The Spectacular Now - Review

THE SPECTACULAR NOW 

2013

15

Directed by James Ponsoldt

Starring Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley and Kyle Chandler 

Sutter Keely is a popular high school senior. He loves to party, has a job, a car, a drink in his hand and a pretty girlfriend who thinks he's hysterical. Aimee Finecky is a sweet girl who loves sci-fi and doesn't think any guy would like her. Although she has ideas and aspirations for the future, he appears to be content living for each day, in the spectacular now.

As a project The Spectacular Now had come to be without much fanfare and hard sell. Its limited release and lack of marketing in the UK particularly meant no preconceptions or expectations as to the films quality; taking a film at face value, independent of hype, is rare. It was however certifiably fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, doing well on metacritic and at a strong 7.2 on IMDb. And rightly so, because The Spectacular Now is wonderful.

It is a coming-of-age romantic comedy but it is far more subtle and sincere than expected. Films of this ilk are perennial and often if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Yet The Spectacular Now does accurately embody the attitude of young adults and shows how much a strongly held attitude towards life can change as a result of who you meet. It's soulful, authentic and captures that age where you are on the cusp of shaping yourself and it could go any which way. The dialogue and set up is so unembellished and normal that it becomes something very special. Especially by comparison to the overtly sexed up, stilted and formulaic foolishness such as The First Time (and to a certain extent Project X, which however is good, but for entirely different reasons.)

Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are a delight to watch: charming, realistic and natural. There was some lovely long takes with exchanges between the two that are so well scripted and executed. The late and great Roger Ebert said that 'being young is a solemn business when you really care about someone' and I couldn't put it any better. Both Sutter and Aimee are wonderful characters because they are funny and likeable, multifaceted but also flawed. Under all of Sutter's bravado is someone who isn't quite sure what he wants and perhaps isn't that confident after all. The Spectacular Now is gripping and engrossing but in a non flashy way. It's not showy and gaudy, it's restrained and venerable. 

Rating: 7

Into The Storm - Review

INTO THE STORM 


2014 

12A

Directed by Steven Quale 

Starring Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies and Matt Walsh

As far as disaster movies go, Into The Storm was undeniably disastrous. The film chronicled the impact a storm of epic proportion made on the inhabitants of the town Silverton and its visiting storm chasers.

Into The Storm firstly falls flat where the cast is concerned. The actors are grappling with exceeding stereotypical characters: the Dad who is so consumed with his work he doesn't see how wonderful his two teenage boys are, the weather analyst who is that dedicated to her work she has not seen her young girl in three months, and the storm fanatic who will risk it all just to be in the 'eye of the storm.' You can probably tell where all this is going... It's predictable, a little bit cliché and formulaic.

The special effects weren't polished enough to be truly believable and breathtaking. Given the modern standard of CGI it could have been a great deal more immersive - though presumably with a few more million pounds thrown at the project. The found footage element was also half baked and not executed fully. You've either got to go the whole hog (a la Chronicle and Cloverfield) where every single shot is from the perspective of handheld or CCTV, or just shoot normally because the constant transition was a bit jarring. There's definitely a market for documentary style movies, I'm just not sure whether Into The Storm was best served by it because it merely covered the familiar ground of the likes of Twister.

And yet there's something guilty pleasure about it, because as much as I rolled my eyes ultimately I must have been invested because there were some edge-of-your-seat, heart pounding, stressful moments. It was interesting having essentially an action blockbuster with the weather as the villain as opposed to a person or some sci-fi creature, that made it genuinely unsettling thinking 'what would I actually do.' However, the occasional breathless scenes aren't enough to push this rating up to a solid 5.

Rating - 3/10

BAFTAs 2014 - The Winners

Sadly BAFTA is over for another year; and what a show it was. Every year this commemoration of film serves to reignite my passion and appreciation for this great art form and reminds me of the importance of stories, imagination, creation. We need individuals to be inspired to pursue their fantastical visions, to become the actors, directors and writers of tomorrow. Actors who reflect and project others as believably as if it were actually them. Directors who envisage a concept and pin it down for the world to view. Writers who speak to us with words that generate compassion, that educate and entertain. I love every aspect of this industry, from the initial thought, all the way through to celebrations like last night. Here's hoping to another incredible year of film...

Best Film 12 Years A Slave

Leading Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave

Supporting Actor Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Leading Actress Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine 

Supporting Actress Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

Outstanding British Film Gravity

Director  Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity

Original Screenplay American Hustle

Original Music Gravity

Cinematography Gravity

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer Kieran Evans (Writer/Director), Kelly + Victor

Special Visual Effects  Gravity 

Film Not in the English Language The Great Beauty

EE Rising Star Award Will Poulter 

Adapted Screenplay Philomena

Editing Rush

The Fellowship award went to Dame Helen Mirren who ended the evening on a fitting verse from Shakespeare's The Tempest:

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2561138/Lupita-Nyongo-makes-bag-main-accessory-stars-pose-fun-snaps-BAFTA-selfie-booth.html#ixzz2tbAVXFqd 

BAFTA 2014 - Red Carpet

The show is yet to begin but here are a few snaps from the red carpet to get us in the award show spirit. 

Brangelina looking dapper and classy

Lupita Nyong'o injecting some colour to the carpet

American Hustle's Amy Adams

The Wolf of Wall Street - Mr Leonardo DiCaprio

Be still my beating heart - Michael Fassbender and Bradley Cooper

Eddie Redmayne and his girlfriend Hannah

The great Christoph Waltz

Favourite Soundtracks Part III

I would like to apologise for my half year hiatus from this very blog! My absence can be explained by the fact I have just started studying at university so have been busy settling in, meeting new people and finding time to bury my nose in Law books on occasion... But fear not and rest assured that I am back and ready to reignite my passion for film. 

Actually, it's rather presumptuous to assume anyone has actually missed activity on Amateur Reviews but I have certainly missed writing it...

FAVOURITE SOUNDTRACKS PART III

1. Les Miserables I Dreamed A Dream - Anne Hathaway I love this musical but the stand out track as cliché as expected is Anne Hathaway's portrayal of the musical theatre great. Ideally my favourite song from the musical is One Day More, however something about the movie version did not quite gel for me as much as some of the stage versions.

2. Great Gatsby Back To Black Beyonce and Andre 3000 This was one of my most listened to CDs of the summer so I was torn between a great many of the tracks. The hip hop edge of the sound track is to our ears what jazz was to Gatsby and co. in the 1920's. Genius from Baz. And as a side note, my second favourite would be Together by The XX.

3. The Vow England The National Yet another track by The National makes it onto one of my favourite lists (About Today from Warrior being the other). This is the instrumental version which ends the movie, however the original with lyrics is beautiful also.

4. Flight Gimme Shelter Rolling Stones Now I know that this song features in so many films other than Flight, but this is the most recent use of it that I am aware of therefore I decided to pick Flight as the soundtrack from which it's from. The intro of this song is summer personified in a song.

5. Social Network In Motion Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Incredible Oscar worthy soundtrack, the movie would not be what it is without it. I also particularly enjoyed the choral cover of Creep by Radiohead which accompanied the trailer too though is not part of the score.

6. Inglourious Basterds Cat People David Bowie Great song to accompany an even greater tracking shot by Quentin Tarantino.

7. Romeo + Juliet Talk Show Host Radiohead Another inspired Baz Luhrman soundtrack. The modern music in the modern take of Romeo and Juliet keeps the movie feeling fresh and relevant nearly 20 years on. Impressive film making.

8. Requiem For A Dream Lux Aeterna This song is used in so many other contexts nowadays that I sometimes forget that it is from this movie by Darren Aronofsky. I believe it was used for a Lord of The Rings Trailer? Either way it is a cracking piece of soundtrack to a cracking movie.

9. There Will Be Blood Convergence Johnny Greenwood I actually struggle to listen to this. It is not something that you'd put on for a bit of easy listening, or at a party for that matter. But I included it in the post just for the sheer fact that it encapsulates the urgency and unease of the movie ridiculously well. There Will Be Blood is truly brilliant but an undeniably hard watch; this soundtrack contributes to quality. 

10. Silver Linings Play Book Buffalo Alt-J Feat. Mountain Man And finally to round off the list... Alt-J is one of my favourite bands so when I heard their distinctive sound on the Silver Linings OST I was very happy indeed.

So that rounds off Part III. There will probably be a Part IV as I have always got my ears trained on the songs that come from some of my favourite films. Until then you can by all means check out Part I and Part II via the links below if it takes your fancy (or perhaps not if you hate my music/film taste!) 

Part I
Part II

The Lone Ranger - Review

THE LONE RANGER


2013

12A

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Starring Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp and Tom Wilkinson 


Aged Comanche Tonto (Depp) relates his days with John Reid (Hammer) and how the sole survivor of a massacre of Texas Rangers by the notorious outlaw Butch Cavendish (Fichtner) and his gang became the masked man bringing justice in the Old West. Corrupt railroad men, stampeding buffalo and a comedy horse all play their parts.

After years of 'production problems', changing writers and ballooning budgets, all I can say is that I welcomed this movie with a wide grin and am so happy that The Lone Ranger has eventually rode onto our screens because it was certainly worth the wait. What I love about the film is that it is so well crafted - it feels glossy and expensive but unlike the Man of Steel blockbuster, this film is still full of heart and human emotion. The Lone Ranger is the ultimate feel good movie of the summer with a stellar cast and soundtrack to boot. 

The action sequences atop of numerous moving trains are breath taking, gripping and extremely well choreographed. Far too often movies are padded out with unoriginal action sequences and reliance on green screen. Whereas Bruckheimer and Verbinski bravely took the logistical challenge of making an authentic set out on location in the scorching hot desert heat. It leads to more legitimate acting when the actors are genuinely in the elements against the weather instead of an air conditioned studio in California. This is partly where the spiralling cost would have come from but it was certainly worth it in my opinion at least; and I just hope it doesn't deter other big film makers from filming as much as possible for real. The Lone Ranger is a pleasure to look at - stunning vistas and immersive close ups that really bring the beauty and grit of the wild west to life. 

Armie Hammer exudes an aura on and off screen that screams leading man. He is a joy to watch; enthusiastic and full on but in a way that is never too much. Surprisingly comedic, John Reid keeps energy high and his relationship with Tonto is both funny and sincere all at the same time. Johnny Depp is hilarious and truly did flesh out and embody Tonto with great depth and originality. The casting of Harry Treadaway as Butch Cavendish's right-hand-man was inspired. If anyone could play a crazed villain with a penchant for crossing-dressing legitimately - it's him. 

I definitely agree with Depp and Hammer, who were recently quoted defending the movie by stating that the reviewers had made their mind up about this film before they even stepped foot in the movie theatre. They knew it had cost a lot and they knew its production had been plagued by troubles so perhaps The Lone Ranger did look like it could be a John Carter-style flop. But it isn't and it's truly sad that people aren't going to see it. They don't tend to make real movies like this any more; real acting and real wholesome heart in a western genre. 

Rating: 8

"Sometimes it's good to just tune out and watch a hero. There's something for everyone!" - Armie Hammer

Starter For 10 - Guest Review

STARTER FOR 10

2006

12A

Directed by Tom Vaughan

Starring James McAvoy, Rebecca Hall and Alice Eve

Driven by his thirst for knowledge Brian Jackson (James McAvoy) stumbles through his first year at Bristol University. Whilst seeking his dream of appearing on University Challenge Brian falls for a fellow team mate Alice (Alice Eve). Hoping for romance, knowledge, success and trying not to become the wanker his childhood friends think he will become Brian embarks on his journey.

We all know there aren’t many intelligent painfully funny British comedies out there, about a boys’ search for wisdom. However this Sam Mendes’ Neal Street Productions holds all the qualities we have come to associate with Mendes. This adaptation of David Nicholls' best selling novel is full to the brim with well-groomed witty humour. If you’re thinking of About A Boy, ignore this. Cast your mind to The History Boys and add more élan.

Determined to make his deceased Dad proud Brian heads off Bristol University where he encounters many new life experiences, moving away from home, smoking his first spliff, falling head over heal for a girl, brawling with his best mate and repeatedly making school boy errors. These blunders continue from the first to the last minute - [SPOILER!] cheating in the final of University Challenge- ruining his childhood dream.

With the overwhelming 80s nostalgia booming from every soundtrack “Boys Don’t Cry- The Cure” there’s no chance of mistaking the backdrop of Thatcherism. Political views are prominent as ever as Brian gets swept up in every campaign from women’s rights to equality in order to befriend the doting Rebecca Ebstein (Rebecca Hall). Jumping at the chance to join the University Challenge Team, he meets his first love- Alice Harbinson- which is shortly lived. After making an unexpected encounter with her naked parents or as they see it trying to “seduce Mrs Harbinson”- their relationship quickly deteriorates. 
Round of applause for this outstanding cast, without these supporting roles the plot would just crumble. Who would think that Catherine Tate known for her comedy could bring a heart warming, sensitive side and of course dry humour to the film. Popping up throughout with her beloved “Mr Wippy”- Des (John Henshaw) really makes a splash from the first moment we meet him. You either love him or you hate him. Patrick Watts (Benedict Cumberbatch) plays the most convincing ostentatious captain- constantly supplying top class comical moments.
Let’s face it there aren’t many humorous intellectual films about today without being destroyed by cheap jokes- this films is an exception. At its centre Brian Jackson, youthful and enthusiastic, played by the gorgeous James McAvoy, delivers comedy in a dramatic sense on various levels. Your emotions will surge right through this film from start to finish. In contrast with the mixed feeling for Margaret Thatcher, James McAvoy is becoming one of the great actors of his generation- with Narnia and Shameless under his belt at this point- his undisputed reputation is growing.
Like most University memories this film is full of funny, embarrassing and life changing moments which will stay with you forever. It is top of its league for comedies this year. A definite must see.

Rating: 8

A big thank you to our guest reviewer Katie who was kind enough to contribute to the blog with this great review!