Transcendence

Sometimes there is a concept for a film that is full of potential. The idea of the technological singularity is one such concept. The singularity is a point in which artificial intelligence surpasses that of humans. Transcendence starts on that path but then gets confusing and not even great acting from actors playing minor parts can help this lacklustre story.

I think that has to do with first time director Wally Pfister. Despite not knowing his name, I'm sure that the majority of you reading this are familiar with his work. Pfister has worked for many years as Christopher Nolan as his cinematographer on the recent Batman films among others. As a result of this work, Transcendence is a good looking film. He has been able to take his own visual style and enforce it as a director.

It can't be the actors that drag this film down either. Surely? Johnny Depp playing a straight Johnny Depp character. Rebecca Hall undecided about whether or not what is happening is the right thing. The best performances come from Paul Bettany and Kate Mara.

But even someone who has been on enough sets with a director like Nolan must have learned enough lessons about being a director. So it must be the story. This is the first script that has been produced for writer Jack Paglan. As I said, the initial concept is promising. The idea of a man uploading his consciousness to a computer, where he will cause the technological singularity is cool, but once the story became about creating human-robot hybrids I was lost.

The film is bookended by some interesting scenes where the world is devoid of technology. I feel like this would be a more interesting place to set the film with flashbacks showing us what caused it.

Verdict: A beautiful looking film that has a complete mess of a story. I think everyone in the cinema with me felt confused about what had happened.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

I am still undecided in my feelings toward the newest iteration of the Spider-Man film franchise. He is my favourite superhero and I grew up with the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire films. I loved those movies as a teenager because they had all the things a Spider-Man film needed. When the first of these new films came out, I was very reluctant to see it because I didn't know what they could change from before. I watched that film a week ago, so that I could understand the new angle that was being put forth and I wasn't blown away or disappointed by the film but I understood the new direction. That way was toward the comics on which it was based.

Of course there are a lot of things that has been created for the films, but the character of Peter Parker is much more like in the comics. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) trash talks the perps he is chasing. He is fun and bubbly when he is in the suit and moody when he isn't. One aspect that Garfield doesn't really portray is the nerdiness that comes with Peter Parker, a trait that Maguire had down-pat.

In this film Peter's relationship with his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) is pushed to the limit, as Spidey promised her dying father that he wouldn't let any harm come to her. That is a one of the big themes in this film; Peter's relationships with all the other characters, whether as Peter or Spider-Man.

Of course this film also has some action in it, with some new villains as well as a new twist on an old favourite. First up is Jamie Foxx as Electro, a former Oscorp employee who gains electrical powers after an accident involving some electric eels. His genesis was very reminiscent of one of the Batman movies of the 90s, the villains were always falling in toxic chemicals back then. I feel as though Foxx wasn't able to flex his acting prowess in this film, rather just shouting through every scene.

I was also disappointed with the inclusion of Paul Giamatti as Aleksei Sytsevich or The Rhino. He appears only briefly in the film at both the beginning and the end and is underused completely, especially having such a fantastic actor as Giamatti playing him. My only hope is that he makes another appearance in the next film.

James Franco did such an amazing job as Harry Osborn and was such a good character in all three films, so I was understandably shocked with Dane DeHaan's amazing portrayal of the character. Harry is dying of a rare genetic disease which he inherited from his father Norman (Chris Cooper) and believes that Spider-Man's blood will save him. This is where the plot gets too convoluted for me. (Also quick side note before I go on, who thought it was a good idea to cast Chris Cooper as Norman Osborn. Willem Dafoe is the only person who should ever play that character).

Now, the convoluted plot elements come from including Richard and Mary Parker, Peter's parents, in this film. (Also isn't Richard Parker a tiger, or did Spidey's dad come first?) I understand putting them in the first film to make sense of Peter's relationship with The Lizard, but in this one it really just slows down the pace. There is one scene between Peter and Aunt May where bringing up his parents is needed, but that's it.

Verdict: I am still unsure what the point of having this new series of films is or what it's leading to, but these need to get a little better in the story department. We needed to see more of the Green Goblin and Rhino in their suits.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

If there has ever been a more esoteric film, The Grand Budapest Hotel is it. All the fans of Wes Anderson's films will immediately pick up on the formalities of his work and enjoy the film immensely. But don't think that if you haven't seen any of his films previously that you won't see it because you'll be missing out on some larger picture. Rather, it is a great introduction to his world. I think that may have to do with Ralph Fiennes, who comes fresh to the films of Wes Anderson.

Indeed, the majority of the film falls on the more than competent shoulders of Fiennes. This film, however, is a huge departure for him as he usually plays insidious characters (Harry Waters in In Bruges, Amon Göth in Schindler's List, Voldermort in the Harry Potter films). He plays Gustave H., the bubbly concierge at the titular hotel, where he wines and dines many of the older female clientele. One such guest, Madame D. (the wonderfully enigmatic Tilda Swinton), ends up being murdered and Gustave is the prime suspect. This is after he becomes the most profitable recipient of Madame D.'s will.

To help Gustave clear his name is the young lobby boy Zero Moustafa. He is played by the talented young Tony Revolori, for whom this is his first major role. He and Fiennes make an excellent comedic duo playing off each other perfectly and you can feel as though the role of mentor that Fiennes takes up must have spilled over to reality.

A lot of the humour in the film comes in very punctuated moments that are both absolutely absurd and shocking. But there are a lot of jokes that are very quick and funny, mainly quips spouted by Gustave, a lot of them to do with poetry or advice for young Zero.

Of course there are a huge number of other people in this film. F. Murray Abraham plays an older Zero and gives the film some of it's more emotionally insightful moments. Adrien Brody's foul-mouthed Dmitri also gives the film some more comedy as his swearing at times seems completely unwarranted (I should know).

From a technical standpoint this is a fun film to watch. Anderson's trademarks of models and fixed camera angles are all here, but the the most enjoyable thing about the film is that it's aspect ratio changes throughout the film. This has largely to do with the fact that the film is a series of flashbacks piled on top of each other.

Verdict: A hugely enjoyable film for everyone to watch. It is fantastically funny and at the same time has some beautifully reflective scenes. Watch out for the Schindler's List reference toward the end.

Director Appreciation: Wes Anderson

I've decided to introduce a new series into my blog and these are director appreciations. In this posts I am going to look a director, their style and a selected filmography of their works. To get everyone excited about the release of The Grand Budapest Hotel this week (if you live in Australia, that is) I am going to look at the works of quirky director Wes Anderson.

Wes Anderson has been making films for the last two decades. Over this period of time he has developed a very unique style and is one that everyone is able to identify when watching. Anderson is known for his deadpan comedy, where even the most absurd things (like the marriage of two children) is taken as completely normal, his vivid colours, the sense of family, his completely locked off camera shots (although every film has one sequence where the camera moves freely) and his cast off frequent collaborators which include Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton and Willem Dafoe.

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001): This is probably the one film of Wes Anderson's that most people have seen. It follows an estranged family who reunite after their father Royal (played by a wickedly funny Gene Hackman) reveals that he is suffering from a terminal illness. The performances in this film are all wildly funny and there is a great subplot where Bill Murray is studying a boy who has a rare disorder that combines amnesia, dyslexia and colour-blindness.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004): This is my favourite of Anderson's films because it was the first I ever saw and instantly fell in love with his style. The film itself is a parody of oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, with Murray playing the titular character. Zissou sets out to make one last film where he will find the shark that killed his best friend. It is an amazingly vibrant film and has my favourite performance from Willem Dafoe ever.

The Darjeeling Limited (2007): This really is the evolution from The Life Aquatic. It follows three brothers who travel to India to bond after not having seen each other in a year. I feel like a part of Anderson was trying to break out of his style with this film. This is Adrian Brody's first film with Anderson and he really fits into his world and style.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012): A really beautiful film about two young children who fall in love and run away from home. After this the entire community gather together to try and find them. This film has a lot of stunning performances, especially from the two young leads, but for me Edward Norton steals the show as an inept scout master.

The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie takes the family film to a whole new level. Not only is it fantastically self-aware and satirical, it has jokes that will please the whole family. Back this up with a huge and amazing cast, as well as a great soundtrack by Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh with songs that will get stuck in your head long after you finish watching.

The story centres on Emmet (Chris Pratt), a regular construction worker who loves to fit in and follow the rules. One day after his shift finishes, Emmet gets entangled in a plot to destroy the world by the evil villain and president Lord Business (Will Ferrell), who plans to use a relic known as Kragle (which turns out to be Krazy Glue missing some letters). Emmet is mistaken to be the Special and taken by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) to the blind wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), who tells Emmet that he is the chosen one to take down Lord Business.

The best jokes in this film come mainly from the movie's characters self awareness that they live in a world made of Lego. Emmet cannot build things without an instruction manual of which there are several big ones in the construction yard (the kind that come with all Lego sets). There are also references to many famous Lego sets of the past 40 years, including the famous Classic Space line of the early 80s.

Also there are a great number of parodical and satirical jokes. Some of these are references to real first world problems (# not included) such as exorbitant prices for cups of coffee. Others are very funny in-jokes aimed at the film industry, such as the relationship between Superman, voiced by Channing Tatum, and Green Lantern, voiced by Jonah Hill (both Tatum and Hill starred in 21 Jump Street).

There are also a great number of cameos aside from the two aforementioned. These include Shaquille O'Neal, Will Forte, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett as Batman and one of my favourite actors (if you read my blog regularly, you'll be well acquainted with my affinity for) Charlie Day.

The animation in the film is also amazing. It is done in a way that looks like it is stop-motion capturing whilst still being computer generated. Apart from some real objects that appear in the film, everything is made of actual Lego pieces that come in the sets. Toward the end of the film there are some life action scenes that work really well and don't interrupt the flow when they cut back to the animation.

Verdict: A really funny and smart film that will appeal to everyone.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I've always been a huge fan of World War II movies, especially those that strive for an accurate portrayal of warfare in the 1940s, Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan being a stand out example. And then sometimes I want to see a what if scenario of the same period, Tarantino did a great job of that too. But then you might get a movie that walks a line between the two, a movie where history occurs as it did, but you supplant a fictional character, a superhero* no less, into the mix. That's why I appreciated the first Captain America movie so much.

The Winter Soldier poses an interesting question. What if you took that same soldier, with all his values and beliefs, and put him in the present day. After the events of The Avengers, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is trying to acclimatise to modern life in Washington DC. He is still an agent for SHIELD, a government espionage agency run by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

Rogers' partner on these missions is Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) also known as the Black Widow. After an attempt on Nick Fury's life, Rogers and Black Widow uncover a corruption plot that permeates throughout the SHIELD organisation.

There is a prevailing notion that is brought up throughout the film and that is that humanity would willingly give up its freedoms in exchange for security. This is an interesting nod to our own society, with things like surveillance of the population being conducted by most Western powers.

Chris Evans had a different challenge in this film. In the last movie, his character had to cope with a physical transformation and his performance was great. Now as a modern actor, he has to portray a man from the past dealing with things from the present for the first time. One of these things he has to deal with is dating, having not gotten over his "best girl" Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).

For an extremely physical movie, Johansson does an excellent job to keep up with the rest of the guys. In truth, I enjoyed her fighting scenes more than the guys because it is always great to see a girl kick a guys arse.

There was also the inclusion of a new hero from the comics who I have always liked. Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) plays Sam Wilson AKA The Falcon. The Falcon is famous for being the world's first black superhero with his own comic series. Sam Wilson is a veteran who helps soldiers who suffer from PTSD and is only too glad to help Rogers when he asks.

Verdict: An enjoyable Marvel movie that will get superhero junkies through to the next Avengers film.

*Superhero is a trademark term owned by both Marvel and DC. I just wanted to cover myself, you know.

3 Days To Kill

3 Days To Kill is my favourite kind of action film. It's not too over the top and almost has the sensibilities of an independent film. Indeed it's writer and producer Luc Besson is known for making some of the more popular action films, such as Leon and Taken. But this film is more reminiscent of 2010's From Paris With Love, which I think gave John Travolta a second second chance at a career. Likewise, 3 Days To Kill might reinvigorate Kevin Costner.

In the early to mid-90s, Costner was the go-to leading man. That was until he was in both Waterworld (1995) and The Postman (1997). After those two films, he rarely got big parts in blockbusters, but I think this performance might change that. Costner plays Ethan Renner, an experienced CIA agent, who recently discovers that he has terminal brain cancer and is given three months to live. Renner returns to Paris in order to reunite with his estranged daughter, Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld).

Following Ethan is elite CIA agent Vivi Delay (Amber Heard), who offers Ethan an experimental drug to help his cancer in return for hunting down an arms trafficker who only Ethan can identify. Ethan has to choose between living what's left of his life with his family or a chance at a longer life.

When I saw McG's name in the credits I felt somewhat unsure about this film. For those unaware of who McG is, left me fill you in. He is a much maligned Hollywood director whose main credits include the Charlie's Angels movies and Terminator Salvation. He also has a stupid name. So you can understand when I say I felt scared to see him attached to a Luc Besson movie, because he doesn't understand subtlety.

Boy was I wrong. The movie flows perfectly (a main part of the director's job) and he really understood how to play up the comedic moments. And this film is filled aplenty with those. The combination of Besson's writing and McG's direction are actually pretty dynamic.

Both Amber Heard and Hailee Steinfeld carry themselves well in the movie. We don't see much of Heard throughout, but when we do, they are some pretty memorable scenes for her femme fatale character. Steinfeld is growing to become a competent young actor and has come a long way since her breakout role in True Grit.

Verdict: A funny, smart action film that might prove to bring Kevin Costner to a new audience.