Limitless (2011)
Based on the novel “The Dark Fields” this film is directed by Neil Burger and stars Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish and Robert De Niro. A writer down on his luck finds a drug that drastically improves your intelligence and sets out to improve his situation.
There is some really interesting direction in this film with the drug sequences being especially well shot but this is sadly the highlight of the film. When it comes to the plot the set up certainly has some potential to it but it seems that the film is more interested in being a simple wish fulfilment rather than delving properly into the world of an intelligence improving drug. It would have been nice to see more of who was controlling the drug, why they made it and what their plans were.
4/5
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Friday, 13 January 2012
The magic of story telling?
Eleanor's Secret (2009)
Funded by a Franco-Italian co-production this animated adventure is directed by Dominique Monfrey. A boy that is having trouble learning to read but loves stories inherits a collection of magical books from his aunt.
There are a lot of good ideas in this film but ultimately it fails to engage with the audience or fully explore the issues present. Lots of children have learning difficulties and struggle with learning to read but this film does trivialise that but suggesting that the protagonists just needs to believe in himself to be able to read. With plenty of iconic characters from children's literature present it should really help draw viewers in but in the end the story is just too simplistic and does not work on an emotional level.
3/5
Funded by a Franco-Italian co-production this animated adventure is directed by Dominique Monfrey. A boy that is having trouble learning to read but loves stories inherits a collection of magical books from his aunt.
There are a lot of good ideas in this film but ultimately it fails to engage with the audience or fully explore the issues present. Lots of children have learning difficulties and struggle with learning to read but this film does trivialise that but suggesting that the protagonists just needs to believe in himself to be able to read. With plenty of iconic characters from children's literature present it should really help draw viewers in but in the end the story is just too simplistic and does not work on an emotional level.
3/5
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Best is best
Best (2000)
Based on the early life of football legend George Best this film is directed by Mary McGuckian and stars John Lynch. The plot focuses on Best's time at Manchester United as a player and his personal struggles.
There are host of problems with this film, the main one being that the time line of events are muddled and it is often unclear what happened when, seemingly contradicting real life events. Aside from the structural problems the film really fails to get to grips with the main issues, where Best's personal demons come from and why the football community was unable to help with these. Obviously this film was made on a small budget but that does not excuse the fact that nearly all the problems with the film emanate from the script.
2/5
Based on the early life of football legend George Best this film is directed by Mary McGuckian and stars John Lynch. The plot focuses on Best's time at Manchester United as a player and his personal struggles.
There are host of problems with this film, the main one being that the time line of events are muddled and it is often unclear what happened when, seemingly contradicting real life events. Aside from the structural problems the film really fails to get to grips with the main issues, where Best's personal demons come from and why the football community was unable to help with these. Obviously this film was made on a small budget but that does not excuse the fact that nearly all the problems with the film emanate from the script.
2/5
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
A fistful of water
Rango (2011)
Trying to break into the animated film market is this offering from Nickelodeon, ILM and director Gore Verbinski which stars the voice talent of Johnny Deep. A pet chameleon ends up in a wild west town as the new law man on the block.
This film does lack the humour and emotional core that you would get from a Pixar film but is chock full of references to westerns and films in general. What we end up with is a bit of a paradox, a film for children that will probably be enjoyed more by film buff parents than their off spring. While the film does not really excel in any area the sum of the parts is a good film in the end even if it does fall short of that elusive Pixar standard we hold all such films to.
4/5
Trying to break into the animated film market is this offering from Nickelodeon, ILM and director Gore Verbinski which stars the voice talent of Johnny Deep. A pet chameleon ends up in a wild west town as the new law man on the block.
This film does lack the humour and emotional core that you would get from a Pixar film but is chock full of references to westerns and films in general. What we end up with is a bit of a paradox, a film for children that will probably be enjoyed more by film buff parents than their off spring. While the film does not really excel in any area the sum of the parts is a good film in the end even if it does fall short of that elusive Pixar standard we hold all such films to.
4/5
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Imagine more complexly
Rebecca (1940)
Adapted from the novel of the same name this film is directed by Alfred Hitchcock and stars Laurence Oliver and Joan Fontaine. It is not easy being the second wife of the lord of the manor when the batty housekeeper is obsessed with your late predecessor.
This was Hitchcock's first film made in America (although set in England) and it does seem that working with producer David Selznick placed serious restrictions on the director. What the film really lacks is Hitchcock's trademark style and suspense, it is a well made film but does come across as slightly bland. The main theme of the film is that people tend not to be how we perceive them, especially Rebecca but also most of the characters have their own revelations, including the manor house itself.
4/5
Adapted from the novel of the same name this film is directed by Alfred Hitchcock and stars Laurence Oliver and Joan Fontaine. It is not easy being the second wife of the lord of the manor when the batty housekeeper is obsessed with your late predecessor.
This was Hitchcock's first film made in America (although set in England) and it does seem that working with producer David Selznick placed serious restrictions on the director. What the film really lacks is Hitchcock's trademark style and suspense, it is a well made film but does come across as slightly bland. The main theme of the film is that people tend not to be how we perceive them, especially Rebecca but also most of the characters have their own revelations, including the manor house itself.
4/5
Monday, 9 January 2012
Familiar
Tobruk (1967)
Very loosely based on real events this WW2 film stars Rock Hudson and George Peppard. A Group of British commandos and German speaking Jews from Palestine attempt to blow up German oil supplies at Tobruk.
The plot of this film is not that different from a whole host of North Africa based films that involve blowing up Rommel's fuel stores and in general there is not much to set this film apart from the genre as a whole. About the best thing the film has going for it is that it does not claim to be based on a true story given how far it departs from real events and the execution of the film is at least of a decent standard.
3/5
Very loosely based on real events this WW2 film stars Rock Hudson and George Peppard. A Group of British commandos and German speaking Jews from Palestine attempt to blow up German oil supplies at Tobruk.
The plot of this film is not that different from a whole host of North Africa based films that involve blowing up Rommel's fuel stores and in general there is not much to set this film apart from the genre as a whole. About the best thing the film has going for it is that it does not claim to be based on a true story given how far it departs from real events and the execution of the film is at least of a decent standard.
3/5
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Clued in
Sleuth (1972)
Based on the play of the same name by Anthony Shaffer this film stars Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. A writer of murder mystery novels and his wife's boyfriend play a game of cat and mouse at a country estate.
Bluff and double bluff as much between the characters as the audience and the film makers fill the plot manages to hold together and make sense despite what could have been a complex nature. There are good performances from both the stars, which resulted in two Oscar nominations as well as a generally well made film. As with a vast majority of British cinema there is also an undercurrent of class warfare which parallels the social transitions of the time that Britain was going through.
4/5
Based on the play of the same name by Anthony Shaffer this film stars Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. A writer of murder mystery novels and his wife's boyfriend play a game of cat and mouse at a country estate.
Bluff and double bluff as much between the characters as the audience and the film makers fill the plot manages to hold together and make sense despite what could have been a complex nature. There are good performances from both the stars, which resulted in two Oscar nominations as well as a generally well made film. As with a vast majority of British cinema there is also an undercurrent of class warfare which parallels the social transitions of the time that Britain was going through.
4/5
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