JAMES KING MOVIES

AT THE MULTIPLEX… THE CROODS

admin — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:55:58 +0000

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the producers of Ice Age and The Incredibles should be mightily chuffed after watching The Croods. Here’s a film that boasts the setting of one with the family of the other; The Ice-credibles, if you will. That’s not to say it’s bad. Only a few weeks ago Wreck-It-Ralph proved that nicking the best bits of Shrek and Toy Story can still result in something pretty entertaining in its own right. The Croods are a prehistoric family who have to live by the strict rules set by their overprotective father Grug (voiced by an unusually enthusiastic sounding Nic Cage). For some of the gang, that’s not too bad. For teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone), it’s a reason to escape the cave she calls home and explore the outside world her father so fears. Whilst The Croods wavers uncertainly between Flintstones-style cheekiness and genuine attempts at emotion, its style is what makes it. As the family Crood find themselves leaving their comfort zone and heading out into the vast expanses of ancient Earth, directors Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders head into beautifully surreal territory; all giant plants, strange creatures and dreamlike landscapes. If the script lacks Pixar finesse, at least these eye popping visuals ensure The Croods feels like more than just another rip-off.

3/5

AT THE MULTIPLEX… SIDE EFFECTS

admin — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 08:04:13 +0000

Farewell, Steven Soderbergh. The Oscar-winning director might be alive and well but Side Effects is, he claims, his final film. It’s quite the parting shot. Whilst this may not drop jaws in the same way as weighty epics like Traffic or Che, it is a final reminder of Soderbergh’s slick versatility; Side Effects is a classy medical thriller that looks effortless. Jude Law stars as a shrink forced into the spotlight when a patient (Rooney Mara) goes rogue after taking a pill he’s prescribed. Is he to blame or does the mystery go even deeper? He’s great in it too, the journey from controlled family man to obsessive crusader seamlessly done. It’s Rooney Mara that wins hearts though, an intriguingly distracted and nervy wounded bird. Blake Lively was originally cast and can give similarly drawling performances but it’s Mara’s boniness that gives her the edge. You believe she could break, emotionally and physically. Support from Catherine Zeta-Jones is deliciously slimy, whilst Soderbergh’s cool, upscale New York mood (jazzy Thomas Newman score, chic Manhattan fashions) places medics firmly in the same world as greedy Wall St bankers. The occasional plot twist might be a little too salacious but Side Effects is still impressively hard-hearted. So bye bye Steve. Enjoy your retirement. But when someone makes directing look this easy, I can’t imagine he’ll be doing crosswords and watching ‘Countdown’ for long.

4/5

AT THE MULTIPLEX… STOKER

admin — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:33:14 +0000

There’s a fine line between the poetic and the pretentious and it’s one that Stoker navigates with the wobbliness of a drunken tightrope walker. Still, Park Chan-wook’s English language debut makes it home largely unscathed. Arguably, its shakiness only makes it more fun.

Mia Wasikowska stars as India Stoker, the 18 year old mourning the loss of her beloved father with only a creeky mansion and a fragile mother (Nicole Kidman) for company. When her dad’s mysterious brother Charlie (Matthew Goode) decides to stay with them after the funeral, India is forced to face her family’s dark secrets; puzzles that, though she might not like it, hold the key to her own personality.

Imagine Alfred Hitchcock co-directing with Wes Anderson and you’ll come close to the unsettling tone of Stoker. Here are privileged, bohemian psychos. Kidman’s ethereal looks and itsy bitsy voice capture that otherworldliness perfectly, while Goode’s smirk and Wasikowska’s deadpan let their faces tell a thousand (harrowing) stories. If there are some awfully clumsy moments, as India’s coming-of-age story morphs into a thriller, that wonkiness only serves to enhance a deep-rooted sense of unease. Wentworth ‘Prison Break’ Miller’s script may be better at angst than revelation but with eerie glamour and bloody melodrama laid on by the director, it’s still a deliciously disorienting trip.

4/5

AT THE MULTIPLEX… BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:08:27 +0000

Twilight. There, I’ve said it. You see it’s impossible to discuss new teen fairytale Beautiful Creatures without comparing it to the moody franchise whose success surely got BC the green light. So I might as well just get it out there from the start. Beautiful Creatures certainly is like the Stephanie Meyer saga in that it deals with a teen outsider falling for an other-worldly hottie (this time it’s a human boy falling for a girl witch) and its atmosphere is frequently just as charged and chilling. It’s also based on a bestseller (Volume 1 of the Caster Chronicles series). But there’s one crucial difference: Beautiful Creatures also has laughs. Like, proper ones. Alden Ehrenreich gives a career-making performance as 17 year old Ethan, sometimes dreamily in love with bewitching Lena (Alice Englert) in true Bella Swan-style, sometimes sarcastically dishing out the kind of funnies more akin to Apatow joke fests than emo high school pics. It’s a winning combination. Along with fruity turns from legendary luvvies Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson, a steamy Deep South setting and unashamed literary quips, Beautiful Creatures offers a much needed new slant on the pouty fantasy romance. Sure there’s the angst and frowning that Edward Cullen would be proud of. But there’s also more laughs than he’s had in all his 112 years.

4/5

AT THE MULTIPLEX… WARM BODIES

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 07:56:22 +0000

Shaun Of The Dead might lay claim to being the original Rom Zom Com but it arguably had more Zom Com in it than Rom. Warm Bodies redresses the balance. From of a Dawn Of The Dead set-up comes something that’s less Romero, more Romeo (& Juliet). Nicholas Hoult plays R, one of many zombies wandering America in a post-apocalyptic world, his mind sharp but his body lumbering. Teresa Palmer is Julie, the daughter of a human resistance leader, captured by R after a bloodthirsty battle. She thinks he wants to kill her but R’s intentions are a little more confused. Could he really be feeling such a human emotion as… love? Writer/director Jonathan Levine knows how to find humour in darkness; his last film, 50/50, was a cancer-themed bromance. He’s done it again here, cleverly avoiding over-explaining the science (Why are there zombies everywhere? R’s voiceover tells us it “doesn’t really matter”) and endless battles to focus on personality and emotion. Neat flashbacks, pitch-perfect music and Hoult’s hilariously straight-faced performance all help. Fanboys might miss the splatter but softies will melt at this unusual love story, a tender celebration of life amongst the undead.

4/5

AT THE MULTIPLEX… FLIGHT

admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 08:18:08 +0000

Flight sure is a hell of a lot of movie(s). It starts as an action flick, where we meet cocky pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) and witness his unique ability to safely land an ailing jumbo in a spectacularly ear-shredding and nerve-squeezing plane crash scene. Then it’s an emo drama, as Whip finds his passion for booze and blow isn’t exactly to the authorities’ taste, despite his life-saving heroism. Interspersed with all that there’s also the comedy skits, as Whip’s dealer pal Harling Mays (a colossal John Goodman) trots in and out of proceedings brazenly bearing narcotics for his mate with all the cheeky patter of an East End market trader. With Flight, it’s safe to say that director Bob Zemeckis isn’t going for ‘minimal’ (it often plays like a more eccentric version of Zemeckis’ 2000 smash Castaway). Yet Denzel reigns everything in like a master conductor, ably shifting from nutjob to nice guy in a way that few – Hanks, maybe Bridges – could match. The result? This everything-and-the-kitchen-sink rollercoaster is lovably OTT, erratic but engrossing. Kelly Reilly and Don Cheadle are noteworthy too, providing classy and calm support as Whip’s life spirals bombastically out of control.

4/5

AT THE MULTIPLEX… ZERO DARK THIRTY

admin — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:21:13 +0000

Zero Dark Thirty‘s fearless analysis of the US hunt for Osama Bin Laden has certainly given a few commentators Stateside the hump. Was torture really used to extract vital info from terrorist prisoners? Surely those lovely CIA boys would never dream of doing such a thing? Director Kathryn Bigelow, of course, defends her relentlessly gripping movie to the hilt and even the most grumpy US flag-waver must surely admit that this is a muscley must-see thriller, regardless of your politics. Steely tension is deftly mixed with diplomatic complexity, Jessica Chastain’s government agent Maya the linking character over the ten year hunt, morphing from optimistic military newbie to toilworn gutsy realist to, finally… well, who knows? Zero relishes the grey areas, avoiding easy answers and emotions. It’s a classy companion piece to Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker and the chance for Chastain to create a focused and feisty heroine bravely pursuing her prey, up there with Sigourney Weaver’s alien-biffing Ripley. Oscar glory surely, and justifiably, awaits her although co-star Jason Clarke (as ruthless co-worker Dan) has shamefully missed the list.

5/5

AT THE MULTIPLEX… DJANGO UNCHAINED

admin — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:38:40 +0000

Quentin Tarantino – fiery writer, explosive director, dodgy thesp. The iconic helmer says that he took on the small role of an Aussie prison guard in Django Unchained simply because he could do the accent. Antipodeans might disagree. In a film featuring Leo Di Caprio, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L Jackson and Jamie Foxx, such ropey acting stands out like a chopped-off ear. Luckily Django is still barrel loads of fun. The revenge story lacks QT’s usual messed-up time frame, making it actually his most straightforward film yet, but this tale of freed slave Django (Foxx) slyly befriending mean plantation boss Calvin Candie (Di Caprio) in order to rescue Mrs Django (Kerry Washington) from his clutches has plenty to offer, not least a new take (twisted comedy) on a tough topic (slavery) that will have film scholars frothing at the mouth. It’s more like Blazing Saddles than you’d ever have thought. Writing for screwy psychos, Quentin never fails to create fireworks despite – as usual – this epic needing a little judicious editing (a final gunfight goes on way too long). Indulgence, however, is always part and parcel of The Tarantino Experience and when the turns are as fruity as Waltz’s (as Django’s German mentor Dr Schultz) or Jackson’s (as a crumbly butler Stephen; his best for years), it’s easy to forgive. As with much of the QT canon it’s essentially just a slick remake of an old exploitation flick but the power of that slickness shouldn’t be underestimated. Quentin Tarantino lives and breathes movies and, as the ultimate ciné-nerd, never forgets what made him a fan in the first place: excitement. With the Western genre at his disposal in Django, he’s got a whole new playground to show us his tricks.

4/5

JK CLASSIC… GET CARTER

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:46:57 +0000

For a speccy bloke called Maurice, Sir Michael Caine can sure be a hard bastard sometimes. But his down-to-earth believability makes a refreshing change from gym-honed Hollywood tough guys. Let’s be honest, seeing your Grandad kick the crap out of someone is a lot more exciting than Vin Diesel in a vest (the recent Harry Brown is a great example). Caine grew up watching Humphrey Bogart thrillers and Get Carter is his take on the raincoat & shotgun genre, albeit set in 70s Newcastle as opposed to 40s LA. He plays the title character, a London bad boy who heads north to investigate his brother’s death. Bringing a harshness to British cinema that Caine had felt missing from earlier gangster pics, Get Carter‘s also a steely snapshot of a depressed North East. Along with its jaded, jazzy soundtrack this is the criminal underworld at its bleakest.

JK CLASSIC… CLUELESS

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:42:18 +0000

By the mid-90s the teen pic was screwed. The awesomely bitter Heathers, starring Christian Slater and Winona Ryder (lock up your jumpers), had bid a fiery finale to the 80s high-school movie and little had dared to follow. Then things changed. Writer/director Amy Heckerling took the razor-sharp smartass dialogue of Chris and Winny and diluted it, tastily, into a Beverley Hills version of original chick-lit queen Jane Austen. The result was Clueless, Austen’s Victorian tale of meddling moneybags Emma reworked with SUVs and cellphones. Lead girl Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone in some frankly astounding knee socks) is the blueprint for every showbiz Barbie Doll since, from the well-meaning (Elle Woods in Legally Blonde) to the self-obsessed (Amy Childs in ‘TOWIE’). What was initially considered as a TV series went on to become a movie phenomenon, with Silverstone hilarious and charming as dippy Cher (also great – the late Brittany Murphy and the eternally lovable Paul Rudd). But megastardom never really sat well with Alicia. She did, however, write a very good cookbook…