Burn After Reading

After the Oscar-winning success of their last film ‘No Country For Old Men’, Joel and Ethan Coen effectively could have just stopped, taken a breather, and enjoyed glancing at the lil’ golden men on their mantelpiece for a few years. But here again we have a star-packed Coen Brothers movie, and in terms of comparison to ‘No Country...’, ‘Burn After Reading’ continues the trend of dark, madcap comedies from the writing and directing siblings, and once again, their quirkiness, with a little help from Messers Pitt, Clooney and Malkovich, creates a quite crazy little movie.

Oswald Cox (Malkovich) works for the C.I.A. as an analyst – not a high-profile job there, but one that nevertheless he is angered to be demoted from. Furious at the agency, he writes his memoirs, whilst unbeknownst to him, his ice-cold wife (Swinton) fools around with sleazeball Harry Pfarrer (Clooney, an unhappily married and promiscuous Treasury agent. Gym trainer Linda Litzke (McDormand), who wants to drastically change her appearance, and her colleague, the idiotic Chad Feldheimer (Pitt), discover a disc which serves as a catalyst for the five to come into contact with each other, and what’s on the disc is nowhere near as important as the chaos that ensues...

Mere months after ‘No Country...’, the Coens have managed to rustle up some of the best actors out there (and some friends from previous flicks) to make what can best be described as a dark comedy. Trust me in saying that watching this movie, you may find sympathy for the mere minimum of one character. It’s that simple; every character in the film is utterly pathetic in one way or another, and as a result, it makes the madness that unfolds that much more hilarious to watch, because there is simply no empathy you feel for these people.

Clooney, Malkovich and McDormand have the majority of screen-time, and Malkovich’s short-fuse insanity is used to great effect throughout. Clooney plays a parody of the public perception of himself in Pfarrer - a man who is always in need of women, and sex, played by one of the acting world’s most notorious bachelors. McDormand and Swinton are the two women presented here, and as with most Coen movies (‘Fargo’ in particular, which also starred McDormand), Litzke is a complete kook, causing massive ripples in search of a pathetic reward.

Support-wise, Brad Pitt dominates. He’s not so much stretching his acting talents as playing an idiot and getting paid for it, and his character Chad is one of the highlights of the movie. Everything he says is totally moronic, and his actions throughout his and Linda’s machinations are so ridiculous they serve as further hilarity (a sequence with a phone call, followed by a meeting with another character embodies this idiocy). J.K. Simmons (or Juno’s dad to many) manages to almost steal it away in an appearance as a C.I.A. boss who is totally mystified by the events going on around the agency with this disparate group of people, and he serves to embody us, the viewers, in his total bemusement at their antics. Swinton seems to keep getting these heartless, icy women roles, but she plays them so well that she may as well keep it up.

The film is not without fault: I enjoy many Coen films, but they require a certain sense of humour, and I don’t want to encourage people to see a film that they may not find at all funny. It’s also very short, and this, along with the all-too serious little scenes along the way (it is dark comedy after all, not all laughs), does make it quite a disjointed and perhaps rushed effort. And Simmons’ character, at the halfway point of the movie, orders his colleague to ‘report back to me when it all makes sense’ - a sentiment that some will find in the complexities of the plot (though only some). Regardless, it’s suitably mad enough for any person looking for a good laugh, and for fans of the Coen Brothers, it’s a must-see addition to their filmography.

8/10

(again, this may appear in the student paper, so fingers crossed!)

Wanted

Twisted, crazy-fast bedlam mixed with the desire to lift yourself up from a boring life, 'Wanted' takes the rags-to-riches hero cliche and delivers it a roundhouse kick followed by a penetrating bullet to the brain. Calling the movie insane doesn't begin to cover it; it's KERAZY.

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) leads a pathetic life that he wishes to escape, and by chance, the death of a seemingly anonymous man atop a building is the catalyst for his life to completely change tack, as assassins Fox and Sloane (Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman) induct him into the Fraternity, a group of killers who try to cleanse the world of those they deem it be rid of. However, a rogue assassin, Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), targets Wesley, and he tries to make sense of the crazy direction his life has taken without losing control along the way.

McAvoy has come a long, long way since his British TV days, and the actor carries off American, whiny and pathetic Wesley just as well as he portrays adrenaline-fuelled, Jolie-snogging Wesley. This is going to open doors for him, and hopefully more roles like 'Last King of Scotland' as well as 'Wanted' will come along as a result of his performance here. Morgan Freeman plays a slight variation on his mentor role, which is actually refreshing, particularly when his character swears, something that you'd never think Freeman would do, and indicative of the movie's ambition to mess with your head.

Jolie simply has to glare in this movie and you can sense a million men swooning. Though that's not to say she's there for her looks, as her ice-queen demeanour and waif-like appearance are perfectly matched for her character. Fox is an emotionless assassin, and Jolie plays it as such. She's not even in the film that much, but she does fine with the scenes she plays out, though it's clear to see it wasn't exactly a challenge. As with so many action films, there is Jolie and then no-one else feminine that stands out. Wesley's cheating girlfriend, along with his domineering boss are the only two female co-stars, and to be honest anyone could have played them and it wouldn't make a difference. They're anonymous characters that portray the facelessness of Wesley's old life, and the actresses do what they need to do.

The criminally under-appreciated Thomas Kretschmann ('King Kong', 'Downfall', 'The Pianist') plays Cross, the antagonist throughout, and he doesn't have anything to say, but the actor manages to present this cold, ruthless assassin just through expression (I may be biased, but he's a quality actor, and so he deserves the coverage even for this role). Terence Stamp and Common (never thought I'd mention the two in the same sentence) play variations on gunsmiths, and Stamp delivers exposition whilst Common presents the assassin's creed, along with Brit actor Marc Warren, as a bunch of soulless guns-for-hire; it's not a stretch for them.

Timur Bekmambetov moves from his mad-cap 'Watch' trilogy to Hollywood action, and the Eastern-European's propensity for the most ridiculous stunts (please watch 'Night Watch' for a visual comparison to what I'm saying here, you'll understand) is carried over seamlessly to the U.S. I only hope he gets more work, as the film presents some of the most insane visuals I've ever seen (real or not).

Taking the bare bones of Mark Millar's 'Wanted' comics, Bekmambetov doesn't so much direct as allow everything to go off onscreen, and whilst sometimes this may be problematic, other times it really pays off. Despite the massive amount of action, the director manages to present the conflicts Wesley encounters quite well, and personalise the characters enough to show he is not all explosions and blood. McAvoy is the only character that really gets a personality though, which I guess is the point, but this does detract (as said above) from the other performances.

Much of what is said that is worth remembering is laced with profanity and humour, and these stretches are where the dialogue is best. Wesley's final line is brilliant, as is most of his sardonic and laconic voiceover. The exposition of the Fraternity's aims and workings is brief, but at least manages to convey its ridiculous nature. The film's use of songs is better than the soundtrack, which is basically your expected action film soundtrack (by perennial hack composer Danny Elfman no less). Nine Inch Nails' 'Every Day Is Exactly The Same' is apt to Wesley's story, and welcome exposure for an underachieving band. Use of the 'Pina Colada' song is the only other instance in which the music was entertaining however.

Like so many of the new wave of action films, the visuals are where 'Wanted' completely wins out. The CGI used in the film is obviously CGI, but it's excellent in context. When you've seen what happens with a Dodge Viper and a bus, and then later a passenger train and a ravine, it's evident that 'Wanted' doesn't give a damn what's real and what's not; it cares only about going over the top, and it totally achieves that. The anonymous American city conveys the nowhere-land Wesley has inhabited, and the move to Prague later in the story allows Bekmambetov to present the contrast with Eastern Europe, the duality of the Fraternity's headquarters in both the U.S. and Europe a good example.

The film is totally insane on every level, and what lets it down is the disinterest with which the actors play their characters. However, this is the only problem I had with this film, and any person can enjoy it, as long as their brain is firmly switched to 'OFF' or 'UP FOR ANYTHING', because no thought is required here.

8/10

John Rambo

Far better than it ever should have been, the eponymously-titled "John Rambo" or "Rambo 4" to everyone else other than Sly, is balls-to-the-wall, eviscerating and most importantly brainless fun.

In deepest Thailand, near the Burmese border and area of conflict, John Rambo (Stallone) lives a life of peace and tranquillity, trying to forget his past as a highly-trained soldier whose life unravelled after the Vietnam War. However, his past life is brought into focus after a group of Christian missionaries get captured up river, having asked him to take them into Burma, and the embittered veteran sees his chance to do some good and save lives one more time.

Sylvester Stallone writes, directs and stars in the second revisit of his old classics (the first being "Rocky Balboa") and despite his poor choices throughout the '90s ("Daylight", "Demolition Man" and "Driven" were diabolically dreadful if harmless films) he shows he's capable of revisiting the acting skill that was shown so promisingly in "First Blood" and "Rocky" back in the day, though a sensible self-editing of his own dialogue levels presents the all-too clear idea that the man knows he’s not good at speaking much on film.

Julie Benz is probably the female 'star' of the film, being but a hint of a love interest for ol' Johnny, and the actress does well in what little time she has onscreen (which is more than most, but no-one seems to hold the screen here but Stallone). She also plays damsel-in-distress and needy Christian as well as can be expected, but is nothing special.

I really liked the male supporting cast here, if only because they are both the predominant gender presented in the movie, and because there are some great little performances as well. The leader of the mercenaries is a foul-mouthed British guy played by an ACTUAL British actor, which from a British point of view is brilliant for two reasons: he's not an American playing a Brit, and he's not the bad guy. Same goes for some of the other mercenaries; not every Brit has to be an enemy! The leader of the Burmese soldiers is disgusting, the character a stereotypical evil leader with a particularly horrific penchant for young boys, just in case you didn't hate him enough already. I guess though that this actually makes the performance that much better though.

Filmed near to where the real atrocities are occuring, the film, until the latter stages, is a surprisingly level-headed presentation of the horror present in Burma, and Stallone fools you into thinking that he's aimed for a politically-oriented, serious movie. As it is, when Rambo strikes back, the film becomes that much more insane, and it's presented fantastically by Stallone, who really knows how to shoot action, and could become quite the director in years to come. “John Rambo” and "Rocky Balboa" have not only reinvigorated their respective franchises but remind us how the man is not just muscles and lisp, but quite the action star and action director. I was genuinely taken aback by how good the film was, location-wise, action-wise and the serious nature of the plot. Here's hoping Stallone can get some more directing jobs (not necessarily to star, but as a director he could totally reinvent himself).

The dialogue here however is rubbish, as you'd expect unfortunately. The opening narration is sensible and fact-based, but afterward much of it is variations on 'I don't wanna fight', much, MUCH profanity from the Brit mercs, and missionary shtick. The film's so much better when it's action that you come to dread watching the dialogue-heavy scenes. Jerry Goldsmith's awesome theme is present, and to me that shows that Stallone knew he needed to remind people of what made the other films so popular, bringing the music in and allowing the film to enjoy the spirit of the previous three movies. Visually speaking, Stallone excels, the lush jungles and harsh weather of Southern Asia a far better setting than any studio could be. The action, as shot, is fantastic, and the gore that goes with it is probably more realistic than many people would want to admit, but this is a strength, and is pulled off with style in the insane final act.

Nowhere near the seriousness that "First Blood" aimed for, "Rambo" nevertheless manages to tackle a fairly political situation in Burma with a semblance of seriousness and sensitivity, despite the ridiculous conclusion to the movie. Hopefully Stallone can build on the film’s strengths and make a career out of his direction; if not, this will be remembered as the film in which Sly showed us he can still do it; act, direct, and most importantly of all: blow sh*t up.

7/10

The Incredible Hulk

A film strangely lacking in its promise, "The Incredible Hulk" leaves much to be desired but actually does manage to provide both entertainment and interest, which is more than could be said for its preceding film "Hulk" in 2003. Edward Norton gives the human side of the big green guy some dramatic chops, but the film's strengths lie mostly in its impressive effects and promise of things to come for Marvel-produced movies.

On the run from the U.S. military, Bruce Banner (Norton) hides in Rio de Janeiro, trying his best to find a cure for the horrific alter ego. He stays away to protect his former love Betty (Tyler), but her father, General Ross (Hurt) sees Banner as U.S. property, and, with the help of British Special Forces soldier Emil Blonsky (Roth), tries to take the troubled scientist back to the U.S.

Hiring Ed Norton was a great move for Marvel, and it pays off. Having such a well-known, serious actor take up the role presents the idea that the film is trying to be more serious (and taking into account casting choices made in "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" this summer, sticking with the majority). Norton gives Bruce Banner a sense of anguish as he slowly realises that neither he nor the world at large can handle his alter ego, and that those he loves will always suffer the consequences. Casting Norton after casting Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man", Marvel were always likely to be seen to be making a gamble, but it wins out for them here as it did with Downey, and Norton could lead the way for more serious actors to take superhero films as a more serious genre.

Liv Tyler, for how little she appears here, does well. Many of the decisions her character makes are ridiculous, but she manages to sell them quite well, and she doesn't really get the screen time that her or the character of Betty Ross deserve. Roth as the renegade soldier Emile Blonsky menaces the film, reminding this reviewer of the actor's great turn in "Reservoir Dogs", and his malevolent monster of a character should be reason enough for other directors to take note and cast him in more movies. William Hurt is Colonel Ross, the man trying to take the Hulk back for the U.S. Government, and he does well enough in what is pretty much an anonymous role. There are also cameo turns from Downey Jr. (in a nice little connecting scene between the two Marvel films) and Tim Blake Nelson as a wacked-out scientist who assists Banner in searching for a cure. A pretty prestigious supporting cast helps to back up Norton here.

The film is brisk, perhaps too brisk, but Louis Leterrier directs his first Hollywood blockbuster after the "Transporter" films he had become known for, and much of the crazed energy is apparent here. For a first big-budget film, "Incredible Hulk" feels very quick and to-the-point, and that does drag it down somewhat (more characterisation would have benefited characters at key points, and some scenes appear cut). However, notwithstanding this, Leterrier appears to be a brilliant action director, and I'm interested to see what he has to give in future. The theme of isolation and the Hulk as an illness to Banner give Norton many whiny, pathetic lines, but there are some great ones to balance them out, particularly dealing with language boundaries at the beginning. Much of the exposition is said so fast that it can't keep up, and as a result much of the detail can be lost easily. The music was stock action-film music, and didn’t have any themes that stood out. Apparently there's a theme from the original TV show, but I've never seen it, and wouldn't have picked it out.

The CGI here is pretty brilliant, and seems to seamlessly blend with the live action, which allows for some pretty crazy scenes later in the film. Making a big green human believable is next to impossible, but the Hulk looks as real as he's gonna get, and in comparison to the 2003 film, a hell of a lot better. Leterrier obviously likes to blow things up as well, and this is made so apparent at so many points that you begin to realise that he is one of the wave of directors embracing realism over effects in that regard.

What gives this film its quality is that the mistakes made in Ang Lee’s “Hulk” have been totally forgotten – the earlier film dismissed as an attempt, and this as a hybrid reboot/remake/sequel. The concision with which Leterrier recalls the back story (in the opening credits no less) means that the typical origin story is lost, giving more time for Hulk to ‘SMASH’ his way about. The movie’s weaknesses lie in the short running time and in the sometimes laughable dialogue, but as a second Marvel-produced movie after “Iron Man”, and as a precursor to the eventual “Avengers” movie (which would see Iron Man and the Hulk teaming up or fighting one another), “Incredible Hulk” nearly lives up to its name.

8/10

Tropic Thunder

A return to form for Ben Stiller and Jack Black, "Tropic Thunder" is a comedy that seems to have given all it promised, and still leaves you wanting more.

On the set of Vietnam movie “Tropic Thunder”, action star Tugg Speedman (Stiller), Method actor Kirk Lazarus (Downey Jr.) and gross-out comedian Jeff Portnoy (Black) start to let their egos get the better of them, and so director Damien Cockburn (Coogan) and writer ‘Four Leaf’ (Nolte) conspire with studio head Les Grossman (Cruise) to put the actors in the wild forests of Vietnam with hidden cameras, so they can feel the experience for themselves. However, the three stars and their co-stars Kevin (Baruchel) and Alpa Chino (Jackson) soon find that they’ve stumbled upon a real war situation in the Golden Triangle, the famous drug-making area of south east Asia, and have to get over themselves and escape before the drug-runners or their egos kill them.

It's comedic acting all the way here, and the three main stars Black, Downey and Stiller all gamely mock themselves and other actors in a no-holds-barred critique. Stiller is the funniest he's been since Zoolander, whilst Black shows some promise for the first time in what seems ages. The supporting cast, including Matthew McConaughey and Nick Nolte, is also note-perfect, but Cruise is the winner here.

Ben Stiller takes the multiple roles of star, director and writer in "Thunder", and as a result the film does center on his character Tugg Speedman, a pastiche of many different action stars. Stiller plays self-obsessed idiot better than anyone, and so Speedman is the best role he could have gotten, helping to atone for the horrors of "Night At The Museum". Downey Jr. lampoons Russell Crowe (I at least thought this anyway!) as Kirk Lazarus, an Oscar winning Method actor who blacks up for his role. His performance is astoundingly funny in places, as I thought it would be, and he steals some of Stiller's 'thunder'. Jack Black is the revelation of the main stars though, mocking Eddie Murphy's career collapse in Jeff Portnoy, and Black's manic comedy is channeled into a character that it fits for once, and he may look back on this and see a role in which he was probably the funniest character. The tree scene in particular is a prime example of Black's quality, as Portnoy undergoes a detox from heroin with hilariously wrong results.

The film's stars are good enough, but the supporting cast is even better! The other "Thunder" actors, Jay Baruchel and Brandon Jackson, are more than capable of standing toe-to-toe with Stiller, Black and Downey, and their roles as the straight man actor and rapper-turned-thesp help to create comedy in the group scenes as well as provide more satire (*cough* 50 Cent/Snoop Dogg *cough*). Steve Coogan and Nick Nolte are great in their small roles as the stressed director and author of the story respectively, but have little time to make much of an impression.

Danny McBride, much like Baruchel, is a new comedic actor, and as explosions expert Cody he brings a bit of masculine idiocy to the proceedings. McConaughey succeeds in not annoying me in a movie for once, which is amazing enough, but his role as Speedman's idiotic agent is great, and introduces us to the best supporting actor here...Tom Cruise. Cruise is unrecognisable (at first) as studio head Les Grossman, but his appearances throughout are not only the funniest of the film, but the most surreal and most memorable. Not wanting to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen the film, it's suffice to say that you'll not hear the song "Low" in the same way, nor ever perceive Tom Cruise as facing a career in ruins. This role could be the start of a resurgence for the Cruiser, and as it is, he is the one thing you will remember from the film more than any other.

Stiller ably directed and wrote the film as well as starring, and the concept of the narrative is brave in that he lampoons not only himself but most of Hollywood's male actors. The music chosen fits perfectly, and the dialogue is full of cracking quotes you will remember over and over.

Ben Stiller directed "Zoolander" back in 2001 without much appreciation for his skills, and with "Thunder" he should receive more recognition. The man knows how to film action as well as create the perfect comedic scenes, and the film reflects this in its fluidity in the former and its madness in the latter. Much has been made of the use of 'retard' here, but if you're at all an intelligent and competent individual you will notice it is mocking those actors who play the mentally impaired, not the mentally impaired themselves. In terms of everything else, there are many one-liners to take away, some terrible but many actually brilliant, in particular a lot that comes from Downey Jr.'s Lazarus. The orchestral soundtrack is befitting of an action thriller, with many bombastic themes. However, the best music found here are the songs played over the film, from the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" to Flo Rida's "Low", which seem to fit perfectly with the movie.

Filmed in Hawaii, which doubles Vietnam pretty well, the visuals in "Thunder" complement both plot and events, and the pyrotechnics in particular are great to watch, even though some are exaggerated. You really do get the feeling you're watching the film-within-the-film being made.

“Tropic Thunder” is so good simply because it has such a good cast. From the stars to the cameos, the film just works in terms of performance, and the comedy is fantastic. It’s not the most ground-breaking or innovative comedy film ever, but it is pretty damn hilarious and that’s all you should need. And if anything, seeing Tom Cruise in this film is a must for anyone with a sense of humour!

8/10