Source Code

Dir. Duncan Jones
Starring. Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan

We begin with a classic scenario. A man wakes up to find he doesn't know who he is, where he is, or how he got there. It's an excellent start to any story. Instantly we are interested. We are with this character 100%, trying to get answers. And it is in those first few minutes, that Source Code has us hooked. The problem then, is keeping us on the line.

Eventually we find out that Captain Colter Stevens, (Jake Gyllenhaal) has just woken up in another mans body on a train to Chicago, because he is part of a government experiment which allows him to relive the last 8 minutes of this man's life. After these 8 minutes, the train blows up. Stevens is continually sent back into this scenario, each time to make a different attempt at finding out who bombed the train, so that the terrorist can be caught and prevented from future bombings. He is working to protect the future, but he soon begins to wonder: can he also change the past?

As you can imagine, it doesn't make for the most original plot structure. It's a bit like Run Lola Run and Groundhog's Day had a baby with Quantum Leap. Fortunately the idea of the technology behind this time loop tale and the specifics of its behaviors are original enough to keep an audience interested. And just in case your mind does start to wander, there's a big explosion every 8 minutes. BAM! You're right back in it. It's a clever device that I wish I could use to keep audiences interested in my reviews.

BAM! Keep reading.

Director Duncan Jones, who previously proved his ability to master the Sci-fi genre with 'Moon,' seems to get caught up in the conventions of the blockbuster here. Or perhaps the difference is simply that he was the writer of 'Moon,' a credit which he does not claim with 'Source Code.' Either way, the story fails to take off or expand from its original idea, and by the end it all feels a bit too Hollywood cliche to warrant a 'must see' rating.

Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable action-packed movie that really grabs you from the start. It just has a bit of trouble holding on.

Country Strong

Dir. Shana Fest
Starring. Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund

It's no secret that we are fascinated by celebrity. I, for one, almost crapped my pants when I saw Keira Knightley at a bar the other night. So, by now, we're all pretty accustomed to the classic tale of the once great celeb who suffers an alcohol/drug induced meltdown, gets arrested, goes to rehab, makes a heartfelt apology, and then attempts a comeback. Everyday it's plastered on the magazine shelves, the internet, and television. The point is, we get it. Therefore, in order to justify a 2 hour movie on the subject, you better bring something new. And Country Strong is about as recycled as it gets.

Gwyneth Paltrow stars as fictitious famous country singer, Kelly Canter, who is pulled out of rehab early by her manager husband, James (McGraw), to start her comeback tour. She agrees but insists on an opening spot for rehab worker and part time lover, Beau (Garrett Hedlund), who is a talented singer/songwriter known only to those who frequent the sleaziest of bars. But James has another opener in mind: former beauty queen and peppy youngster, Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester). Eventually, they all head off on tour together, providing the catalyst for a sloppy melodramatic love square to develop. Tensions rise; hearts are broken; songs are sung; hair is teased ever higher, but none of it makes for very good entertainment.

Maybe the filmmakers thought the film would survive on the novelty of Paltrow debuting her vocal talents (nobody actually saw Duets, after all), but then Glee beat 'em to that. Maybe they thought they could feature a few good country songs and that'd make the film worth seeing. Well, despite the Oscar Nom for "Coming Home," that didn't work either. You may get a few country music fans who will pick up the soundtrack when it goes on a half price special sale at Wal-Mart, but that don't mean y'all got yerselves a decent movie.

There is rarely if ever an honest moment in this film. Every scene feels contrived and cliche. It's hard to actually care about the relationships because they are so poorly developed. None of the characters actually seem to care that much about each other, so why should we care that much about them? It's like watching a 2 hour recap of a soap opera you've never actually seen before, but with a lot less plot. If you can believe that.

Paltrow gives a decent performance, as does McGraw, but no amount of convincing crying would be enough to save this sinking ship of a script. As if half the world didn't already think country music was shallow and insipid. Now we've got a whole film to prove it. Thanks. "Coming Home?" More like "Going Home"...from the movie theater after about 20 minutes of this sap-fest and asking for my money back. I'd rather just spend it on the latest OK! magazine.

Submarine

Dir. Richard Ayoade
Starring. Sally Hawkins, Craig Roberts, Noah Taylor

I never tire of a good coming of age story. Maybe it's because I didn't really understand what the phrase even meant until I came out of my own adolescence and was like 'Oh, was that me coming of age? That period of time I accidentally dyed my hair the color of rust and had legs like a baby giraffe? And now I don't anymore? I get it now."

Anyway, it is ironically a genre that just doesn't get old. It gives teens an outlet for all that angst; a chance to realize they aren't alone in their struggles. And for us oldies, it's a chance to look back fondly on our formative years and rejoice that we made it out of them alive. Every generation needs their own great coming of age tale, and if Submarine is not well on it's way to becoming this generation's, it damn well should be.

Meet the films pubescent hero, Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts). He enjoys long walks on the beach, keeping close track of his parents sex life, and reading the dictionary. He even had a brief hat phase. But most of all he likes Jordana (Yasmin Paige), a pretty but confusingly aloof young pyro with whom he has a budding romance. As their relationship progresses, Oliver faces an increasingly tense situation at home with the decay of his parents marriage. He does all he can to save it by preventing his mother (Sally Hawkins) from having an affair with her ex-lover and next door neighbor, a New Agey spiritual leader and possible ninja (Paddy Considine). Through all of this, Oliver tries to figure out who he is, who he wants to be, and how he can become it.

Every scene in this film is charming and poignant. It's carried by the excellent Craig Roberts who is loveably awkward in a Michael Cera kind of way, only far more dynamic. Sally Hawkins contributes to many of the films most brilliant moments and it's really great to see her showcase her talents, even in a supporting role. This is an exceptionally promising debut film from director Richard Ayoade. His influences are quite clear: it's like a Woody Allen script, shot and cut by Godard, and meant to feel like Wes Anderson. But more importantly it's an Ayoade film, and his voice shines through these similarities with enough originality to give the film resonance.

Oh god, I'm gushing. This is embarrassing. I don't even know who I am any more. But seriously, just try and say something bad about this film. Try! I will hunt you down. And have a reasonably adult conversational debate with you, where you will say something like 'Well the story was predictable and basically the same as most coming of age tales.' To which I will calmly reply 'Perhaps it is a classic story, but it's done to perfection and all of the observations and jokes were refreshingly original.' Thus I will ultimately prove you wrong and you will concede to never doubting me again. Failing that, I will beat you over the head with an Age of the Dragons DVD (which is more humane than making you watch it.)

So, go on generation me or x or y or i or iphone or tweeter or whoever you are, get yourself to a theater this Friday. And don't even think about illegally downloading it to your ipads. I'll hunt you down for that too. No, I don't have the resources or manpower for that kind of operation but I assure you, this is a film worth paying for.

His and Hers

Dir. Ken Wardrop

With Mother's Day almost around the corner (don't panic, you've got a few weeks left) and International Women's Day upon us, what better way to treat that special lady in your life than to take her to a film that celebrates all that she is? I give you His and Hers, a charming documentary that features anecdotes from 70 different Irish women of all different ages and stages in life, and focuses on their relationships with the opposite sex. It does so with grace, tenderness, poise, and sense of humor, attempting to portray just what it means to be a woman today.

The film begins with a lovely sequence that moves from an infant girl to a baby learning to crawl, to a tot taking a few tentative steps, to a toddler racing through the house, finally settling in on a chatty youngster to begin its stories. It continues this way with each girl a bit further along in life than the one before her, in order to span the entire lifetime of the 'typical' modern woman. Each woman is different, but they are made equal by the focusing of their stories on their relationships with the men in their lives. The child talks about pleasing her dad. The young teen giggles while texting a boy who seeks her affections. A twenty-something discusses waiting for her boyfriend to propose. Eventually it features newlyweds, new mothers, older mothers, and on and on through to several women who have out lived their spouses and find themselves possibly for the first time in their lives, without a man.

It is a simple premise carried out almost to perfection by director Ken Wardrop. Each woman is beautifully framed somewhere in her home, often in the midst of performing an everyday task like picking up after her teenage son or changing the sheets. Each shot is carefully composed, often through a doorway or in front of a window with a long depth of focus giving it many layers, perhaps to symbolize the many layers of the women on screen. These women are approached with an obvious affection and it makes sense that Wardrop made the film in honor of his own mother. Because of this, his subjects are at ease in front of the camera, creating very genuine and poignant moments. Structurally the film doesn't follow a traditional story arc at all, but the women featured are entertaining enough in their own right to hold interest, and the superb editing ensures that the film never drags on.

Unfortunately, the film by its nature did portray women as rather dependent on the men in their lives. It seems implied that all of these women's lives follow the same kind of trajectory: childhood, motherhood, old age, death. Careers were rarely if ever mentioned and there are no women featured who grew up to do anything other than raise a family. I'm no raging feminist but, by only showing them in the home it feels as if that is their place and their purpose, although I don't suppose this was the filmmaker's intention. For many woman, this is the path their lives take and they are quite happy to fulfill it. For them, the film holds true. It just seems a bit a variety would have been better representative of the majority of women in this day and age.

Nonetheless the film was rather heartwarming and being of the represented gender I did find it relatable. However, whichever gender you identify with, you're bound to know someone with whom this film will resonate (unless the only women you know are die hard feminists). So, share 'His and Hers' with your wife, mum, daughter, girlfriend, grandmother, sister, aunt, in-law, best friend...This film is best enjoyed together.

Archipelago

Dir. Joanna Hogg
Starring. Tom Hiddleston, Kate Fahy

One of the most frustrating things for a movie lover to see is a film that hints at a great talent behind the camera, but as a whole just doesn't quite work. For me, Archipelago was a perfect example of this kind of misstep. It managed to touch on the potential of writer/director Joanna Hogg, but in the end fell quite short of showcasing it.

Set in the Isles of Scilly, Archipelago is an honest and bleak look at the dynamic of a wealthy family desperate to keep things pleasant and together while on holiday. Elder son Edward (Tom Hiddleston) has recently committed to moving to Africa for eleven months to do volunteer work, so, as a final farewell to him, his mother (Kate Fahy) gathers the family to their vacation home. His opinionated sister Cynthia (Lydia Leonard) attends, if a bit begrudgingly, and a hired cook, Rose (Amy Lloyd), and painting teacher, Christopher (Christopher Baker), round out the group. The only person missing is Edward and Cynthia's father whose only presence in the film is several increasingly tense phone calls. Although the holiday started out with good intentions, it threatens to unravel as deep seated emotions between the characters begin to surface.

This film certainly portraits that state boredom and aimlessness that is often symptomatic of an upper class family. Edward has created an existential crisis for himself and is determined to be stuck in it, ironically, in an attempt to bring a bit of meaning into his life. He has turned to what he imagines to be a humble solution to his problems; charity work. Unfortunately, charity for selfish reasons doesn't make one charitable, nor will it bring him the kind of self-actualisation he hopes. Although he probably suspects this, he refuses to admit it and insists on defending his decision to move to Africa to his mother and disapproving sister. He develops a misguided affection for Rose, who despite representing the working class, is very much above her unhappy employers in everything but financial status. Although Christopher is also employed by the family he is quite different from Rose with his pseudo-intellectual self-declared artistic nature. He is a profoundly annoying but often very funny character. He embodies someone who claims to have found enlightenment through his art and professes to share this with his students. It's hard to tell who is the bigger schmuck, him, or the people that buy into him.

There were several scenes in Archipelago that were so funny and well-observed they were almost enough to save the rest of the film. Almost...but not quite. These scenes were near perfect and featured great performances from the actors. They were authentic and awkward and just about brilliant. I found myself thinking, "Here is a great voice of a female filmmaker in the making." But then the film just kept going on, and nothing much happened, and by the end I'd all but forgotten about those promising moments.

I assume Hogg was attempting a story more impressionistic than dramatically engaging, but it really just felt like something was missing. For a film about almost all unlikable characters, I suspect there has to be some kind of mildly cathartic moment just to give the characters and audience a sense of redemption. Otherwise, all the tension and the build up in the relationships never really comes to fruition, as is the case here. Archipelago could have made a great 10 minute short film, but there was just not enough plot to support the full running time. Nonetheless, I'm eager to see more from Hogg. If she can fully realize her vision into a film with a bit more of a narrative arc...well, that will be something to write home about.

Age of the Dragons

Dir. Ryan Little
Starring. Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Corey Sevier

As someone who is well-versed in such Syfy Original Movies as 'Bats: Human Harvest,' 'Puppet Master Vs. Demonic Toys,' 'Sharktopus,' and 'Monsterwolf,' I knew I'd need the same goggles I wear to enjoy those films, for my screening of 'Age of Dragons.' For those of you who have the grave misfortune of not yet being acquainted with this film, allow me to elaborate. For years Herman Mellville's "masterpiece" Moby Dick sat on the shelves of bookstores gathering dust. No one had the forethought or the audacity to give it the attention it truly needed: a cinematic re-telling replacing the whale with a dragon and starring Danny Glover and Vinnie Jones...Until now.

That's right, literary scholars. I know you haven't been this excited since the invention of the printing press, but calm down, because it has happened. I give you Danny Glover playing Captain Ahab, a man obsessed with revenge after a childhood encounter with the elusive white dragon left him with a dead sister and a badly singed face and body. Henceforth, he spent the rest of his life hunting the dragon. Cue young Ishmael (Corey Sevier), an expert harpoonist hoping to join Ahab's crew with his Eskimo friend, Emile Hirsch. They want to bring down some dragons in order to sell some sort of glowing liquid which is valuable for some reason or another. The crew includes Stubbs (Vinnie Jones) and Rachel (Sofia Pernas), Ahab's daughter and love interest to pretty much everybody in the film because she's the only female. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say liberties may have been taken.

Despite having some pretty solid source material to go off of, 'Age of Dragons' suffers from a few glaring plot loopholes. For example, despite all of the crew knowing from the get-go about Ahab's obsession with finding the white dragon, they are all surprised and subsequently outraged when they are ordered to abandon the quest for the secret dragon ooze and go after Whitey. Were they not listening to the narration? Also, since dragons live on land and not in the sea, Ahab's ship has been turned into a sort of Noah's Ark on wheels. Well, I assume that it's on wheels, but I can't say for sure because the source which propels this craft is never revealed. I can't help but picture the film's entire crew inside the thing, pushing it, wishing they'd never responded to the Craig's List ad: "Strong Grips Needed for Moby Dick Remake."

Additionally, the dialogue is delightfully bad. It teeters dangerously on the line between modern prose and desperate attempts at Old English. It has that classic problem of all the characters sounding exactly the same, except for Vinnie Jones who's probably the only one with an accent. There's also an utterly redundant strain of narration that constantly gives us useful information like: "We slept in the cabin most nights," over a shot of them sleeping in the cabin most nights. The special effects are striking...in that you are struck wondering whether or not they were done in iMovie, or whether or not that's the same backwards flowing waterfall as in Anaconda. Danny Glover, when asked to comment said, "I'm too old for this shit."*

Rant and rant as I love to do, I can at least say one thing: the film was entertaining...except for when it was supposed to be entertaining, in which case, it was kind of boring. But if you've got love for the whole B movie Sci-Fi Dragon quest thing, I can almost guarantee you won't be let down. If that's what you're after, it delivers on some to most fronts. You know what I always say, "Keep those expectations low and you'll never be disappointed."

*I have never spoken to Danny Glover. He has had absolutely no contact with me or this review. The views and opinions expressed in the interviews and/or commentaries are solely of the individuals and are not the views of BRITFILMS.TV, its parent, affiliate, or subsidiary companies.

The Tempest

Dir. Julie Taymor
Starring. Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, Russell Brand

Shakespeare's The Tempest is the thrilling tale of a mysterious island, conjured storms, magical spirits, illusion, betrayal, love at first sight, and sorcery. You would think with the cinematic technologies of today, that would make for an epic adventure of a film. Especially when said film includes a talented cast and a visionary director. So...what was it that I just saw?

The film's script sticks closely to the Bard's narrative in all but changing the main character of Prospero to the female Prospera, played by Helen Mirren. Thus it is the story of the exiled Duchess of Milan, who has raised her daughter Miranda (Felicity Jones) on a mostly deserted island, with naught but a beast called Caliban (Djimon Hounsou) and a magical spirit, Ariel (Ben Whishaw) as their sole companions and servants. Prospera is learned in the magical arts, a talent that brought about her exile, and she manages to summon a great tempest to bring down a ship carrying her enemies. She then strands them about the island and through a series of manipulations and illusions, she tests her foes, eventually taking her revenge.

The decision to change Prospero's gender proves successful, as it adds a new dimension to her exile via witchcraft, a fate many powerful and intelligent women have suffered in the past. Also, the character's treatment of daughter Miranda becomes more understandably maternal, rather than oppressively patriarchal and mildly creepy as it would have come across with Shakespeare's original father figure. Helen Mirren shines in the role as well, and it becomes hard to imagine anyone else, let alone a man, filling those shoes.

So the question remains: What went wrong? Why was my only real emotional investment in the film trying to figure out whether or not Ariel had breasts? Let's pretend for a second that I'm not a product of the proverbial "MTV generation." Let's pretend that I do have an attention span long enough to focus throughout a film of entirely Shakespearean dialogue. Try as I did to follow every line, never having closely studied The Tempest, I think much of the nuance and allusion in the text might have been lost on me. Methinks I shall not be the only poor sod in the audience wondering what the fen-sucked codpiece they were all on about.

But let's assume that's not the biggest issue here. Honestly, there was just no common thread of an idea, evidence of pacing, or entertaining factor to the film at all. I suspect with different direction, Shakespeare's words could have been better brought to life. Director Julie Taymor has been so heralded for her innovative use of staging in theatre (i.e.The Lion King), but it's clear she's not the slightest idea how to navigate a film set. Her direction is so heavy handed, you really have to work to avoid it in order to appreciate the story and the strong performances from the cast.

The terrible visual effects (namely the annoying spirit lady/bloke, Ariel) look like they were merely stamped onto the film as a consideration after the fact. Taymor probably put the same amount of thought into them as she did the safety regulations for her Spider Man musical. Even the beautiful production design and the extremely creative costumes only serve as distractions from the blandness of the rest of the film.

Try as it does to be visually exciting and original, this mess of a film is just too unfocused and too dull to make Shakespeare's tale accessible for today's audiences.