insulting even the most primitive of minds. For example, a line Hauser (Colin Farrell) has early on -- a seemingly flippant comment about wishing he'd learnt to play the piano -- comes into play when he finds himself in the apartment of the life he has no memory of. We see a piano subtly chopped out of frame (which would have sufficed); followed by a shot of it in full frame; followed by Hauser sitting down and playing, as it reveals its significance in the plot. Surprisingly, we don't hear an echoey, internal monologue along the lines of 'I wish I'd learnt to play the piano' -- because it's that kind of film we're being patronised with.

Whilst the set pieces are action-filled and acceptably entertaining, they do -- as mentioned previously -- tend to drag. Regardless of whether director or editor is at fault, the sentimentalism and debauchery is plain to see, which resonates in lengthy, unnecessary segments that shape the entire film. 

The wonderful Bryan Cranston is woefully underused as villain Cohaagen, with Farrell and the eye candy combo of Kate Beckinsale/Jessica Biel offering acceptable, if  unimpressive performances. That's not to say it isn't a trio worthy of attention, because the casting are aesthetically pleasing, if nothing else.

Total Recall is a film that thinks it is far cleverer than it actually is. A lack of subtlety, intelligence and ambiguity renders it a story that could take place within any genre, dispelling all appeal of a sci-fi adventure. The trouble is that it takes itself far too seriously, yet insists on including numerous clunky references to Verhoeven's tongue-in-cheek masterpiece, as well as cringeworthy dream puns littered throughout the cheesy dialogue. 

All life has been sucked out of the satirically edgy original in favour of a straight-cut attempt at a thriller. However, without reference to its predecessor, it works on the most basic of entertainment levels. In principle it is a needless reimagining of Verhoeven's, and more significantly, Dick's work; serving merely as a modern update for non-savvy audiences in search of a popcorn flick.

 

N.B. Unsurprisingly, there's a nod to the three-breasted woman, who's not only heavy-handedly plonked into a random scene, but appears to be the only mutant in existence. Odd.

Review: Brave

Rating: PG

Duration: 100 mins

With Pixar recently announcing sequels to Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and Toy Story, there were fears that originality was running dry, but their thirteenth and latest feature, Brave, shows that flare hasn't dried up just yet.

A story involving princesses, kings, castles, witches, spells and bears is anything but the norm for the animation giants, and turns out to be a refreshing change, especially with its woven references to many a fairytale: it shares a sensibility with Shrek for this very reason. Initially, it threatens to drift off into mundane territory a la Cars, but thankfully the strong, entertaining plot, keeps it afloat, allowing it to shine.

Whilst it may suffer from predictable plotting, the whimsy, funny and entertaining elements develop into an engaging and likeable fantasy set in Scotland. Princess Merida (Kelly MacDonald) defies her father, the King (Billy Connolly), and her destiny to marry one of three suitors as per the kingdom's custom, which forms the basis of the film.

As with each Pixar entry, the animation and attention to detail is sublime. Subtleties such as Merida's thick, auburn locks as well as various animal textures impress, but the most breathtaking visuals are perhaps the appearance of water -- one scene in particular springs to mind. It's this steady progression over the years -- as well as the consistency of their well-written scripts -- that keep Pixar one step ahead of the competition. Unlike Aardman's Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!, which boasted style over substance, Brave achieves satisfaction on both levels and actually gains momentum and strength as it progresses towards its finale.

The conclusion is both tidy and resolute -- qualities you'd expect for both studio and genre. It remains perfectly paced throughout with its humorous level of wit and intellect that transcends younger and older audiences alike. It boasts a subtle comedic presence, specifically its approach to animals conveying thought without the ability of speech -- think along the lines of the mute genius of WALL-E as a guide.

Adhering to current trends, the film has been converted into 3D, and, as per a minority of its counterparts, does a credible job in creating depth of field. It's effective as an added extra, but in the context of the filmmaking it remains gimmickry is unnecessary.

Brave offers up a fairytale style story previously unexplored by Pixar. It works, and even though it doesn't quite capture the magical highs of Up or WALL-E, it still succeeds as a solid and hugely enjoyable film that performs well and looks the part, too.

Competition: Win Wild Bill on DVD

A spur of the moment competition here at The Littlest Picture Show, The Hut have kindly given a copy of the new British movie Wild Bill (released just last week) to be won. You can check out my cinema review here.

HOW TO ENTER:

If you're on Twitter, simply retweet the following:

COMPETITION: Want to win WILD BILL on DVD? 

Simply RT and FOLLOW @littlestpicshow! 

More details here: http://tiny.cc/z1e9hw

ALTERNATIVELY,  if you're not on Twitter, then simply leave a comment below with your name and email address.

Competition closes Sunday, August 5th. Winner announced Monday, August 6th.

Review: Ted

Rating: 15

Duration: 106 mins

Seth MacFarlane's first venture into mainstream cinema was always to be an anticipated affair, especially if you're partial to his long-standing shows Family Guy and American Dad!

Creator MacFarlane assumes control over director and writer duties for a movie that is about a talking teddy bear. The premise focuses on John (Mark Wahlberg) who, as a child, wishes for his new stuffed toy -- a bear he aptly names Teddy -- to come to life, which it subsequently does. The fact that Ted is the only walking, talking bear of his kind is irrelevant (kind of), as girlfriend Lori's (Mila Kunis) acceptance of the unique situation and bond appears to wear thin.

It all begins promisingly with the sultry narration from Patrick Stewart as the first couple of scenes play out nicely. Seth MacFarlane's desire to break into Hollywood after small screen success is clear, but his venture may have worked better had he persisted with the shockingly offensive nature of Family Guy rather than catering more towards the Superbad demographic. Not necessarily a bad move, the style of Ted is overtly mainstream, as many of the jokes within it accommodate for this audience. But what's ill-fitting is how this essentially adult comedy with a potty-mouthed child's toy is set within a fairytale-style narrative. It makes for a bizarre combination, as the anti-Semitic jokes fail to gel with the more tender moments -- and, believe it or not, there are a few. 

Whilst the CGI character looks rather convincing at times, the gratuitous profanity quickly becomes stale. Therefore, those who prefer a more intelligible rather than gross-out, sweary form of comedy will find large chunks of the film laborious.

That said, there does come a point where it manages to create poignancy, and the story -- albeit as far-fetched as it is -- does deliver on a basic, engaging level.

There are a couple of cameos; mainly appearances from Family Guy regulars Alex Borstein and Patrick Warburton, as well as a few other well known faces that generate genuine laughs, but the overall quality of comedy is far too inconsistent.

Ted is obvious mainstream fodder, as MacFarlane sways from more obscure cultural references to ones about Twitter and Taylor Lautner. The gags throughout are very hit-and-miss: when they work -- and they do at their most edgy and controversial -- they're hilarious, but at other times the set-ups and 'safe comedy' simply fails to impress.

 

Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Rating: 12a

Duration: 164 mins

Chris Nolan's third instalment of the successful and much loved Batman reboot is finally unveiled, with the pressure of surpassing the billion-dollar-earning, Oscar-winning sequel The Dark Knight, can The Dark Knight Rises live up to its ridiculously high expectations?

To begin with, it's worth declaring that Rises is a breathtaking spectacle on a sublime scale; more so than Batman Begins, and on par with The Dark Knight. 

We're thrust eight years into the future, and therefore the film takes a little time to re-establish itself, but does so satisfyingly within the opening half hour. The script incorporates snippets of relevant exposition in order to burst into the film's second and third acts with great momentum, allowing the events that take place thereafter to have the most impact possible due to the existing investment in the characters.

Christian Bale thrives as he does in previous entries, mixing billionaire recluse Bruce Wayne with masked vigilante well. Michael Caine's Alfred has meatier segments of dialogue early on, which certainly allow Caine to showcase his ability more than before. However, it's Anne Hathaway's portrayal of Selina Kyle that really impresses, as she threatens to steal the film all by herself. Tom Hardy's Bane is effective and as accomplished as his brutish character can be, but is unable to offer the dexterity of Heath Ledger's Joker.

Whilst the narrative and early structure isn't as polished as The Dark Knight, the set pieces and action sequences are just as mind-blowing. What's more, the screentime Batman and Bane share is just as riveting as the ones with Joker in the previous entry.

Various moments present a poignancy that's largely devoid in the other movies, and achieves the balance of emotion just right, especially where key characters are concerned. Things aren't hampered by the tremendous score courtesy of Hans Zimmer, either, and adds to the grandiose magnitude of events.

The Dark Knight Rises is a truly epic conclusion to Nolan's breathtaking trilogy. Apart from a slightly slow beginning, the majority is pacey, slick, thrilling and utterly spectacular. Anne Hathaway surprisingly stamps her authority, as Bale et al remain as watchable as ever. If there's one film to see this year, it's this.

Review: Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey

Rating: U

Duration: 80 mins

For some, The Muppets will be forever cherished. Timeless is their appealing nature, the latest feature length, self-titled movie merely proves the insurmountable, continuous love the globe over.

This concise, yet utterly poignant documentary touches upon the story of Kevin Clash -- the man that brings the child-like voice of Elmo to life every day. Seeing him as a youngster will galvanise -- for his first puppet he resorted to taking existing in-use materials from around his home in order to craft a Henson-style muppet -- because his story comes across as a uplifting tale of achieving one's dream, but the real emotional grab of the film is how Clash uses his fame and influence to bring sheer joy to others.

Touring the famous muppet workshop is truly an eye-opening experience, as we gain a glimpse of the day-to-day goings on of both puppeteers and crafters. Clash spends a large segment of the doc showing us how much comfort Elmo can bring to children, too (ones he specifically meets are often terminally ill), with a consistent subtextual message of togetherness and making the most out of life. Not only that, but Clash remains grounded and utterly genuine as he offers a helping hand to other wannabe puppeteers yearning for the big break he so graciously received himself.

Being Elmo is a taut and wonderful insight into the world of The Muppets. It's a brief, but very inspiring documentary that is well worth seeing, not only as a suitable alternative to blockbuster fodder, but simply as a pleasingly quaint and moving documentary.

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

Rating: 12a

Duration: 136 mins

Not unusual nowadays is the repackaging and re-branding of film franchises that are barely older than one's underwear in an attempt to offer a fresher, more modern and even better alternative to what we've seen in the past. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a prime example of said quick turn over with a mere two years between Swedish original and Fincher remake.

Relative newcomer Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) takes on the inaugural task of rebooting Marvel's Spider-Man franchise a decade after Tobey Maguire donned the latex in what culminated in a surprisingly well-received genre flick followed by an even better sequel. 

Familiarity aside, the main differences are the new cast. Andrew Garfield assumes the role of teen misfit Peter Parker, who offers a likeable portrayal of the young hero with not only a superior acting pedigree, but a more fitting stature, too. Emma Stone replaces the po-faced Kirsten Dunst, and instead fills the role of Gwen Stacey rather than Mary-Jane -- a character that emerged long before MJ as an original love interest for Parker.

The script is well formulated, which includes a sparse but worthwhile amount of laughs -- the most memorable being Spidey's reaction to a car thief as he falls to his knees exclaiming, "You found my weakness, it's small knives!" However, as much as a reboot may sound fresh, it actually treads very similar ground to the Sam Raimi films: sure, it has to remain faithful to the comics and as an origin story, but there's virtually no inventiveness or originality to Webb's interpretation aside from a non-organic web shooter; instead, one that is attached as a wrist-sized mechanisms. In fact, it treads the steps of Raimi's 2002 original a little too closely (apart from a different villain and heroine), with rehashed scenes displaying Parker's stance against the high school bully for example, albeit achieved in a slightly different way.

A strong focal point is the relationship between Parker and Gwen, whose unfamiliarly with one another quickly develops into an awkward acquaintance before blossoming into something more. This element is perhaps the strongest aspect Webb conveys, as the pair bashfully interact in high school hallways, and what's more is that they convince with their chemistry. The balance of comic book origin tale to high school love story sways largely towards the latter, as a bigger portion of the movie follows their developing romance, detracting from Rhys Ifan's Dr. Connors/The Lizard until the final half hour.

Whilst Webb succeeds with the romantic plot, it would appear the villain of the piece is forgotten about, and when he does begin to feature the lacklustre CGI and pristine lab set-up amongst the faeces of the sewers merely assert it as whimsical rather than threatening. Furthermore, one gets the feeling the director's lack of experience is exposed as the comic book essence is there, but loses its way in the middle.

The subtext is as obvious as Stone's attempt to blend in wearing those arousing knee-length socks, with the film progressing at a safe pace and cautious tone, afraid to delve into darker territory as per Nolan's Batman series. Its messages are a little heavy handed in places -- glaringly so amidst a poignant scene involving the wonderful Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben.

A noticeable disappointment is the amount of exposition that never quite delivers. A promising start indulges in some mystery and intrigue into Parker's earlier life and the relevance of his parents involvement in the film. We're privy to some backstory, but as soon as a snippet of info is extracted the entire thread is extinguished and forgotten about. 

VERDICT: It may be daft in places (a crane alignment scene in particular stands out), but which Marvel films aren't? Webb does a better job with teeny romance than masked vigilante, but The Amazing Spider-Man tweaks what we saw from Raimi and Maguire ten years previously, serving as an alternative, entertaining, yet altogether not-so-different spectacle.

N.B. The cameo from creator Stan Lee is probably his best yet. Borderline genius.