Friday, 18 September 2015
Film Review - Straight Outta Compton
Forrest Gump meets CB4 in a docudrama biopic of the rap music scene. It is primarily told by following the group NWA from formation to the eventual death of one of their members, with the changes in society and rap culture around them interwoven with the personal narrative.
The actors initially look to have been selected based on their appearance and likeness to the real group, including casting O'Shea Jackson Jr to play his own father. Fortunately the actors also have the skills to fill out their roles. Through the end credits there is a montage of original footage of NWA and the likeness of the actors to their original portrayals is as close as you will get without CGI intervention.
Paul Giammati is the only big name on show and to be honest they would probably have been better served without him. His presence is often distracting from the story as you can get sucked into the almost documentary nature of the filming of all of the other characters, but he is too well known and that serves as a constant reminder that you are just watching a fictional retelling. His is also the least sympathetically portrayed character throughout the movie, probably due to the circumstances of the break-up of NWA and his current relationship (or lack of) with the movie producers.
There is an abundance of quality music through the film, (not all rap) but in some sections this does detract as they try to cram in as many tracks as they can they. This often results in a cut away from music so another short squirt of a track can be brought up, rather than fade it or let it play over the next scene. I think I might have made some very different sound-editting choices given the same material.
Overall another 7 out of 10 movie. Could easily have been an 8 or 9 with just a few minor improvements.
Friday, 11 September 2015
Film Review - Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Of all the teen adventure movies this is arguably the least bad. In fact it is even verging on quite good. There are some hints at future revelations that suggest the next (final?) episode in the series might have a massive and stupid twist in it. Even if they were to realise my fears the story so far has already eclipsed Twilight, consumed the Hunger Games, driven straight through Divergent, ... I couldn't even be bothered to think of one of those for the horrible Golden Compass.
Fortunately they have changed the story so much from the books that spoilers from readers are unlikely, and as the producers have done such a good job so far I have to sort of trust them not to mess up the next step.
Back to just this instalment. The handful of survivors from the first film carry on their adventure straight from the end of the first movie. Thomas, Newt, Teresa and Minho are supported by the forgettable Winston and Frypan (maybe forgettable because he has grown about a foot in the supposed 20 minute flight from the end of first film). Then they are joined by Eris, who seems slightly conveniently to be a huge instant fan of Thomas and they try to escape their new location.
Minho continues to be the actual star performer of the team. He is still the strongest, fastest, smartest, carries more gear, fights harder and always has the best hair. Even when he gets struck by lightning, or more accurately knocked out by an explosion caused by that lightning, he just gets up and charges on.
Teresa continues to be obviously two-faced but this gives some added interest to the new love triangle with Tom and Brenda. Unfortunately Kaya Scoledario may look fantastic, but she still can't run, and apparently the director has noticed this time. When she is in short range running shots he has tried to minimise her screen time, and in the wider shots he subs in a stunt woman or CGI. It is probably covered up that no-one else will even notice but it bugged me so much in the first film I was watching for it this time round.
The 28-days zombies that are introduced as victims of the "flare" virus are cgi-ed in as well for the most part. They are way too much like the 'I am Legend' version, in terms of both speed and looks.
The new characters that come in all serve their purpose, either with roles to play in this film for Janson, Eris, Brenda (really, future sci-fi character called Brenda?) and Jorge or as obvious set-ups for major roles in the next film for Vince, Sonya, et al. The only real distraction is when Alan Tudyk turns up for an uncredited role. He is much too heavyweight an actor for the role he plays, unless he is being lined up for a major return later in the series.
Overall it is worth a watch if you liked the first one. And again I am going to score this one 7 out of 10.
Fortunately they have changed the story so much from the books that spoilers from readers are unlikely, and as the producers have done such a good job so far I have to sort of trust them not to mess up the next step.
Back to just this instalment. The handful of survivors from the first film carry on their adventure straight from the end of the first movie. Thomas, Newt, Teresa and Minho are supported by the forgettable Winston and Frypan (maybe forgettable because he has grown about a foot in the supposed 20 minute flight from the end of first film). Then they are joined by Eris, who seems slightly conveniently to be a huge instant fan of Thomas and they try to escape their new location.
Minho continues to be the actual star performer of the team. He is still the strongest, fastest, smartest, carries more gear, fights harder and always has the best hair. Even when he gets struck by lightning, or more accurately knocked out by an explosion caused by that lightning, he just gets up and charges on.
Teresa continues to be obviously two-faced but this gives some added interest to the new love triangle with Tom and Brenda. Unfortunately Kaya Scoledario may look fantastic, but she still can't run, and apparently the director has noticed this time. When she is in short range running shots he has tried to minimise her screen time, and in the wider shots he subs in a stunt woman or CGI. It is probably covered up that no-one else will even notice but it bugged me so much in the first film I was watching for it this time round.
The 28-days zombies that are introduced as victims of the "flare" virus are cgi-ed in as well for the most part. They are way too much like the 'I am Legend' version, in terms of both speed and looks.
The new characters that come in all serve their purpose, either with roles to play in this film for Janson, Eris, Brenda (really, future sci-fi character called Brenda?) and Jorge or as obvious set-ups for major roles in the next film for Vince, Sonya, et al. The only real distraction is when Alan Tudyk turns up for an uncredited role. He is much too heavyweight an actor for the role he plays, unless he is being lined up for a major return later in the series.
Overall it is worth a watch if you liked the first one. And again I am going to score this one 7 out of 10.
Friday, 4 September 2015
Film Review - No Escape
I have to admit I wasn't really bothered about seeing this one. Owen Wilson doesn't really work for me in anything. The other options out this week weren't any more enticing though so we booked in to see it. Unfortunately then the other half wasn't feeling well so I had to sub-in a spare cinema buddy.
The story is actually pretty simple, and superbly effective in that simplicity. Family moves to new country, coup happens and foreigners become targets of the rebels, family has to escape.
As with pretty much every movie I have seen this year, and despite the simplicity of the story, there are some silly niggles. Top on that list was the Bond-villain-esque failures of the 'rebels' to just kill them. There are at least four times where it takes a fairly heavy suspension of disbelief as to how they survive. James Bond himself showing up to intervene at one point as an overwhelming deus ex-machina.
Each of those is easy enough to ignore though as the story charges along at a decent pace and gives you something new to worry about before you can think too much about the script hole. And worry is the key word there. It is a very emotional movie. You do feel for the family, you do get scared when they are in scary situations.
The most extreme violence is mostly done off-screen, but in such a way that you have no doubt as to what is going on. There are a whole host of good directing tricks here. I doubt I spotted them all but there are some last-second cutaways, some next room sound effects, a few blood-spattered murderers, and so on. In one example there a couple of big explosions, the second of which does much of the killing but by which time we are being treated to the shock-numbed sound effects from the first.
The slightly less extreme, and I am including beating a man to death with a table lamp and multiple shootings, are done in such a way as to be very realistic without being massively graphic. This mix of directing skills actually adds to the emotional strength of the film as you are left in the same position as the family often are, of knowing what is happening but not actually being able to see the details and your own fear and imagination filling in the gaps.
While I am on the writing / directing (both by John Erick Dowdle so I am giving him credit for all the tricks) I am also going to give out some bonus points for the mixture of languages and the way that is also used as a tool to limit the information given to the family, and the viewer. It is a really great trick, right up until he forgets to use it in the second last scene with the Vietnamese army.
All in, much better than expected 7 out of 10.
The story is actually pretty simple, and superbly effective in that simplicity. Family moves to new country, coup happens and foreigners become targets of the rebels, family has to escape.
As with pretty much every movie I have seen this year, and despite the simplicity of the story, there are some silly niggles. Top on that list was the Bond-villain-esque failures of the 'rebels' to just kill them. There are at least four times where it takes a fairly heavy suspension of disbelief as to how they survive. James Bond himself showing up to intervene at one point as an overwhelming deus ex-machina.
Each of those is easy enough to ignore though as the story charges along at a decent pace and gives you something new to worry about before you can think too much about the script hole. And worry is the key word there. It is a very emotional movie. You do feel for the family, you do get scared when they are in scary situations.
The most extreme violence is mostly done off-screen, but in such a way that you have no doubt as to what is going on. There are a whole host of good directing tricks here. I doubt I spotted them all but there are some last-second cutaways, some next room sound effects, a few blood-spattered murderers, and so on. In one example there a couple of big explosions, the second of which does much of the killing but by which time we are being treated to the shock-numbed sound effects from the first.
The slightly less extreme, and I am including beating a man to death with a table lamp and multiple shootings, are done in such a way as to be very realistic without being massively graphic. This mix of directing skills actually adds to the emotional strength of the film as you are left in the same position as the family often are, of knowing what is happening but not actually being able to see the details and your own fear and imagination filling in the gaps.
While I am on the writing / directing (both by John Erick Dowdle so I am giving him credit for all the tricks) I am also going to give out some bonus points for the mixture of languages and the way that is also used as a tool to limit the information given to the family, and the viewer. It is a really great trick, right up until he forgets to use it in the second last scene with the Vietnamese army.
All in, much better than expected 7 out of 10.
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