Rating: MMMM

Director: Asif Kapadia
Starring: Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Frank Williams, Ron Dennis
Running time: 106 mins
Cert: 12A

*****  INCLUDES PLOT SPOILERS *****

The makers of documentary Senna struck lucky three years ago; Bernie Eccleston, head honcho of Formula One, allowed director Asif Kapadia and his team to have access to the F1 archives, giving the filmmakers hours and hours of footage with which to tell the story of Ayrton Senna’s career.

Starting with Senna’s beginnings in go-karting, Senna is composed of television footage chopped together, accompanied by voice-over interviews from Senna’s sister Viviane, his parents, McLaren boss Ron Dennis and Senna’s rival and team-mate Alain Prost, among others. The story of Senna’s F1 career and personal life is told by these disembodied voices, which gives the piece a cinematic feel – the fact that Kapadia did not use talking heads works to the film’s advantage, as we see Senna’s story unfolding with a fluidness that cuts back and forth to contributors could not achieve.

The film covers Senna’s famous rivalry with Alain Prost, showing the two battling for pole position on numerous occasions and fighting for millimetres of space on the road in races fraught with tension. We see the pair’s strained relationship on and off the track, with Senna resenting Prost’s apparent friendship with FIA head (and fellow Frenchman) Jean-Marie Balestre. Senna believed himself to have been unfairly penalised and that Balestre favoured Prost, following an investigation into a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix where both drivers were involved.

Throughout the film, we see Senna as a thoroughly motivated and intense driver, a deeply religious man and one who certainly did not shy away from the spotlight. However, though the film is certainly a celebration of Senna, it also serves as an in-depth character study of an interesting and engaging character: a man who would drive competitors off the track at one race, then at others would put his own life in danger (jumping out of his vehicle, dodging speeding cars and running across the road) to help a fellow driver in trouble.

Senna follows a neat three-act structure, with the final part unsurprisingly being the most dramatic and moving. For those going into the film knowing where and when Senna’s final tragedy takes place, the indication of passing years becomes more and more OMINOUS, culminating with the appearance of an intertitle reading ‘1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Imola’. At this, my pulse began to quicken, watching the horrific crash on the Friday that Rubens Barichello miraculously walked away from, knowing that only more carnage would follow.

Asif Kapadia and his army of editors have created a highly entertaining (particularly the use of on-board camera footage) and engaging film that appeals to both fans of motorsport and those who know nothing about Formula One. The charismatic Senna comes across as a fascinating character, a man who pushed himself to the mental and physical edge, and an individual who gave hope and joy not just to his home nation, Brazil but to people the world over.

So, here are all the films I have watched at the cinema in the last year and a bit (that I haven’t already reviewed) and my thoughts on them.

An Education – warm and clever, well acted, well scripted (no surprise being penned by the brilliant Nick Hornby), intelligent. Carey Mulligan is fantastic and Alfred Molina stole my heart as the irritable father. MMMM

Green Zone – solid action thriller about the Iraq war, set in 2003. A well argued point about the non-existence of those pesky WMD. Matt Damon is unsurprisingly good, as is Jason Isaacs (even with a preposterous black moustache). Could and probably should have been about 10-15 minutes shorter, the pace sagged towards the end. MMM

Alice in Wonderland – sadly disappointing, given the initial promise of combining Lewis Carroll’s fantasy  tale with the deliciously dark directing talents of Mr Tim Burton. Johnny Depp gives a nuanced performance as the Mad Hatter, and Mia Wasikowska is fairly solid as the titular Alice. An hour too long and a dull third act left a sour taste in the mouth.  MMM

Shutter Island – Leonardo DiCaprio psychological thriller from Martin Scorsese. The problem with Shutter Island is that Scorsese aimed for a pastiche of 1950s genre pictures, but failed to get it across – resulting in the film seeming to be taking itself seriously when in actual fact it is meant to send up similar plots.     MMM

Kick-Ass – comic book adaptation about a teenage misfit boy becoming a real-life superhero without possessing any super powers. Controversial on release for 13 year old Hit Girl saying the ‘c’ word. Well written and well executed, an original premise and good performances from all its major players…but I didn’t think it to be the seminal work of genius that others proclaim it to be. Perhaps it deserves another watch.  MMMM

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang – that’s right, Nanny McPhee. But this time set in the midst of World War II, with spoiled city rich kids evacuated to the care of their country cousins.  A great cast of talented child actors, Maggie Gyllenhaal as put upon mother and Emma Thompson as Nanny McPhee made this a wonderful fun, with slapstick comedy and a genuinely heartwarming end. Great fun.   MMM

How To Train Your Dragon – children’s digimation from Dreamworks about a Viking boy who meets and befriends a dragon – the nemesis of his community. Good dialogue, an original story and beautiful art design lifted this film from what could have been another kids’ CG also-ran. Entertaining.       MMM

Cemetery Junction – coming of age comedy-drama from Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais. Watching Cemetery Junction for me was a poignant and bittersweet experience. The film is based on Ricky Gervais’ childhood and adolescence in the town of Reading, Berkshire where for three happy years, I was a student (Cemetery Junction is an actual place in Reading, not far from where I used to live). The film’s themes echoed my watching of it, memories of happy times tinged with a nostalgic sadness of growing up and moving on. The three lead actors are fantastic, particularly Tom Hughes as dashing bad boy Bruce. The script is well written, as are the characters – there are many tiny tragic (yet everyday) moments that couldn’t be better played, for example Emily Watson’s mother telling her daughter that her husband hasn’t said “thank you” for almost a decade. Brilliantly acted, brilliantly conceived. A film that will ring true with anyone and everyone that has grown too big for the town they grew up in.     MMMM

Iron Man 2 – tin-clad super hero sequel. It seems that with every new super hero movie, the plot gets less and less important and more and more paper-thin. Robert Downey, Jr aka Tony Stark aka Iron Man has to stop the evil Russian (typical movie cultural stereotyping here, no sir!) Mickey Rourke thwarting his racing car driving efforts and also taking over the world with an army of Iron Man lookalikes or somesuch stuff. Basically don’t think too much about what’s going on, it’s a fun ride with lots of noisy explosions and gratuitous pencil skirt wearing by Ms Paltrow AND Ms Johansson.      MMM

Death At A Funeral – funny and fairly entertaining black comedy, but just not really funny enough. The appeal for me was 30 Rock’s Tracy Morgan who was sadly sidelined in a dull gross-out subplot, with James Marsden getting the majority of laughs. Fairly predictable romp with Chris Rock in a straight role for once (therein lies the rub…perhaps). And Martin Lawrence, please, just go away.     MMM

Get Him to the Greek – laugh out loud explicit rudeness starring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. Building on the Aldous Snow character from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Russell Brand does his Russell Brand thing as an over sexed, over stimulated washed-up rock star whom the unlucky Jonah Hill has to take from London to the Greek theatre in Los Angeles. However, sex, drugs and more drugs prove far too distracting for Brand’s character and comedy hi-jinks and dope-fuelled mayhem ensues. Good silly fun but not for those with a weak stomach. As Liz Lemon would say, blerg.     MMM+

Eclipse - third in the saga of Twilight films, and certainly not the best. But not the worst. I’m still undecided whether this was just mediocre or actually quite good. I’m going to go with mediocre as on a recent repeat viewing I was asking myself how I hadn’t found it really dull the first time. The acting from Mr ‘R Pattz’ (as ‘Twi-hards’ refer to him) has certainly got better, as has the wolf/vampire CGI. The second time around my feelings about Eclipse can be summed up as ‘meh’. Not terrible, not amazing. Just kind of there. I leave you to judge for yourself.    MMM-

Inception – in the words of Mr Simon of the Cowell: A. May. Zing. And I saw it in the BFI IMAX. Slightly overwhelming. The must-see film of 2010.

Toy Story 3 - a brilliant and beautiful end to one of the strongest trilogies in film history. As moving as it is entertaining, this film closed the door on many people’s childhoods (mine included) and characters that we had grown up with. Fantastic.

Going the Distance – great romantic comedy (which is actually both funny AND romantic, would you believe it?!?) starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. Girl meets boy, girl and boy hit it off, girl and boy struggle when their relationship is stretched across a thousand miles. Tugged at my heartstrings and tickled my funny bone – the characters are so damn likeable and the actors’ chemistry is tangible. Great stuff.

Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud – Zac Efron sailing weepie – the clue is in the title. Let it be known to all doubters and cynics that the Zefron CAN ACT. And looks rather attractive while doing it.

The Social Network – The prospect of dream team writer Aaron Sorkin (THE WEST WING, oh lordy, THE WEST WING) and David Fincher (Fight Club) conceiving this film about the origins and birth of the social networking behemoth Facebook was simply mouthwatering – and the product does NOT disappoint. Scored by Trent Reznor (the man behind Nine Inch Nails), brilliantly scripted (what else would you expect from Sorkin anyway??) and fabulously acted by Jesse Eisenberg (as creepy geekoid founder Mark Zuckerberg) and Andrew Garfield (tragic hero Eduardo Saverin), this is a real treat. Do NOT be put off by people calling it Facebook: the Movie. It is more like a Shakespearean tragedy. But with less death. Go see.      MMMMM

Easy A – the best teen comedy since Mean Girls. Emma Stone is wonderful.

Made in Dagenham – Fabulous true story about the machinist ladies of Ford in Dagenham going on strike in the 1960s (whose efforts led to the Equal Pay Act being passed into law). Marvellous.

Let Me In – American remake of the quietly outstanding Let the Right One In. A surprisingly good homage to the original which hopefully will serve as a companion piece to John Ajvide Lindqvist’s source novel.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 – Great end (well one part) to a great series. The final final chapter should be just as good if not better.

Rating: MMMMM

Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Running time: 112 mins
Cert: 12A

Last night I was lucky enough to get into a free preview screening of Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, the new film from director Edgar Wright, who also co-wrote the screenplay of this comic book adaptation. That’s Edgar ‘Spaced’ Wright. Edgar Shaun of the Dead Wright. Edgar Hot Fuzz Wright.

So those were my reasons for being OH SO VERY excited about seeing this movie – I hadn’t read the comic book or kept up with the pre-production gossip online, instead I’ve just spent a couple of months treasuring the lovely warm prospect of a new Wright film, and hoping that makes me laugh halfway as much as his previous collaborations with the glorious Pegg and Frost team. As I’m still utterly buzzing 12 hours after watching it, any fans worried that the hop across the pond may have meant a move away from the quirky, charmingly silly humour his previous British comedies were characterised by- well they can just start getting ridiculously excited instead.

As you’d expect from the trailer, we follow Scott Pilgrim in each of his visually awesome battles with the seven demented exes. Afterwards, we all agreed that Michael Cera was absolutely the perfect match for Scott’s dialogue, which was often very, very funny, but made hysterical by Cera’s faltering, understated manner. So many throwaway lines keep coming back to me that on paper just wouldn’t, but were perfect little moments that took me by surprise. I never want to see him in another Judd Apatow comedy- they’re not bad, but it would ruin the memory of him in this infinitely more quick-witted film.

The supporting characters in Scott Pilgrim’s world are far more hilariously drawn that I had any right to expect. You’re whipped into the quick-fire sarcasm of his bandmate friends, (who are endearing and are refreshingly not teeth-grindingly quirky as in so many indie flicks) and this made me more than happy to suspend my disbelief when all the really silly stuff kicked off. And boy does it ever kick off.
The action fits surprisingly well into the snowy Toronto setting, provided you’ve left enough of your cynicism at the door. Rather than realistic martial arts, expect instead to be left gawking at the comic book-capery it does so well. As far as I could see, no actual blood and gore will be strewn about in the final edit, which is entirely in keeping with the tone of the film and something I’m quite relieved about. Gore is all well and good in its place, but I felt the increasingly tragic zombifications towards the end of Shaun of the Dead really jarred with the slapstick at times.

Another thing we were agreed on was that the humour was far less exclusive than other slacker comedies, or indeed action comedies we’ve all seen recently. While the whole film is essentially both a very funny computer game AND comic book up on the big screen, with in-jokes to tickle die-hard nerds of either persuasion, none of this stops anyone else laughing. It didn’t matter in the slightest if you didn’t know where a pixelated gaming sight gag came from (for there are many) came from, it was still funny to me and every other person who can’t even play Mariokart successfully. There aren’t jokes for the lads, and token ones for their girlfriends, there is just joke after joke that will leave both sexes weak and spluttering at the memory long after.

Scott Pilgrim sets out to combine action, comedy and romance and does a damn fine job of blending the three throughout so that no aspects feel tacked on. Romance does however suffer slightly from a lack of screen-time- although Scott battles each evil ex for the love of the apparently too-cool-for-anything Ramona, I did wonder what exactly was so great about her that he would get beaten up seven times in a row. But the relentless action and humour didn’t leave me much time to ponder this, or the other issue that has since started to niggle at me. Will anyone else agree with me that maybe having our hero fight the exes for ownership of his girl is a little off-colour? Feisty though she is, Ramona falls victim to the ‘Bella Swan paradox’- the story revolves around her, but it’s largely the blokes who get to do all the fun action stuff. There is a wicked girly fight (calm down) but Buffy this ain’t.

The music gives the fight scenes some real fire power in my opinion, and is as integral to the film as the offbeat ‘kerpow!’ and ‘zap!’ animations that pop up at just the right moments to punctuate the very ordinary Toronto. To those literally-minded/boring people who may complain that this, and the action sequences are too zany and unrealistic, I will say that the weirdness of Scott Pilgrim’s world all comes directly from how teenage and 20/30-something slacker gamers might view things from a sideways angle. They spend days and nights solving puzzles, arming up and beating each level, a pattern which is seamlessly integrated (God knows how, it’s an utter miracle) into this story. The end result is gorgeous on screen, even to my pixel-blind eyes.

Although Edgar Wright was sitting RIGHT THERE in the cinema as I left the post-preview screening market research interview, there was something I just couldn’t bring myself to go up to him and say. So here it is:

“Edgar Wright, your television and film work has given me so much joy and will be forever embedded in my life. So much so, that a like, if not a love for ‘Spaced’ is an essential requirement for any boyfriends, past and future- I am completely incapable of sleeping with someone who hasn’t seen ‘Spaced’ and laughed like a fool with me at it.”

Ahem. While I can’t yet declare the same obsession for Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, it has pretty much blown his previous films out of the water. The same amount of love and attention to tiny funny details has gone into the film that made ‘Spaced’ so infinitely re-watchable. If Edgar Wright does not become a very rich man there is something very wrong with the world’s film viewing public.

Rating: MMMM

Director: Drew Barrymore
Starring: Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig, Marcia Gay Harden, Eve, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis
Running time: 111 mins
Cert: 12A

Don’t be put off by the fuschia pink UK poster, covered in the faces of smiling women – this is not The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants or any of that saccharine-soaked ‘girl power’ drivel (that in fact evokes the very opposite of female empowerment). Whip It is a kick-ass, feisty and intelligent sports movie that neatly combines multiple genre elements (pop culture comedy, family drama, teen romance) to create and warm and entertaining film that is full of what Americans call ‘attitude’.

Whip It centres around 17 year old Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page), a disillusioned misfit resident of dead-end town, Bodeen, Texas. Bliss lives her life as put-upon waitress of kitsch diner the Oinkery and dutiful daughter, reluctantly  entered into beauty pageants by her mother (Marcia Gay Harden), a straightlaced postwoman who runs the Cavendar household as a tight ship.

On a shopping trip with her mother and sister in nearby city Austin, Bliss sees a flyer advertising a roller derby match – tough, scantily clad girls on skates speeding around a track, tackling and shoving each other violently in order to score points. Accompanied by best friend Pash, Bliss goes to the match and is immediately struck by the sport and particularly the women playing it – players with tough-girl names such as ‘Smashley Simpson’ and ‘Eva Destruction’. After the match, Bliss approaches one of the ‘Hurl Scouts’, Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) who suggests that she should try out for the team as they are looking for new members. A tentative Bliss attends the trial, demonstrating a speed on skates that surprises even herself, consequently making the team and becoming a Hurl Scout by the name of ‘Babe Ruthless’.

Whip It combines sports movie, broad comedy, coming of age tale and teen flick to great effect – it is a highly engaging, entertaining and moving  film –  one of the final scenes involving Marcia Gay Harden’s mother character in particular will undoubtedly moisten a few eyes, as will a piercing moment of betrayal. Also, the early stages of Bliss’s relationship with love interest Oliver are equally charming, as are the tender swimming pool scenes, shot to great aplomb by debut director Drew Barrymore.

The script too is funny, witty, warm and clever. Barrymore’s directing is excellent, particularly the aforementioned underwater sequences, demonstrating she has considerable talent not just in the fields of acting and producing. She has a clear understanding of her characters and her scene: the rough and ready world of womens’ roller derby, the action of which is deftly handled in exciting, adrenaline fuelled scenes on the track, with Bliss and her team mates speeding around, giving and taking ‘hits’.

Whip It is great fun, despite the fact it not being exactly original. It is however, thoroughly enjoyable, with excellent little moments, and a great balance between sport and character relationships. In terms of acting, Barrymore’s cast does well. Ellen Page delivers a likeable, convincing performance as main character Bliss Cavendar, as does Kristen Wiig who is really impressive, proving she is capable not only of hilarious deadpan comedy (Knocked Up), but proving she is a credible dramatic actress. Juliette Lewis is deliciously malevolent in the villain role of ‘Iron Mavin’, and  Barrymore herself gives a hilarious cameo as knuckle-headed Hurl Scout, ‘Smashley Simpson’.  The film’s supporting characters are also played very well – feisty best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) is great, as is Bliss’s father, Earl (Daniel Stern).

All in all, Whip It is a great slice of easy-going American fun. Barrymore has not only made a hugely enjoyable film, but she has made the world of women’s roller derby accessible and interesting to a whole new audience – the heady mix of intimidating toughness, strength and machismo balanced with a female sexiness and power is thoroughly mesmerizing. And perhaps more importantly, the film bucks the girly teen movie trend in its closing act (not to give away too much) and proves that women’s lives do not centre around the wants and desires of men – they can be their own hero and go after whatever it is they wish. And who’d have thought all this from the little girl from E.T.? Get your skates on and see Whip It (if you’ll forgive the excruciating pun). Expect sales of roller skates and eyeliner to skyrocket.

Rating: MMMM

Last night I was lucky enough to get into a free preview screening of Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, the new film from director Edgar Wright, who also co-wrote the screenplay of this comic book adaptation. That’s Edgar ‘Spaced’ Wright. Edgar Shaun of the Dead Wright. Edgar Hot Fuzz Wright.

So those were my reasons for being OH SO VERY excited about seeing this movie – I hadn’t read the comic book or kept up with the pre-production gossip online, instead I’ve just spent a couple of months treasuring the lovely warm prospect of a new Wright film, and hoping that makes me laugh halfway as much as his previous collaborations with the glorious Pegg and Frost team. As I’m still utterly buzzing 12 hours after watching it, any fans worried that the hop across the pond may have meant a move away from the quirky, charmingly silly humour his previous British comedies were characterised by- well they can just start getting ridiculously excited instead.

As you’d expect from the trailer, we follow Scott Pilgrim in each of his visually awesome battles with the seven demented exes. Afterwards, we all agreed that Michael Cera was absolutely the perfect match for Scott’s dialogue, which was often very, very funny, but made hysterical by Cera’s faltering, understated manner. So many throwaway lines keep coming back to me that on paper just wouldn’t, but were perfect little moments that took me by surprise. I never want to see him in another Judd Apatow comedy- they’re not bad, but it would ruin the memory of him in this infinitely more quick-witted film.

The supporting characters in Scott Pilgrim’s world are far more hilariously drawn that I had any right to expect. You’re whipped into the quick-fire sarcasm of his bandmate friends, (who are endearing and are refreshingly not teeth-grindingly quirky as in so many indie flicks) and this made me more than happy to suspend my disbelief when all the really silly stuff kicked off. And boy does it ever kick off.
The action fits surprisingly well into the snowy Toronto setting, provided you’ve left enough of your cynicism at the door. Rather than realistic martial arts, expect instead to be left gawking at the comic book-capery it does so well. As far as I could see, no actual blood and gore will be strewn about in the final edit, which is entirely in keeping with the tone of the film and something I’m quite relieved about. Gore is all well and good in its place, but I felt the increasingly tragic zombifications towards the end of Shaun of the Dead really jarred with the slapstick at times.

Another thing we were agreed on was that the humour was far less exclusive than other slacker comedies, or indeed action comedies we’ve all seen recently. While the whole film is essentially both a very funny computer game AND comic book up on the big screen, with in-jokes to tickle die-hard nerds of either persuasion, none of this stops anyone else laughing. It didn’t matter in the slightest if you didn’t know where a pixelated gaming sight gag came from (for there are many) came from, it was still funny to me and every other person who can’t even play Mariokart successfully. There aren’t jokes for the lads, and token ones for their girlfriends, there is just joke after joke that will leave both sexes weak and spluttering at the memory long after.

Scott Pilgrim sets out to combine action, comedy and romance and does a damn fine job of blending the three throughout so that no aspects feel tacked on. Romance does however suffer slightly from a lack of screen-time- although Scott battles each evil ex for the love of the apparently too-cool-for-anything Ramona, I did wonder what exactly was so great about her that he would get beaten up seven times in a row. But the relentless action and humour didn’t leave me much time to ponder this, or the other issue that has since started to niggle at me. Will anyone else agree with me that maybe having our hero fight the exes for ownership of his girl is a little off-colour? Feisty though she is, Ramona falls victim to the ‘Bella Swan paradox’- the story revolves around her, but it’s largely the blokes who get to do all the fun action stuff. There is a wicked girly fight (calm down) but Buffy this ain’t.

The music gives the fight scenes some real fire power in my opinion, and is as integral to the film as the offbeat ‘kerpow!’ and ‘zap!’ animations that pop up at just the right moments to punctuate the very ordinary Toronto. To those literally-minded/boring people who may complain that this, and the action sequences are too zany and unrealistic, I will say that the weirdness of Scott Pilgrim’s world all comes directly from how teenage and 20/30-something slacker gamers might view things from a sideways angle. They spend days and nights solving puzzles, arming up and beating each level, a pattern which is seamlessly integrated (God knows how, it’s an utter miracle) into this story. The end result is gorgeous on screen, even to my pixel-blind eyes.

Although Edgar Wright was sitting RIGHT THERE in the cinema as I left the post-preview screening market research interview, there was something I just couldn’t bring myself to go up to him and say. So here it is:

“Edgar Wright, your television and film work has given me so much joy and will be forever embedded in my life. So much so, that a like, if not a love for ‘Spaced’ is an essential requirement for any boyfriends, past and future- I am completely incapable of sleeping with someone who hasn’t seen ‘Spaced’ and laughed like a fool with me at it.”

Ahem. While I can’t yet declare the same obsession for Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, it has pretty much blown his previous films out of the water. The same amount of love and attention to tiny funny details has gone into the film that made ‘Spaced’ so infinitely re-watchable. If Edgar Wright does not become a very rich man there is something very wrong with the world’s film viewing public.

Rating: MMMM

Review of Disney’s return to traditional 2-D hand-drawn animation and to familiar fairytales, this new adventure based on the tale of ‘The Princess and the Frog’.

Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Starring: (voices) Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Oprah Winfrey
Running time: 97 mins

Disney’s latest fairytale adventure sees the House of Mouse return to their roots with a hand-drawn animated fantasy based on the well known tale, the story of a princess kissing a frog to find her prince. This incarnation of the story is set in New Orleans in the late 1920s and our heroine (and princess) is Tiana, a hardworking and stoic waitress who dreams of one day owning her own restaurant. She works two restaurant jobs to save enough money to purchase a property which she plans to revamp into “Tiana’s Place”. However, her life takes a new and different course at the arrival of the handsome and exotic Prince Naveen – who, after dabbling in the dark arts of voodoo is turned into a frog by the evil villain Facilier.  Before she knows it, Tiana finds herself  also transformed into a frog and she and Naveen are forced to begin a journey to make themselves human again.

From the get-go, The Princess and the Frog is a fun, dynamic and entertaining film. It has all the ingredients of the famed ‘Disney magic’, but has something that lifts it above the rest of the studio’s fairytale canon. Firstly, the film’s heroine Tiana is not only the first African-American Disney princess, but she is one of their few heroines who is NOT a completely passive female character. Tiana works hard to achieve and realise what she wants – which incidentally is NOT simply to marry the handsome prince of her dreams. She doesn’t believe in wishing for things, she knows that you have to strive for what you want in life, not wait for it to fall into your lap without your lifting a finger. And she does NOT need a man to swoop in and save her, she is capable of saving herself.

Secondly, the film’s romantic plot that builds between Naveen and Tiana is not the hackneyed (and frankly unhelpful and unrealistic) depiction of ‘love at first sight’, it is a mutual affection based on friendship, respect and love. Naveen is not the perfect dreamy Adonis put high on a pedestal, he has flaws enough himself and in the face of the inevitable happy ending, supports Tiana’s ambitions instead of forcing her to change (unlike Ariel’ staying human in The Little Mermaid). This realtionship dynamic comes as direct result of the film’s ‘road movie’ style direction – Tiana and Naveen must journey through the swamps of Louisiana in search of a cure to their amphibiousness and on this journey they begin to trust and learn from each other.

The Princess and the Frog has everything – the characters are likeable, fun and sympathetic (the trumpet playing alligator Louis and Cajun firefly Ray are both wonderful creations, the latter playing an astonishing part in the emotional tone of the film), the musical numbers are dynamic and entertaining, the film is warm, bright and original and boasts a lot of laughs, for both adults and children (some lines have real wit and there is a lot of subtle humour throughout the film). And for this critic, where the film succeeds most is in its pleasingly positive portrayal of girls, relationships and outlook on life. A beautiful and entertaining film. Well done Disney.

Rating: MMMM

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

Rating: MMMM

Review of latest animated children’s adventure fantasy from the Japanese anime maestro, Hayao Miyazaki – the story of a little fish who wishes to be a little girl.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: (voices) Noah Cyrus, Frankie Jonas, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett
Running time: 101 mins

Inspired by Disney’s animated classic A Little Mermaid, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature Ponyo is a fantasy adventure that like its muse, explores worlds both above and below the sea. Miyazaki’s tale is the story of Sosuke (voiced by Frankie Jonas, younger brother of squeaky-clean teen sensations The Jonas Brothers), a little boy who lives with his mother (Tina Fey) in a small cliff-top house by the sea. Sosuke’s father (Matt Damon) is a ship captain who is rarely at home, leaving Sosuke’s mother to run the household by herself.

One day, a lonely Sosuke is paddling in the shallows of a cove near his home when he comes upon what appears to be a little red goldfish. Playing with it happily, Sosuke names the fish Ponyo and makes her his pet. However, Ponyo’s father, marine wizard king Fujimoto (Liam Neeson) wishes to return his daughter to her underwater home – to ‘restore the balnce of nature’, which has been sent off kilter by Ponyo’s fraternisation with humans.

As with most of the Miyazaki canon, the enjoyment of Ponyo rests entirely in the audience’s suspense of disbelief – in this particular tale one must be willing to accept that a goldfish can turn into a girl and that said transformation is readily accepted by the protagonists. This kind of acceptance and engagement with the fantastic will be familiar to Miyazaki fans but may be something newcomers find hard to swallow. But swallow you undoubtedly will – the film is so beautiful, charming and unashamedly lovely that you really will believe a man can fly (or at least in this case, a fish can turn into a girl). As ever, Miyazaki presents a wonderful dramatic world, both convincingly natural and ethereal at times, using a bright and dazzling palette to create dreamy seascapes and fantastical creatures – the entity of Ponyo’s mother inparticular is nothing short of breathtaking, presenting a popular trope in Miyazaki’s work, the spirit world, seen previously in features such as Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro. Indeed, Ponyo draws on much in Totoro, both in theme, tone and age-range – Ponyo is clearly meant for a younger audience than Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke.

Much more satisfying than Miyazaki’s previous film, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo is a gentle, beautiful story that is colourful, exciting, moving and entertaining. A sheer joy that proves that traditional hand-drawn 2D animation is still very much alive.

Rating: MMMM

Rating: MMMMM

Clint Eastwood’s latest film, Invictus tells the story of the true events that followed the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa, and Mandela’s subsequent attempt to unite his fragile and divided country with the help of South African rugby captain, Francois Pienaar.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon,
Running time: 133 mins

Based on John Carlin’s bestselling book, ‘Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed a Nation’, Invictus begins just after the release of Nelson Mandela from prison – with one scene in particular capturing the separated nature of the country, presenting two playing fields bisected by a long road – on one side white schoolboys play rugby, on the other black children play football. In this scene along with many others (and coupled with the use of real archive footage) Eastwood clearly and simply presents South Africa as a culturally divided nation torn apart by apartheid, but one that Mandela (Morgan Freeman) aims to rebuild.

Following the dissolution of the apartheid system and the oppressive politics that went with it, there is feeling in the country that all symbols and remnants of white Afrikaner power should be disbanded in order to build a new South African identity. However, Mandela recognises that this could potentially deepen the cultural rift between whites and blacks. While attending a Springboks rugby match, Mandela realises that uniting the country behind the national team would be a great foundation on which to build the new South Africa. President Mandela therefore enlists the help of the Springboks’ captain, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) and the two work together to make the rubgy team an emblem of national unity and one that all South Africa could support.

From the outset, Invictus is a warm, intelligent, inspiring film that presents its vision of hope with impressive conviction and overwhelming power. The film boasts a great script, (which is in fact surprisingly funny as Freeman is given some charmingly pithy one-liners as Mandela) great performances and a wonderful spirit that will win over those not au fait with rugby, sport or knowledge of the period in South African history. Eastwood has delivered a beautiful film that combines wonderfully directed personal scenes (those between Mandela’s security team are great, as are those between the President and Pienaar), emotional and haunting moments (where Pienaar visits Mandela’s cell on Robben Island is wonderful) and fast-paced adrenaline-charged rugby sequences.

In a role he was seemingly born to play, Morgan Freeman is completely convincing as Nelson Mandela, possessing all the gravitas and presence needed to play the man who has become such a symbol of greatness and goodness around the world. While Freeman’s accent does falter at times, this is a minor problem in a performance that is otherwise pitch perfect – Mandela is never presented as all-knowing and godlike, but a man struggling with his own problems, living apart from his family and estranged from his wife.

Matt Damon is also very good as captain Francois Pienaar, lifting what could have been (in the face of the Mandela character) a fairly dull and quiet role into the realms of inspiration, particularly in the Robben Island sequences and the closing stages of the rugby world cup final between South Africa and the fearsome New Zealand All Blacks.

Invictus is a wonderful, charming and uplifting film that will satisfy sports fans and newcomers alike. Eastwood has produced a piece of work filled with moments of sheer joy that will have you misty-eyed and a sense of hope that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. One of the best films of 2010 so far, just fantastic.

Rating: MMMMM

Rating:

From celebrated director Jane Campion comes a biopic of nineteenth century Romantic poet John Keats, exploring his romance with Miss Fanny Brawne, beginning in 1818.

Director: Jane Campion
Starring: Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox, Paul Schneider
Running time: 119 mins approx.

Critically acclaimed for her early 90s period drama The Piano, New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion has created a beautiful and heartbreaking film in her latest effort, Bright Star. Exploring the life of John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his doomed love affair with Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), the film is beautifully shot – Campion makes excellent use of colours, textures and lighting to a wonderfully romantic effect. One scene in particular in which Fanny reads one Keats’ love letters takes place in a wooded sea of violet-hued bluebells, the bright purples and swathes of green perfectly contrasting each other. Throughout the film Campion uses her pastoral setting very well, utilising the landscape, trees, woods and flowers to create a believable and stunning world for the characters to fall in love in.

And fall in love they surely do. After an initially frosty first meeting, the feisty Fanny Brawne enlists Keats to teach her about poetry and language. At first, Fanny is not much enamoured by the young poet but this feeling changes rapidly after she notices Keats’ anxiety and affection for his brother who lies seriously ill. The two then meet with quickening frequency and find themselves entangled in a passionate love affair that sets the wider community gossiping. However, with Keats’ own health in serious speedy decline, a dark shadow is cast over the lovers’ affair, one that even the strongest love cannot overcome.

The gentle and tragic story of Bright Star is very well directed with the exception of a few scenes which are too languorous – it appears that Campion was aiming to create moods of tension and repressed passion but instead these scenes simply run out of steam.

Consequently the second act is slow and needs more dynamism and drama to keep the film interesting. However, in terms of acting, Bright Star certainly excels. Abbie Cornish is very good as the headstrong Fanny Brawne, simultaneously eliciting sympathy whilst not being an instantly likeable lead heroine. However, as her love for Keats blossoms, so does our fondness for her, to the point that her sorrow in the film’s tragic conclusion is heartbreaking. Cornish’s performance in this particular scene is excellent – Cornish presents Fanny feeling the emotional pain physically and with an arresting intensity.

As Keats himself, Ben Whishaw is haunting, having a suitably poetic quality about him. He is at all times thoroughly convincing as the young poet, being attractive, quiet and possessing a certain beautiful melancholic air. The only problem with Whishaw’s portrayal of Keats is that the character could at times do with some angry passion to measure the tender embraces and pained looks that seem to dominate his relationship with Fanny.

Bright Star is a beautiful, gentle and tragic romance that combines wonderful production design with good storytelling to haunting effect.

Rating: MMMM