14-May-2008

Happy-Go-Lucky

If ever a film was wonderfully summarised in a title, it is Happy-Go-Lucky. Those five syllables perfect describe the light and breezy tone of this film, and quite possibly how you will feel as you leave the cinema. This is a movie that admirably celebrates optimism, which I for one found a nice relief in an age where even Hollywood blockbusters strive to be as dark and cynical as the PG-13 rating will allow them to.

At first, I didn’t really think I was going to enjoy Happy-Go-Lucky. The opening few minutes have a couple of attempts at humour that fall rather flat: not really a positive sign in a comedy-drama. And then there is a sequence illustrating a stereotypical, painful night out: the drunken ramblings of a coven of irritating witches prove to be an instant turn-off that creates little sympathy towards Poppy, our chirpy protagonist.


But luckily Happy-Go-Lucky reveals itself to be a slow burner: it just takes a little while to adjust to Poppy’s world. It is Poppy (or Pauline) herself that will likely begin to conjure up some goodwill. Her cheery, often illogical optimism is a difficult trait to pull off, but Sally Hawkins gives a truly exceptional performance. Poppy is an oddity in London: a woman who has decided to be endlessly upbeat in a city of dreariness and unfriendliness. Her primary coloured clothes are in sharp contrast to the grey, apathetic streets and people around her, while her constant attempts at light humour and banter are often dismissed by those she tries to cheer up. Admittedly, she does often come across as annoying and excessive, but this simply strengthens her character: she is a solid mix of likable quirks and annoying habits. Her good-will even in the most difficult of situations (one sequence where she attempts to talk to a homeless drunkard sticks out) becomes endearing, and you may well find yourself cheering her on sooner than expected. She is a multi-layered character: her motivations admirable, her outlook likable. Most importantly she is a very strong, independent person who is entirely happy with her life, and the character is more than capable of holding the film together. Hawkins’ portrayal works brilliantly, and her performance is one of the most charming and memorable in quite some time.

Poppy holds the story together, and it is a great relief that her character is so compelling, as the narrative relies on her completely. Indeed, the ‘story’ is almost non-existent, and is simply a few chapters in the day to day life of our protagonist. The film simply comprises of a number of vignettes in Poppy’s life. It documents her day-to-day encounters: dealing with a troubled boy in the class she teaches, her bizarre dancing lessons, her sojourns with an intense driving instructor. More than anything, these mini-tales try and portray the way in which Poppy tries to retain her optimism in the face of an often bleak reality. Perhaps the central story is the one focusing on her driving lessons with a racist, emotionally fragile instructor. These Saturday excursions are the best examples of the film’s thematic concerns: the difficulty of remaining optimistic in a pessimistic world. While Poppy’s refusal to drop her friendly mannerisms often put her at risk, ultimately her cheery attitude keeps her safe and wins over the many other characters she encounters. Director Mike Leigh seemingly urges the audience to try and be friendly in an increasingly unfriendly world through his sympathetic portrayal of Polly, which seems to me to be an entirely refreshing moral!


There are dark hints throughout the film: there are subtle references to child abuse, alcoholism, obsession and other bleak issues. But these are an integral part of the film that reinforce the general happy mood. The cinematography reinforces this – often quite subtle, it makes terrific use of colour to give Poppy a central presence. Her multi-coloured clothing and her flatmate’s yellow car make her stand out instantly. It is also quite a funny little movie when it wants to be: the humour is quirky and offbeat, but Leigh will likely succeed in making you laugh through his bizarre characters and situations. Driving instructor Scott’s repeated refrain of Enraha is a great running joke, while the sometimes ridiculous mannerisms of Poppy are often good for a chuckle.

There are one or two issues that should be raised. Some of the sequences seem a little redundant: in particular a final-act romance that seems somewhat surplus to requirements (although it is thankfully brief). The ancillary characters sometimes seem to lack depth: Poppy’s younger sister in particular. And the previously mentioned weak start is an obstacle that has to be overcome to reveal the real depth and subtlety the film has to offer.


Happy-Go-Lucky is a sprightly little film that is a truly uplifting experience. True a fantastically realised lead character, it has a lot to say about the increasing depersonalisation of cotemporary society. The messages are subtle and careful, despite the excessiveness of Poppy. The film is far deeper than appearances may suggest, and while it is a very enjoyable two hours, it also lends itself to more detail examination. Catch this in the right mood and Happy-Go-Lucky’s big heart (symbolised by Poppy’s necklace) may just win you over.

07-May-2008

Polish X-Files 2 poster

Thanks to X-Files News, we have a rather cool poster for the upcoming movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Although, the consensus is that Duchovny's head looks terrible, hopefully it's just the result of a bad scan.

Frankly, I love how secretive the marketing on this has been, everything is shrouded in mystery, as it rightfully should be. There are spoilers out there, but I'm keeping away from them. So far, I've really no clue what it's about, except that Mulder & Scully are back, and it's out this July. Chris Carter seems to be keeping very tight reigns on this project, with rumours abounding of false info being leaked to throw the fans off, I think this is going to be something special indeed.

04-May-2008

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

In recent years the comedy genre has gone through a number of upheavals. The gross out fare which so appealed has evolved into a more sickly sweetly variant. Films such as the 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up while containing a high quota of gross out material also contained some truly sweet moments and heart. The other major evolution in the genre has been the resurgence of the spoof movie, which I'm not even going to discuss. The latest comedy to hit our shores is the entertaining Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

The first thing that struck me and no it wasn't the full frontal male nudity, was how being a producer these days makes any film you work on your very own. The ad campaigns and critics have all been labeling the film as a Judd Apatow effort when in fact if anything it's a Jason Segel film given that he not only wrote it but also features as the leading man.


Segel is Peter Bretter a 30ish musician who makes a living creating atmosphere for a cop drama which stars his now ex-girlfriend Sarah Marshall and the genuinely brilliant Billy Baldwin. Fol owing their breakup, Peter heads to Hawaii to try and get over her only to discover that Sarah is also in Hawaii, staying at the same resort.


The characters are an assortment of lovable oddballs, the humour never relies on gross out and the performances are all spot on, even Russel Brand is absolutely brilliant playing what appears to be himself. #


The supporting cast is made up of Apatow favourites, including the ever brilliant Paul Rudd who features as the films most genuinely funny character. He manages to steal every scene he's in and you sorely wish that he had been given more screen time.The similarities between Apatow's modern classic Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall extend beyond the cast. Both take a situation which by all accounts should not be funny yet manage to wring some genuine humour from the situation.


At times a lot of the humour feels borrowed, in fact one of the main comedic scenes is almost identical to a joke from How I Met Your Mother which incidentally enough also involved Jason Segel's character. There's a refreshing familiarity to most of the gags, we've seen it all before but the superior script compensates for this, and any film which features a Muppet musical about Dracula is worth a viewing in my book.


The main problem with the film is that the peripheral characters are responsible for the films biggest laughs while the main thrust of the story involving the two new romances are all a bit meh. This being most evident in a dinner scene where both new couples share a meal with only Brand impressing. Segel lacks the everyman charm of Seth Rogan, but Mila Kunis is an absolute joy to watch. She manages to strike the perfect cord between humour and pathos without ever crossing into melodrama.


Over all Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a fine addition to the "Apatow" cannon and well deserving of it's place alongside Knocked Up and Superbad. The final musical performance involving Muppets bodes well for Segel and director Nicholas Stoller's proposed Muppet Movie.

The Dark Knight Mark Two

This summer has only really got one film which will define it, one film which when people look back at 2008 will instantly spring to mind. That film my friends is The Dark Knight and this morning after months of anticipation we finally get the second trailer. After watching it a dozen times so far, there really isn't much I can say that will convey just how awe-inspiringly amazing it appears to be.

July 18th can't get here fast enough, though cryogenic freezing may be an option.

03-May-2008

The Lives Of Others

Subtle and gripping are the two words that come to mind when I would try to describe The Lives Of Others. It's a frightening look into the communist government of East Germany, the lengths they went to in order to keep tabs on the population, characters driven by suspicion, and what happens when people in positions of power abuse that position.

It's a remarkably vast story that brings you into a place and a time with the focus on one person, who seems as though they're caught into the middle of a storm. We're taken through the expansive narrative by the secret police agent Gerd Weisler (Ulrich Muhe) who kicks off events by musing to his superior that a playwright may not be as clean as he seems, and he's charged to surveil the writer and his lover.

From there, Weisler becomes increasingly engrossed and sympathetic towards this couple, while his superiors are clamoring for him to find something on them. It's nothing short of a breathtaking performance on the part of Muhe, and while the rest of the cast are fantastic, such as Sebastian Koch in the part playwright Georg Dreyman, or Martina Gedeck as his lover and leading actress, this film really belongs to Ulrich Muhe. His cold, quiet exterior hides a simmering range of emotion and inner struggle, it's as subtle and as powerful a performance as you could imagine.

The film is incredibly well written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, it captures an atmosphere onscreen that is potent and ever present, it's hard to think of another film where I felt sorry and fearful for just about every minor character. There's one scene in an elevator where a child questions Weisler, and my heart sank with dread at what could happen. The Lives Of Others is such a powerful experience that it made me feel extremely uncomfortable throughout, and that's quite rare.

The cinematography is extremely good, while not flashy, it adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the film in subtle ways. When we follow Weisler to his home, we observe him through a fisheye lens that makes it feel as though we're the ones surveiling him now, getting the insight into his private life that he and his government get from others.

It's a remarkably well written piece. Weisler doesn't really talk that much, so much of his motivation is left to our imaginations and interpretations. If this were an American film, the character would probably speak his thoughts aloud, spelling things out for the audiences, but von Donnersmarck seems to have a much greater respect for us, and it comes off a far better film because of it.

Honestly, just see this film. It's powerful, tragic, and often times frightening, I can't think of anything that has been this spellbinding, that has left me feeling emotionally flogged, and has been so utterly brilliant. See it.

Let The Right One In

Quite honestly, I don't think there's been a year like 2008 for the sheer volume of films I'm looking forward to, and while I'm definitely gagging for a shocking number of blockbusters, there's plenty of smaller films that have me equally excited, one of them being the Swedish horror Let The Right One In, which is being praised by all who've seen it, and has won the top prize at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Based on the book by John Ajvide Lindqvist and directed by Tomas Alfredson, it tells the story of a young boy called Oskar who falls in love with a girl who moves in next door, and also happens to be a vampire.

Everything I've heard about this would indicate that it's wildly different to other vampire films, and considering the advanced acclaim it's receiving, it really promises to be something very special indeed. Knowing local cinemas, I probably won't get to see it until it's released on DVD, but I'm holding out hope that it'll get a once off screening.

Of course, with Let The Right One In being a foreign horror, you have to expect that the remake is inevitable, but this time (According to bloodydisgusting.com) it's the newly revamped English company Hammer Films who are behind the planned remake, although it was said that JJ Abrams' company Bad Robot had been interested in making a version for US audiences.

Anyway, I'll leave you with the trailer, which is sadly without subtitles, but still looks like it'll be a very creepy film indeed. I can't wait!

02-May-2008

New Hancock trailer



With all the big hitters that are coming out this year such as Iron Man, The Dark Knight and Hellboy 2, this is one film that might be an unexpected contender. I have to say, this looks very kick ass. Hancock is being directed by The Kingdom helmer Peter Berg and Will Smith is just proving again and again what a great actor he can be, and from the trailers, the humour seems to be great.

Hancock is definitely going on my to do list.

01-May-2008

It's official, Iron Man rules.

Yes, Iron Man Rules. I had previously been concerned that the film had shot it's load in the trailers, but just returning from the cinema now I'm very happy to say that it hasn't, and that my worries were greatly put to rest. Iron Man delivers, and then some.

You'll have to pardon me if it seems like I'm fawning here, but this was quite simply one of the best superhero films on the big screen ever, on par with Batman Begins and X-Men 2. It's a combination of excellent direction, perfect casting, and great writing, a real flawless adaptation.

Jon Favreau is a director with great attention to detail, and he certainly knows how to do a superhero movie. It's all in the pacing, and when doing such a big story you certainly need to take the time to tell it properly, so where the Fantastic Four films felt like they were over before they really got started, Iron Man lets it's hero really take flight, and at 126 minutes, it seems like the perfect run time. It also hits the right balance of humour and action, at no time being too silly or hard to believe.

There's a little detail I noticed that made a significant impact on the believability of the film, a scene where Tony Stark is suiting up in his Mark III armour, we can see he's wearing a pair of wetsuit boots. It seems really trivial, but the idea of him being as comfortable as possible inside the armour just added to the believability. There's also considerable foreshadowing to future events in the Iron Man canon, which altogether left me with a big grin on my face.

Robert Downey Jr. was absolutely terrific, we all knew his casting was 100% spot-on from the get go, but this didn't stop me from being enthralled by his performance none the less, he really embodied Tony Stark. There might a tendency to view a blockbuster like this as a lesser kind of film, but the subject matter is treated with a rare kind of respect, and Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark is someone who goes from displaying cocky arrogance to a rather grim realisation of his own frailty to righteous anger, all with a remarkable sense of honesty. An early scene where our hero finds himself hardwired with a car battery thanks to some impromptu lifesaving surgery, the look of fear in his eyes seems quite real, so it seems like a 110% from the film's star.

I've always found the character of Iron Man very interesting. It's the fact that the source of his powers is the very thing keeping him alive that set him so wildly apart from other superheroes and made him very fascinating, he's incredibly strong but at the same time incredibly fragile.

I've heard some criticism that there wasn't enough action in the film, and while it's true that there isn't as significant an amount of action as the trailers would allude to, but I'd consider this to the credit of the film, if anything it reminds me of Léon in the sense that there's only a couple of big action sequences and it focuses more on building character. Iron Man doesn't try to overwhelm us with glorious action, but rather it's a film about Tony Stark's personal journey, his literal reinvention of himself and the transformation he goes through.

If there was a weak link, it would probably be Terrence Howard whom I found rather grating at first, maybe it's his voice, but he wasn't bad and I guess we'll have to wait to see more of him in the sequels. Jeff Bridges was excellent, a real scenery chewing baddie, something that's a far cry from some of his other roles, the kind of person who'll smile to your face while stabbing you in the back. This is certainly a great start to what promises to be the best year for Hollywood in a long time, and definitely sets an incredibly solid piece of groundwork for the trilogy that Jon Favreau has been planning. Roll on Iron Man 2 & 3!

30-Apr-2008

Thai gore movie Art Of The Devil to be remade

I posted a piece about Mel Gibson remaking Flowers of Flesh and Blood as a joke on April 1st, kind of as a commentary on the fact that just about every successful Asian horror movie seems to be in some stage of the remake process, so they'd logically have to get around to these pseudo-snuff gore movies. Well according to Bloody Disgusting, there's a planned remake of Art of the Devil, a successful Thai franchise now on it's third film.

Honestly, I did not think this would happen, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised when The Last House on the Left and Cannibal Holocaust are already up for being remade. The problem is, I've no idea how they're going to pull off any of these films, considering the uproar about the likes of Hostel, which is frankly rather tame in comparison.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked Hostel, and Eli Roth probably did push the R rating as far as it could go, but therein lies the problem. How can they possibly remake films that were X-Rated in the US, and banned in a large number of other countries, without heavily watering them down? I don't think it's possible, and I really don't think American studios should even try.

Time for American animation to grow up?

So this weekend Persepolis finally got a long-awaited Irish (limited) release. Being the excitable type, I skipped along to an early evening showing on Friday, and expected good things after months of positive feedback from across the sea. The hype was justified. Persepolis is one of the most refreshing cinema experiences I have had in quite some time. It is one of those increasingly rare cases where it seems that something completely unique is unfolding in front of you. The art-style is wonderful, each frame a delight. Not since Belleville Rendez-Vous has an animation seemed so stylistically fresh and original.

However, what struck me most about the film is how fantastically intelligent it is. Usually, animation is not the place for social commentary: but Persepolis is a deliciously dark biopic, laden with black humour, fascinating Iranian history and challenging examinations of religious oppression and political dictatorships. And it is all tied together through an instantly accessible coming-of-age story. It is a completely engrossing narrative, and is one of the most thematically rich films I have seen recently.

That got me thinking about other recent animation milestones. Such thoughts instantly reminded me of Spirited Away, which in my opinion, remains the pinnacle of animation as art. I remember being stunned when I finished watching it for the first time, unable to fully comprehend the wealth of stunning imagery I had just witnessed. While not as socially aware as Persepolis, it is possibly even more attractive than the stark black-and-white imagery of the latest French release.

Other Studio Ghibli films – from the environmental concerns of Pom Poko to the touching humanity of Grave of the Fireflies to the very small-scale stories of Only Yesterday or Whisper of the Heart – also do something completely unique with the medium, providing experiences unlike any other. Such experimental pieces comfortably sit side-by-side with the more generic films from the studio, and hence it has the most innovative and eclectic catalogue of material out there. Other Japanese animators – Satoshi Kon springs instantly to mind – are equally imaginative: Kon in particular comfortably letting his imagination run riot (Paprika) or producing more subtle tales (Tokyo Godfathers or the remarkable Millenium Actress). While a lot of Japanese animé still remains generic, misogynistic, immature and giant-robot / tentacle-rape populated, Japan is also producing some of the most exciting animation around.

Which brings us to America. The Disney corporation has long been the royalty of American (and pretty much all) animation, from the time they made history by releasing the feature length Snow White. Today, Disney itself may have shifted its concerns somewhat (abandoning traditional animation altogether at one point, only to overturn that decision with next year’s The Princess and the Frog), but the torch has been passed to sister company Pixar: the technology loving company who gave the traditional Disney cartoon a much needed boot up the arse. And other companies have jumped on the CGI bandwagon popularised by Pixar’s already timeless Toy Story: from Fox to Dreamworks, it would seem that American cartoons are being produced in ever increasing numbers.

The quantity is certainly there, but what about the content? I think few would doubt the quality of Pixar’s output. From Toy Story to Ratatouille, pretty much all of their output has been gold, with a couple of bronzes along the way (A Bugs Life?). Brad Bird’s pre-Incredibles hand-drawn animation The Iron Giant is an often overlooked gem. Shrek was a fine little comedy (although I gave up on the franchise after the second instalment), while Fox’s Monster House was joyful childhood fantasy that invites favourable comparisons to My Neighbour Totoro or The Goonies.

The quality of these productions is hard to deny. What they do, they do exceedingly well. But… I can’t shake the niggling feeling that there is something missing. In the rush to provide top rate commercial entertainment, it seems that the American animators have lost something massively important along the way: that thing is originality.

Again, I love Pixar, but even they have been guilty of lacking ambition. Since Toy Story, few of their films have strayed from the tested Pixar formula (the delightful Incredibles being the notable exception). Otherwise they have just had a habit of personifying this and that: we’ve had fish, monsters, cars, rats and insects. The films themselves are generally family friendly buddy comedies with a heart of gold. And this is perfectly acceptable in many ways – what they do, they do better than anyone else out there. But imagine what they could do if they broke from tradition and made something completely original and unique. They have the resources. They have the talent. But they don’t seem to have the balls. The Incredibles showed what they could achieve when they let one of their rank’s imagination run wild – spectacular action and even some light social commentary on the nuclear family. It was a step in the right direction. Next year’s Up also looks like it could be something different than the norm. But will it be as refreshingly original and intelligent as Spirited Away or Persepolis? And why have they yet to stray from a very rigid stylistic approach? Where is Pixar’s My Neighbours the Yamadas?

Outside of Pixar, the animators are showing considerably less flair. Disney seemed to have passed on the dreaded talking animal syndrome to every American studio currently producing animated feature films. While Pixar are very guilty of this particular crime, they at least do it competently. That much cannot be said of others. Indeed, with the exception of Monster House, I’m struggling to think of one recent animation that didn’t involve some god-damn animal blabbering away. Let us see: we’ve had fish (The Reef, Shark Tale), squirrels (Over the Hedge, Ice Age), elephants (the admittedly rather competent Horton Hears a Who!), ants (the imaginatively titled Antz, with an added and entirely superfluous Z) and fuck knows how many others. Heck, Over the Hedge and Horton alone feature a veritable Noah’s Ark between them. Why aren’t they trying anything else? I can’t be the only one fed-up of hearing computer generated donkeys sprouting increasingly inane pop culture references (Shark Tale, I’m looking at you!).

There is of course always the argument that CGI pictures in particular cost the GDP of a small country to produce, and often the best part of half a decade is spent producing said films. Monetary and time concerns are definitely an issue, but Pixar must have swimming pools over-flowing with bills at this point. Would they not be willing to invest that in something more experimental and not as immediately commercially viable? Studio Ghibli has spent as much money making risky experiments as they have creating more audience friendly and talking animal laden fodder like The Cat Returns or Kiki’s Delivery Service. Is the American animation industry really so money hungry that they can’t give truly talented directors like John Lasseter or Brad Bird the money to make something offbeat and original? If they can make such fine commercial films, they must surely have lots of creativity to spare. And I’m not certain a more offbeat production would be commercial suicide: after all, Spirited Away was the biggest Japanese box office draw of all time.

I must stress once more that I am not dismissing these productions. I adore Pixar, and Ratatouille was one of the most enjoyable films of last year. But I am just a little frustrated they stick so rigidly to tradition and formula all the time, limiting the creativity of the makers. Persepolis reminded me of the sheer joy unique animation can provide. To me it is a shame that they are being left behind by other productions. Even more so than live action cinema, it is a medium that knows no boundaries except for the imagination of its creator. But all the resources are being pumped into Shrek 4, Ice Age 3 or Over the Hedge 2: that is a helluva lot of talking animals. Perhaps the audience would be more willing to embrace these more predictable franchises if they were released alongside more ambitious works? Maybe WALL-E or Up will finally provide us with a truly jaw-dropping American animation. But as of April 2008, we’re not there yet. As entertaining and likable as Finding Nemo or Monsters, Inc. are within their formulaic boundaries, is that really enough?

I remember as an eight year old kid sitting there in pure bliss as I watched the revolutionary Toy Story play out on screen. As great as a lot of the stuff that followed has been, American animation has yet to recapture that sheer wonderment in my mind, while Spirited Away and Persepolis have. These films have proven that cartoons are not just for kids anymore. Perhaps it is time that the American animation industry realised this, dropped the yammering animals for a while and grew up.