Rev Stan's film blog: August 2013

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August 2013

08/31/2013

Review: Elysium

Synopsis: Earth has become polluted and the rich have decamped to a space station where they enjoy a nice, long, illness free life. There are those on earth who want to bring about a bit of equality.

Stan's thoughts: Director Neill Blomkamp burst on the film scene with his low-budget, gritty and atmospheric sci-fi film District 9 and Elysium is what he does when he is given a wedge of cash. This does have the Hollywood gloss with headliners like Matt Damon and Jodie Foster taking the lead but there is still a distinctive grittiness and other than the Hollywood celebs there is a great international cast including the terrifying Sharlto Copley.

This is a solid and entertaining enough film but suffers because I just find Matt Damon a bit cold and emotionless to watch and it only really works if you care about him. All the more interesting characters are on the periphery and while I love watching Jodie Foster play a hard-faced bitch, can't help thinking I've seen it before.

Ratings

Stan's: 59%
IMDB: 70%
Metascore: 61%
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
RT audience rating: 66%

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Posted at 09:14 AM in American films, Sci fi | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

08/28/2013

Review: Sod the critics, I loved Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Synopsis: When Clary's mum goes missing in trying to find her, she discovers that she is part of an underworld of demons and demon fighters.

Stan's thoughts: I do have a penchant for young adult fiction and this is the first book in a series (I've yet to read) so it ticked that box for me from the outset. It is contemporary gothic fantasy (tick), heroine who is more powerful than she knows (tick), unrequited love (tick), forbidden love (tick), good looking goodies (tick), good looking baddies (tick) and a few vampires and werewolves (tick, tick).

Mortal Instruments is good fun with enough thrills and spills and twists and turns to keep you thoroughly entertained. I've glanced at a few of the sniffy reviews which say it is derivative of so many other stories and doesn't know what it wants to be and to that I say - aren't most stories these days? For me it's the imagination with which those elements are put together and whether it holds its own. And for me it did.

Came out with a grin on my face, wanting to see it again and that hasn't happened at the cinema for a long time.

Ratings

Stan's: 85%
IMDB: 69%
Metascore: 33%
Rotten Tomatoes: 12%
RT audience rating: 73%

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Posted at 08:47 AM in Action/Adventure, American films, Fantasy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

08/26/2013

Review: Lovelace

Synopsis: Biopic of Linda Lovelace, the star of 70s porn phenomenon Deep Throat.

Stan's thoughts: The above synopsis is as much as I knew about Linda Lovelace going into the film and I'm not sure what I expected but it certainly wasn't the film I saw and that isn't a criticism.

The film starts out almost like a teen romance as Chuck Traynor (Peter Sarsgaard) frees Linda (Amanda Seyfried) from her austere and controlling mother with the narrative then following how she went on to become the star of Deep Throat. But it only tells half the story, initially, with the second half of the film retracing the steps of key moments in the story and showing what else was going on at the time.

While Chuck is obviously quite controlling and manipulative after he marries Linda, the 'behind the scenes' is far more damning and harrowing and exposes a violent and abusive husband.

Rather than being frothy and tongue in cheek, it is a difficult film to watch and really quite moving. Splitting the narrative so that the full picture slowly emerges worked well (for me).

Great performances from Seyfried and Sarsgaard and the supporting cast which includes Juno Temple and James Franco as a charming, if slightly creepy Hugh Hefner. I didn't even recognise Sharon Stone as Linda's mother.

Enjoyed isn't quite the right word but I thought this was an interesting and well done film, although I seem to be on my own with that.

Ratings

Stan's: 70%
IMDB: 61%
Metascore: 51%
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
RT audience rating: 39%

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Posted at 10:41 AM in American films, Biopics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Review: What Maisie Knew

Synopsis: Young Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter divorce between her fading rock star mum and travelling art dealer dad.

Stan's thoughts: Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan play repugnant, self-obsessed people showering their daughter with a superficial love and treating her like an object, a weapon in the divorce battle.

Such is their behaviour that there was at least one audible tut in the cinema and you knew everyone else was mentally tutting. The victim of the piece, Maisie, is beautifully and subtly played by Onata Aprile. She never complains or throws a tantrum she just loves being with her mum and dad - when the are around. Pushed from pillar to post eventually she makes a decision that serves as a harsh wake up call for her mum.

This film isn't subtle in its message but makes for an interesting and satisfying character piece. My only grumble is that dad seems to come out of it better than mum, partly because he disappears off the scene about two thirds of the way through.

Ratings

Stan's: 70%
IMDB: 74%
Metascore: 74%
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
RT audience rating is 83%

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Posted at 08:47 AM in American films, Drama | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

08/23/2013

Review: Kick Ass 2

Synopsis: Hit Girl/Mindy is forced to turn her back on her super hero ways by her guardian while Kick Ass/Dave is determined to carry on which throws him into the path of super villain wannabe Chris D'Marco/The Motherfucker

Stan's thoughts: Loved Kick Ass for its tongue in cheek, irreverent approach to the comic book hero movie and while the sequel no doubt looses some of the unique gloss of the first it is still great fun. Its a good mix of dark and silly humour, comic book ideals and quite violent action sequences.

A good 'disengage brain and sit back and enjoy' film that at one hour 38 minutes knows how not to over stay its welcome, which is refreshing. It was also great to see so many British thesps popping up in supporting roles: Daniel Kaluuya, Iain Glenn, Benedict Wong, Steven MacIntosh and Andy Nyman and I didn't even recognise Jim Carrey.

Ratings

Stan's: 60%
IMDB: 73%
Metascore: 41%
Rotten Tomatoes: 29% (Audience rating is 74% so two fingers to the critics)

Recently seen

Ratings

Stan's: 60%
IMDB: 64%
Metascore: 66%
Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

Recently seen

- See more at: http://film.revstan.com/#sthash.FUZJbjz8.dpuf

Ratings

Stan's: 60%
IMDB: 64%
Metascore: 66%
Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

Recently seen

- See more at: http://film.revstan.com/#sthash.FUZJbjz8.dpuf

Posted at 06:46 PM in American films, Comic book films | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

08/07/2013

Review: The Bling Ring

Synopsis: Based on the true story of a group of American teens who decide they want a bit of what their favourite celebrities have got and break into their houses to get it.

Stan's thoughts: I liked that Sophia Coppola goes for a fairly straight forward telling of this story and I certainly don't hold by the criticism that she glamourises the actions of the teens. She leaves it up to the audience to make up their own minds and to me this story represented everything that is repugnant about the growing celeb-obsessed, consumer culture we are developing. I didn't know who I wanted to slap more the kids or their parents or the celebs for being so stupid and leaving their homes unlocked.

Ratings

Stan's: 60%
IMDB: 64%
Metascore: 66%
Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

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Posted at 09:19 PM in American films | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

08/04/2013

Review: The wonderful, wonderful Wadjda is surely a contender for best foreign film at next year's Oscars?

Synopsis: 10-year-old Wadjda wants a bike so she can race her friend the problem is for Saudi girls cycling isn't seen as an appropriate past time and neither is hanging around with boys. Determined and undeterred she sets about getting the money to buy a bike with a Koran competition offering her the best chance of a lump sum.

Stan's thoughts: Saudi Arabia doesn't have cinemas and therefore doesn't have a film industry as such so this is a big deal for that reason but also because it's directed by a woman. But that isn't why I loved this film. I loved it because first and foremost it's a lovely, heart-warming, funny and tender story. Any political and cultural statements it makes are subtle but all the more powerful for it.

In a society where women are in the main kept hidden, it is the women that dominate this film, they are strong and hard working. And at the centre of the story is Wadjda (played brilliantly by Waad Mohammed) who at a tender age is already banging up against sexual inequalities but she is determined and industrious in her own way and the feel good factor of this film serves a double purpose, it offers a hope of change, however subtle that might be.

If it doesn't get nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars there is something very wrong.

Ratings