Captain Phillips

'Captain Birdseye, do you copy?!'

                                                   "Wilson!!!!!- damn, wrong movie" 

DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass

CAST: Woody, the slut who loves John Malkovich, and the best talent Somalia has to offer...

PLOT: Based on the 'true' events of Captain Richard Phillips being kidnapped by Somali pirates in 2009, this film offers us an insight into how the incident unravelled.


Unless you were living in a hole in 2009, or you more realistically just don't pay any attention to the news, you will probably know the outcome of this entire film, as is the problem with adaptations that are based on real events. But despite this, Captain Phillips is never short of suspense or excitement, as Paul Greengrass toys with your adrenaline whilst Tom Hanks simultaneously manipulates your emotions, both combining to create a fiercely effective storytelling duo.

Neither individual lets one another down. They are the main players, here to tell the story of bravery and resilience with a hint of social and cultural commentary in both the US and Somalia without being too preachy. Cynics may be worried due to the casting of Tom Hanks - an actor who's American as apple pie and a main player in the US single-handedly winning World War II (WITH NO HELP WHATSOEVER), but this is never played out as a gung-ho film trying to recreate Bourne-ish thrills out at sea, it is instead a contained thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

There's no urgent phone calls to the president, it's simply three parties - Phillips and his crew, the Somalian pirates (led by their brilliant captain and Somalian acting newcomer Barkhad Abdi, a dark horse for awards season), and the US Navy, whose importance isn't felt until the final act. There's no heroes and villains; much like real life it is just a story of two different men and their relationship during times of desperation, both of whom are at the core, fighting for survival. There's no dialogue to pander to its audience, Hanks doesn't try to convince his captors that they are the same as him. They're not and everyone knows it - different cultures, different backgrounds, different lives. Ultimately, though, one goal: survival.

And this is where the film really does excel. Nobody is demonised and nobody will question your morals if you at times feel inclined to side with the pirates. Their backstory, like Phillips', might be short, but it's all you need to see. They have to do this, regardless of whether they want to or not. Just as Phillips constantly tells his crew "everything is going to be ok", so does Somali captain, Muse (cool name). Thankfully Team America would never have to get involved in this situation, there's no explosions, no fantastical fist fights, or cheesy one-liners about who will be the victor. Everything is believable and plays as if this is exactly the line of events that happened in reality. Its realistic enough to make you sea-sick.

                                   "That boat is getting extremely loud and incredibly close"

Tom Hanks may constantly prove that he'd never lost form throughout the duration, reminding us that he's still one of the best actors in the world, but it's important to remember that the man behind the camera is just as important during Captain Phillips. Greengrass directs with a real sense of urgency, putting you right on the decks or inside the lifeboat, providing you with a suspenseful cocktail mixing excitement with terror. As Muse tells Phillips that he doesn't want anyone to get hurt, we pray that he's telling the truth.

With all biopics, there is always going to be controversies. There will always be people telling different stories and denying the events on-screen. Regardless of any of this, Captain Phillips stands as one of the best films of the year, signifying when two of the most talented and exciting individuals in cinema teamed up and made sure that there wasn't a dry eye in the house as the overwhelming journey leaves you gasping for air.

* * * * *

Filth

It's the sound of da police...

                                                        Fun for all the family

DIRECTOR: Jon S. Baird

CAST: Hippy Professor Xavier, Billy Elliot, a Jew at the world cup final, funny name Poots, village of the year obsessive, Moaning Myrtle and Billy Elliot's dad...

PLOT: You'll be asking how Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson (McAvoy) ever got this far in his career during the adaptation of the same name from Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, chronicling the efforts of the filthy, STI riddled, inhumane, hallucinating, immoral pig as he heads a Christmas-time murder investigation whilst attempting to cheat his way to a promotion.


Anyone that knew absolutely anything about the source material before the film was released wouldn't have been blamed for scratching their heads regarding the casting of the immensely likeable James McAvoy as the protagonist(?) of this potentially mental-scarring film for anyone whose mettle isn't up to the test of seeing a supposedly respected police officer blackmailing an under-aged girl into giving him a blow-job and then criticising her technique and comparing it to a "cheese-grater".

That morally obscene event happens fairly early on in the film and it doesn't get any sweeter when exploring the seedy sides of Edinburgh. But for people whose only knowledge of the film before the viewing is only that of the trailer and a short synopsis, you may be surprised to find that Filth also has a more serious dark edge to it, as all of the injustices are met with equally downbeat and harrowing repercussions.

This isn't simply a straight-up comedy watching McAvoy get his kicks from harassing witnesses and his co-workers (a superb cast featuring Jamie Bell and his on-screen dad in Billy Elliot, Gary Lewis), using copious amounts of cocaine, and indulging in hardcore pornography and erotic asphyxiation; it's also a dark and demented exploration of a broken human spirit being haunted by terrifying hallucinations and a frightening Jim Broadbent as his bulbous headed doctor. In one scene you will be keeling over with your sides splitting, in the next you will feel guilty as the phenomenal James McAvoy (quickly becoming one of the most exciting and unpredictable actors in the world) picks at your emotions and molests them one at a time and, against the expected style of the film, genuinely makes you feel for a complete wanker.

And it's a good thing that Filth director Jon S. Baird and McAvoy succeed in doing this else the film would be borderline unwatchable, apart from those that are literally affected by nothing. It could be clever marketing, but more than likely completely coincidental, that its release came so close to World Mental Health Day, because if it wasn't for the consequences and the justification of evil acts and exploring Sergeant Bruce Robertson's tortured soul, this film would merely exist to provoke with bad taste. The only better time that this film could have been released would have been to mentally scar your Christmas this fall.

                                                       Merry fucking Christmas

Aside from the dirty plot, this is also a terrifically made film, shot brilliantly giving a Hollywood-like feel to proceedings. Some may wonder why the cinematography was given the glossy treatment instead of taking on a more gritty visual style, but it could be read as Robertson's highly perched ego constantly giving himself more importance and credit than he deserves. Accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack which bi-polarises the subject matter, it all gels together perfectly. Albeit with a strange, disgusting gel that you wouldn't want to touch despite its ability to intoxicate.

Don't be surprised to see fellow audience members making their way towards the exits early on. Even if your resolve is tested too, do stick with it, as this is more than just crude behaviour, graphic sex, and Scotsmen swearing, it's much, much more than that.

* * * * ½


If my blog is not giving you enough of a movie fix, then maybe you should check out the Take3 podcast, in which myself, John Brown, and James Conibear discuss film news and reviews - check it out for free on SoundCloud by following the link below:

https://soundcloud.com/take3-podcast/03-10-13 

Prisoners

Not starring Wentworth Miller, Vinnie Jones, or Morgan Freeman

                                        Jackman had just watched Scrubs for the first time

DIRECTOR: Dennis Villeneuve

CAST: Van Helsing (lol), the Prince of Persia (lol), an actor from There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine and Looper (respect), black actress of the moment, the original War Machine, the new Evelyn O'Connell, and Mickey Ward's mum...

PLOT: When the BBFC's opening warning begins with telling you 'this film includes themes of child abduction', you know you're not in for a skip in the daisy field. In a remote US town, 'Keller' (Jackman) and 'Franklin' (Terrence Howard) have their daughter's kidnapped. With little faith in 'Detective Loki' (not Tom Hiddleston; Jake Gyllenhaal) and the rest of the police force, we see first-hand what depths father's will drop to in order to find their loved ones...


  
With the digital age and infinite knowledge and anticipation of the future directly at your fingertips, these days it isn't often that a film that you know very little about comes out of nowhere to completely blow you out of your shell. Despite the fact that the director is relatively unknown (not for long, surely), the calibre of acting talent on show would suggest that this would be many cineaste's one to look forward to of the year. Other than the odd recent trailer I had no idea of the film's existence. And due to the film's seemingly bland title (which will become more appropriate as the film rolls on) I had no intention of seeing it because of the false belief that it would be yet another conventional 'whodunnit' thriller that luckily managed to nab a few great actors with a high pay cheque.

But thanks to rave reviews and hushed Oscar buzz making Prisoners a dark horse for awards season, I thought I'd give it a shot and was subsequently shocked to the core in the best possible way. It opens in relatively recognisable fashion, introducing the families, the themes of religion and masculinity, and applying sound character development to let us know that these are neighbourly folk living a simple life in a remote little US town.

However, things quickly turn sour and the two young girls go missing, and from there on in you are hooked, wrapped around the little finger of Villeneuve and his brilliant cast, and just like that you are along for the ride. Albeit a long ride, it's the sort of narrative involving characters that are layered enough to warrant a television series, but instead, and thankfully due to the quality, this is a film that may be long, but it is never boring. You forgot to take a piss before the showing, you're two hours in, half an hour to go, and your bladder can't seem to hold out. Don't worry, your brain isn't letting you go anywhere - you'll sooner leave a puddle on your favourite seat at your local cinema.

There is only one moment in the film when it feels as if the story is going to peter out and lose its hard-hitting hook that occurs roughly three-quarters of the way through. But the film is quickly and expertly rescued and it soon dawns on you that the slowing of pace was used as a narrative device. Kudos to the fine acting, especially from Gyllenhaal who will struggle to ever top this career-cementing performance, for making sure that you don't lose faith before the powerful and gut-wrenching final act.

                            Gyllenhaal was desperately looking for a product that would tame his hair

One of the most impressive things about Prisoners is its balance within understanding. Many crime thrillers fail with the narrative, either being too simple that it bored audiences or too complicated that it angers and disengages audiences. Prisoners instead manages to ride the fine line directly in the middle - nobody that is actively viewing the film will be lost, yet nobody who believes themselves to be a genius and a film addict will feel that the plot spoon feeds them.

Prisoners puts the word thrill into thriller. When you see quotes such as "Edge of your seat stuff" on a DVD case, they're often lying. The following is not a lie - this is literally edge-of-your-seat stuff. There will be many a moment that you struggle to breathe and holding on for dear life. Most mystery thrillers you work out maybe halfway through, but this has you clueless right up to the final few scenes. You find out when our protagonist's find out. That's not to say that the conclusion doesn't make sense, or that the clues weren't there. They were just dealt with so well that we had as little of an idea as 'Detective Loki'.

This is also helped by the technical aspects and the execution of the film. The cinematography is beautiful in the bleakest way imaginable. The rain hammering down onto the ground, the murky, filthy locations, the detective with his own demons - it all rings true of old film noirs and it works a treat. It may be missing a femme fatale and characters chain smoking, but Prisoners is what it is, and instead utilises certain looks and feels if and when it chooses.

But at heart this is also a character study. As mentioned there is the religious and masculinity-obsessed father (Jackman), the job-obsessed detective with demons in his closet (Gyllenhaal), and the weird, ugly, child-obsessed suspect (Dano). You think that you'll know all of these characters, and you probably do. Yet you won't know them in the way that you think you do. Let the battle for shelf decorations commence!

Prisoners is by far the surprise of the year, and it is doubtful that any other film will come out of nowhere like this one and punch you in the brain and the heart in such a violent fashion for quite some time. If you're British but still consider Django Unchained a 2012 film, it's very difficult to look past this as the film of the year so far. This will stay with you long after the opening credits and then some. You will feel exhausted and overwhelmed; as if you've just stepped off the best rollercoaster in the world.

Perfection has never felt so seedy.

* * * * *