Rev Stan's film blog

Review: Jersey Boys (the film, not the musical)

Synopsis: Biopic about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons who started out as small time club crooners in mob-land Boston to go on to have a string of huge hits.

Stan's thoughts: No I haven't seen the stage version, it's a musical. This isn't a musical it's a film about a band so there are no song and dance routines to get in the way of the story. And it's a great story about friendship and loyalty in a community where such things are elevated by criminal gangs.

Young Frankie Valli's (John Lloyd Young) talents are spotted early on and his career is, to a certain extent, guided by mob-boss Gyp (Christopher Walken) who appreciates his talents. As the band's fame grows tensions naturally mount. Taken away from the neighbourhood, hierarchy and life they are familiar with some find it harder to adjust than others. There are tensions too as families are forced to spend time apart while the band tours.

The four actors playing the leads step expertly from stage to screen, all have worked on the stage version on which the film is based but none are big screen stars. Yes you spend a little time waiting for the band to create their biggest hits and the run time of 134 minutes could probably be shaved a little but otherwise this is good, solid, entertaining biopic fare that has you walking out of the cinema humming "Who Loves You Pretty Baby".

Ratings

• Stan’s 60%
• IMDB 74%
• Metascore 54%
• Rotten Tomatoes 54%
• RT Audience Rating* 71%

Recently seen

Bright Days Ahead

Fault of Our Stars

The Young and Prodigeous TS Spivet

Belle

Edge of Tomorrow

Two Face of January

Maleficent

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Frank

Blue Ruin

* Based on number of people who rated the film 3.5/5 and higher

Review: Bright Days Ahead

Synopsis: Caroline (Fanny Ardent) is a newly retired dentist and her family buys her membership of the Bright Days Ahead activity club to keep her occupied. The only thing she likes about the club is the young computer class teacher Julien (Laurent Lafitte) who starts to flirt with her.

Stan's thoughts: Got to like French cinema for producing films that not only feature interesting, complex and flawed women characters but also interesting, complex and flawed older women. It puts Hollywood to shame.

Ardent clearly demonstrates that there is no sell-by date for sexiness and you never doubt that Julien would find her attractive. Equally this isn't just about sex but about a woman who while confident and worldly-wise is still finding her way as her life changes. She makes mistakes at times, occasionally makes a fool of herself but ultimately comes through it all with a enlightened strength and dignity.

This is about love and sex and adapting to a new life while appreciating the old. It is a breath of fresh air next to most English language cinema when it comes to the portrayal of older women.

Ratings

• Stan’s 60%
• IMDB 62%
• Metascore 57%
• Rotten Tomatoes 86%
• RT Audience Rating* 54%

Recently seen

Fault of Our Stars

The Young and Prodigeous TS Spivet

Belle

Edge of Tomorrow

Two Face of January

Maleficent

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Frank

Blue Ruin

Godzilla

* Based on number of people who rated the film 3.5/5 and higher

Review: The warm and heart-wrenching Fault of Our Stars

Synopsis: Two teenagers meet at a cancer support group and fall in love.

Stan's thoughts: I'm a sucker for this sort of thing, I'm drawn to things that I know will make me cry and this certainly did that but it also made me laugh and smile quite a bit too.

It's the ultimate in doomed teen romance. You know it isn't going to end well right from the start but boy they take you on a roller coaster of emotions on the way.

What gives this the extra emotional depth is in how the teenagers cope mentally and emotionally with their cancer. While the film probably does shy away a little from the ugliness of cancer treatment it doesn't and can't really shy away from the issue of mortality.

While the focus is very much on Hazel (Shailene Woodley) and Gus (Ansel Elgort) you also get a sense of what it must be like for Hazel's parents.

Fabulous central performances from Woodley and Elgort as the star-crossed lovers; they have an amazing chemistry once you get over the fact that they played brother and sister in Divergent earlier this year (wonder if they did this first or second?). There is  a lovely wit and humour to Hazel and Gus that you can't help but enjoy. And most of all the film is perversely life affirming: Life isn't always fair and is uncertain so make the most of the moments.

This is definitely going into my DVD collection when its released, filed under 'Sunday night weepies'.

PS It's a small thing, but great to see the leads looking natural, with the occasional spot and without obvious slaps of make up. Shame they couldn't have replicated that for Divergent.

Ratings

• Stan’s 87%
• IMDB 85%
• Metascore 69%
• Rotten Tomatoes 80%
• RT Audience Rating* 91%

Recently seen

The Young and Prodigeous TS Spivet

Belle

Edge of Tomorrow

Two Face of January

Maleficent

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Frank

Blue Ruin

Godzilla

Ilo Ilo

* Based on number of people who rated the film 3.5/5 and higher

Review: The Young and Prodigeous TS Spivet

Synopsis: Ten-year-old inventor and brother of dead twin, TS Spivet,  runs away from home travelling across America to pick up a Smithsonian award the institute thinks it is giving to an adult.

Stan's thoughts: This has all the ingredients of a lovely quirky, warm and emotional childhood adventure but it doesn't quite bake a rosette winning cake.

The adventure isn't quite exciting enough (he spends a lot of time on a train) and the emotional story feels a little too weighed down by the quirkiness and the adventure to properly tug on the heart strings. There is a serious family drama here about a family grieving for a dead child/sibling but it feels a little lost rather than enhanced by the packaging it is wrapped up in.

Basically it doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts and, despite a great performance from the lead, Kyle Catlett, and supporting cast (always a joy to see Helena Bonham Carter) I wasn't quite entertained or moved enough.

Ratings

• Stan’s 56%
• IMDB 71%
• Metascore 48%
• Rotten Tomatoes 65%
• RT Audience Rating* 71%

Recently seen

Belle

Edge of Tomorrow

Two Face of January

Maleficent

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Frank

Blue Ruin

Godzilla

Ilo Ilo

Calvary

* Based on number of people who rated the film 3.5/5 and higher

 

Review: Historical drama Belle

Synopsis: Based on a true story, it is 18th Century England and Belle (Gugu Mbatha Raw) is the daughter of an Admiral (Matthew Goode) and a black slave. Belle's father asks his uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) to bring up Belle and as she reaches the age of 'coming out' into society she discovers her uncle, who is the most senior judge in the country is presiding over an important insurance case involving a shipment of slaves who were thrown overboard.

Stan's thoughts: This film is a wonderful and disturbing mix of love story, prejudice, racism and history. Belle is brought up as one of the family, almost. In certain social situations she is kept apart so as not to cause social upset but is otherwise loved and cared for as the equal to the Mansfield's other ward their niece Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) with whom she forms a strong sisterly bond.

As the girls reach marrying age their cosy life is challenged. Elizabeth must marry for money. Belle's father has left her a substantial sum but is at best described as 'exotic' by the society she was born into. As she is exposed to more of the world and the case her uncle is involved with, her position in society and her own sense of self are challenged.

Beautifully acted Belle has a dual power of love story and historical drama (with all the usual dramatic license of course), I enjoyed this very much.

Ratings

• Stan’s 80%
• IMDB 73%
• Metascore 64%
• Rotten Tomatoes 82%
• RT Audience Rating* 88%

Recently seen

Edge of Tomorrow

Two Face of January

Maleficent

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Frank

Blue Ruin

Godzilla

Ilo Ilo

Calvary

Pompeii

* Based on number of people who rated the film 3.5/5 and higher

Review: Killing Tom Cruise over and over - Edge of Tomorrow

Synopsis: Cage(Tom Cruise) is caught in a time loop in a battle to defeat an alien invasion and only Rita (Emily Blunt) can help him use the anomaly to try and save the world.

Stan's thoughts: Was always going to see this as I happened to be in town the day they were filming the helicopter landing in Trafalgar Square sequence. Most of the side streets were cordoned off but had enough of a view to see a bit of what was going on, if not Mr Cruise himself.

And, 'I was there' aside this is an interesting action block buster. It's great to see a female character kicking ass and leading things. Who wouldn't enjoy watching Tom Cruise get shot in the head over and over by a woman? Of course Hollywood couldn't resist 'a kiss' which did have me rolling my eyes but I'll forgive it as they could have made a much bigger meal of a romantic liaison.

What particularly made this a satisfying action thriller is that you actually get a sense of what is going on amid all the chaos of battle (probably helped by the time loop). I normally quickly lose sight of who is attacking who and feel disengaged from the 'heros', while the battles are chaotic in this, you do get a sense of how it feels being down on the ground and that isn't something often achieved in films (Children of Men is a good example of it being done well).

It is an interesting premise too, think of it as Groundhog Day - the alien invasion, and all sorts of interesting acting talent pops up, part of the fun is thinking 'ooh there's...'

The film-makers should also get a pat on the back for not over indulging and keeping it under two hours long; too many films are more than two hours and most rarely need to be.

Good, frothy, well-made fun.

Ratings

• Stan’s 78%
• IMDB 82%
• Metascore 71%
• Rotten Tomatoes 90%
• RT Audience Rating* 92%

Recently seen

Two Face of January

Maleficent

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Frank

Blue Ruin

Godzilla

Ilo Ilo

Calvary

Pompeii

The Other Woman

* Based on number of people who rated the film 3.5/5 and higher

Review: Two Faces of January

Synopsis: An American couple travelling in 1950s Greece befriend a young American tour guide who is also a small scale swindler but proves invaluable when the husband accidentally kills a private detective.

Stan's thoughts: From the same pen as The Talented Mr Ripley this is like TMR-light. It has enough twists and turns and surprises to entertain as a psychological thriller but it doesn't quite grab in the same way.

It is beautifully shot and the costumes are worth the price of the cinema ticket alone but despite great performances from the leads - Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac - this will never quite live up to the comparison of its predecessor.

Ratings

• Stan’s 58%
• IMDB 67%
• Metascore 69%
• Rotten Tomatoes 81%
• RT Audience Rating* 56%

Recently seen

Maleficent

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Frank

Blue Ruin

Godzilla

Ilo Ilo

Calvary

Pompeii

The Other Woman

* Based on number of people who rated the film 3.5/5 and higher

 

Review: Angelina Jolie goes Disney baddie in Maleficent

Synopsis: It's sleeping beauty but not as you know it. Story centre's on Maleficent (Jolie) and what leads up to her cursing the Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning).

Stan's thoughts: Jolie was the draw for this and she didn't disappoint. She does fairy-story baddie very well. And she is a fairy not a witch as I thought.

The cast is stuffed full of talent, most of which are criminally underused (great to see Lesley Manville and Imelda Staunton as two of Aurora's three guardian fairies. And, Sam Riley's lovely gravelly voice offers brief interludes of joy as Diaval, Maleficent's shape-changing servant.

There are some tree creatures that were a little Guillermo Del Toro-esque but ultimately this was just all a bit too Disney and twee for me but then I'm probably not the target audience.

Ratings

• Stan’s 50%
• IMDB 75%
• Metascore 56%
• Rotten Tomatoes 51%
• RT Audience Rating* 77%

Recently seen

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Frank

Blue Ruin

Godzilla

Ilo Ilo

Calvary

Pompeii

The Other Woman

The Amazing Spiderman

* Based on number of people who rated the film 3.5/5 and higher