Catch Up Review Final Part: Cinema

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Michael Bay, 2011)

As much of a bashing as Michael Bay gets, I don't totally hate his work. In fact, when he's on form he tends to make fairly entertaining popcorn fun. Unfortunately, when he's not, he tends to make the filmic equivalents of vomit, ramping up his indulgences to such lofty excesses that the end result is just flat out offensive.

The first and second Transformers movies are examples of the opposite ends of the Bay spectrum. The first I enjoyed very much. The plot was simple enough and despite its lengthy run time, it flowed at a decent pace and had some genuinely exciting action. The second film, however, was a massive stinking turd. Riddled with countless plot holes and a story that made no sense, it was more a test of patience than entertainment. Having a wisdom tooth removed was a more enjoyable experience.

Transformers 3 fits directly in the middle. Whilst not every lesson was learned from Part 2 (Ken Jeong's extended cameo is pure garbage), Bay ate least reigns it back enough to let things flow a bit better. Yet, no matter how much we wish of him, Bay is incapable of making a movie less than 2 hours long. At no point should a movie about fighting robots be as long as 2001: A Space Odyssey and there were numerous scenes that just cried to be cut. Frankly, the middle hour bored.

The climax, however, is Bay on form, with the final third of the film dedicated to the trashing of Chicago. Whilst the director is known for his rapid fire editing, the use of 3D technology near forces him to take a more measured pace (as measured as Bay can be I suppose) which inadvertently makes the action beats more entertaining. You can actually see what the hell's going on.

It's not a bad effort. It's not too great either but at least it isn't bland in the same way as Green Lantern or Pirates 4.

3/5

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)

It's difficult to label The Tree of Life as a film. In the conventional sense, it's anything but. There is no plot to speak of, no narrative structure or character motivations. What The Tree of Life is, however, is a work of art. A Dali in film form, a calming, ethereal meditation on life told through the perspective of our protagonist's fragmented memories. The uneducated would call it pretentious, I call it a masterpiece.

Malick has produced so few works in his 40 year career that when a new piece arrives, they hold certain expectations. Even with his weakest efforts (The New World is widely considered his worst film), the beauty they create is nothing short of magical. He isn't interested in telling a story in the strictest sense, rather to create an experience that causes a peaceful and spiritual reaction from the audience.

The Tree of Life had me lost for words. It effected me on a personal level that I have not felt for years (probably helped by the fact that I have suffered from an acute anxiety disorder for the last few months). It is also a testament to Brad Pitt and his faith in the project as he not only headlines as the authoritarian father but also put up the money to get the thing made. As a star who has never been better in his career, it’s a bold move that pays off and demonstrates that, at the end of the day, he's an actor, not a product.

It's philosophical message and abstract structure will throw many, but this is not a film aimed at the multiplex audience. This is filmmaking in its truest form, utilising film as a tool to make art.

And by god it works.

5/5

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (David Yates, 2011)

Despite my misgivings of Potter 7 being slit into two, I must concede that the decision has benefitted the film greatly. Although Part 1 included too much camping for my likely (a section of the book I immediately predicted would be trimmed for the film), it sets up a nigh unbearable sense of dread that, in turn, makes the coming events seem hopeless.

This pays off in Part 2 with aplomb. As a film unto itself, The Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the best of the series. Utilising the hopelessness from Part 1 as a spring board, Part 2 barrels in at a breakneck pace and rarely lets up. It's dark, it's moody, but it's also satisfying beyond belief. It is apparent now that, in order to do the series justice, spitting the film in two was a no brainer with Part 1 being set up and Part 2 being the pay off. Gone is the light-heartedness of previous entries. Literally everything is at stake and in spending ten years falling in love with this series, its characters and its mythology, the emotional journey for those that have been there since the beginning is palpable.

Whilst there is a hint of melancholy that the series has to end, the finale could not have been any more satisfactory if it tried. Kudos are in order to all involved.

4.5/5

Bridesmaids (Paul Feig, 2011)

Think of The Hangover with women and you've kind of got Bridesmaids.

Whilst it follows the general mould of all Attapow productions, there is a sweetness that grounds the mayhem to a genuinely lovely core (Christ, I'm starting to sound girly). Each of the principals are terrific, the stand out being the fat ugly one (I forget the actor's name), who has all the best moments and most vulgar lines. And despite falling into certain mushy trappings that plague many a comedy (I'm sick to fucking death of cheesy ending musical numbers…), for the most part Bridesmaids is sweet, sincere and utterly hilarious.

Don't be put off by the title. This is far from romantic comedy territory. In fact, it's one of the funniest films of the year.

4/5

Captain America: The First Avenger (Joe Johnston, 2011)

Marvel really are unstoppable at this point. Having picked the best directors for their material, each subsequent release leading up to The Avengers seems pitched perfect in style and tone to those specifically picked to take the reigns.

With Captain America, we have Joe Johnston, who crucially directed The Rocketier and is a man that knows how to nail that sense of 1940's TV serials that inspired the likes of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (think the tone of Star Wars and Indiana Jones and you have Johnston's directing sensibilities). The director has a ball setting this utterly ludicrous movie during the height of World War 2 and this fun shows on film. There're gung-ho heroics aplenty and there really is a childish satisfaction to be had in seeing a man dressed in a silly costume fighting Nazis. Add a maniacal bad guy hell bent on world domination (brilliantly played by a German Hugo Weaving) and you know you're in for a fun ride.

But, like the best super-hero movies, Captain America has a knowing wink about it whilst, at the same time, raising the stakes high enough for there to be a legitimate threat. It succeeds more in this regard than Marvel's other pre-Avengers effort, Thor, as once Thor makes it to earth the film comes to a grinding halt whilst also repeatedly screaming at you "LOOK HOW SILLY THIS ALL IS! ISN'T IT REALLY SILLY!?". Captain America embraces this silliness early on in order to get straight to the adventure. As a consequence, it's an absolute blast.

On the back of this, I'm literally shaking with anticipation for The Avengers.

4/5

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt, 2011)

The concept of Planet of the Apes is inherently silly, yet, judging by its box office success, there appears to still be life in the aging franchise. Effectively Apes Begins, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, as the title suggests, is an origin story of how the apes ended up taking over earth. But don't be fooled though, this film is far from being a family friendly affair. What we're presented with is a tense and often sinister film that successfully conveys the rather frightening image of the near future, where man is ultimately responsible for it's own downfall.

It's a testament to the that it makes its chimps the most compelling characters. Whilst there is interest in the human dilemma (Franco's desperate bid to cure his father, John Lithgow, of Alzheimer's), the apes are most certainly front and centre. Utilising the technology that made Avatar possible, Weta Digital have somehow made the apes more human than their human counterparts yet it's the actors in the mo-cap suits that bring these creatures to life. Andy Serkis, the mo-cap go to guy, is proof that digital acting can be just as compelling as the real thing, using the technology to enhance his performance rather than be the performance.

It takes till the last half hour for the set-pieces to arrive but, much like Zulu, the build up is just as thrilling as the pay off. By the time the carnage comes, you kind of want Caesar and his gang of chimps to win.

4/5