Sunday 20 March 2016

Review: Victoria

2016 Laia Costa, Frederick Lau, Franz Rogowski, Burak Yigit

Think back and picture the craziest night out you have ever had, got it? Now times that by 10 and throw in a bank heist...

Spanish cafe worker Victoria (Costa) meets 4 Berliners on a night out and sparks up an unlikely friendship. Things take a sudden twist however when ex convict Boxer (Rogowski) must return a favour for the man who offered him protection in prison. The favour is specified as a 4 person job and with one of the 4 men smashed out of his mind on drugs, Victoria reluctantly takes his place.

The USP of Victoria is that it is filmed entirely in one take, no cut-aways, no clever sweeps to disguise scene changes this is the real deal. This is extremely impressive and to my knowledge has never been done to this extent. The film is 2 hours 18 minutes and doesn't break shot once. This daring style of film making was a risk reward and puts the viewer in the shoes of a silent and invisible character. You feel totally immersed in the world and almost one of the characters. The camera crew were easily the stars of this film and deserve all the praise they have gained.

 You are with the cast from start to finish, the audience travels through night clubs, rides in the backs of cars, inside posh hotels and even through a hail of gunfire. This makes for an unrivalled level of intimacy between audience and the characters as we are with Victoria through every decision and consequence. I truly connected with the people on screen, I cared for Victoria, felt sympathy for Sonne and I truly feared Boxer.

Victoria's pacing is a nail-biting slow burn, we loiter the streets and hangout on rooftops with the cast for at least the first half of the film. Things instantly pick up once the job gets under way, this was relatable in the way that snap decisions can have huge consequences. These decisions may seem insignificant at the time but they make way for larger and more dangerous ones to follow. This constant ramping up of tension and danger made for an exciting but at times harrowing watch. The film constantly made me question what I would do in certain situations and because the audience is essentially along for the ride we see the and feel the impact first hand.

A few people may take issue with the handheld style of film, however for the most part this was handled confidently. The pans were short and snappy without having that nauseating effect like in other productions. Another issue that may put people of is the subtitles, The character of Victoria is Spanish but speaks English throughout the film. The 4 Berliners however sometimes quickly transition from German to a thick accented English. This was sometimes difficult to keep pace with during the action sequences but not enough to break immersion.

By the end of the feature I could of sworn I had partied till 4 am, been in a high speed chase and felt the effects of cocaine all in the space of a couple of hours. I was really there, the film just convinced me and pulled me in from the outset. The bar has been well and truly raised.

The Verdict
Victoria reminds me why I fell in love with cinema, the connection t characters, the range of emotions and to ultimately the feeling of losing myself in another world. This is a daring and bold piece of film making that pushes the boundaries and raises the bar for technical achievement. A true gem and worthy of being called a masterpiece.

5/5

Sunday 13 March 2016

Review: Clinger

2015 Vincent Martella, Jennifer Laporte, Alicia Monet Caldwell

First love can be a real pain in the neck, Robert Klingher knows all too well after a gruesome and accidental decapitation.

Clinger starts off as a very innocent tale of first love set in a high school environment. Fearne is a running track star and chemistry whizz looking to get into college. Her unlikely boyfriend Robert is a real sensitive type who enjoys the simple things like playing guitar and cuddling. All seems well until a horrific accident ends with Robert losing his head. However his love is so strong for Fearne that he vows to never leave her side, even in the afterlife.

Alot of teen comedies rely on the same gags over and over and it can get rather stale. Clinger however used certain character tropes and cliques effectivly, adding horror elements or really clever tweaks just when you thought you knew where a scene was headed. Fearne's Christian best friend Moe was always spouting unintentional sexual innuendos and it never got old. Coach Kingley also had a darkly comedic secret I wont spoil anything here, but lets just say she's had a very interesting past!

All teeny bopper illusions are quickly shattered within the first 15 minutes as the blood starts flowing. This film had some really great gore effects and the ending scene out on the school running track is a treat for any gore hound! The main reason these splatter moments are so effective is down to their timing, Clinger pulls you back in time and time again with it's innocent teen comedy charms only to splash blood an entrails in your face as soon as you get comfortable. I fell for this time and time again but never once complained.

Despite all these good points the film does suffer from some quite serious flaws, pacing being one of them. At just 81 minutes (including credits roll) Clinger is criminally short. It almost felt like a TV movie but with a higher budget. While the laughs and the action built up to a steady finale the film felt like it still ended prematurely. The end was far too abrupt and for a film with horror elements it wrapped itself up a little too cleanly. It would have been nice to see how the characters reacted and went about their lives after the ordeal, are there any more potential murderous ghosts out there too? Sadly we will never know.

The Verdict

Short and far from sweet, Clinger is a great homage to teen comedies with well executed horror elements that come at you hard and fast. Clique breaking characters and nicely incorporated use of practical effects are the real stars of the show. Pacing and a disappointing abrupt end hold Clinger back from being truly great but this is still a thoroughly enjoyable teen horror gem.

3/5












Tuesday 8 March 2016

Review: Goosebumps

2015 Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Ryan Lee

To some making a Goosebumps film in 2015 may have seemed like a doomed project. With the social media obsessed youth of today we are lead to believe that films based on children's books no longer interest today's children. However I think there is an ace up the sleeve of this film and it comes in the form of nostalgia.

Our story begins in a familiar suburban setting, Zach (Minnette) has just moved to a new neighbourhood and the only interesting thing about the place is his next-door neighbour and her eccentric and overprotective farther, who just happens to be Goosebumps author R.L Stine. After suspecting his neighbour may be in danger, Zach and his new found friend Champ (Lee) sneak into the neighbour's house and discover a library of strangely locked Goosebumps books. These are no ordinary books as once opened they unleashed the horrors within their pages. What later ensues is a Ghostbusters style round up of all the terrifying creations of author R.L Stine.

Soon the unlikely team of 4 is band together and race against time trying to round up the supernatural terrors before the town is overrun. There is a wide variety of classic characters from the novels on display here, some well known and some not so (Aliens with freeze guns!?) The cast is so huge by the you may actually miss some if you aren't paying attention, but honestly this is a good excuse to watch the whole film all over again. The main protagonist is the delightfully devilish Slappy, one of R.L Stine's most infamous horror and also voiced by Jack Black. It was such a joy trying to spot your favourite ghouls and creatures from years ago as Slappy carelessly released them one after another! All my childhood memories (pleasant and scary) came rushing right back.

The small but well rounded cast worked well together and the constant banter between Zach and Mr Stine was thoroughly amusing. The most laughs however came from the cowardly but loveable Champ, he had some real laugh out loud moments and was the main comic relief. There was a slight love sub plot which was handled better than in most teen young adult flicks, this was very subtle and kind of charming if not a a tad predictable. The story ultimately lead to a high school/fun fair show down which while exciting, ended a little too cleanly. It would have been nice to have a few more scares and close calls but it was a satisfying wrap up and fitted the fun feel and innocent theme of the film.

The pacing of Goosebumps was very paint by numbers which could be seen as a negative, this did allow the audience to get a little bit too comfortable as you new there were never going to be too many shocks or surprises.


The Verdict

The thing that truly shone in Goosebumps was it's sheer innocence, there were no 'adult jokes' or mature references, this was adventure and fun in it's purest form. This was a film that cared about it's audience, looked to it's past whilst keeping one foot firmly in the present. Goosebumps is a well crafted, heartfelt and charming nod to a fantastic 90's show and a decade defining author.

4/5




Review: Sicario

2014 Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro 

Emily Blunt plays Kate Mercer, an ambitious FBI agent who is recruited by a secretive task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. 
It is on this task force she meets the mysterious mercenary known only as Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) and tries to get gain more intel on him whilst trying to serve her country. 

Right from the outset we are introduced to Kate and forced to walk her shoes as she discovers with the help of her team more than a dozen dead hostages stuffed inside the walls of a mexican drug den. Kate is seen vomiting later outside the den which instantly humanises her and makes you feel closer to her as a character.
This could be said about alot of the characters in Sicario, you felt the sense of trust, mistrust and even danger when they were on screen. A great decision by the director was one to let the audience discover things at the same pace as Kate, there weren't many cut away shots or back story and this made for a gripping watch.

The action in Sicario was a perfect blend of tense and hard hitting. There is a scene early on in the film where Kate and her newly acquired team are escorting a felon through Mexican border traffic and are suddenly caught in a gridlock. With every vehicle around them a potential threat this was a brilliantly crafted scene that saw nail biting tension slowly and painfully give way to violence, easily one of the best action scenes in recent memory.
I loved the stripped back feel to alot of the action sequences, the violence wasn't glorified but rather a means to an end for the characters. The director wanted to show us real situations, with real danger and real consequences. 

I can definitely recommend this film if you like great character driven drama with a slow build and an excellent payoff. This one had me thinking for days after the credits rolled.


The Verdict Sicario was criminally overlooked by audiences when it was released because it wasn't what they were expecting. Many expected a hard hitting action film with multiple explosions, this is a shame because what we have here is a beautifully crafted, tense and very personal character driven crime drama.

4/5