Dark Shadows

Spoiler Alert!

I've been hotly anticipating a great many films this year. Dark Shadows crept up on me and caught me unaware however. The only Burton production that was on my 2012 list was Frankenweenie - Burton's stop-motion feature, adapted from his own early short.
I have to admit to giving the last couple of Burton movies a wide birth. I'm a huge fan of his earlier works such as; Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands and Batman, but have grown weary of the seemingly endless remakes and adaptations he's been tackling. There's no question he's a talented director with a unique vision, but personally I've been craving something original from the man.
When I first heard of Dark Shadows, I thought my hopes had been realised - only to discover that this new film was in fact an adaptation of an early television sitcom. Apparently the sitcom in question is a favourite of many a Hollywood film-maker - and a planned adaptation had been on the cards for some time.
The film begins in 1752 and tells the story of Barnabas Collins(played by Burton regular, Johnny Depp) - the only child to Joshua and Naomi Collins. An entrepreneurial type, Joshua Collins establishes himself as a forerunner of the fishing industry on the east coast of North America - resulting in the building of Collinsport. Barnabas is heir to his fathers considerable fortune, however things turn sour for the Collins' before Barnabas can take up his mantle.
A love-struck employee named Angelique(played by Eva Green), fails to earn the affections of Barnabas, and so she casts a pall over the Collins family and transforms Barnabas into a vampire. With the help of the townsfolk, Barnabas is buried in the ground for close to 200 years.
Cut to 1972 and Barnabas is re-awoken to discover the world has changed considerably! He returns to his estate to find the last few descendants of his family struggling to keep their home and business in a style to which Barnabas remembered. To make matters worse, Angelique is still alive. Seemingly immortal - her penchant for witchcraft has kept her looking young and voluptuous still.
Dark Shadows is a gothic dramedy(echoing that of the original sitcom I imagine). It's a fish-out-of-water tale with Barnabas' contemporary exchanges the butt of many a joke!
Much has been said about Burton and Depps ongoing collaborative relationship. Dark Shadows is their 8th collaboration and some have said they should call it a day. The truth is Burton and Depp work considerably well together. Depp is pitch-perfect in the roll of Barnabas and steals every scene he's in. I can't imagine Depp would have suited the roll of Batman or even Captain Leo Davidson(from Planet of the Apes), but Burton cast accordingly. As for the films Burton has cast Depp in, well each character has been a desperately kooky, loner-type. Why wouldn't you cast Depp - he's excellent in these roles!
Interestingly the main criticism I have of this film is a result of Depps star turn! The supporting cast are given short shrift, with only Michelle Pfeiffer and Helana Bonham Carter memorable in the parts of Elizabeth Collins and Dr. Julia Hoffman respectively. As a new-comer to Burtons world, Eva Green is surprisingly good as Angelique, but all are let down by a bleak and hollow ending.
Dark Shadows is an entertaining and fun movie, full of rich detail and endearing characters. Having invested in the endeavours of it's principle cast, one should have been rewarded with a wholly uplifting ending - with Barnabas reclaiming his birth-rite and his extended family free to bask in their newly found wealth. Instead(and somewhat unsurprisingly) the film goes in a darker direction, ending on a particular Burton-esque note - 3/5!

The Avengers

So, I had to see this movie twice before I could review it. If The Avengers was going to be good, then I was going to see it at least twice anyway - yet at no point did I factor into account another technical fault!
My first viewing started with an ugly scratch in the centre of the screen. I leapt out of my chair in an effort to address the problem as soon as humanly possible - I had waited too long and hard for The Avengers to be sullied by a scratch or possible hair caught in the projector!
Alas, it took a good 15 or so minutes for the problem to be rectified - and to add insult to injury, it returned towards the end of the movie as well!
Despite this wholly agonising problem, I enjoyed The Avengers immensely - a damn-fine indication of any great movie!
I saw it a second time and enjoyed it even more. This time I was able to concentrate on the opening scenes without distraction, resulting in a significantly more relaxed experience.
The Avengers is the culmination of 5 previous movies, which have introduced it's core characters independently. From the first Iron man to Captain America: The First Avenger, each film has been hugely successful, both in popularity and in honouring it's characters and their rich history's. For me the only one which didn't quite deliver on the scale of the others was The Incredible Hulk(a lesser film than the Ang Lee/Eric Bana effort, in my view). Incidentally, the only character to be recast in The Avengers is that of Bruce Banner/Hulk. Mark Ruffalo is the best incarnation yet - lets hope he sticks around!
The Avengers features the characters and actors we've come to know and love from the previous 5 Marvel movies. This is the films major draw and the banter and play between each character is pulled off magnificently! Many a comic-book sequel increases it's character quota with each new chapter, yet is often unable to pull off the interaction between a multitude of characters. The Avengers has the advantage of featuring previously established characters and manages to balance the screen-time between them effortlessly - this could have been more Iron Man than Thor, or more Captain America than Hulk.
I believe this is thanks, in no small part to the director and co-writer Joss Whedon - no stranger to handling movie and television projects with large casts. Without discrediting co-writer Zak Penn, The Avengers feels like a Joss Whedon movie. There's a solid story here, with commentary on the human race; our subservient nature and our predilection towards war, well realised character arcs, fantastic special effects and a considerable amount of comedy! The Marvel universe is known for it's lightness of touch(much more jovial than the DC universe) and never has this playfulness been better captured than in this Avengers adaptation.
The plot to The Avengers sees Loki(brother of Thor) wield the Tesseract(from Captain America; The First Avenger), in an attempt to rule the human race. With the help of a few minions(all in a trance-like state), Loki plans to open a portal to another world - which would allow an alien race(the Chitauri) to help him conquer the Earth.
Meanwhile, the Avengers are assembled! They are thrust into Nick Fury's world of S.H.I.E.L.D, and discover what's at stake for the humans. Despite their previous independence, each hero takes their place in the worlds most powerful team, in an effort to save the Earth and bring Loki to task.
The Avengers is a great movie. It's been incredibly well thought out, with no character given short shrift. The effects really are magnificent(only a few hover-board-like sequences look out of place). The movie delivers on both spectacle and story - and come the conclusion, you'll be hotly anticipating the next instalment(there's a sweet nod at what's to follow, so stay seated after the initial credits have rolled) - 4/5!

Johnny Big Toes - the whole gang!

copyright Alex Smith 2012

You've already met Johnny and Lee - now meet Lee's boss Nicky Lah and his car, 'Red'!

Pre-orders of Johnny Big Toes are now available at: www.ashworthpublishing.com

50/50

I had long been anticipating the release of 50/50. My brother had seen it in the UK, in November of last year and had raved about it(I believe it was one of his films of the year for 2011). Four months later and it's finally released here in Melbourne - to an exclusive run at the Nova cinema in Carlton(www.cinemanova.com.au) - that is all!
Why this movie was only deemed a singular run, I don't know. Perhaps the reasons remain the same for the direct-to-DVD issue?
Anyway, I managed to catch a screening with friends, close to the end of it's run - and was very glad I did. Obviously I had high expectations, having heard so much from my brother, but it didn't disappoint.
50/50 tells the story of Adam(played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a driven and creative young man working in radio, who believes in doing the very best job he can - especially in this age of mediocrity. You get the sense that Adam is a great believer in karma. He is considerate of rules and regulations and does his upmost to treat others as he would like to be treated. Unfortunately Adam's living in a world where the majority act differently.
Adam lives a fairly normal life, spending much of his time with friend and colleague, Kyle(played by the ever watchable Seth Rogen). His mother(played by Angelica Huston)and father live close by. Despite his mothers best efforts, Adam avoids seeing too much of his parents - undoubtedly due to his fathers failing health(he has alzheimer's). Adam is also dating Rachael(Bryce Dallas Howard) - an attractive, yet frivolous artist.
After going to the doctors complaining of back pain, Adam discovers he has a rare form of spinal cancer. Adam undergoes chemotherapy to treat the cancer and is ordered to see a therapist for the duration of his treatment.
Adam's world is turned upside down as anyone's world would be. His nearest and dearest are hugely sympathetic, but achieve varying degrees of success with their support. Adam's therapist, Katherine(played by Anna Kendrick) is in the process of earning her doctorate at what we discover to be a teaching hospital. Adam is Katherine's third patient and as two relatively young people, their character arc is deepest - as they discover just as much about themselves as they do each other.
50/50 is partly inspired by the experiences of screenwriter, Will Reiser and his own battle with cancer. The result is an incredibly honest account of one person's battle with a debilitating disease and how that person's life and relationships are affected - for better or for worse.
The cast are fabulous and they play their parts to perfection. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is particularly good in the lead. Pre-diagnosis he is calm and gentle. He sustains this mood throughout, but manages to subtly display a sense of hopelessness and despair beneath his skin.
With Reiser and Rogen having previously worked on Da Ali G Show together, there is much laughter to be found in 50/50. Much of which comes from the interplay between Adam and Kyle. Adam's fellow patients offer some respite from proceedings also - proving once again how necessary laughter is, in the fight of any serious illness.
50/50 is subtle yet deeply affecting in it's account of one man's battle with cancer. Almost every human emotion is displayed on screen - and not without reason. This comedy/drama is rich with detail and character development and will appear wholly familiar to anyone who's undergone a similar experience - or for that matter, anyone with friends and family - 4/5.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The trailer for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was one of the few, in recent times, to wet the appetite of it's audience, without giving too much away. It's also one of the few, in my experience, to garner such rapturous laughter(admittedly from an older audience) - greater even, than that of the main feature!
I was pleasantly surprised by this reaction and felt, based also on the pedigree of talent involved, the movie would do well upon release.
I don't know about box office receipts, but as a rich and understated story, the film is a huge success!
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a retreat of sorts, for the elderly(and beautiful!) - situated in Jaipur, India. The guests of this run-down but charming hotel are seven pensioners from England - who have all found their way to the hotel independently(save for two, who are already married).
Each has their own reasons for going and their own reasons for staying. As we come to understand these reasons, we find ourselves transported to India, fully engaging with these characters. Each is played to perfection by a who's who of top british talent including; Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Bill Nighy.
The screenwriter and actors have done a terrific job of fully realising each character. As elderly people, they appear steeped in life experience - at odds with both their past and future. Each actor has their moment to shine and by subtle increments we discover each characters past and learn of their anxiety and wonder towards the future.
As the characters are in such close proximity to one another, they have no alternative but to interact. This is amicable to all but one - who is ready to leave pretty soon after they arrive. India is the back-drop to this new adventure and while some embrace this foreign experience, others take more convincing. Friendships are made and some are broken, yet never does it feel forced or contrived.
Despite the predominantly elderly themes, there is an eighth story to be told in the hotel owner, played by Dev Patel. He is struggling to keep the hotel afloat, while endeavouring to maintain a relationship with his girlfriend.
These stories intermingle effortlessly and the result is an abundance of relatable human experience - regardless of age, sexuality or race. Not to reduce experience to singular codes or creeds, but there are some fabulous lines in this film, that some-up much of theses experiences - you'll be quoting for days afterward!
Adapted from the novel by Deborah Moggach, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a triumph of the human condition - and spirit. These characters could be middle-aged or even younger, but as elderly people, they show the living never want to stop living, irrespective of circumstance - 4/5.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

I went into Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance with pretty low expectations and came out pleasantly surprised!
For those of you who read my blog regularly, you'll have noticed I've been giving predominately high scores to the movies I've been reviewing. Fear not - Spirit of Vengeance is no classic!
Like any film-goer on a budget, I try my best to avoid seeing bad movies at the cinema. I do have a particular fondness for comic-related movies and most will have noticed a steady flow of comic-related features appearing at theatres of late!
I think my interest goes beyond mere fandom though. Being a creator myself, I believe it's the process by which these stories have been brought to life, which interests me most. The collaborative act of adapting that which was once on the page - the genesis of which was born in the imagination.
This new incarnation of Ghost Rider has very little to do with the 2007 feature. We join the character of Johnny Blaze(the Ghost Rider) in Eastern Europe - living a transient lifestyle with no attachments. He rides across the continent, his curse in tow - punishing those unlucky enough to cross his path.
The devil is in town however - and he's chosen a boy to embody, as his current 'shell' has grown weary. Johnny is propositioned by a man named Moreau, who has sworn to protect the boy. In return for his help, Moreau promises to free Johnny of his curse.
Spirit of Vengeance isn't so much a sequel to the 2007 original as just another story featuring the same lead character(and actor). It's less commercial and more inventive than it's predecessor. This time the 'Rider' and his motorcycle are more organic - blackened and charred, belching thick smoke into the air. Quite different to the polished, 'Hot Rod' aesthetic of the first.
Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are the directors this time and their background in action-movies is evident. Neveldine and Taylor have successfully re-created the crazy spectacle of a comic 'splash page' with this film. Most sequences are built from visuals indicative of comic-book art. Unfortunately many of these shots were pinched for the trailer, leaving few surprises for the viewer.
One of the few things that wasn't really evident in the trailer is the sprinkling of humour throughout. There is many a chuckle to be had in Spirit of Vengeance. Often dry and somewhat kooky, the humour breaks up the action and reminds us all, despite the apocalyptic visuals and doom-laden mood, we are in fact here to have a good time - not unlike a roller coaster!
Spirit of Vengeance doesn't raise the bar for comic-book movies, nor does it do very much to challenge it's audience. What it does do is entertain for a couple of hours. It's a simple yet engaging story, featuring a fearsome iconic character. The 'Ghost Rider' looks and feels just at home on screen as he does in the comic-books - 3/5.

The Raid: Redemption

I saw The Raid: Redemption with the knowledge it was likely to be the most brutal and visceral action movie I had seen in some time - it didn't disappoint!
The Raid is directed by Gareth Evans and stars Iko Uwais. The pair met during filming of Evans' documentary, 'Land of Moving Shadows: Pencak Silat'. Pencak Silat is an ancient Indonesian martial art - of which Uwais is a master. The pair made 'Merantau' soon after(their first feature together) and are endeavouring to showcase Silat with each new feature they produce.
The Raid tells the story of Rama(Uwais), a devoted husband with a baby on the way. Rama is a member of the SWAT team. After a brief introduction to this man, we are thrown into the action.
We follow Rama's SWAT team to an inner-city tenement, run by a ruthless mobster - housing 30 floors of killers and thugs!
As far as the audience is concerned, this infestation of villainy has been active for some time - and we just happened upon the day the good guys decided to 'clean house'! There is more going on than meets the eye however, and as the team make their way towards the top of the tenement, a web of lies and deceit is slowly revealed.
But who needs a plot when the action leaves you breathless!
Soon after the SWAT team breach, the inevitable happens. The villains attack and the men are divided. No longer a forceful team, the survivors are grouped in threes and fours. With numbers and ammo depleted, the 'good guys' are forced to do whatever is necessary to survive. Once the rifles and pistols are made obsolete, the art of Silat is given full credence!
Each opponent is worthy, with both law-man and criminal alike showing incredible skill and technique. It's a site to behold and(were it not for the delay in visual from audio at the theatre I attended) will rank as some of the best action choreography ever to be put to film.
As the plot reveals itself, the stakes rise for those still standing - the resulting brawls increasingly intense. It's edge of the set stuff, deserved of applause - the screening I attended responded appropriately!
The Raid is a great action film, expertly handled by a relative newcomer. I look forward to seeing it again(without the technical fault) and will keep an eye out for future productions by this talented team - 4/5.