Saturday 23 June 2012

Prometheus

Along with The Avengers and Batman, Prometheus was(is) at the top of my must-see list for 2012. I've seen it twice(as I have The Avengers), and am happy to report that this wasn't a result of technical faults(it's mostly 'cause I film-cheated on my wife and saw it before her)! I'm also happy to report that I enjoyed Prometheus even more the second time!
I don't think I'm spoiling anything when I say Prometheus has some links to the Alien franchise? The proverbial face-hugger was let out the egg when the first trailer premièred some weeks back - and the Giger-inspired designs were there for all to see!
In the directors chair sits Ridley Scott, the man responsible for the very first Alien film. Scott had much to live up to, yet a considerable amount of confidence had been bestowed upon him, based on his phenomenal out-put since Alien in 1979.
Save for the first trailer, I made a concerted effort to avoid any further trailers or tv spots for Prometheus. As excited as I am to see all these movies, I'm getting a little tired of being exposed to them in their entirety, in under 3 minutes! I know it's show-BUSINESS, but surely trailers are there to tempt and to tease audiences, not potentially turn them away? Anyway, I believe not seeing or reading anything prior to it's release, made Prometheus a far-more entertaining affair - rant over!
The film begins with stunning arial shots of primordial-like landscapes, devoid of any life. This sequence alone makes any doubt in Scott to deliver, simply disappear. The cinematography is breathtaking throughout - this is certainly a movie to see on the big screen, and rewards those who see the value in continuing to go to the 'pictures'.
The visual elements of this movie are certainly the stars - from the design and physical manufacture of everything to the special effects and afore-mentioned photography - this film will stay with you for these reasons alone.
The film has a pretty great cast to boast about also. Noomi Rapace is convincingly sympathetic in the role of Elizabeth Shaw, a scientist with untapped survival instincts. Michael Fassbender excels in the role of David, the android. Charlize Theron and Idris Elba are also strong, as Meredith Vickers and Janek, respectively - two employees of Weyland Industries, one more directly than the other. The supporting cast are solid throughout. Too many to mention here - 17 crew in total.
Shaw and her partner Holloway(Logan Marshall-Green) discover a repeating image in ancient human hieroglyphs, which are known to have existed independently of one another - by hundreds of years in some cases. The two scientists are convinced that this image holds some credence to the existence of extraterrestrial life - and consequently the origins of human existence. The image shows a constellation similar to Earths solar system - one that could potentially sustain life. The scientists find this constellation, and the crew and ship Prometheus are tasked with finding it and potentially making contact - a meet and greet, if you will!
Ok, first things first, Prometheus is not an Alien film. It shares it's timeline and takes place in the same universe, but is not part of the same story. Ridley Scott and his team have made a very different movie with Prometheus - and have taken pains to emphasise so.
The plot for example, asks many questions about where we came from - and consequently challenges are beliefs in both religion and evolution. It comments on human existence and our curious nature. As we continue to question our origins and where we came from, we rarely think to question our legacy, as slowly but surely we get lost in technology and our delusions of grandeur.
Despite these deeper themes, there is still much fun to be had - in what is essentially a thriller. After the teen-friendly Predators and Alien vs Predator movies, I was happy to find myself horrified once again. Not that Prometheus is any more violent than these movies(if anything it's less), but certainly more psychological - creeping under the skin and staying with you long after the credits have rolled.
I believe the lingering issue most people will have with Prometheus is that it asks about as many questions as it answers. This is no bad thing. This movie breeds discussion and conjecture - no doubt we'll be surmising until a sequel is made. I'm sure there is a larger story to be told here. There's certainly plenty of time to fill between the end of this movie and the first Alien movie. I for one would definitely come back for more - and despite my own curiosity, would be happy for them to leave just a few of these questions unanswered - 4/5!

Wednesday 20 June 2012

The Innkeepers

Ti West has officially joined the ranks of directors to watch, as far as I'm concerned! Wests previous film, The House of the Devil is currently available on DVD and I urge any horror fan to check it out! The cover for The House of the Devil caught my eye long ago - it's a terrific 70's style image, evocative of the(horror) films of that time. The film itself didn't disappoint - and consequently led me to his imdb page! I've since seen his Cabin Fever sequel(loses it's way towards the end, but hugely entertaining none the less) and was hotly anticipating The Innkeepers.
The Innkeepers stars Sara Paxton(as Claire) and Pat Healy(as Luke) - two employees of The Yankee Pedlar Inn. The Inn is on the verge of closure and Claire and Luke have been left in charge for it's last weekend of business.
An opening credit sequence shows the Pedlar Inn through the ages(it is in fact a real hotel). The Inn is supposedly haunted and this historical sequence gives credence to the spiritual visitations of Madeline O'Malley - a woman who was supposedly murdered at the hotel many years ago. The affiliation with anything supernatural has obviously rubbed off on Claire and Luke, as they spend much of their time at the Inn trying to find evidence to legitimise this particular ghost story.
Save for his Cabin Fever sequel, West has forgone the use of gore in his movies in favour of old-fashioned scares. West builds tension by putting relatable characters in jeopardy - leaving his audience sunken in their chairs and clinging to the armrests, come the third act.
Claire and Luke are two such characters - bored, horny(Luke) and disillusioned with their place in the world. Both Paxton and Healy play their parts to perfection. For a start they're playing characters the same age as themselves. Paxton is pretty, but neither actor is there for their looks alone. There are some knowing exchanges between the two leads, but never a forth-dimensional wink to the audience, a la Scream or I know what you did last summer.
West lulls us into a false sense of security by having us engage with his leads and their jovial antics - before slapping us across the proverbial face, as proceedings take on a more sinister tone. It's a tried and tested technic, but West is bringing it back - both The Innkeepers and The House of the Devil are stunning examples of this!
There is some fine support from the Inns limited clientèle also - notably Kelly McGillis, as a washed up actress with an interest in energies and healing. 
Congratulations must finally go to West again, for producing another great horror film, which is as entertaining as it is agonising to watch - exceeding audience expectation rather than pandering to it - 4/5!

Friday 8 June 2012

The Five-Year Engagement

This is the second film this year from Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel. Hot on the heels of their Muppets collaboration comes this 'lengthy' love story starring Segel and Emily Blunt.
I'm a big fan of Forgetting Sarah Marshall(Stoller and Segels first collaboration) and found The Muppets to be hugely entertaining. The Five-Year Engagement is funny and honest, but doesn't quite live up to the success of their previous efforts.
Tom(Segel) and Violet(Blunt) meet at a fancy dress party on New Years Eve. A year to the day, Tom proposes to Violet. Unfortunately circumstances prevent the couple from being married immediately - and so they engage on their five-year odyssey!
Violet receives a dream job offer from Michigan University, which calls for the pair to move from their home in San Francisco - and for Tom to quit his prestigious sous-chef job.
The University offers Violet a two year contract initially, but she is soon offered an extension. It's too good an opportunity for Violet to pass up, however Tom is struggling to find a job to match his previous position, or even one which would require his particular skill-set.
Tom regresses to a Neanderthal-like state, while Violet catches the attention of her new boss. To make matters worse, grandparents are dying left and right - and Violets sister has beaten them to the punch with both a wedding and a pregnancy!
The Five-Year Engagement is quite a long film and one could argue that it needs to be. Interestingly the flow of time is integral to the plot - yet I couldn't help but feel the running time could have been trimmed a little. As a lite comedic affair the film was in danger of losing it's charm - like going to McDonald's and being served a four-course meal. Not that McDonald's has any particular charm(bad example)!
The Five-Year Engagement has some interesting things to say about relationships also, particularly their tumultuous nature  - resulting in Segel ans Stollers most mature offering to date.
At the University, Violet is part of a team studying psychology. The film cleverly duplicates that which is studied in the classroom. With differing results, the over-all realisation is that life doesn't adhere to academic formula. Playful flashbacks to Violet and Toms first meeting are a nice touch too and remind us all why we get into these things in the first place.
The supporting cast are great with Chris Pratt and Alison Brie the stand-outs. Alison Brie is particularly good in the role of Violets sister, Suzie. Her British accent is superb and one particular scene she shares with Emily Blunt will have you giggling incessantly!
The Five-Year Engagement is a fun and entertaining affair, which will resonate particularly with anyone who's ever been engaged or wed - 3/5.