The Invention of Lying (Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson, 2009) Review

I've been watching and reading a lot of things to do with Karl Pilkington recently. I've been reading his books and watching An Idiot Abroad and The Ricky Gervais Show so I figured I would watch a film featuring Ricky Gervais, a cameo from Stephen Merchant and a deleted scene with Karl Pilkington. I was also intrigued by the concept of the film so lets get right into The Invention of Lying...I'm sure the film features exactly what it says on the tin.

In a world where everyone tells the truth, Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is a loser who is out of money, lost his job and has a dying mother in the hospital. While closing his bank account, he manages to discover the secret to lying and winds up becoming the most powerful man with the ability to make and rewrite history. He tries to use this ability to win over Anna (Jennifer Garner), a woman he tried to date when he was a loser, but becomes famous after creating a description of life after death to appease his dying mother. 

I absolutely love the premise and concept of the film as it could lead to some great moments if done correctly...and it was....for the most part. While the film does stay true to the premise, half way through it does lose its focus to focus on social commentary of religion. While that isn't a bad thing, I just wish that they didn't retire the concept halfway through. It does lead to some down right hilarious and clever moments as Ricky Gervais has definitely put a lot of thought into the concept and it definitely shows. 

While I think that Ricky Gervais starring wasn't entirely necessary, he does bring joy to the role and, having watched his other work, he feels familiar (even if he is playing himself). The other actors do a good job but in the first third, everyone other than Mark seems lifeless and have no personality. Luckily this is fixed as the movie progresses but it is easy to detract the actor from the character. Still, the cameos from the likes of Stephen Merchant, Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman are great. 

The Invention of Lying does bring forth what is advertised and I think that a lot of thought went into the great concept. It works well and leads to some hilarious moments. The aspect that focuses on religion may definitely turn people off (hey, it's a touchy subject!) but, all in all, it's a funny feel good film that delivers in what it sets out to accomplish.

Verdict:
7/10
A funny film that delivers an interesting concept that clearly had a lot of thought put into it.

Also I'd say it's a good thing that we hit 40,000 page views! YEEEEAH!

Red Dragon (Brett Ratner, 2002) Review

Quite a while ago, I did a review for the film Silence of the Lambs so I figured it was time to return to the world of Hannibal Lecter to see where it all began (yeah, this is a prequel to Silence of the Lambs since it's based on the book...which came out before the book of Silence...kind of dropped the ball on that one). Let's get straight to it. 

FBI Agent Will Graham (Edward Norton), an agent made famous for apprehending Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), is called back into action when a new criminal known as 'The Tooth Fairy'. The problem is, The Tooth Fairy has gaining information about Will's personal life and is beginning to use it against. Will has to use Lecter to get inside the Tooth Fairy's mind and work out who he is. 

Let's begin with the obvious, Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins continues his excellent portrayal as Hannibal and shows no sign of slowing down (except being replaced by Mads Mikkelson...and his age). He also works well along side Edward Norton (an actor I feel is great in everything he's in) as, unlike Jodie Foster's Clarice in Silence, Hannibal hates Will which makes Hannibal more threatening and makes us feel more sympathy for Will. Other actors such as Ralph Fiennes and Emily Watson also do a good job. 

Now, you could argue my big complaint is a moot point as this story initially came first, but Red Dragon does feel like a re-hash of Silence of the Lambs. While it does have a much more thrilling climax with some great twists, it does feel a lot like Silence. I'm not saying it's a complete re-hash, it just has similar plot elements. Will and Clarice are vastly different and the villains are too (although they have similar motivations).

Red Dragon takes what made Silence of the Lambs great and experiments with it. Making a protagonist that Hannibal detests is a nice spin on the other story but I wouldn't really say there is enough to make it stand on its own. I would recommend it to those that want more insight into the world of Hannibal but don't start with this one.  

Verdict:
7.5/10
A nice twist on Silence with some terrific acting and plot twists but it doesn't really make enough difference to stand on its own.

The Great Gatsby (Jack Clayton, 1974) Review

Oh I'm sorry, were you expecting a different film with the same name starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire...yeah, we're looking at a completely different one. Since reviews for the newer film were...mixed, to say the least, I decided (or was forced into watching) to watch a different version of the same tile since I would assume it's the same story. Well, let's get this done then...

After moving to Long Island, Nick Carraway (Sam Waterston) finds himself caught up in the affairs of his neighbour, Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford). He becomes one of Gatsby's best friends but when his old flame, Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow), returns into his life, events unfold that lead to scandals and violence while Nick tries to patch up Jay's life by becoming a witness to Gatsby's life both through the good and bad. 

If the synopsis sounds garbled, that would be because it was quite hard to explain not only in good length but without giving away spoilers. This leads to my biggest complaint. Until about 3/4 into the film, there isn't really much of a narrative. Only towards the end does something that resembles a plot seems to emerge. You could argue that it's so they can set up the characters and their backstories but Nick and Tom are the only characters that I was actually invested in. Gatsby was only memorable because of Robert Redford's portrayal (granted, he was good in the role). 

Now I haven't read the book (I'm too busy reading books by Karl Pilkington), but apparently this is an accurate interpretation...but that doesn't seem to help the film as it drags horrifically. I already mentioned the lack of a clear narrative as well as introducing characters that seem useless until the end...by which point I've lost all care and empathy for them so I therefore do not get engaged with the characters. Like I said, Nick and Tom were the only likable characters (okay..Tom isn't 'likable' but he was memorable).

The Great Gatsby was interesting. I'm glad I saw it just for the ending but otherwise, it wasn't very memorable. It's not a terrible film...it's just not very memorable. It proves that accuracy to the source material isn't exactly essential since it just drags in this case (hell, films like The Dark Knight and the entire James Bond film franchise prove that we don't always need accuracy to the original source material).

Verdict:
5.5/10
A not very memorable flick with good acting...but not very engaging due to bland characters and lack of clear narrative.

Frankenweenie (Tim Burton, 2012) Review

Yes, I am alive. I always love being on holiday...especially when you forget to leave a message on your website and it winds up being empty for a week. Well anyway, I'm back and still continuing on with catching up on films I missed from 2012. At least I've now seen all the films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Film. Does Frankenweenie deserve the nomination? Let's find out.

Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a young boy whose best friend is his pet dog Sparky. When Sparky is hit by a car, Victor hatches a plan to reanimate him and bring him back from the dead. When the other kids in his class learn about this, they wish to replicate this on other animals in order to in the science award. Things don't go to plan as the kids have to team up with Victor in order to save the town from reanimated monsters. 

While the film does scream Tim Burton, it pays much more homages to his older days rather than what you might expect from him now. No Johnny Depp, no Helena Bonham-Carter...and I'm glad. Burton goes back to using actors such as Cathrine O'Hara and Martin Landau and it reminds me of when Tim Burton made much better films than now (Ed Wood, Beetlejuice, Batman and so on). This leads me onto the voice acting which is good for the most part. While actors like Martin Landau and Martin Short do a good job but certain actors I can easily distance them from the character which...is not a good thing.

It is a pretty creative and imaginative film that delivers some great references to classic horror movies (characters based on Vincent Price and Boris Karloff for example). If you love classic horror movies, I think you will enjoy this film. The whole film is also in black and white which adds to the effect which is definitely a strong point of the film. I guess I'm glad that people got to see this as not many people saw the original short film Tim Burton made.

Frankenweenie is a pretty decent animated flick. It gets a bit too ridiculous towards the third act but it's good entertainment for kids yet still manages to retain that dark Tim Burton feeling. If you like older Tim Burton films or classic horror films, you will probably enjoy this but otherwise, this might not be for you. Rise of the Guardians was a much better candidate for Best Animated Film....Wreck-It Ralph should've still won though (yes, I'm still bitter about it)

Verdict:
7/10
A creative animated flick that does a good job of referencing classic films but other than that, there isn't much to it.

The Boat That Rocked (Richard Curtis, 2009) Review

America, What are you doing? 'Pirate Radio'? What the hell is that? The film is called The Boat That Rocked. Do you not understand the pun in the title. Why is there a need to change a great title to a basic and simple one. Considering how traditionally British this is, I'm surprised it was released in America but it's Universal so that makes sense I guess (not sure how well it did). Let's take a look at The Boat That Rocked.....not Pirate Radio...

In the 1960s, the radio played around 45 minutes of music a day. To embrace music and play it 24/7, a group of people set up a pirate radio station headed by Quentin (Bill Nighy). Quentin's godson, Carl (Tom Sturridge), is sent to their ship where he tries to fit in among the gang including The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Dave (Nick Frost) and Simon (Chris O'Dowd). Back on land, Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh) is trying to do everything within his power in order to take down pirate radio once and for all.

I absolutely love this film. To begin with, the cast are excellent. Kenneth Branagh is positively brilliant in this and is easily one of the best characters. He had me laughing in every scene. The other cast members are also brilliant. Philip Seymour Hoffman works well off of Rhys Ifans while Chris O'Dowd plays a very likable character who you will definitely feel sorry for over the course of the film. There isn't a bad character among nor is there a bad actor. It's brilliant.

The comedy is also stop on. There is a heap of memorable comedy moments in this film which is helped by the great characters (Kenneth Branagh especially). A thing that really shines in this film is the use of music. As you might expect, music plays a big part in the film as it does a good job of accompanying scenes effectively. It's even worth buying the soundtrack because it's filled with great 60s music...so yeah, the music is a great part of the film.

The Boat That Rocked is an excellent comedy which is easily one of Richard Curtis' best works. The actors doe a great job and, accompanied by some hilarious writing, make for some likable and memorable characters. The comedy has stuck with me for ages and the music is great. I look forward to seeing this again and am always ready for another watch.

Verdict:
9.5/10
A great comedy with memorable characters that makes good use of writing and music.

Pacific Rim (Guillermo del Toro, 2013) Review

Who wants to see giant robots fight against giant aliens?! I knew you would considering how awesome that would be. It's the only reason I went to see it because we haven't had a good giant robot/alien movie in a while (didn't see Transformers so....that doesn't count) but I was also intrigued by the lack of A-list cast members. Well then, let's take a look at Pacific Rim...the name makes perfect sense in context, I can assure you.

In the near future, a rift has opened up under the Pacific ocean in which giant aliens known as the Kaiju emerge and begin attacking civilization  To counter this, the humans have created giant two-manned robots known as Jaegers. One of the pilots, Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), is injured in a fighter against a Kaiju and struggles to make it back to civilization  5 years later, Raleigh is called back to the Jaeger program by Marshal Pentecost (Idris Elba) as they may have found a way to close the rift and stop the Kaiju forever. 

I love the cast of this film. Idris Elba delivers his usual great performance that was one of the best things abut Prometheus, Charlie Day gives a surprisingly good performance especially coming after Monsters University which works well with Ron Perlman's memorable role. Also, making Ellen McLain the computer voice was genius (I was smiling every time I heard her voice). It's clear that Charlie Hunnam is a new actor (even more evident since Raleigh gets side-lined half way through before being brought back). It's just good to see actors like Ron Perlman being brought into a film that a lot of people are seeing (or...not since in America it was beaten by Grown Ups 2...ouch). 

The main reason I saw this was for the action and I was not dissapointed. The film does an excellent job of making the Kaiju and Jaegers look real by giving them weight and structure. You can feel every punch thrown and it's satisfying to say the least. The complex designs of them also looks great on the big screen and I'm glad I caught the last showing. When this comes to DVD, I'm sure it will lose something but, for now, it looks fantastic with great action sequences. I'm also glad to see an action film that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's free to add some pretty funny moments in there and I admire that. It's great to see a Hollywood blockbuster where the American accent is the odd one out (I'm sick of these 'AMERICA SAVES THE WORLD' films) and it's nice to see that the Kaiju crisis is a world wide thing.

If you take your brain to Pacific Rim, you'll probably just think it's a mindless action movie but if you allow yourself to be brought into the world of the film, you'll find an enjoyable action romp with some great acting, a pretty good story that was actually unpredictable at times (I didn't know where it was going...even if the ending did remind me of some of films...and games). It's just great to see something new for once (please tell me this is original...just let me have this!)

Verdict:
8/10
A fun film that allows itself to add some jokes against the great action and memorable acting.

And please stay for the credits. Everyone in my theatre left as soon as it went black. There is a scene in the credits....and I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT SAW IT!

My Neighbour Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988) Review

I could probably find an excuse to review this film. Ermmm....the Japanese version has Shiegetso Itoi in it...he made the game Earthbound which was just re-released! So yeah! That's a good enough excuse to review a film I'd say. I haven't even reviewed a Studio Ghibli film in a while and a freind had to remind me of doing one so here we have a film by the great Miyazaki himself, let's take a look at My Neighbour Totoro...yes 'Neighbour', not 'Neighbor'...(and yes i am reviewing the English version)

Two young girls, Satsuki (Dakota Fanning) and Mei (Elle Fanning), move to the country with their father (Tim Daly) in order to live closer to the hospital where their mother (Lea Salonga) is currently staying in. When exploring the nearby forest, Mei discovers a mystical guardian of the forest known as Totoro (Frank Welker) who quickly befriends Mei. Satsuki later discovers Totoro and soon  the guardian begins to influence their lives.

Yes this is one of Ghibl's best. I'm just gonna throw that out now. Why? Starting with the look. This was made in the 80s but it still looks really nice, even today. Hell, it looks nicer than a lot of animated films now which is to be expected with the amazing Studio Ghibli. The music is also fantastic. The main theme is incredibly catchy and will stay stuck in your head for good reason considering that it's a great song. The score for the film is glorious to listen to and works well with the film.

This is more something from the English version, but this is definitely one of Dakota Fanning's better roles since he actually puts emotion into it. She seems much better at voice acting than live acting if this and Coraline are anything to go by. All the characters are likable which might be helped by the character design and acting. I also enjoyed the narrative as it doesn't really focus entirely on Totoro but looks more at the human characters. which is always a nice thing.

My Neighbour Totoro is definitely one of Studio Ghibli's better films, if not one of their best. It looks really nice, has a fantastic soundtrack, has some great acting and is all around a strong film. The imagination is what you would expect from not only Studio Ghibli but from Hayao Miyazaki himself. I can't recommend this film enough and is a great film to watch as a first Ghibli film.

Verdict:
9/10
An imaginative, good looking, great sounding animated film from one of the kings of animation.