Friday, 30 December 2011 In Time (Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy) Posted by joeldfisher at 10:37

A stitch in time saves nine. Time waits for no man. Time after time. As time goes by. No time like the present. I don't have the time. Just some of the references to time in In Time (I may have made some of them up).

In a not too distant future, or maybe an alternative reality everybody is born with a clock. Once they biologically reach the age of 25 their clock starts ticking, they can earn time, buy time, spend time or even in some cases, waste time. Will Salas (Justin Timberlake; Friends With Benefits, The Social Network) is a working class boy, struggling to make ends meet and provide for him and his mother (Olivia Wilde; Cowboys and Aliens, Tron: Legacy). In an act or heroism he meets a rich man with all the time he wants, and he wants none of it. So after a quick transfer to Salas, he finds himself with more time on his hands (or on his arm I should say) than he could ever have imagined. After a heartbreaking meeting with his mother, (where she literally runs out of time) Salas realises that the system is wrong and that he must do something about it.

After going into the rich side of town (spending a lot of time doing it too) he meets a beautiful heiress by the name of Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfreid; Red Riding Hood, Letters To Juliet) and together they go on the run in hopes of changing society forever.

Judging by the trailer, In Time looked to be an alternative spin on Logan's Run and the adventure it promised looked intriguing. Despite it being an obvious rip-off of aforementioned movie, In Time looked good, after all mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery. However after watching In Time, the trailer is somewhat misleading, but in a good way because you don't just get a sci-fi rehash of Logan's Run but a timely (no pun intended) and apt social comment on today's society which includes the evils of greed and capitalism. What starts out as Logan's Run soon becomes Bonnie And Clyde but with a futuristic spin.

After hearing of Salas' felonies, a Timekeeper (yes the puns just keep on coming) called Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy; Inception, Perrier's Bounty) vows to hunt down Salas and his 'hostage' and bring him to justice, alive or dead.

At one point it is commented that Salas looked like a poor person because he runs everywhere and that's what gives him away. However being poor must mean that you're an expert in hand-to-hand combat, driving skills and marksmanship because just as the action kicks off, Salas turns into a Jason Bourne-like professional, capable of quickly assessing a situation and getting out of it just as fast. This is a minor quibble for the movie but it does give it a certain level of unbelievability as the audience's suspense in whether the main characters will survive or not. Given his training, Salas must have been in a situation like this before.

A mention should go to Alex Pettyfer, who plays small time crook and hustler Fortis. Being the youngest of the cast at a mere 21, he plays the role menacingly and really controls the scenes he's in and is fun to watch.

In recent times, there has been a leaning towards more intelligent science fiction, such as Inception, The Adjustment Bureau and Source Code and I for one welcome it with open arms. A good story, well acted and with a decent concept is better than any special effects driven, highly sexed gore fest. Although not up there with the likes of Inception and Source Code, In Time will keep on ticking.

Contagion (Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet) Posted by joeldfisher at 09:31

Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, catch them in your handkerchief. An old and trusted public service announcement that has probably helped a lot of snotty little boys and girls for years. These days, however, it's much more than just putting your hand over your mouth or nose to stop the spread of disease and I can't remember the last time I saw anybody under 50 with a handkerchief and even then it's a rarity. In 2005 bird flu swept throughout the world and a media panic caused all kinds of people to think that all flying creatures would spread a disease that would cause them to die. There were a few cases of this but nothing as widespread as was expected. In 2009 another virus spread across the globe, this time on a much larger scale, people did die and it almost got to the point where you didn't know someone who knew someone who had it.

Contagion is a new kind of disaster movie. Whereas before we've had alien invasions, natural disasters and Mayan predictions of doomsday for planet Earth, now with Contagion we have a new threat that's much more close to home that can hit anyone, anytime, anywhere. In fact it could be happening right now.

Mitch Emoff (Matt Damon; The Adjustment Bureau, True Grit) greets his wife, Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow; (Country Strong, Iron Man 2) after her business trip to Hong Kong. She comes home with the sniffles and a few days later, she dies. Distraught at his wife's sudden death, Mitch and his daughter set off to find answers, or as the epidemic escalates, a way to survive. At the W.H.O. (World Health Organisation) Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne; Predators, Armoured) is confronted with the epidemic and the best way to handle it, both medically and politically so he send one of his newest recruits. Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet; Revolutionary Road, The Reader) to handle the investigation.

Meanwhile an anarchistic blogger called Alan Krumweide (Jude Law; Repo Men, Sherlock Holmes) is causing more and more widespread panic due to his misguided and often inflammatory reporting on the global epidemic. All the while, a cure is being developed, but how many will it be given to? And how soon?

Steven Soderbergh has had a wide-ranging career, from such blockbusters as Men In Black and Ocean's Eleven to more critically acclaimed fare such as Erin Brockovich and Traffic. So with a subject such as the one in Contagion and with the biggest all-star cast seen in a movie for a very long time then a blockbuster is certainly what springs to mind. However the tone of Contagion is somewhat different than expected. There is no heightened drama, there are no risk taking, heroic feats by the main cast and really there is no sense of underlying threat at all. The people who live are living, and the people who die, well they just die and are pretty much forgotten about for the rest of the movie. Life goes on.

Arguably it could be said that Soderbergh has gotten the tone all wrong and that the movie is filled with facts and figures and none of the drama and action that audiences come to expect. However, on the other hand it could be argued that Contagion's almost documentary-like approach to its subject matter makes the movie all that more scary. We've lived through things like this happening in recent years. The ones that have been affected have been either very ill for a short period of time and either got better or, sadly, died and the ones that weren't affected just lived their lives as nothing was going on in the world.

The movie does go in depth about the statistics and the realities (albeit somewhat heightened) of what happens during an epidemic. It could also be argued that the recent numbers calculated that the world's population reached 7 billion could have been reached by adding up the population numbers mentioned in the movie. However those who really look at it deeply could be very scared (I remember myself during the screening suppressing a sneeze like my life depended on it) and hypochondriacs should probably steer well clear of this movie but for those who like to see an account of how the world would, to an extent, realistically deal with such a situation (and see a lot of movie stars) then Contagion is not to be sneezed at.

Thursday, 22 December 2011 Immortals 3D (Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto) Posted by joeldfisher at 11:40

Greek mythology has inspired cinema for years. From the original Clash of The Titans, Jason and The Argonauts and more recently Troy, even Disney got involved telling the story of Hercules (albeit loosely). So after the recent success (not critically) of Clash of The Titans and 300 Hollywood realised there would be a way to combine the two via visionary director Tarsem Singh (The Fall, forthcoming Snow White epic Mirror Mirror) and so we get Immortals... in 3D.

Those familiar to The Clash of The Titans story will be familiar with the premise of Immortals even though it has been slightly altered. Theseus (Henry Cavill; TV's The Tudors, the forthcoming Superman movie as the man himself) is forced into a battle against the oppressive force of King Hyperion's (Mickey Rourke; Iron Man 2, The Expendables) rule. After his mother is killed by the king himself he is taken prisoner and forced to engage in an uprising and to get back the one weapon that could cause chaos amongst his people with the release of the titans.

Along the way Theseus meets Phaedra, (Freida Pinto; Rise of The Planet of The Apes, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger) a psychic who can see a rather confusing but victorious future for Theseus and enables him to escape captivity in order to help him achieve his destiny. So Theseus must raise an army from the ground upwards to overcome the evil king's rule.

As mentioned before there are a few differences to the Clash of The Titans storyline but the main elements are there, if anything it seems like a sequel with a very different cast and appealing to a very different audience. Theseus is of course related to the gods, being Zeus's (played on Earth by John Hurt, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Melancholia and in the heavens by Luke Evans; The Three Musketeers 3D, Tamara Drewe) son and living amongst mortals but he is unaware of his lineage so the surprise when the gods intervene (and they really do intervene) is still there.

Tarsem Singh, who has been credited as Tarsem or in this case Tarsem Singh Dhandwar is truly a visionary director. He is able to create vivid imagery which sticks in the mind for a long time, and usually with a very small budget. His previous work on The Fall won critical acclaim, with some suggesting a bit of digital trickery to which he has strongly denied. Also his directorial debut, The Cell, an exploration of the darkest side of the human psyche, has striking cinematic presence if the film itself may have fallen by the wayside as time has gone on. So this almost feels like an ambitious step out on his own for Tarsem and considering his next, perhaps more mainstream project, he may have a lot to prove.

Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of misdirection (no pun intended) here. Whilst telling the story of Theseus' struggle there is a lot of attention to the violence of the movie which makes the audience wonder who exactly it is aimed towards. At a UK 15 certificate a lot of the action seems to stop short of where it wants to go and so the older audience, looking for a bit of mind-numbing violence may be left feeling a bit short changed. As with 300 that had the same certification, there is also a lot of style over substance so those looking for an interesting and engaging historical action movie may be left a bit short too.

Also the casting is a little peculiar considering one of the world's greatest actors, John Hurt is left to a supporting role and Luke Evans (40 years Hurt's junior) is given the role of Zeus, the king of the gods but with very little gravitas that a more seasoned actor could bring to the role. In fact all of the actors playing the gods, although being attractive, with a few of the elder actors barely reaching 40, most are under 30 so a lot of the audience are left wondering if somebody who is actually in charge will come along.

The poster and trailer for Immortals boasts 'from the producers of 300' and their influence is definitely there. However, just having another 300 rip off from a different director who, given the right material could pass off something better visually and substantially is not a sure fire hit and after such a long hiatus after 300's success, audiences have surely moved on by now.

The Debt (Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington) Posted by joeldfisher at 11:39

As the months of the year go by, we've seen a lot of summer blockbusters come and go. Some successful and others not so. So now as the year gets older we're drawn into attracting a different kind of audience, mainly adults so after brushing off my curiosity and somewhat childlike wonder over big explosions, fighting robots and rebellious apes it's time to watch a more grown up film; The Debt.

The Debt tells the story of three Mossad agents sent to retrieve a Nazi war criminal to stand trial. Set in the late 90's and 60's, the story goes back in time and forward again to tell of the complicated relationship between the three agents and their manipulative captor.

Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren; Brighton Rock, RED) is haunted by her past, the dark secret she holds amongst her fellow agents has been eating away at her for a very long time, and after hearing of the death of one of the trio, David (Ciran Hinds; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Rite) she feels the time is right to put an end to the pain and guilt that she holds so close to her. Stephan (Tom Wilkinson; The Ghost, 44 Inch Chest) her estranged husband tells her of David's death and despite Stephan's objections, Rachel has to right the wrong that she has lived with for so long.

After hearing the fated account of Rachel's bravery in the face of danger we flashback to the 60's where Rachel (Jessica Chastain; The Tree of Life and the upcoming Oscar grabber The Help) is on her first covert mission. She is met there by David (Sam Worthington; Clash of The Titans, Avatar) who is posing as her husband and Stephan (Marton Csokas; Alice in Wonderland, forthcoming movie Dreamhouse). Together they hatch a plot to kidnap gynaecologist Doktor Berndhart alias Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen; The Young Victoria, Quantum of Solace), a notorious butcher who conducted hideous experiments on Jews during World War Two.

After a couple of unknown reasons, The Debt finally gets a release. Apparently, Sam Worthington was picked up for The Debt even before the breakthrough that made him a star, Avatar, and that he was living in his car at the time. So to finally see this film given the light of day must be very rewarding for all. Not to mention Jessica Chastain who has three major films this year, including this, The Help and of course The Tree of Life and is really proving to be a breakthrough star so this seemingly all star vehicle (if you include Tom Wilkinson and Helen Mirren) just seems to have been waiting for the right time and the right place.

Going back to the 60's the young cast of agents work well together, Worthington really is given a role with far more emotional depth than before and rises to the challenge he'd been lacking since this movie was made with such roles in Avatar and Clash of The Titans. Marton Csokas is a formidable presence as Stephan which in juxtaposition is shown be his debilitating wheelchair bound state in later life played by Tom Wilkinson. However the standout performance goes to Jessica Chastain who conveys a lot of emotion in such a confused and naive character. Her scenes with Doktor Berndhart make for uncomfortable viewing, whether you're a man or a woman and the way she can turn from distressed and overwhelmed to cool, calm and professional is an emotional level I'm sure a lot of actors and actresses can only dream of achieving.

As the action moves back to the 90's for the third act, we see how the agent's lives have changed and how their willingness to do the right thing takes them to levels they never would even consider. Mirren revels in the espionage scenes which are a lot of fun but without being completely unbelievable and the payoff may shock the audience but there is a certain poignancy to it and it ultimately feels like the only proper conclusion.

In a departure writer/director Matthew Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman provide the script for The Debt, after best known for superhero adventures Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class, The Debt is a far more grown up affair that deals with complicated relationships, guilt and redemption and is handled well. Audiences will feel like a lot of care has gone into appealing to audiences that Hollywood would usually ignore i.e. intelligent and thoughtful ones and beside the occasionally implausible action scene, The Debt will definitely be up there alongside Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as something different for those who are not a fan of explosions, fighting robots and dare I say it, rebellious monkeys.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong) Posted by joeldfisher at 11:37

In 1979, the BBC commissioned a TV series based on John La Carre's popular novel about espionage, deceit and betrayal. One of Britain's greatest actors, Alec Guinness took the role of George Smiley, an agent of her majesty's secret service. His role was to uncover the traitor hiding in plain sight amongst the best and brightest of MI6 and deal with him or her appropriately.

Running for 7 episodes, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was applauded by audiences and critics alike for its intriguing, slow paced and absorbingly realistic take on the novel and for a long time it stood as a refreshing take on spies and the what actually may happen amongst them.

Over 30 years later a relatively new director to our shores (Tomas Alfredson; Let The Right One In) decided to tackle this iconic and thoroughly British spy story, and he certainly took his time about it.

In this new adaptation, a possible successor if not a worthy colleague in the role of one of Britain's greatest actors takes over the role of George Smiley (Gary Oldman; Red Riding Hood, The Book Of Eli). Once again the plot focuses on Smiley and his attempts to uncover the Soviet agent hiding amongst Britain's best line of international defence and this time the list of characters he encounters really are some of Britain's finest.

One of the best and most recognisable British casts since the last Harry Potter film are put together for the audience's delight and not one of them disappoints in their performance. Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, John Hurt, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch are a worthy cast of Britain's best actors today, some veteran and some relatively new but they all shine under Alfredson's direction, with what seems to be their own showcased scenes throughout the movie.

It's also a pleasure to see the return (albeit brief) of Kathy Burke (Once Upon A Time In The Midlands, Nil By Mouth) as the alcoholic ex-agent Connie Sachs. Best known for her comedic roles but also respected for her dramatic turns, Burke brings a little of both to her scenes with her ex co-star and director Gary Oldman and it's a nice little treat for the film buffs amongst the audience.

Of course it goes without saying that all the cast are at the top of their game (although I think I already said it). But in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy there is an absolute delight in seeing some of Britain's best sharing scenes, let alone being in the same movie together. Tom Hardy (Inception, the forthcoming The Dark Knight Rises) particularly stands out in his emotional scenes retelling the story of the woman he fell in love with and the journey their love takes them on. Also Mark Strong (The Eagle, The Guard) is very good as Jim Prideauz, as the Secret Service agent turned P.E. teacher, forced to deal with his past.

For those who remember (unfortunately I am not one of those, but I hear things), the pace of the movie is very similar to the original TV series and Gary Oldman's Smiley is very much an Alec Guinness Smiley as well, but that's no bad thing. Oldman underplays the character like it seems the whole movie is underplayed. This is no Bond or Bourne, this is real life and the pace reflects it as such. Those used to linear plots, big crashes, explosions and quickly explained plot devices may come up a little short here, there is a certain way to approach this film and unless you're ready for it, you'll become confused quite easily. You need to really pay attention and if not you are lost, but that's not to say that this film won't be enjoyable. The fine performances and the seamless transportation to the early seventies make the film a real triumph in cinema and for those who enjoy an intriguing and thoroughly involving drama will not be disappointed.

However those looking for more bang for their buck may want to wait until there's something a bit louder and more thrill-inducing to come along.