Chef

Jon Favreau's latest is a feel good film about food and family. Favreau directed and wrote the film, and also stars as the lead, Carl Casper. The film opens as Carl and his fellow chefs, Martin (John Leguizamo) and Tony (Bobby Cannavale) are preparing for a visit from the city's most famous food critic, Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt). We soon learn that things at home aren't great for Casper, he is divorced from wife Inez (Sofía Vergara), and is struggling to have a good relationship with his son Percy (Emjay Anthony). 

Although the film focuses on Casper's ability as a chef, with beautiful close up shots of some very delicious looking food, it's main focus is family. Whether it's close, or extended, Casper learns that in order to find true happiness, he must let go of all the things he once thought to be the key to his happiness. The cinematography is warm and welcoming.  While the film isn't perfect, nor will it be the blockbuster of the summer, this film just makes you feel good. It makes you happy and pretty hungry too. The cast did a great job and there are cameos from another Favreau film, Iron Man, with Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr.

I enjoyed Chef, it isn't my favourite film of the year, but it made me happy, and I think that's what it's all about.

The Selfish Giant

Clio Barnard's The Selfish Giant (2013) is a harrowing tale, but don't let that put you off. It is loosely based on Oscar Wilde's book, however prior knowledge isn't needed. The film is set on a council estate in Bradford, The Selfish Giant tells the tale of Arbor (Conner Chapman) and Swifty (Shaun Thomas), two troubled young boys who struggle with their home lives and school, and find themselves falling into the shady world scrap metal and the owner of the scrap yard, Kitten (Sean Gilder), leads them down a dangerous path.

Conner Chapman and Shaun Thomas are brilliant. Two young actors with not a wealth of experience under their belts, but they play those parts absolutely exceptionally. They play the parts with so much emotion, they are fantastic. The cinematography is as bleak as the plot, grey is the main colour and rightly so. The locations used are run down and not desirable, but it reflects a side to the England that is in every major town and city in the country, and it is a reality for many families.

The story may be difficult viewing. Throughout, you are aware that it will not have a happy ending, as much as you would like one, that's not what you get, and not what you expect anyway. It can't be described as enjoyable. That said, it is certainly not a bad film in any way. In fact, it is a great film. The BAFTA nomination for Best British Film was certainly deserved. It is definitely a film that will divide people, especially if British realism is not your sort of film, but it is certainly worth watching.

Locke

On paper, Steven Knight's Locke doesn't sound like one of the best films of the year (so far), but that is, in my opinion, exactly what it is. The basic plot is that Ivan Locke, a well respected construction manager, see's his life unravel in the space of a 90-minute car journey from somewhere around Birmingham to London. What makes the film so unique is the fact that there is only one face in the entire movie, Locke himself (Tom Hardy). That is why it doesn't instantly leap out as a gripping emotional thriller, but it is.

Tom Hardy keeps all eyes firmly on the screen, giving an undeniably brilliant performance. Every emotion, every twist and turn that his life makes on the journey, you are right there with him. Surely, realism at its most real. The rest of the small cast is made up through voices only, and although they aren't unknown actors (Olivia Colman, Andrew Scott, and Ruth Wilson are the bigger names in the small voice cast) so putting a face to a voice isn't hard, the fact we only see Locke is what makes the film so special.

The visuals are not dull either, as could have easily been the case on a nighttime drive across English motorways. The cinematography is kept interesting, with different angles and styles created with the motorway lights. I was also pleased that, while there was some obvious product placement, it wasn't a 90-minute advert for BMW either.

What this film is, is a film that deserves a great deal of recognition for being brave and taking a risk that really paid off. I highly recommend Locke.

The Double

The Double is Richard Ayoade's latest film. It is based on the book by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I won't pretend to know anything about Dostoyevsky, but you don't really need to going in.

The film stars Jesse Eisenberg as Simon James, he is quiet, struggles with his identity, and feels pretty much invisible. He is overlooked by everyone, including his elderly mother, and Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), his love interest (whom he watches from his apartment with a telescope, instead of talking to her, until the suicide of a man who was following Hannah causes them to have an actual conversation). The arrival of James Simon (also Jesse Eisenberg) at work causes Simon James much distress. James Simon is his exact double in looks, and his exact opposite in personality and demeanour. At first Simon and James are friends, James offers to help Simon with his crippling low self esteem issues, but soon James begins to take over Simon's life. Thus ensues Simon James' identity crisis, struggling to cope that this double was everything he wanted to be and everything he hated at the same time, yet he was powerless to stop his behaviour, stop him taking credit for his work and stop him pursuing Hannah. 

Visually the film is very interesting, a very dark colour scheme (lots of browns and blacks), everything is square, and the film has no sense of time. Sometimes it feels very old fashioned, and sometimes it feels like it is set in quite a dystopian future, which only adds to the overall sense of uncertainty that carries throughout the film for the viewer. Saying that, it isn't challenging to watch nor is too confusing. Fans of Ayoade's first film Submarine will notice the inclusion of pretty much all the main cast in some small way which I have to admit to it being a nice little touch, and just shows they must have all enjoyed working with Ayoade enough to come back even for a bit part.

While The Double is strange, it's enjoyable and quite humorous in places, so I would say if that's your sort of thing then don't miss it!

Bronson

Last night I watched Bronson (2008) for the first time. I'm a big Tom Hardy fan, I think he's brilliant, and Bronson is no exception. The film is a loose biopic of Charles Bronson, Britain's most notorious prisoner. He got himself a reputation for being incredibly violent towards other prisoners and officers and got moved around the prison service and even had a stint in psychiatric hospitals such as Broadmoor. The film is very entertaining, if you don't mind quite a lot of violence (and a bit of nudity), then definitely seek it out. The film is quite stylised, with parts that show Bronson in front of an audience telling his story, which gives it a good edge and makes it different.

I definitely recommend it!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Marvel's latest offering, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is the second instalment in the Captain America series. The story follows Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans) in modern day America, as the now-thawed super soldier continues to get to grips with the modern world, as well as working for S.H.I.E.L.D alongside Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Fans of the previous Marvel films certainly won't be disappointed by this film. It is a little more serious than the likes of the Iron Man or Thor franchises, and it does lack the sass and quick dry wit of characters like Tony Stark or Loki, however it won't leave you feeling bored for a second. There are some laugh out loud moments, and a pretty decent twist as well, which I shan't spoil for anyone although I'm sure it's already all over the internet!

It's a fast-paced action adventure, the sort of film that gets you out of your head for a couple of hours and doesn't leave you with any questions at the end. Sometimes, that's just what you need!

Under The Skin

Jonathan Glazer's latest film, Under The Skin, is a sci-fi film unlike any I've ever seen. Dark and disturbing, the film follows Scarlett Johansson, who plays an alien in human form, as she drives the streets of Glasgow and the Scottish highlands in a white transit van in pursuit of men.

The film is certainly mysterious, and I imagine I could explain everything that happened and I feel you would still know nothing. Truly it is a visual masterpiece though, that can't be denied. There are beautiful landscape shots, actuality footage on the streets of Glasgow, and shots of the black, strange, eerie place that Johannson lures her unknowing victims. Some of the scenes are incredibly distressing to say the least (note the scene on the beach, which is just some of the most uncomfortable viewing I may have ever witnessed). The unearthly score by Mica Levi certainly adds to this overall creepiness, and sometimes it is definitely more of a horror than a sci-fi.

I think what's interesting is to see how Johansson's character develops, she isn't human, but the more time she spends around them the more human she seems, to see how the emotionless creature at the beginning of the film, who has no qualms stealing the clothes from a dead girl for herself, to the very much human creature at the end who feels true fear.  Maybe this is one of the messages in the film, in some way, about the qualities required to truly be human? I am only taking a stab in the dark though because really, I am none the wiser about what Under The Skin is trying to say.
            Now, I've thought about it for a while and I still am unsure of the films deeper meanings, I've read other reviews to try clarify it for me, but the only conclusion I can come to is that I think it's not a film that can be fully understood after one viewing. Maybe it can never really be understood. I wouldn't let that put you off though, if you like to be challenged with cinema, if you like films that truly do get under your skin, then this is a must.

Review - Her

Spike Jonze's latest offering, in it's very simplest form, is a story of love and loss, but if there's one thing Her certainly isn't, it's simple.

The film is set in the not too distant future, Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore Twombly, a writer for BeautifulHandwrittenLetters.com. Theodore's world, as is everyone's in this age, is entirely technology dominated. Although Theodore spends much of the beginning of the film fanaticising about his ex-wife Catherine (Rooney Mara) he is alone most of the time. Even his friend Amy (Amy Adams) doesn't see him very often, and his other human interaction is limited. It is around this time we meet the most up to date operating systems OS1. OS1 is a Siri-esque operating system that learns, adapts, has intuition and grows emotionally. Theodore's selected OS is Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and from here on out, Theodore's feelings find him blurring the lines between what's really real and what isn't.

At first Samantha is simply helpful, but as she grows and becomes more aware, so does her relationship with Theodore and once romantic acts begin to be played out, everything feels very unnerving. Even as you see Theodore with other humans, he's never as at ease with them as he is with his OS. There are so many layers to the film, so many things it could be saying, possibly a commentary on people's relationships with technology, or people's relationships with each other. Essays could easily be written about the messages in Her.

Purely on face value though, it is a beautiful film. Soft lighting, gorgeous colours, great camera angles, but it's not a film to really be taken on face value alone. It is certainly thought provoking, a film that will cause differences of opinion and that is by no means a bad thing. I think personally, what was so unsettling, is that out if every A.I film I've seen, Her is certainly the most realistic, and that idea of what society could potentially become is quite scary! 

It is definitely not a film for everyone but it's definitely a great film to go and see, I do highly recommend it. 

Ad of the Week

This week, I'm going for another trailer. This time for Locke. I picked it because for once it's a trailer that really gives nothing away. I know the basic plot of the film, which stars Tom Hardy as Ivan Locke. I know that it's a thriller, and set in real-time film, following Locke on a 90-minute drive, and the only other stars in the film (including Ruth Wilson and Olivia Coleman) are just voices you hear on the phone. The trailer tells you nothing more than that, in fact, without that knowledge the trailer tells you very little at all, and yet it intrigues, I know I definitely want to know what's going on!

As a film, it looks really interesting, it's really not often you see a film with only one actor, even if there are others, they're only on the phone. I can't wait to see it!

12 Years A Slave

I decided not to do a review of 12 Years A Slave because I was a little late to the party and since it won the BAFTA for Best Film, you don't need me to tell you it's good. I just thought I'd write my own feelings about the film, and yes, there will be spoilers but it's been a book for over 100 years, so, y'know...

Going in I knew it was going to be tough, but you need that sometimes, a film that moves you and draws you in, and it does just that. Chiwetel Ejiofor was outstanding as the lead, and now I can say he did deserve the BAFTA for Best Actor. I think it must be so hard for every actor in the film, from those portraying the slave owners to those portraying the slaves. Michael Fassbender's Edwin Epps was absolutely evil, it's hard to believe that people like that existed. Some of the slave owners, particularly Benedict Cumberbatch as Ford, showed glimpses of humanity, but still, they were slave owners.

The hardest scenes to stomach came near the end, at one point I was nearly moved to tears, and I know other people have cried watching it. So far I've been praising Lupita Nyong'o for looking beautiful at awards shows, but I have to praise her very strongly for her role as Patsey, she acted the hell out of it. There is a sort of happy ending though, all thanks to Brad Pitt, but I use happy quite loosely. Solomon makes it home to his family, discovers he is now a grandfather, but all the other slaves are left behind still suffering, I just wanted him to take Patsey with him when he left!

Definitely go and see it if it's still on where you are, it's very powerful, and now I'll be more of a trustworthy source when it comes to the Oscars if it wins, and I hope it does well!

Review - Inside Llewyn Davis

Set in 1960s New York, Inside Llewyn Davis follows a young, struggling folk musician trying to make a living, before the days of Bob Dylan. Davis (played tremendously by Oscar Isaac) bounces from sofa to sofa in Greenwhich Village, playing gigs at the Gaslight when he can, and tying to make money from his first solo album. Along the way we meet some of the people in Davis' life, including musicians Jim (Justin Timberlake) and Jean (Carey Mulligan), and even though we only see a brief snippet of their lives, you can already see the beginnings of their various layers unravelling, especially Jean's.

The Coen brothers have delivered another fantastic piece of cinema. Llewyn Davis' story grabs you, and sends you on a journey where your opinions of the film's lead are constantly challenged. You get drawn into Davis' struggles, and you find yourself questioning if he really wants it enough to warrant the things he goes through and the things he does. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but the plot isn't what carries the film as much as the characters. Seeing brief snippets of other people's worlds while following Davis around is a nice touch, we meet characters such as Roland Turner (John Goodman) and Johnny Five (Garrett Hedlund), who clearly have a lot more going on with them than we ever really get to find out. We meet these people, but our relationship with them only goes as far as Davis' interaction, we never follow them on their own journeys, so there's always more to wonder about. 

While really, not a lot happens, so lovers of action may not be so enthralled, the film is so well acted and so beautifully dark to look at, you get entirely drawn in and always wonder what will happen to Llweyn Davis. It's certainly not surprising the film has been nominated for the 'best cinematography' Academy Award. If you get the chance, you should definitely see Inside Llweyn Davis.

Review - The Wolf of Wall Street

Sex. Drugs. Money. If I had to describe Martin Scorsese's new film in three words, they'd be the most obvious. But it is so much more than that. The film tells the story of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker on Wall Street in the late '80s/early '90s. Belfort is ruthlessly played by Leonardo DiCaprio, a performance I feel would very much deserve the Oscar if he were to win.

The film follows Belfort as he goes from young, naive, first time broker, to discovering the not-so-glamorous world of penny stocks, and then setting up his own firm with the help of Donnie (Jonah Hill). The pair, along with Belfort's friends, set up Stratton Oakmont, in an attempt to target the richest 1% of America. As Stratton gains more money, the debauchery gets more extreme.

The cast cannot be faulted at all, every single member of the main cast gives a brilliant performance. DiCaprio is, of course, the stand out. The way he can go from charming to violent, sober to incredibly high, it builds a lot of dimensions, his character reminded me of Christian Bale's Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) only without the murders, but definitely on that same psychopathic scale. Margot Robbie also gave a brilliant performance as Naomi, Belfort's wife, and as this was her first major Hollywood role I can see a very, very, bright future for her.

The film does not attempt to glamorise Belfort's world, and while I don't know anything about the real Jordan Belfort, it seemed obviously overexaggerated for the purposes of entertainment (the fact he takes so many drugs and is never once seen to have a proper overdose, let alone even a nose bleed at any point, proves it's hardly realistic), but there's nothing wrong with that. It is massively entertaining. It is a long film, at three hours, but it doesn't feel so long, it all works and there weren't points I found myself wondering what time it was.

I would definitely recommend it.

Review - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

There is no denying that Nelson Mandela was a great man. Since his passing, he is in the public's consciousness in a very big way, so the timing of the release of Justin Chadwick's Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom seemed almost apt, thought it was not in any way planned.

The film itself takes us through Nelson Mandela's life, from his childhood to his presidential inauguration. The film is well-made, if not without a slight sprinkle of Hollywood. Mandela's life after the introduction of the Apartheid in 1948 was a difficult one, as it was for all black South Africans, but the film didn't seem to show it in a way that truly expressed how oppressed these people were. The film only has a 12A (UK) rating, therefore the scenes of violence were sort of skipped over, whereas I felt if the film had been more of an independent endeavour more would have been made of how truly desperate these times were.

The cinematography is certainly not at fault, with beautiful long-shots of a stunning South African backdrop in scenes of Mandela as a child and when he goes back to his home village. I personally enjoyed the use of actuality footage of the world's reaction to the injustice in South Africa. The costume design, especially for Winnie Mandela (Naomie Harris), was very good. I did enjoy the strong contrast between more traditional African dress and well-cut smart suits and dresses.
The acting cannot be faulted either. Idris Elba gave an incredibly strong performance as Mandela; managing to keep hope in his eyes even when there seemed to be none. Naomie Harris stole the show as Winnie Mandela, her character was certainly multi-dimensional. Even at her strongest, there was no denying a certain fear about her for her people.

The main problem with the film, however, was the timescale. It was simply too big and therefore the film seemed to lose focus sometimes. There was so much going on during Mandela's life that fitting  50+ years into 2 hours and 21 minutes was a tall order for any director. The parts leading up to his arrest seemed very rushed, there was not much time to build on his character before his imprisonment, no time to even cover what the breakdown of his first marriage made him feel or the early relationship between Mandela and Winnie.
        If the film had set it's focus purely on Mandela's time in prison how that affected him and how that in turn had affected the segregation of black South Africans, and how Winnie continued to fight for their right to freedom until Mandela's release, then so much more could have been delved into.

The film is based on Mandela's own autobiography and he personally gave permission for the film to be made, so I do not doubt any of the credibility of the story or the feelings, I just think that to try and cover so much of such a great man's life in such a short time was not really doing him enough justice. That said, I would still recommend seeing Long Walk to Freedom.