Rating: MMM

Review of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the 2002 best-selling novel of the same name, by Alice Sebold. The Lovely Bones tells the story of 14-year-old Susie Salmon who watches her family and friends from heaven after her grisly murder.

Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Saiorse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon
Running time: 135 mins

Based on Alice Sebold’s bestselling novel of the same name, Peter Jackson’s latest film sees Saiorse Ronan (Atonement) as Susie Salmon, a 14-year-old girl who is raped and murdered by a neighbour (Stanley Tucci) in January of 1973. The Lovely Bones is a film of two parts, one presenting the Salmon family mourning Susie and coming to terms with the trauma of her death; the other is an exploration of Susie’s life after death, in her ‘Inbetween’.

In The Lovely Bones, Peter Jackson really succeeds is in his direction of some very tightly constructed scenes, in particular where Susie’s sister Lindsey breaks into murderer Mr Harvey’s house – the scene is brilliantly claustrophobic, tense and with a tightly drawn out sense of suspense. The acting is also very good – Saiorse Ronan builds on her already solid reputation (highly praised for her excellent performance in Joe Wright’s Atonement) and is every inch convincing in her role as Susie – the only problems come in scenes which are in themselves problematic, either in terms of tone or emotional and narrative momentum. Mark Wahlberg does well, as does Susan Sarandon in a role that seems rather incongruous at times with the overall tone of the film.

And tone is perhaps one of the major problems with The Lovely Bones – it doesn’t know what kind of film it wants to be. It seems to be part melodrama, part grisly murder tale whereas some sunnier scenes are played out to an obviously comedic soundtrack – sadly Jackson fails to marry scenes together to make a whole film that really works. In comparison, the source novel maintains a wonderful tension between Susie, her family and other minor characters and several sub-plots that inform the main story. Where in the novel there is gently tragic emotion balanced with a more distanced perspective, the film fails to accomplish anything similar. For example, the film’s ‘emotional crescendo’ scene where Susie meets her murderer’s fellow victims in the afterlife is completely void of the emotional anchor it needs. Jackson pitches the scene (and its point in the film) completely wrong  – the audience have no emotional connection with the other victims, so what should be a key moment fails entirely, becoming anti-climactic as a result.

Another problem is the film’s under developed characters which lack the depth needed for such a potentially emotional story. Again, Sebold’s novel succeeds admirably with characterisation, pushing main and periphary characters to be sympathetic and believable. Admittedly the film is constrained by time, but less time spent with Susie wandering around a strange (albeit visually arresting) afterlife would be well spent developing the family characters (particularly Lindsey, who becomes the novel’s heart) who are in fact key to the emotional denouement.

The Lovely Bones is in parts entertaining, interesting and disappointing. There are enough good elements to make it enjoyable and worth watching, but it is likely to leave those unfamiliar with the novel with a bad taste in their mouths.

Rating: MMM

New slick comedy-drama from the award-winning director of Juno, Jason Reitman.

Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick
Running time: 109 mins

In Jason Reitman’s new film Up In The Air, George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, self-confessed lover of the business and executive class lifestyle, spending more days ‘up in the air’ than days living life on the ground. His job is to fly to different cities across the USA to various company offices to fire employees because the people they work for haven’t the heart to do it themselves. The vacuous corporateness and emptiness that others find so repugnant is Ryan’s lifeblood. Until his life takes an unexpected and unwelcome turn in the form of bright new upstart Natalie (Anna Kendrick) whose ideas and plans would bring Ryan’s jet setting to a grinding halt.

In Up In The Air, Jason Reitman seems to have produced two very different films in one: the first two-thirds of the film explore the executive void of Ryan’s life and his contentedness with it, whilst it being under threat from a ’shift in company direction’ from Natalie’s cost-cutting and economising ideas. This is a slick corporate world, driven by money and a veneer of politeness with complimentary bath robes thrown in, a world which is well executed by Reitman. However, the problem comes when Ryan seemingly begins to question his values and moral behaviour and starts to view his life from a different perspective. From this point onwards the film changes tone entirely – almost like you left the cinema screen to get more popcorn and wandered into a different screen, except the characters are the same, just playing out a different story. And this is where the film inevitably falls down. Without giving too much away, the last third becomes more of a family centred tv movie than a glossy and hip George Clooney film. This tone change has a sadly negative impact on the film, as Reitman seems unable to follow through his initial ideas to the end with adequate conviction. On paper, the film works fine – on celluloid it fails somewhat.

However, all the ingredients of the film are essentially very good. George Clooney, while simply doing his charming, golden matinee idol smile that he seems to have patented, is very good and likeable as ever. Vera Farmiga as Clooney’s female opposite is also good, providing a convincing twist in the final act that comes as a genuine surprise. Anna Kendrick however delievers a standout turn as the young and naive Natalie, building on her solid work in Twilight as Jessica Stanley.

The script is well written and delivers some laughs, and there are some nice visual gags – most notably, the pilot’s ridiculous moustache which provided me with one of the biggest bellylaughs since The Hangover. In contrast too there are some genuine moments of shock, pathos and poignancy, with Natalie’s ill fated relationship and the fateful effects of some of the employees being let go from their jobs. The film is well directed, well acted and well scripted, just not really thought through, needing the courage to avoid the now hackneyed ‘man on a journey’ plot and stick to its guns of vapid corporateness and the emptiness so loved by the George Clooney character.

Engaging, witty, entertaining and funny, just not as good as expected.

Rating: MMM

Rating: MMM+

Delayed review of director Chris Weitz’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the second instalment in the 4-part series of  the teen vampire romance, based on the novels by Stephenie Meyer.

Director: Chris Weitz
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Michael Sheen
Running time:130 mins

In the last Twilight film, star cross’d lover Bella Swan made a request of her vampire boyfriend, teen dream Edward Cullen, to change her from her state of “fragile little human” to one of vampiric immortal. Edward declines, reluctant to end Bella’s life for her and transform her into a “monster”. It is this desire and denial between the two (coupled with Edward’s uncertainty about how wise it is to carry on the relationship, based on earnest concerns for Bella’s safety) that creates palpable tension at the beginning of New Moon, eventually reaching crisis point after a tiny papercut at her birthday party puts Bella’s life in danger. Edward consequently breaks up with her, leaves the town of Forks, apparently out of Bella’s life forever.

As one might be able to predict, given the level of eye-gazing and soul searching our lovers engaged in during the first film and the level of besotted infatuation between them, Bella does not take the break-up well. In fact, to say that is an understatement – she enters a downward spiral of what can only be described as depression and near mental breakdown. Socially alienated and tortured by horriffic nightmares, Bella is a lost soul. That is until she is reawoken by friend Jacob Black. By spending time with Jacob, Bella’s emotional healing begins – until a dark secret Jacob is harbouring threatens their friendship.

In New Moon, Chris Weitz has crafted a faithful adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s novel of the same name but a film which sadly maintains the book’s langorous quality and lack of pace, slowing down and picking up in an awkward fashion, exemplified in the film’s anti-climactic third act in Italy (however, this is arguably the fault of the poorly structured source material). However, the film opens well, picking up soon after the events of  Twilight and makes good use of flashback footage of the first film, using Bella’s silvery scar and other reference points to link thematically and narratively with Catherine Hardwicke’s initial outing. However, a detail in which Weitz has done the film a disservice is his decision to change the film’s colour palette; Twilight is shot in a cool, glassy blue, capturing the striking beauty and coldness of both the Cullen family and the film’s location of Washington state (played in reality by Portland, Oregon).

Weitz’s New Moon departs from the frosty colours of Twilight to warm, golden hues which give the pale vampire make-up and contact lenses a garish theatricality and falseness – see above picture of Robert Pattinson’s chalky complexion. New Moon also uses a different composer for its score, which again changes the tone of things – gone is the lilting and decorative piano theme of ‘Bella’s Lullaby’ and in place is a fairly nondescript score, a real shame as there could have been room for linking themes, creating a sense of a whole ’saga’ (as the film is so reticently marketed). We must acknowledge that Lord of the Rings this isn’t, and we will get no such musical continuity here. The featured songs in the film however are excellent, with great tunes from Death Cab For Cutie (who provide the film’s promo single ‘Meet Me on the Equinox’), Bon Iver, Thom Yorke and Muse.

Another area where the film succeeds is in its casting and main players. Kristen Stewart as Bella is very good, anchoring the story convincingly and sensitively. As Edward, Robert Pattinson doesn’t make much of an appearance in the film, but when onscreen is credibly haunting and of course, achingly gorgeous. But Pattinson is not to be outdone in the looks department by Taylor Lautner who is really the film’s show stealer. At all times believable, endearing and generating many scenes of palpable sexual and emotional tension between Bella and the newly ‘buff’ Jacob – for his role, Lautner bulked up considerably, a fact that it is impossible not to notice, spending so much time bare-chested, cinemagoers will undoubtedly leave with his rippling abs burned into their retinas. The first de-shirting is one of many that will cause more than a few giggles, and is something many critics will knock, but as Mark Kermode argues, the film clearly knows its target market (the teenage female) and really there is nothing wrong with the boys getting a little bit naked in face of the plethora of degrading female nudity seen accross the global media.

With more action, more melodrama, more staring and more angst, New Moon would seem on the face of it to be more of the same, but really this second episode has lost some of the quality and fun of the original, sadly making it less enjoyable as a result. Nevertheless, a solid effort that will please fans and Twi-hards alike and guaranteed to be box-office gold.

Rating: MMM+

Rating: MM+

Review of black comedy-horror Jennifer’s Body, written by Oscar winning Diablo Cody, writer of 2007 indie hit Juno.

Director: Karyn Kusama
Starring: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, J.K. Simmons, Adam Brody, Johnny Simmons, Kyle Gallner
Running time: 102 mins

Following her excellent, zippy script for Juno in 2007, great things are expected from writer Diablo Cody’s follow up effort, black comedy horror Jennifer’s Body. The result, instead of being a film balanced between edgy intelligent comedy and neat horror shocks is a mediocre film that is neither really scary nor really funny. The script lacks the energy and spark of Cody’s debut, and while there are lines that are genuinely witty these are few and far between.

The film centres on Needy (Amanda Seyfried), best friend of the Jennifer of the title (played by babe du jour Megan Fox) who comes to realise that her sometime promiscuous gal-pal is not all she seems and that she has in fact become a literal man-eater. However, the premise on which Jennifer’s demonic transformation is based is so ludicrous and laughable that it makes a mockery of the whole film – despite the film not taking itself too seriously the nature of the ‘satanic ritual’ is too far fetched to be in any way credible. There are moments of comedy in certain lines of dialogue, but there are more laughs to be had at the expense of the film itself. In terms of horror and scares, these are few and far between, with only a couple of scenes providing any atmosphere and tension. When the gore comes it is relatively tame, something of a surprise not only in light of the way the film has been marketed, but from Cody’s own love of horror films – this is certainly to the detriment of the film, as one feels there is there is potential for some great scares.

As Needy, Amanda Seyfried is a sympathetic and likeable character in a long-suffering role who is punished by Jennifer both socially and romantically. Megan Fox on the other hand is lacklustre, merely doing all that is required of her – looking sexy and attractive in skimpy outfits and baring flesh when swimming across a placid lake. She fulfils the teenage boy’s fantasy image of a sex-bomb body but adds nothing to the film in terms of acting talent. Likewise, Adam Brody (Seth Cohen from TV’s The O.C.) is neither sinister or menacing enough to be credible, but a bizarre character involved in an even more bizarre premise. However, the casting of J.K. Simmons as a class teacher is one of the film’s trump cards, adding a cool and charming element to the film’s characterisation. In interviews, Cody has explained that Jennifer is meant to be an alpha female riddled with insecurities, something the film fails to fully explore. She seems ditsy and vapid, and not nearly as scheming and manipulative as the film aims to suggest.

Jennifer’s Body tries to be an intelligent darkly comic horror but simply fails to deliver. Underwhelming stuff from a writer of Cody’s calibre.

Rating: MM+

Rating: MMM+

Review of Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film, Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos), starring his current screen muse Penélope Cruz.

Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Penélope Cruz, Lluis Homar, Blanca Portillo, Tamar Noves, José Luis Gómez
Running time: 127 mins

Broken Embraces marks the fourth collaboration between director Pedro Almodóvar and actress Penélope Cruz and is one with similar themes to their previous outings together All About My Mother and Volver – family, parenthood, sex and love affairs that lead ultimately to danger and heartache. Set in 2008, Broken Embraces centres on blind director/screenwriter Harry Caine (Lluis Homar) who, before losing his sight was a famous film director. However, events in 2008 in the lives of Harry, his personal assistant Judit (Blanca Portillo) and her son Diego (Tamar Noves) bring back past memories and the ghost of a shared trauma that as yet has been left unresolved. Going back 14 years, we see Harry (then known by his real name, Mateo Blanco) embarking on a doomed love affair with his charismatic lead actress Lena (Penélope Cruz), whose infidelity towards her partner (José Luis Gómez) has disastrous consequences.

As much as Broken Embraces’ first half hour is relatively engaging, it lacks the essential clarity of narrative so crucial to the establishing of premise and plot – it seems the easiest way for the audience to really connect with the characters and the action is to let it wash over them instead of attempting to understand it. Although the film is certainly not 21 Grams style anti-chronological, it certainly isn’t the most linear, and sadly this is where its problems lie. The first act sees Cruz and Gómez in 1992 and then in 1994, a series of scenes which seem to be primarily for character development but which do not further the main action, even if they do throw up some vaguely interesting sub-plots. However, the central part of the film is solid and well crafted, with some excellent location photography (look out for the stunning aerial shots of Lanzarote), art direction and classic Almodóvar mise-en-scene with vibrant reds, blues and yellows, and with solitary figures preparing food in kitchens.

It must be said that Pedro Almodóvar really knows how to direct his actors and is a master of casting; Penélope Cruz as ever is mesmerising in terms of both her beauty and performance as the not-always likeable Lena. Fellow Volver actress Blanca Portillo is nuanced and convincing as Judit, as is her Lluis Homar as Harry/Mateo. Although few of the characters generate as much sympathy as other figures in Almodóvar’s films, there is enough charisma and charm between them to keep the audience entertained. However, the narrative problems make Broken Embraces just that little bit harder to engage with – the film loses its way slightly in the deployment of a third act that seems tacked-on and a plot point that those familiar with Almodóvar’s work will see coming and arguably feel cheated by.

A challenging, intelligent, moving and well-crafted drama not without its charm, but not without its problems either.

Rating: MMM+ (add another M if you’re an Almodóvar fan)

Review of the latest film of the Harry Potter franchise, sixth film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which sees Harry and Dumbledore unite to search into Voldemort’s past in an effort to discover secrets that will lead them to destroy him.

Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Running time: 153 mins

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the second film about the boy wizard to be directed by David Yates (his first outing in the franchise being film #5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) with films #1 and #2 helmed by Chris Columbus, the third by Alfonso Cuaron and the fourth by Mike Newell. Interestingly, where the second film suffered with a lack of freshness by Columbus once more taking the reins, Half-Blood Prince also suffers.

But just where the film falls down seems on the surface hard to pinpoint. On the whole (with a few glaring exceptions) the performances are reasonably good, the production value and visual effects are faultless, the dialogue is acceptable and for those wishing to pick holes in the book-to-screen transition, there is little to criticise. Where the problem comes however, is in the film’s pace which lacks dynamism and any sense of rhythm. Some scenes concentrate heavily on the mystery surrounding the identity of the Half-Blood Prince (which Harry comes across in an old school textbook) while others neglect this part of the plot completely. Quidditch seems to feature heavily, which seems incongruous to the film’s advertised tone – the franchise getting darker as Voldemort’s power grows. It must be said that far too much of the film is given over to the pangs of teenage love and raging hormones – all of which are important elements in the source material but here take up far too many scenes.

Having said that the performances are fairly good, this is only true of the adult actors and a very small number of their younger counterparts. Daniel Radcliffe is as ever painfully hit-and-miss, with some scenes feeling cringingly awkward whereas others are fairly good (the scene involving the lucky potion Felix Felicis in particular) . In comparison, Jim Broadbent  is excellent as new Potions teacher Professor Horace Slughorn, as is Michael Gambon as the illustrious Albus Dumbledore. Rupert Grint continues to demonstrate brilliant comic timing and excellent performance skills in his reprisal of Ron Weasley. Sadly, as ever, Emma Watson struggles in her portrayal of Hermione Granger as she has done in the previous films. However, she fares better than Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) who is extremely poor – her relationship and ‘blossoming romance’ with Harry withers on screen with a complete lack of chemistry. However, the two young actors as the young Tom Riddle (at ages 11 and 16 respectively), Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane are superb, with the two performances maintaining a tension between sinister and eerie and a creepy seductiveness.

Other elements of the film are also good, the visual effects in particular – the inky thoughts tipping into the Pensieve are excellent, as is the fire wielded by Dumbledore near the film’s climax. However, there is an inescapable feeling of mediocrity running more or less throughout the entire film which cannot be evaded even by the aforementioned firy adventures of Harry and Dumbledore and their consequences. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is perhaps the weakest in the canon since the excellence of film number four – and sadly the curse of keeping the same director is set to continue with Yates at the helm of the franchise’s final instalments.

Rating: MMM

Review of Brüno, the latest character-driven film from Sacha Baron Cohen.

Director: Larry Charles
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen
Running time: 83 mins

Brüno is the silver-screen spin-off of Sacha Baron Cohen’s television character of the same name. And as with the 2006 film devoted to his other creation Borat, Baron Cohen’s Brüno suffers from its eponymous star being an essentially unlikeable character.  The Austrian fashion expert has very few redeeming and endearing qualities – even less than Baron Cohen’s Kazakh ‘hero’. Where Borat could be loveable and sweetly naïve, Brüno manages to maintain a level of near-constant irritation throughout. The only way the character manages to engage with the audience is by the broad comedy (and more often stupidity) and ridiculous scrapes he gets himself (and others) into.

Having said this, the bellylaughs generated by Brüno’s antics only just outnumber the head-in-hands moments where one wonders if the tone can really be lowered any more. Though Baron Cohen’s film and television work is arguably not for the easily offended or those of a nervous disposition, it does at times seem that Brüno aims to shock and appal somewhat arbitrarily – superfluous crassness exemplified in numerous sequences where our protagonist and his partner engage in various sexual acts, Brüno’s television pitch and his visit to a fortune-teller. These moments of sheer crudity detract from an otherwise very entertaining and without a doubt hilarious film.

Again (as seen in Borat) it must be said that the American people do make for excellent comic fodder, demonstrating various levels of socio-political ignorance and stupidity that never cease to amaze (although this may be down to slick editing), with Brüno talking to a pair of bimbo PR agents in Hollywood who seem to believe that Darfur is in the Middle-east. Other foreign policy issues are similarly gaffed and played with to great aplomb, pinpointing with worrying accuracy the areas of social cluelessness apparently prevalent in the US. Other winning sequences see Brüno in conversation with the parents of child models, pointing to celebrities and referring to them in Germanic names – Wilhelm Schmidt (Will Smith), Bradolf Pittler (Brad Pitt) and der Fuhrer (Mel Gibson) -and an ill-advised interview with a real terrorist. These triumphant scenes are welcome relief from a film comprised almost entirely from thoroughly hit-and-miss sequences, with the funniest moments due to Baron Cohen’s comic timing and not from forced cringe-worthy vulgarity.

Brüno is an enjoyable and entertaining comedy that is likely to polarise audiences, stuck between shocked offense and peals of laughter.

Rating: MMM

Review of Push first published in a March 2009 issue Spark*, the newspaper of Reading University Students’ Union.

Director: Paul McGuigan
Starring: Chris Evans, Camilla Belle, Dakota Fanning, Djimon Hounsou
Running Time: 111 mins

The title of Paul McGuigan’s sci-fi thriller Push refers to a super power, of ‘pushing’ thoughts into the minds of others, which ‘Pushers’ Djimon Hounsou and Camilla Belle achieve throughout the film with often devastating results – Kira (Belle) uses her ‘Pusher’ mind tricks to force one of her captors into believing that his partner murdered his brother, when he in fact had no brother. ‘Watchers’ (Dakota Fanning being the prime example) can predict the future, ‘Sniffers’ (you guessed it) have a highly developed sense of smell. All of these super abilities are very well dealt with in the film, with the ‘Bleeders’ being the most visually arresting – the chase through Hong Kong market streets with tank after tank exploding with the pressure of the fish inside bleeding to death is an excellent touch. However, although the end result of the Bleeders’ abilities is effortlessly cool, the fact that the powers emanate from mad-eyed screaming men is embarrassingly contrived and laughable.

Chris Evans as Nick is as well-toned and handsome as ever, as is Djimon Hounsou (in a departure from the high-brow fare such as Blood Diamond and Gladiator). However, for arguably talented actors (Hounsou especially) both aren’t really given enough to do. The character of Nick lacks the depth and sympathy needed from a leading role, while Housou’s villain is only just saved from being two-dimensional. Camilla Belle is surprisingly good, perhaps atoning for the drivel that was 10,000 BC, presenting Kira as a strong woman dangerously caught up in a tangled mess of her own making (to say anymore would give away a plot twist at film’s climax). As Cassie the 13-year-old Watcher and unlikely sidekick to Nick, Dakota Fanning gets more and more irritating as the film goes on, apparently possessing the ability to cry whilst maintaining the same bored facial expression but never to look at all pained or sad.

Visually, the film excels, cutting between slick and grainy camerawork, making for an interesting and original visual style that seems more reminiscent of a gritty British drama than a Hollywood superhero movie. The effects are equally good, making clever and cool use of standard computer generated trickery (the two handguns that Nick manipulates into floating mid-air and following him is excellent) and more traditional effects such as different powders exploding in bursts of colour. McGuigan’s use of music is also very slick, using both contemporary and retro tunes to great effect. However, as is the worrying trend among many recent silver-screen outings (and in this case is more disappointing seeing as the premise and other aspects of the film are so promising), Push is let down by a poor and dull script and a rather messy third act that leaves the audience in little else than confusion. This aside, Push makes solid ground on which to hopefully build a better sequel (the end of the film suggests that a sequel must be on the cards, although in a deliciously ambiguous way).

Rating: MMM

Review of Bolt first published in a February 2009 issue Spark*, the newspaper of Reading University Students’ Union.

Director: Byron Howard, Chris Williams
Starring: (voices) John Travolta, Miley Cyrus
Running Time: 96mins

If there is one undisputable fact about Bolt, it is the level of cuteness of its eponymous hero, the ‘super’ dog Bolt. But sadly, for all his sweet fuzziness (and when I say he’s cute, I mean CUTE), Bolt never really pulls the heartstrings the way that Wall.E did. And this is mainly because he is totally outshone by Rhino the hamster, the “master of stealth”, who by his own words, is “awesome!!!”. As stories go, the premise of the film isn’t half bad, in fact its quite original. Performing ‘actor’ dog is the star of a primetime television show in which he routinely saves his beloved ‘person’ Penny from the clutches of the evil ‘Green-Eyed Man’. Bolt however, does not realise that in reality he doesn’t have special powers like his famous ‘Super Bark’, and begins on a painful journey of self-discovery, learning how to be a ‘normal’ dog in the process.

In terms of characterisation, Bolt (voiced by John Travolta), and his feline friend Mittens (voiced by Susie Essman) are both characters who maintain a tension between being mildly sympathetic and fairly irritating in equal measure. Penny, Bolt’s on and off screen owner, (voiced by Miley Cyrus) only just manages to hold the audience’s sympathy, partly due to her genuine concern and love for her dog, conveyed in the photos of the pair of them that she collects (pictures highly reminiscent of the travelling gnome in Amelie).

Rhino, as previously mentioned, is the best character in the whole film, injecting into the last 45minutes some much needed laughs. And it is this, aside from the essential charm, that is what really lets the film down. All the pacy and defty handled action sequences and set pieces (and these are in abundance) just cannot make up for good dialogue. The repartee between dog and cat is laboured and clichéd, with their in-fighting and grumbling becoming grating after only 20 minutes.

The film does have its moments of charm, with the introduction of some peculiar Italian American pigeons, a fleeting glimpse of the hamster-obsessed little old lady who Rhino manages to escape from and the sweet series of montages that chart Bolt’s progress in learning about the things that normal dogs do. However, these vignettes and sequences do not make up for the overriding sense of banality which pervades the film. The jokes fall flat, the banter is poor, and if you don’t like the dog after the first act, it will certainly hamper your enjoyment of the film. Solid family half-term fare, just don’t expect anything amazing.

Rating: MM

Review of Doubt first published in a February 2009 issue Spark*, the newspaper of Reading University Students’ Union.

Director: John Patrick Shanley
Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
Running time: 104 mins

For those who have only seen Meryl Streep in recent summer romp Mamma Mia or the fashion-themed fun of The Devil Wears Prada, John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt is a great window onto some of her more serious performances. This is for the primary reason that Doubt is well and truly Streep’s film, despite what the film’s Oscar nominations might suggest (an acting nomination for Streep, Hoffman and Adams). But this is also one of the main detractions from the film: Streep’s powerful performance (which undoubtedly – pun intended – is excellent) is left to dominate and overshadow the film itself. Adams’ performance is very good, although she seems to maintain a look of anxious trepidation throughout the entire film. Hoffman’s performance follows his usual excellent standards, simultaneously conveying an uncomfortable creepiness and kind benevolence.

The film features some clever subtle moments, one where Sister Aloysius (Streep) forces Sister James (Adams) to eat a piece of gristle that she previously spit out and put on her plate with one piercing look from her beady eyes – conveying the silent power and domination that Sister Aloysius holds over Saint Nicholas School and the rest of the nuns.  The nun who is suffering from sight deterioration placing the figures in the nativity crib at Christmas is also deftly handled. So is the cinematography, with some interesting off-balance and low-angle shots.

However, aside from three very good performances, Doubt fails to deliver on pretty much any other level. The film’s premise is basically all that happens in the film: nun/principal of Catholic school suspects and accuses priest of having a questionable relationship with a student. Doubt tries but never succeeds in escaping from this problem – nothing happens in the film that you haven’t already seen in the trailer. As for the ending: on one hand, the film’s climax which breaks with conventional explorations of mystery (by giving no answer one way or the other whether Sister Aloysius’s suspicions were correct or not) is an interesting one, leaving the audience to work out their own conclusions and judgements. On the other hand however, the film’s ending leaves the audience with a lack of real resolution and ‘closure’, forcing further questions to be asked than any to be answered. For some this would be to the film’s credit, but sadly not for this critic. There is an overriding sense of heavy-handedness in the film’s dialogue and smaller lead-up scenes which begins to grate and eventually becomes very irritating: “it takes a cat to catch a mouse” and “the wind has changed” are both lines that smack of poor writing that scream of try-hard symbolism.

All in all, Doubt marks another great performance from the ever-excellent Streep and Hoffman, and further establishes Adams’ reputation from being a star on the rise. But the overwhelming lack of dynamism and pace makes what could otherwise be a tense and intriguing drama into a tedious and dull 100 minutes. Perhaps Doubt works better on the stage (the film is a celluloid version of Shanley’s own play), but to be frank, I’ve seen enough.

Rating: MMM