Rev Stan's film blog: July 2014

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July 2014

07/27/2014

Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - is me or is it the film that made this feel 'meh'?

Synopsis: Disaster has struck the earth in the form of a virus. Human survivors have set up a colony in San Francisco but are running out of power and the apes have set up their own colony outside the city near the old power station.

Stan's thoughts: This film seems to have everyone excited, critics and audiences alike, but it just doesn't really do it for me. Maybe it's a case of 'its not you, it's me', but I just can't connect with the apes, however brilliantly they are rendered. I can't suspend my disbelief - they are talking apes.

Also there aren't enough shades of grey in the characters. OK so there are goodies and baddies within both camps but it is far too black and white. It is so obvious who falls into which category its like a klaxon going off within their first few lines of dialogue. It feels like it is film that wants to challenge but doesn't.

It's all very well executed and nicely paced etc but it just didn't grab me and excite me in the same way it seems to have excited a lot of others. Maybe it is just me.

Ratings

Stan’s 50%
IMDB 91%
Metascore 92%
Rotten Tomatoes 83%
RT Audience Rating* 79%

Recently seen

The Young and Prodigeous TS Spivet

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

Posted at 11:07 AM in Action/Adventure, American films | Permalink | Comments (0)

Review: Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo make music in Begin Again

Synopsis: Abandoned alone in New York by her boyfriend, whose music career is taking off, Gretta (Keira Knightley) meets washed-up music producer Dan (Mark Ruffalo) who sees something special in her songs.

Stan's thoughts: The music in this is lovely. The film reminded me of Once. Initially I couldn't quite reconcile Keira Knightley's singing voice with her but apparently it is her own voice and not bad either. Naturally I bought the soundtrack - Maroon 5's Adam Levine plays her boyfriend and sings a few of tracks, a couple have quickly turned into earworms.

Mark Ruffalo is a favourite of mine and is always fun to watch even when his character is behaving like a cock and James Corden does a good James Corden turn as Gretta's fellow struggling musician friend.

Overall this is a lovely, gentle film which appealed to the hopeless romantic deep inside me. It twanged all the right chords and even more so when it didn't go quite where I expected. There is nothing offensive or challenging, the sort of film that just leaves a warm fuzzy glow and certainly one I'll be adding to my Sunday night DVD collection when it comes out.

Ratings

Stan’s 75%
IMDB 78%
Metascore 62%
Rotten Tomatoes 82%
RT Audience Rating* 87%

Recently seen

The Young and Prodigeous TS Spivet

X-Men: Days of Future Past

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

Posted at 10:48 AM in American films, Rom-coms | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/13/2014

Review: Richard Linklater's 12-year film drama Boyhood

Synopsis: As the headline suggests, filmed over 12 years with the same cast Boyhood follows the life of Mason (Ellar Coltrane) from boyhood to High School graduation.

Stan's thoughts: Read somewhere that the film makers were claiming this is the first time a project like this has been done and that isn't quite true. Michael Winterbottom's film Everyday did something similar but over the course of five years and that did have it's problems.

Putting that to one side what Richard Linklater has created is something that is fascinating, engaging and quietly dramatic. He resists the temptation to pepper Mason's life with high drama instead concentrating on an ordinary story of a boy growing up in a modern family.

There is divorce and step-siblings, parents and step-parents trying their best, succeeding at times and failing at times. The drama is seeing it through Mason and his older sister Sam's (Lorelei Linklater) eyes and what impact it has on them. Then there is the drama of growing up, first love, finding your place in the world, deciding what you want to do and becoming independent.

I wondered how much the story was influenced by Ellar's personality - in the film he's a gentle, quiet contemplative boy - and subsequently have seen Richard Linklater talking about how it did shape the story.

Boyhood was a lovely, warm film that perfectly captures the everyday struggles and triumphs of family life. Such is its pull it left me wanting more - another 12 years perhaps?

Ratings