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Penny Glen’s Rants
2012: True Doom and Gloom?
Or an Excellent Incoming Year for Film and Technology?
Part 4 New Films - Reviewed the ‘Penny way’ Page 3 of 6
Or an Excellent Incoming Year for Film and Technology?
Part 4 New Films -
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· Killer Elite
More of Jason ‘The Stath’ Statham and his violent shenanigans. If you’ve seen his other movies, you’ve seen it all before. However the welcome addition of Clive Owen brightens this up a little bit. Robert De Niro is just a little bit silly though. Action, revenge and explosions in this – so you know what you’re paying for. The Stath and De Niro are assassins who botch up their last assignment when Stath gets injured and swears never again to live the respectable life of killing men for money. He gets thrown back in when a diabolical madman kidnaps De Niro (his mentor) and forces him to complete one more mission. Oh, and it has Clive Owen in there. Did I mention that?
· Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
If you’re aware of the book by John Le Carre and the mini series back in the 70’s with Sir Alec Guiness – you know that this is a story worth telling, and told right by the British if it’s going to be remade. The 2011 version starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberpatch, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong and so many others – is a treat for the English eyes and ears. Along with a stellar acting master-class and a story that any director would salivate over, this film is just something magical onscreen. In the days of the Cold War, an MI6 agent George Smiley is asked to come out of his forced semi-retirement to investigate his former colleagues and whether one of them is a dangerous soviet mole. I thought it was great, and did justice to the original and the novel – yet my only criticism would be that if you take your eyes off the screen for one second – you will completely miss an important part of the plot.
Fans of Oldman will enjoy his reserved, conservative nature as it is completely different from his normal, theatrical self in film over the years.
· Warrior
Another appearance for Tom Hardy on my seemingly never ending list – but he is worth a significant mention. He plays boxer Tommy who enters into a Mixed Martial Arts tournament to win cash, but ends up fighting himself, his past, his feelings about his alcoholic father and his own brother in the ring. Rocky it is not people. This is a different kind of drama and you find yourself wondering not whether either brother will win, but whether they can sort the mess out that got them in the ring in the first place. Tom Hardy is fantastic as the brother who has nothing else to live for and truly gives me an honest performance throughout the film. Joel Edgerton gives a good run too as Brendan, yet the real surprise of the film is Nick Nolte as their father. All in all a very impressive film and it has something for everyone.
· Mr. Popper’s Penguins
I don’t really care how many people tell me this is good, and I do like kids films – contrary to popular belief. Yet there is something terrifying about Jim Carrey sharing his house with some naughty C.G.I. penguins. Apparently it’s ok – according to a friend who watches nothing but kid’s films. Watch at your own peril.
· One Day
Anne Hathaway and some bloke meet every year for a romantic liaison and strangely don’t realise they have true long term feelings for one another. The word ‘silly’ occurs to me when thinking about this film, but I don’t have to watch Miss Hathaway’s performance to guage her contribution to The Dark Knight rises – I think I’ll desperately try to find something else. Watch if you love clichéd dramas without any funny parts.
· Footloose
Unnecessary remake of the film that put Kevin Bacon on the map. America’s obsession with dance films has finally reached its limit where I’m concerned. Hopefully I won’t put a jinx out there by saying I hope Dirty Dancing remains sacred. Yes, I liked Dirty Dancing. I was a young girl and thought Patrick Swayze was the man – like the rest of my generation. Judge me and you’ll regret it.
· Johnny English Reborn
I’m trying hard to see the appeal of this, I really am. I love Rowan Atkinson, I love silly films and I love British comedy. However, I still can’t get to grips with Johnny English. It all seems boring and forced to me, yet people I know who have exceptional film taste adore this. I know I’m hardly the person to snub silly films or other people’s tastes due to finding Shark Night hilarious but hey, I guess we’re all unique and full of enigma. It doesn’t even have the decency of a John Malkovich appearance like the last one. Anything gets made better with John.
· Kill List
Atmospheric and misunderstood – Kill List is a strange film to say the least. A ruined assassin takes a job killing three people for a massive payoff and everything seems to be going fine until he starts spiralling down into the heart of darkness – and essentially goes a little bit mad sometimes. Everyone I’ve talked to has enjoyed this film, the performances and the directing until the very end. I won’t spoil it for you, but it is particularly brutal. I on the other hand like writers who delve into the unknown and take risks. I love not knowing how to react and how other people will react – it just adds to the unpredictability of life. Watch if you dare.
· Abduction
Useless and annoying, this feels like a teenage, pimply Jason Bourne running around pointlessly in secondary school. Twilight’s Taylor Lautner stars as the boy who finds out his parents may not be his parents after web crawling online. He also inexplicably has two Apple computers of his own. Realism people, this is what we’re after. I know that most teens in America have whatever they want, whenever they want – as well as two or three cars, but this is just silly. Anyway, Alfred Molina and Sigourney Weaver should be ashamed at starring in things just for the money. It’s just silly and it shows. Oh, and Lautner finally manages to wear a shirt for most of the film. Most of it.
· The Skin I Live In
Anyone who has seen a Pedro Almodovar film knows to expect two things: brilliance and crazy, crazy things. He manages to write and direct some of the most unusual things I have ever seen as well as introducing us to Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. His latest film continues this tradition, as well as pairing him with Banderas for the first time in years. It’s strange, beautiful, atmospheric, ridiculous and definitely worth seeing if you want something different. Just be prepared as you enter the world of Almodovar, you certainly won’t return the same as you were when you went in.
· The Devil’s Double
This film is based on Latif Yahia’s somewhat controversial memoirs about his experiences under Saddam Hussein’s regime in the 80’s, and does so quite brilliantly. I’ll start by saying though, that many journalists have refuted Yahia’s claims that he was ever involved as much as he says he was – and that he has written this book just for media attention. Whether true or not, I always decided that I was going to judge the film as an absolute and not with the subject matter it is supposed to be taken from. Saying that, the film itself is simply awesome. Low budget and rather sinister in places, the Devil’s Double is about a man who is forced to become Saddam’s son’s bodyguard. He quickly learns though that Udday Hussein is a complete psycho and a maniac who will do whatever it takes to get Latif to submit to his sadistic whims. What really makes film magic happen however, is British actor Dominic Cooper and his portrayal of both Udday and Latif. His challenge was making two completely different men out of characters who look exactly alike – and he succeeds with flying colours. Although equally brilliant as Latif, it is the character of Udday that he has true talent in portraying. He even gets a genuinely crazy look in his eyes when mercilessly shooting his father’s closest friend with an automatic weapon and when he assaults a young bride just hours after her wedding ceremony – causing her to kill herself. Well done to Cooper, and I’m hoping to see more of him in the future.
· A Lonely Place to Die
Low budget, but quality thriller about a group of thrill seeking mountaineers who discover a kidnapped woman hiding in a cave. Her captors then pursue them across the dangerous terrain as the group struggle to bring the woman to safety. It’s quite a solid film, with good direction and acceptable performances and worth watching when you have the time.
· Rare Exports
Finnish black comedy about finding the secret to Christmas – is buried deep in the mountains. Santa Claus has to be dug up to show the world! I did find myself laughing a couple of times, but I generally stay away from Christmas films unless it’s National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Amusing none the less.
Continued on next page
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More of Jason ‘The Stath’ Statham and his violent shenanigans. If you’ve seen his other movies, you’ve seen it all before. However the welcome addition of Clive Owen brightens this up a little bit. Robert De Niro is just a little bit silly though. Action, revenge and explosions in this – so you know what you’re paying for. The Stath and De Niro are assassins who botch up their last assignment when Stath gets injured and swears never again to live the respectable life of killing men for money. He gets thrown back in when a diabolical madman kidnaps De Niro (his mentor) and forces him to complete one more mission. Oh, and it has Clive Owen in there. Did I mention that?
· Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
If you’re aware of the book by John Le Carre and the mini series back in the 70’s with Sir Alec Guiness – you know that this is a story worth telling, and told right by the British if it’s going to be remade. The 2011 version starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberpatch, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong and so many others – is a treat for the English eyes and ears. Along with a stellar acting master-
Fans of Oldman will enjoy his reserved, conservative nature as it is completely different from his normal, theatrical self in film over the years.
· Warrior
Another appearance for Tom Hardy on my seemingly never ending list – but he is worth a significant mention. He plays boxer Tommy who enters into a Mixed Martial Arts tournament to win cash, but ends up fighting himself, his past, his feelings about his alcoholic father and his own brother in the ring. Rocky it is not people. This is a different kind of drama and you find yourself wondering not whether either brother will win, but whether they can sort the mess out that got them in the ring in the first place. Tom Hardy is fantastic as the brother who has nothing else to live for and truly gives me an honest performance throughout the film. Joel Edgerton gives a good run too as Brendan, yet the real surprise of the film is Nick Nolte as their father. All in all a very impressive film and it has something for everyone.
· Mr. Popper’s Penguins
I don’t really care how many people tell me this is good, and I do like kids films – contrary to popular belief. Yet there is something terrifying about Jim Carrey sharing his house with some naughty C.G.I. penguins. Apparently it’s ok – according to a friend who watches nothing but kid’s films. Watch at your own peril.
· One Day
Anne Hathaway and some bloke meet every year for a romantic liaison and strangely don’t realise they have true long term feelings for one another. The word ‘silly’ occurs to me when thinking about this film, but I don’t have to watch Miss Hathaway’s performance to guage her contribution to The Dark Knight rises – I think I’ll desperately try to find something else. Watch if you love clichéd dramas without any funny parts.
· Footloose
Unnecessary remake of the film that put Kevin Bacon on the map. America’s obsession with dance films has finally reached its limit where I’m concerned. Hopefully I won’t put a jinx out there by saying I hope Dirty Dancing remains sacred. Yes, I liked Dirty Dancing. I was a young girl and thought Patrick Swayze was the man – like the rest of my generation. Judge me and you’ll regret it.
· Johnny English Reborn
I’m trying hard to see the appeal of this, I really am. I love Rowan Atkinson, I love silly films and I love British comedy. However, I still can’t get to grips with Johnny English. It all seems boring and forced to me, yet people I know who have exceptional film taste adore this. I know I’m hardly the person to snub silly films or other people’s tastes due to finding Shark Night hilarious but hey, I guess we’re all unique and full of enigma. It doesn’t even have the decency of a John Malkovich appearance like the last one. Anything gets made better with John.
· Kill List
Atmospheric and misunderstood – Kill List is a strange film to say the least. A ruined assassin takes a job killing three people for a massive payoff and everything seems to be going fine until he starts spiralling down into the heart of darkness – and essentially goes a little bit mad sometimes. Everyone I’ve talked to has enjoyed this film, the performances and the directing until the very end. I won’t spoil it for you, but it is particularly brutal. I on the other hand like writers who delve into the unknown and take risks. I love not knowing how to react and how other people will react – it just adds to the unpredictability of life. Watch if you dare.
· Abduction
Useless and annoying, this feels like a teenage, pimply Jason Bourne running around pointlessly in secondary school. Twilight’s Taylor Lautner stars as the boy who finds out his parents may not be his parents after web crawling online. He also inexplicably has two Apple computers of his own. Realism people, this is what we’re after. I know that most teens in America have whatever they want, whenever they want – as well as two or three cars, but this is just silly. Anyway, Alfred Molina and Sigourney Weaver should be ashamed at starring in things just for the money. It’s just silly and it shows. Oh, and Lautner finally manages to wear a shirt for most of the film. Most of it.
· The Skin I Live In
Anyone who has seen a Pedro Almodovar film knows to expect two things: brilliance and crazy, crazy things. He manages to write and direct some of the most unusual things I have ever seen as well as introducing us to Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz. His latest film continues this tradition, as well as pairing him with Banderas for the first time in years. It’s strange, beautiful, atmospheric, ridiculous and definitely worth seeing if you want something different. Just be prepared as you enter the world of Almodovar, you certainly won’t return the same as you were when you went in.
· The Devil’s Double
This film is based on Latif Yahia’s somewhat controversial memoirs about his experiences under Saddam Hussein’s regime in the 80’s, and does so quite brilliantly. I’ll start by saying though, that many journalists have refuted Yahia’s claims that he was ever involved as much as he says he was – and that he has written this book just for media attention. Whether true or not, I always decided that I was going to judge the film as an absolute and not with the subject matter it is supposed to be taken from. Saying that, the film itself is simply awesome. Low budget and rather sinister in places, the Devil’s Double is about a man who is forced to become Saddam’s son’s bodyguard. He quickly learns though that Udday Hussein is a complete psycho and a maniac who will do whatever it takes to get Latif to submit to his sadistic whims. What really makes film magic happen however, is British actor Dominic Cooper and his portrayal of both Udday and Latif. His challenge was making two completely different men out of characters who look exactly alike – and he succeeds with flying colours. Although equally brilliant as Latif, it is the character of Udday that he has true talent in portraying. He even gets a genuinely crazy look in his eyes when mercilessly shooting his father’s closest friend with an automatic weapon and when he assaults a young bride just hours after her wedding ceremony – causing her to kill herself. Well done to Cooper, and I’m hoping to see more of him in the future.
· A Lonely Place to Die
Low budget, but quality thriller about a group of thrill seeking mountaineers who discover a kidnapped woman hiding in a cave. Her captors then pursue them across the dangerous terrain as the group struggle to bring the woman to safety. It’s quite a solid film, with good direction and acceptable performances and worth watching when you have the time.
· Rare Exports
Finnish black comedy about finding the secret to Christmas – is buried deep in the mountains. Santa Claus has to be dug up to show the world! I did find myself laughing a couple of times, but I generally stay away from Christmas films unless it’s National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Amusing none the less.
Continued on next page
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