'The Monuments Men' review by Captain Raptor

'The Monuments Men' review by Captain Raptor

Focused and dedicated readers (as I'm sure you all are) will recall earlier this month I declared that I'd be willing to give any film with Bill Murray in it a chance. As a man of my word, I went to see George Clooney's latest attempt to craft himself a career as a writer/director as well as an actor, mainly drawn in by the film's casting of Mr Murray and The Big Lebowski's John Goodman, and I'm always eager for an opportunity to see people sticking it to the Nazis. 

I think I'm going to have to revise my policy of 'watch anything with Bill Murray in it'; it hasn't been working out for me. Maybe the biggest problem with The Monuments Men is that it isn't sure which direction to go in. The bickering group dynamic and heist-movie antics are leaning towards the comedic, but the setting and repeated references to casualties and concentration camps are pulling the film in the opposite direction. A more assured director might have been able to successfully blend the two elements, but Clooney's directing is poor and at times even embarrassing. There's so many needless stretches of silence, often in the middle of casual conversations - it doesn't build tension or serve any sort of dramatic purpose, and any background music is both occasional and abrupt, so the film is filled with awkward gaps of nothingness. If the actors were emoting in the intermittent periods between dialogue, that might alleviate the uncomfortable silence, but the cast lacks both nuance and energy, and sometimes I got the impression that they weren't even trying. Cate Blanchett in particular gives an awful, robotic performance; you can practically see her going over the stage directions in her head. It might not entirely be the fault of the actors though, because the script (packed full of every cliche in the book) is uninspired, and while there are numerous witty lines, the majority of the dialogue lack subtlety, making it feel clunky and forced. 

The film does have some redeeming characteristics. John Goodman and Jean Dujardin make a good double act, with some enjoyable repartee flowing back and forth between the two, particularly in one entertaining scene where they're pinned down by a sniper. The cast does have some dwindling elements of chemistry, most notable in the funniest scene of the film where Matt Damon accidentally activates a landmine. The comedy and the other lighthearted elements of the film are inexpertly handled and somewhat poorly delivered but ultimately they do work to a degree and there are laughs to be had. The major flaw is that Clooney doesn't seem to know how to create and maintain drama as a director. Scenes about family tragedies, Holocaust victims and even the death scenes of vital characters are skimmed over, but there's several lengthy (and almost entirely silent and motionless) intervals of Clooney and others staring breathlessly at sculptures and paintings, practically an acknowledgement that other people's art is far more interesting and entertaining than this film.

The Monuments Men could best be described as 'awkward'. It's an old-fashioned film out of place in the modern day, with an inexpertly blended mixture of failed drama and semi-failed comedy, a cast that never really seems to know which emotion to go for, and a script that's more functional than fun. There are parts of it that are genuinely quite good, but they're in the vast minority, hidden beneath boredom, nationalism, tiresome cliches and uncomfortable emptiness. It's watchable, but it's mishandled and meandering, highlighting why Clooney's career predominantly takes place in front of the camera rather than behind it.

'The Lego Movie' review by Captain Raptor

'The Lego Movie' review by Captain Raptor

A lot of people object to the idea of subjecting children's entertainment to any serious or in-depth criticism. I completely understand that products made specifically for children might not be made with artistic merit in mind, but there's still huge range within the medium; Toy Story is not exactly on equal footing with Mike Myers' Cat in the Hat. If anything, it's more important that we scrutinize children's movies than ones that are labelled as 'proper' films - children are more impressionable and the message of a film might have some lasting impact (I still routinely ask myself 'What Would Rafiki Do?').

Conveniently, The Lego Movie is pretty damn good regardless of which standards you judge it by. Despite the concept sounding like a feature-length corporate advertisement that you paid to see, it's got more warmth and imagination than almost anything else on the market. It uses a semi-parodic, semi-heartfelt version of the Hero's Journey story archetype, and with this familiar territory as anchorage, what follows is some beautiful form of delirium. The visuals are charming, and having everything made of Lego gives the film unique opportunities for humour, which is just as well because the visuals are basically the film's sole reason for existence. 21 Jump Street scribes Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (See! Grown-up movie people!) are on both writing and directing duty, and fittingly treat the movie like their own personal sandbox. They did an excellent job, with a well-chosen cast voicing a host of preposterous characters, giving the audience such treats as Charlie Day's astronaut, Morgan Freeman's blinded prophet and Alison Brie's unicorn-cat hybrid. If those concepts don't excite you, I feel embarrassed for you. They're all good for a chuckle or two, as are all the visual jokes, but the only truly hilarious part of the film is, surprisingly, Liam Neeson as a two-faced cop, showing senses of comic timing and voice artistry that I never would of thought he possessed. 

The film's mildly funny throughout, so while there's never a dull moment, there aren't many outstanding moments either. The sheer madness and inventiveness of the film makes up for this though; from the soundtrack (Tegan and Sara featuring The Lonely Island? That deserves an Oscar nomination more than bloody U2), to the setpieces - the infinite possibilities of Lego are taken full advantage of, so at some point a robot pirate will punch a monolithic squid-droid, and it doesn't seem in the least bit weird. This makes it all the more disappointing that the majority of the film's conclusion takes place in the real world; the entire film is revealed to be the imaginative playtime of a child. As well as sucking all the whimsy out of the film, it's also just a drab and boring conclusion - I can't imagine anyone in the audience as being as captivated by this sickly father-son bonding as by, y'know, cowboys and dragons and explosions. It's an awkward and dull scene that was inelegantly handled, and it felt crowbarred in so that some sort of sane conclusion could be drawn, but it was the lunacy that was the appealing part of the film.

The Lego movie is pure entertainment. It's hyperactive nonsense of the highest order, and fun from start to finish. A lot of talented people worked on this, and it's wholly evident. Yes it's dumb, and incoherent, and childish, but so are Evil Dead II, Airplane! and Life of Brian, and we're allowed to take them seriously as films. The last 15 minutes misfire on every cylinder, and some of the jokes don't stick, but it's got heart and originality, something that a lot of people complain mainstream films today are lacking. Regardless of age, I urge you to go and see this. It's fun. It's really, really fun. Who cares if you're "too old?".

'Tootsie' review by Captain Raptor

'Tootsie' review by Captain Raptor

Of all the themes in all the films in all the world, none has been handled as generally awfully as cross-dressing. When two of the most prominent films based around a subject are Big Momma's House and Mrs Doubtfire, something has clearly gone terribly, terribly wrong. Tootsie, whilst still following the apparently timeless formula of 'man being treated like a woman = instant hilarity', is a multi-award winner starring one of the most acclaimed actors that's still alive today. More pertinent to why I decided to watch it is that it also has Bill Murray in it, and I think I'd give any film featuring him a chance.

The purpose of having Dustin Hoffman cross-dress is twofold, the first purpose being the erroneous idea that this is inherently funny. None of the jokes evolve much beyond ' people think he's a woman but he isn't ', and Hoffman's wispy affectation is just grating. His disaffected, misanthropic actor is a far more amusing persona, but he is mostly sidelined so that he can spend more time in a wig and skirts. Bill Murray isn't the godsend I hoped he would be, and his deadpan, laid-back delivery simply makes a dull script worse.The final half an hour is significantly better than the rest of the film, when people start to find out about the protagonist's dual lives, because then there are other elements: judgement, surprise, guilt - and Murray redeems himself with the funniest segment of the film, simply by attempting to stall someone at the door, and that old relaxed charm just slides back into place. Arguably the funniest performance is actually by Sydney Pollack, the director, giving a brief but at least entertaining appearance as the exasperated agent, and Teri Garr also adds some energy to the proceedings. On the other side, Jessica Lange's love interest is both lazily written and drably performed, which also goes for the majority of the other characters too.

The second reason for putting Dustin Hoffman in women's shoes (both literally and metaphorically) is to draw comparisons about how life is different for men and women. The film portends to be a drama as well as comedy, although there's absolutely nothing within the film that remotely supports that. However, the aim is noble, and the audience is shown clear and realistic examples of everyday sexism as well as highlighting the ridiculous standards that women are often held to. To the film's credit, this is done smartly and effectively, but it does raise numerous other issues. As wonderful as he is, there's an obvious problem in using Dustin Hoffman as a symbol of female empowerment, and for a film that is in clear possession of a social conscience, it's woefully insulting towards cross-dressers. The dramatic aspect of the film is a total wash, and it's troubling in its crass attitude towards cross-dressing, but I don't fault it for trying.

Tootsie is endearing to an extent but ultimately still a poor film. The attempts at drama or social commentary are washed over by dozens of simplistic jokes, and for much of its runtime the film is a stale and meandering mess. Most of the performances aren't up to scratch and the jokes are threadbare. The central and surface message is presented clearly and proudly (albeit kind of dumbly), and there are genuinely funny moments clustered together towards the end, but ultimately, Tootsie failed to engage or entertain me. An admirable failure of sorts, but a failure nonetheless.

'The Wolf of Wall Street' review by Captain Raptor

'The Wolf of Wall Street' review by Captain Raptor

This year's Academy Awards are, unusually, quite tough to predict. Most of the nominees would be odds-on Best Picture in any other year; there's 12 Years A Slave, the liberal issues movie by a relative unknown; Dallas Buyers Club, a film about terminal disease that required dramatic weight loss; Captain Phillips, something with Tom Hanks in it. And of course, The Wolf of Wall Street, a chance to reward/apologize to the actor and director that are arguably the most under-appreciated in the Academy Award' history.

DiCaprio's chances of winning his own naked gold man are certainly looking good with the performance he gives here. His various monologues are superb in how unrestrained he can be, and he delivers lines with smooth charm laced with menace. While it's not exactly the most complex or engaging role he's ever been given, the energy he puts in is absolutely phenomenal, and he's able to more than confidently carry the proceedings. The proceedings happen to include blowing cocaine up a prostitute's bottom and taking so many pills that he goes into a "cerebral palsy phase", and the problem is that Scorsese doesn't seem to have made up his mind if he wants to play these straight or as darkly comic. Although it's a riotous and hugely entertaining affair, the balance between drama and comedy is done slightly awkwardly, so the finished product is neither as funny or as dramatic as it could have been. The onslaught of debauchery that is the film's cornerstone does suffer from the law of diminishing returns but it still holds up, and the on-form cast manages to all but entirely wash that problem away with charisma and spirit in equal measure. Jonah Hill and a cavalcade of office drones make good backing support for DiCaprio, and Margot Robbie as his put-upon second wife is equally great, but the leader of the pack behind DiCaprio is Rob Reiner as his bellowing, exasperated father, a performance that's especially impressive given that he's primarily a director.

In terms of direction, Scorsese's talent is definitely visible but not particularly outstanding. The film's strength comes more from The Sopranos' writer Terence Winters' script packed full of excessive immorality and bravado than it does from any of Scorsese's touches. The visuals are impressive though, and the mood of the film is so electric that even offices feel like they're brimming with energy. As is often the case with films based on a true story, the plot isn't wholly satisfying - there isn't anything that really resembles a character arc, and the ending is a little limp. But it's got charm, intelligence and shock in abundance, and all the menace, style and gravitas one would expect from a Scorsese film, so really, what are a few minor issues?

The Wolf of Wall Street is a three-hour long journey headfirst into a world of drugs, sex, corruption, sex and drugs. It's not the strongest Oscar contender and nor is it the best film of its kind, but make no mistake, the wolf is a wily and vicious beast. High expectations and having it as my follow-up to 12 Years A Slave do it no favours, and it is a genuinely brilliant movie. DiCaprio is absolutely fantastic, Hill and Reiner are hilarious, and you should all go and see this movie right now. 

'12 Years A Slave' review by Captain Raptor

'12 Years A Slave' review by Captain Raptor

2013 is firmly behind us now and it's time to embark upon the hopefully rewarding cinematic journey of 2014. It's good to start the year in the cheery mood we mean to go on in with some harrowing, heart-wrenching drama about persecution and racism. 12 Years A Slave is the most talked about film of the moment, one of the few films made on one of the most important topics imaginable and has the most impressive cast this side of a Woody Allen movie, so naturally my interest was piqued.

The most obvious film to make a comparison to would be Django Unchained, but 12 Years A Slave is much closer to something like Schindler's List - total and unabashed tragedy whilst still showing restraint, a bleak tone played out with bucketfuls of pathos and drama, taking one of the worst events of history and examining it through the lens of one troubled protagonist. If that's an apt comparison, then Michael Fassbender is certainly the Amon Goethe character. He plays his utterly repugnant plantation owner with aplomb, showing great range and depth in his performance, and he threatens to steal the show. I say 'threatens' because it's hard to conceive of anybody who could outshine Chiwetel Ejiofor in this film, giving an intensely moving performance where he can mix in some subtlety whilst still breaking out into moments of extreme emotion. His delivery of dialogue and facial expressions alone are enough to not only convince but to completely captivate the viewer, and it's fantastic to finally see him in the leading role he deserves. There's solid performances from the supporting cast too, particularly from Adepero Oduye and Lupita Nyong'o, both giving incredibly emotionally charged performances that hold nothing back. There's also highly nuanced work from Benedict Cumberbatch and Paul Dano gives his most memorable performance to date.

As brilliant as the performances are, the absolute best thing about 12 Years A Slave is the directing. Steve McQueen has been handed a fantastic story full of drama and horror, and he sets about presenting it in the best way he could - unflinchingly. 12 Years A Slave is brutal in parts, and goes to great length to portray the genuine suffering of slaves in America, utilising both subtle elements like the dirt-filled, claustrophobic accommodation and more explicit, violent scenes where bones crack and pained, agonized faces are pointed right at the camera. Tension builds over the course of the film and is released in one horrendous, haunting and superlative whipping scene, and it's hard to know whether to concentrate on the pain of the victim, the anger of the perpetrator, the fear and shame of the onlookers or the gore and brutality of the punishment. Also brilliant is McQueen's use of audio overlap - Cumberbatch's idyllic preaching sequences have the sounds of racist taunts and cries of anguish played underneath to keep the shocking and melancholic atmosphere at its peak.

12 Years A Slave is truly phenomenal. It's not an easy watch and parts of it will make you want to crawl out your own skin, but it's insuppressible, enthralling and sublime. There's so many amazing components that it's hard to fit everything into one review whilst doing it justice. Steve McQueen displays some of the smartest, most dramatic and affecting directing that I've ever witnessed, Fassbender and Ejiofor give knock-put performances, and the film's harsh tone and total conviction make it an intense and hugely engrossing movie.

Top Ten Films of 2013

Nearly a year after I've started this blog and we're back to where we began (by which I mean January). The selection of films here is based on British release dates, so while these films might have been in cinemas in 2012 in other locations, from my perspective these were all released in 2013. Without any further ado:

10. Pacific Rim - Loud, dumb but inventive fun, and some of the coolest CGI set-pieces ever filmed, anchored by a mostly on-form cast and the masterful hand of Guillermo Del Toro doing what he does best. It might not be thought-provoking but it's riotously good entertainment all the same.

9. Don Jon - Joseph Gordon-Levitt's debut as a writer and a director was sharper than a pin prick and balanced masturbation jokes with life crises in its own weird, beautiful way. Promising and intelligent, it's an admirably audacious piece of social commentary.

8. Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa - Steve Coogan's hero of British screens gets a well-deserved and well-executed foray into new territory with an adaption that takes everything good about the original and makes it just that little bit more daring. Funny throughout and frequently hilarious, it proves that you can teach an old Partridge new tricks.

7. Iron Man 3 - The funniest and most entertaining installment of Marvel's money maker, it stuck with the sarcasm and explosiveness and elevated it to a higher level. Knowing exactly when to go for laughs and when to go for thrills, Iron Man 3 is crowd-pleasing without being simple or lazy, and an excellent blockbuster.

6. American Hustle - Just creeping in before the year was out, David O Russell's stylized yet serious crime flick wrings fantastic performances out of a prestigious cast to a backdrop of ridiculous design, thoroughly engrossing drama with sprinklings of mirth and enjoyable 'who's conning who' shenanigans. 

5. The World's End - Maybe the Cornetto Trilogy deserved a better send-off, but as a stand alone film it's simply side-splitting, jaw-dropping brilliance, combining anarchy and banality to extraordinary effect from the masters of the art form. Comedy and sci-fi have never made better bedfellows.

4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire  -Things got moodier and even more intense for the second chapter of the dystopian action series. Jennifer Lawrence's spellbinding performance is the highlight in a more confident, more emotional and subtler re-run of what came before. 

3. We're The Millers - I'm as surprised as you are. What looks like a mediocre stoner comedy is actually a snarky and most importantly hysterical comedy that takes things back to basics to show that low-concept and intelligent immaturity can still be funny, distinct and fresh if you have a good cast and you're prepared to go far enough. 

2. Filth - A no-holds barred turbulent wrecking ball of a film providing enough shocks to run a power plant. James McAvoy gives the best performance of his career, and the bleak, pitch-black sense of humour will have you wheezing for breath though a mixture of laughs and gasps. Not recommend for the faint-hearted, recommended for anybody wanting a dark, subversive and intense delight. 

1. Django Unchained - Powerful, powerful film making - subtlety be damned. Combining genuinely harrowing drama, over-the-top spectacle, intelligent story/dialogue and sheer guts, Tarantino's latest is as brilliant as it is controversial, showing brains behind the brutality and insensitivity. It's not just a film that will blow your mind with it's droll witticisms, blood-stained madness and spine-tinglingly good performances, but actually makes a statement about racism and exploitation. 

'American Hustle' review by Captain Raptor

'American Hustle' review by Captain Raptor

It probably doesn't seem like it, but I think that the worldwide obsession with Jennifer Lawrence (which I completely endorse) has peaked, maybe around the time of last year's Oscar ceremony. Her endlessly GIF'd stumble aside, Silver Linings Playbook obtained a sweep of nominations, serves as a landmark point in the career of almost everybody involved, and it's current cultural significance is pretty much indisputable. So, obviously, I still haven't seen it. As a sort of karmic apology to David O Russell, I watched his latest effort, featuring many of the same cast members.

The most immediately striking thing about American Hustle is the more superficial elements - the outlandishly stereotypical 70's outfits and hairstyles, the fluid camerawork and the fantastic soundtrack. It's a brilliantly stylish film, but the near fetishistic approach to showcasing its wardrobe can be grating at times. As wonderful as Christian Bale's comb-over is, the film's best parts lie elsewhere, in the performances. An absolutely phenomenal cast share equal levels of brilliance in their roles, even the smaller players like Louis CK and a menacing Robert De Niro on cameo duties. It's hard to pick any one cast member as particularly stand-out, but Lawrence and Bale are probably the most attention grabbing; although in fairness to their fellow cast members, those two have the most outlandish characters to play around with. They're backed up by a script that's got fair measures of intelligence and a low-key sense of drama. The film's a drier, more serious affair than I expected, but by no means was this a disappointment; besides, there are a few incredibly funny moments, in particular a scene revolving around a microwave and a recurring joke about an ice fishing anecdote. 

Some underlying weak points do impair the film a little. The plot doesn't really conjure up anything new, it could do with a little more editing, the ending's a little too abrupt and convenient for my taste, and the camera seems to be on a life-or-death mission to objectify Amy Adams. Those are more than minor flaws, but they're vastly overpowered by the sheer excellence of the film's style and performances. The flashiness can be gratuitous but it does make for a sleek, charismatic, highly polished final product, and all the main cast get an opportunity to display a full skill set - there are equally engrossing moments of heightened emotion and of near total restraint. It's a well balanced set of characters, all greatly flawed but understandable and likable, all distinct personalities but realistic and never caricatured.  

American Hustle is a wonderful piece of cinema, but a few tweaks and alterations and it could have been even better. That aside, it's got brains, drama, style and outstanding performances, which far more than makes up for anything that it does wrong. It's a strange blend of straight-faced realism and farce, but ultimately it's an excellent movie that had me entertained nearly throughout, and at times even captivated.