Christmas has long offered fertile material for film makers. Every year, Hollywood produces a raft of sleigh-belled, Santa-hatted fare for our delectation, and often the forced jollity of it all fails to entice us.
Last year’s disappointing Fred Claus was a case in point, so it is surprising that its star Vince Vaughn decided to go with another festive film so soon. Four Christmases, however, exceeds expectations by being that rare thing: a Christmas comedy that is genuinely funny.
Brad (Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) love each other very much, but hate to spend Christmas with their families (as Brad puts it, you can’t spell ‘families’ without ‘lies’). Every year since these yuppies met, they’ve gone on a fabulous holiday to avoid traipsing between the four households of their divorced parents. But when all flights are grounded on Christmas Day, they have to do their duty and visit their loved ones.
The couple progress from one parent to the next, each prone to causing major embarrassment and physical injuries to their offspring. There’s Brad’s redneck father and wrestling brothers, his hippy mother and her toy boy, and Kate’s born-again mum. Brad and Kate are confronted with everything they hate about their pasts, but end up seeing what they are missing from their future in a series of very sweet moments that intercut the slapstick.
What really lift this up from your usual romantic comedy mush are the performances. Vaughn and Witherspoon are very convincing as a couple, despite the height difference (they look like they’ve been drawn to different scales), and the parents are all played by Oscar winners (Jon Voight, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Mary Steenburgen).
Much of the script was improvised by the actors, and this is where Vince Vaughn really excels, churning out pop culture references and barbs with his cuddly charm. Witherspoon shows the comic timing that gained her so many fans in Legally Blonde and delivers the more serious scenes beautifully.
The director, Seth Gordon, has only one other feature under his belt, the cult documentary King of Kong about obsessive video game players. Four Christmases seems like an odd follow up, but it does touch on a real and universal theme: our families might drive us crazy, but we need them.
We may also need this gentle and hilarious reminder when we are struggling to stay sane in December.
Thursday 27 November 2008
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
For Kevin Smith fans, Zack and Miri Make a Porno was a slightly worrying prospect. It’s not set in the same filmic universe as most of Kevin Smith’s films (you can tell this because it’s not set in New Jersey, and Jeff Anderson’s character isn’t called Randal). The only other film that he’s made without Jay and Silent Bob was Jersey Girl, an ok film struck down by the curse of Gigli. There is no need to fear, however, because from the very first scene it is clear that we are in classic Kevin Smith mode; the movie is chock-full of the filthy humour, endearing moments and lack of cinematographic flair that we have come to love.
Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have been best friends since high school, and share a flat. Faced with major money troubles, they decide to get out of debt by making and starring in a porn film. They find that turning a platonic relationship into a sexual one has consequences.
The script is full of Smith’s trademark dirty discussions and some pretty gross moments. The scenes where the ragtag cast and crew make the film are very amusing and reminiscent of his debut, Clerks¸ shot in the shop where he worked outside of business hours. Porn is an innately funny genre, what with the ridiculous scripts and acting, and this film gets its money’s worth out of the concept.
The cast is eclectic, and all the better for it. It is always nice to see Smith regulars Jeff Anderson and Jason Mewes on screen, this time joined by real porn stars Traci Lords and Katie Morgan. Josh Rogen is cuddly and sweet as Zack (a character obviously based on Kevin Smith) and Elizabeth Banks is charming as Miri, if a little bland. She is definitely flavour of the month in Hollywood, but her face so closely resembles Parker Posey’s that I always have unrealistic expectations of her wackiness and comedic talent, leaving me slightly disappointed.
But it is Justin Long (last seen in Die Hard 4.0 and Ed) who steals the show in a single scene. Using an unnaturally low voice to play a gay porn star, he manages to be at once creepy, cool and hilarious. It is the highlight of a very funny film with a very sweet heart.
Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have been best friends since high school, and share a flat. Faced with major money troubles, they decide to get out of debt by making and starring in a porn film. They find that turning a platonic relationship into a sexual one has consequences.
The script is full of Smith’s trademark dirty discussions and some pretty gross moments. The scenes where the ragtag cast and crew make the film are very amusing and reminiscent of his debut, Clerks¸ shot in the shop where he worked outside of business hours. Porn is an innately funny genre, what with the ridiculous scripts and acting, and this film gets its money’s worth out of the concept.
The cast is eclectic, and all the better for it. It is always nice to see Smith regulars Jeff Anderson and Jason Mewes on screen, this time joined by real porn stars Traci Lords and Katie Morgan. Josh Rogen is cuddly and sweet as Zack (a character obviously based on Kevin Smith) and Elizabeth Banks is charming as Miri, if a little bland. She is definitely flavour of the month in Hollywood, but her face so closely resembles Parker Posey’s that I always have unrealistic expectations of her wackiness and comedic talent, leaving me slightly disappointed.
But it is Justin Long (last seen in Die Hard 4.0 and Ed) who steals the show in a single scene. Using an unnaturally low voice to play a gay porn star, he manages to be at once creepy, cool and hilarious. It is the highlight of a very funny film with a very sweet heart.
Sunday 16 November 2008
Review - Quantum of Solace
I wasn’t as enthused as everyone else by Daniel Craig’s first outing as James Bond in Casino Royale. Although reasonably enjoyable, in my mind Bond does not have sandy hair and a face like a beefy Sid James, and it was all a bit too serious. Quantum of Solace continues in the same vein, as our hero grieves Vespa Lynd by moodily killing people all over the world.
Bond is on the trail of a new, and very secretive, terrorist organisation. One of its members is Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric, playing a slightly more evil version of Jools Holland), a supposed environmentalist who likes staging coups and ruining the lives of poor people. Bond’s determination to stop him, against the wishes of MI6, leaves him a target.
Craig is robotic and emotionless – Bond is still so upset about his girlfriend dying in the last film that he is not allowing himself to feel. It may be intentional, but his ice blue eyes are so cold that it is hard to sustain one’s interest. Judy Dench is suitably matriarchal as M, but I was upset by her incongruous use of a short ‘a’ sound in the word ‘bastard’; she may be from Yorkshire, but that’s not the RP she was taught at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
My main concern is that most of what made Bond films special has gone out the window. The villain, though creepy, is perhaps not quite evil enough, and the Bond girls (Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton) don’t get much screen time or a chance to be glamorous. If it wasn’t ‘cool’ enough, maybe they shouldn’t make them at all. Hopefully, with Casino Royale an origin film and Quantum of Solace about getting over that origin, the next instalment will see Bond emerge as a confident, suave and slightly more cheery fellow.
The action scenes here are gritty, exciting and numerous, almost making up for the shortcomings; this Bond is not averse to getting into fist fights, and looks like he could handle himself. Overall this is solid action fare, with car chases, explosions and plenty of hanging off scaffolding to enjoy, but it will not be anyone’s favourite Bond film.
Bond is on the trail of a new, and very secretive, terrorist organisation. One of its members is Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric, playing a slightly more evil version of Jools Holland), a supposed environmentalist who likes staging coups and ruining the lives of poor people. Bond’s determination to stop him, against the wishes of MI6, leaves him a target.
Craig is robotic and emotionless – Bond is still so upset about his girlfriend dying in the last film that he is not allowing himself to feel. It may be intentional, but his ice blue eyes are so cold that it is hard to sustain one’s interest. Judy Dench is suitably matriarchal as M, but I was upset by her incongruous use of a short ‘a’ sound in the word ‘bastard’; she may be from Yorkshire, but that’s not the RP she was taught at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
My main concern is that most of what made Bond films special has gone out the window. The villain, though creepy, is perhaps not quite evil enough, and the Bond girls (Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton) don’t get much screen time or a chance to be glamorous. If it wasn’t ‘cool’ enough, maybe they shouldn’t make them at all. Hopefully, with Casino Royale an origin film and Quantum of Solace about getting over that origin, the next instalment will see Bond emerge as a confident, suave and slightly more cheery fellow.
The action scenes here are gritty, exciting and numerous, almost making up for the shortcomings; this Bond is not averse to getting into fist fights, and looks like he could handle himself. Overall this is solid action fare, with car chases, explosions and plenty of hanging off scaffolding to enjoy, but it will not be anyone’s favourite Bond film.
Monday 10 November 2008
Review - Gomorrah
As one watches the Godfather or Goodfellas, life in organised crime does look sort of glamorous – until the bullets start flying and the knives start slitting throats, of course. In Gomorrah, it doesn’t seem glamorous for even a second. This brutal Italian film examines the Camorra, Naples’ version of the Sicilian Mafia, and the damage it does. As you watch these men and boys go about their lives in crumbling concrete estates soaked in grey light, you would be forgiven for thinking you were watching a 1980s Mike Leigh film. This is certainly not the sun-drenched Italy of travel brochures, all blue seas and pasta.
Gomorrah follows the lives of disparate people involved with the Camorra, which the viewer learns has its finger in many pies (toxic waste dumping being the most upsetting for someone like me who was brought up on Captain Planet). Young Totò (Salvatore Abruzzese) is a new recruit who we see losing his innocence quite spectacularly. The fact that this boy does so in an England football shirt makes it all the more upsetting. Marco (Marco Macor, a dead ringer for a young Robert De Niro) and Ciro (Ciro Petrone) are two bumbling wannabe gangsters taking on the local Don. Pasquale (Salvatore Contalupo) is a tailor creating haute couture gowns for the Camorra who attempts some very risky moonlighting for a rival, and Don Ciro (Gianfelice Imparato) is a money collector trying to survive as a turf war rages around him. These are just some of the stories woven together to form a picture of a city living in fear of this organisation, and there are none more afraid than those working for it.
The film is based on a book by Roberto Saviano, who now lives under police protection because of the attention he has brought to this secret society. Shot in a grainy, semi-documentary style, everything feels extremely authentic. The lingering shots do slow the pace to a crawl at times and it is not always clear which sides some of the characters are on, but overall this is a bloody and eye-opening introduction to a way of life we don’t often hear about, and one which seems to be without end.
Gomorrah follows the lives of disparate people involved with the Camorra, which the viewer learns has its finger in many pies (toxic waste dumping being the most upsetting for someone like me who was brought up on Captain Planet). Young Totò (Salvatore Abruzzese) is a new recruit who we see losing his innocence quite spectacularly. The fact that this boy does so in an England football shirt makes it all the more upsetting. Marco (Marco Macor, a dead ringer for a young Robert De Niro) and Ciro (Ciro Petrone) are two bumbling wannabe gangsters taking on the local Don. Pasquale (Salvatore Contalupo) is a tailor creating haute couture gowns for the Camorra who attempts some very risky moonlighting for a rival, and Don Ciro (Gianfelice Imparato) is a money collector trying to survive as a turf war rages around him. These are just some of the stories woven together to form a picture of a city living in fear of this organisation, and there are none more afraid than those working for it.
The film is based on a book by Roberto Saviano, who now lives under police protection because of the attention he has brought to this secret society. Shot in a grainy, semi-documentary style, everything feels extremely authentic. The lingering shots do slow the pace to a crawl at times and it is not always clear which sides some of the characters are on, but overall this is a bloody and eye-opening introduction to a way of life we don’t often hear about, and one which seems to be without end.
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