Chappie

Chappie is the new film from Neill Blomkamp, director of District 9 and Elysium. In 2009 Blomkamp exploded on to the scene with a signature style and has employed many of the same techniques and themes since.
Firstly Blomkamps films look incredible! The design of everything is so clearly considered and the visual effects are exquisite! The atmosphere he generates is often clinical tech meets grungy ghetto - a dynamic visual aesthetic which draws parallels with the inequality in his stories.
Steeped in technology and science fiction, Blomkamps films often display contemporary parables such as environmental and political concerns. With District 9 Blomkamp and co-writer Terri Tatchell (Blomkamps wife) nailed this tantalising mix of visuals and commentary. Elysium came close, but fell short - offering a sentimental, but ultimately devastating answer to an over-populated planet, whose inhabitants could be cured of all disease?! Regardless, a disappointing Blomkamp film will always be an interesting and dynamic vision.

With Chappie, Blomkamp has returned to his home-town of Johannesburg - the setting for District 9. He has also employed the talents of his former writing partner (Tatchell) to bring some joy to proceedings - something missing from the more serious Elysium, which Blomkamp tackled alone.

The police of Johannesburg are overwhelmed with crime. In an effort to protect the people and the police, robots (named Scouts) have been developed by leading manufacturers, Tetra Vaal - designed by chief engineer, Deon Wilson (Dev Patel).
Scout #22 is emobilised in a Police altercation and is consequently decommissioned. Not content with merely programming robots to do a humans biding, Deon is close to developing an artificial intelligence. Using the now defunct scout #22 as his guinea pig, Deon sets about uploading a newly conceived consciousness.
Meanwhile gang in-fighting has cost Ninja and Yolandi a debt of 20 million (rand). Their plan is to use a police scout to help them "raise" the money they need with a planned robbery.
Enter Chappie - Deons experiment and Ninja and Yolandis answer to a life-threatening debt.

Chappie has come in for heavy criticism for being derivative of other robot and AI films. Yes the opening salvo of a crime-ridden city and an overburdened police force is reminiscent of Robocop. But then the metamorphosis of man to alien in District 9 was reminiscent of Cronenbergs The Fly. This kind of criticism serves little to no purpose when you consider most stories have already been told. In this day and age, it's how one spins a yarn, both technically and emotionally.

Chappie does both very well! Once again the film looks breathtaking! Joining Dev Patel is Hugh Jackman, as competing design engineer Vincent Moore and Sigourney Weaver, as Michelle Bradley - the pairs boss and CEO of Tetra Vaal. In reality Ninja and Yolandi are Johannesburg musical legends, Die Antwoord. Here they play criminalised versions of themselves - and Chappies newly adoptive parents (how's that for originality)!
And in a motion-capture performance to rival Serkis and co is the great Sharlto Copley as Chappie - Blomkamps lucky charm! Sharlto is magnificent and hilarious! His performance is child-like, but subtly adaptive - as Chappie learns at an increasingly fast rate. Just as he did in District 9, Copley totally convinces as Chappie, owning every line of dialogue (instantly quotable I might add)!

Despite similarities to other films, Chappie looks at advancement and new frontiers in technology. With consciousness comes a barrage of questions, not least is ones own mortality. Blomkamp looks at man and creator parables this time - using Chappie to ask questions which are foremost on our minds. Wisely the human factor has not been forgotten in Blomkamps imminent future. There is potential for conscious over-load down the line and more uneasy questions to an over-populated planet.
Until such a follow-up arrives, there is much to enjoy with Chappie. Not least is a loveable central character, engaging story and visuals to stimulate the senses long after the credits have rolled.

4/5


Poster image courtesy: http://www.film.ru

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kingsman: The Secret Service is brought to us by the same team behind Kick-Ass. Just as Kick-Ass was conceived by comic-book writer Mark Millar, so too was The Secret Service.
Having established a good working relationship with Kick-Ass, Matthew Vaughn was on-board early with The Secret Service, acting as co-plotter on the comic-book series.
Comic books are being mined left and right within the film industry. With The Secret Service, it was a parallel process of comic series and film adaptation being brought simultaneously to life. The result (for all those who have read the series) is a looser adaptation than the aforementioned Kick-Ass (a series which had already completed it's first arc).
The plot and major beats of the comic-book are intact, however many details have been altered. From a creative perspective it's fascinating to discover what's been retained and what's been jettisoned.

Like Kick-Ass, Kingsman is to spy films what Kick-Ass was to super-hero films. An edgy take on the sub-genre, which takes place in reality (or a very close approximation). Nods to previous entries to the genre are peppered throughout, with both protagonist and antagonist playing to and against expectation (Millars calling card).
Despite being the original co-plotter, one imagines many of the alterations came from Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman. Vaughn is a self-proclaimed Bond aficionado. Like many a Bond film, Kingsman features; a larger than life villain (complete with hidden base);colourful henchmen; women in peril; and gadgets a plenty. And in Colin Firth, Vaughn has found a terrific Bond parable!

Kingsman is no spoof however. Very much it's own entity, Kingsman pays homage to it's inspiration - a far more respectful approach than sending up the genre completely. The devilish plot from entrepreneur and chief villain Valentine for example, is chillingly poignant. This viable threat was present in the comic-book also, emphasising what fans already know. More than just sugary super-hero fare, comic-books are a significant art-form, spreading (among other things) political and cultural concerns!

Colin Firths character, Galahad is mentor to Eggsy (Taron Egerton), the son of Galahads previous protege. Eggsy has grown up amongst the council tenements of London, living off welfare and committing petty crimes with his direction-less friends. A Kingsman replacement is needed just as Eggsy is charged with grand theft auto. A tradition of the Kingsman is to pull potential recruits into the fold. Seeing great potential in him, Galahad volunteers Eggsy - absolving him of his crimes and bringing him to task, alongside a handful of young upstarts.
Eggsy is our window into the world of the Kingsman, as he and the other recruits are put through their paces until a clear winner emerges.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is great fun! It wears it's references on it's sleeve and subtly becomes the film it so clearly adores (in much the same way Spike Jonzes Adaptation did).
A formidable partnership has emerged with Kingsman (and Kick-Ass before it). Millar and Vaughn are populists making entertainment for themselves fundamentally. This skewed reality of theirs takes no prisoners. Some may argue that it's gratuitous or even crass. In this age of great power and great responsibility however, Millar and Vaughn respect their audience enough to take responsibility for themselves!

4/5


Poster image courtesy: http://theilliteratereader.com

Birdman

Birdman triumphed at the Oscars this year, winning best film and best director. My vote for best film would've been American Sniper, but Birdmans director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is certainly deserved of recognition.
Emerging from his native Mexico with Amores Perros 15 years ago, Inarritu went on to achieve worldwide acclaim with his next two films, alongside writing partner Guillermo Arriaga. Subsequent years have seen him break away from Arriaga with films such as Biutiful and this years Birdman.

Inarritu makes films about the human condition, almost documentary-like in their execution. Each of Inarritus films is a close personal account of his subject, oozing visceral intimacy. Much beauty can be found in Inarritus films, but they are often joyless affairs, siding heavily on the dramatic. Well, Inarritu is set to break that trend with the hilarious Birdman!

Set on Broadway in contemporary New York, Birdman follows actor, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) on a quest to rediscover his craft and ultimately find meaning for his tired existence. Having established himself as a viable commercial entity with three Birdman films, Riggan is keen to shed the burden of his former super-hero persona. Riggan has chosen to direct and star in an adaptation of a Raymond Carver short story. Thought of as a left-field choice by his peers and critics (and a clichéd one at that), Riggan is keen to rise above the naysayers and produce something of significant artistic merit.

Birdman is Hollywood meets Broadway, with many of the actors at odds with themselves and their profession. The film buzzes with anxiety, as each star is driven to justify their existence on the stage. Michael Keaton is fabulous in the lead and carries the film exceedingly well. Having played Batman in real life, casting Keaton is a no-brainer - a master stroke, emphasising life imitating art parables.
Keaton is supported by a fantastic cast who all play upon their current notoriety, projected by a contemporary Hollywood. Edward Norton is the stand-out as the notoriously difficult Mike Shiner. We even find Naomi Watts experimenting with her female co-star in a great riff on her break-out role (Mulholland Drive).

It's interesting to see a film like Birdman do so well. It could so easily have been misconstrued as Hollywood massaging the egos of the elite, with a wry declaration of their official standing. It's fascinating to think there's an audience outside of Hollywood for this kind of movie. It says much about a society when we each know more about the celebrities and stars who surround us than we do our closest friends.

Despite the satiric nature of Birdman, the film looks deeper into the psyche of the artist - the creator. Specifically, Birdman looks at the justification for art and creativity, despite ones age and previous success. The creator creates - they don't stop.
The tortured artist is present here - a cliché perhaps, but no less a fact. Riggan is both his own worst critic and biggest supporter. As he goes about channelling his ideas to the stage, he is tripped-up and second-guessed by everyone in his company, not least by his biggest adversary - himself!
In an effort to overcome his anxieties, Riggan puts his best foot forward and produces something truly dynamic. Importantly Riggan recognises that art is paramount. The praise and accolades are inconsequential next to his performance and his production.

There's a point in Birdman which could easily have represented the end of the film. A further five minutes or so exceeds it. There's the suggestion that Riggan is mad (or psychologically unwell at least) and in a lightness of touch, Inarritu sees to it that his leads sanity is restored. It's suitably quirky but unnecessary in my opinion. It belittles the length and pains of Riggans journey.

Birdman is an intense warts 'n' all look at an artist in the midst of creation. The film could just as easily be about a painter or a musician. In a further twist of life imitating art, Birdman looks at the most commercial, most viable of artists - the Hollywood star!

4/5


Poster image courtesy: http://www.laweekly.com