Film Review with Robert Mann - The Last Song

The Last Song ***½

You (don’t) wait ages for a movie adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, then two come in the space of a fortnight - firstly, the somewhat inexplicably popular Dear John starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, and now The Last Song starring Miley Cyrus and (if rumours are to be believed, Miley Cyrus’ real life future husband) Liam Hemsworth. Based on what I have said thus far you will probably already know whether or not The Last Song is actually a film for you. After all, Miley Cyrus is one of those stars who you either love or hate and the same could be said of the literary works of Nicholas Sparks and subsequent cinematic adaptations of his works. Some will likely not be encouraged by the presence of director Julie Anne Robinson, in her cinematic directorial debut, either, her past television credits seeing her starting out doing episodes of Doctors and Holby City although she has worked herself up to doing episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and Pushing Daisies. For this latest Sparks adaptation, however, there is something a bit different that sets it apart from previous efforts to bring his work to the screen in that Sparks himself is co-writer of the screenplay. This, at the very least, should ensure an adaptation that will be appreciated by fans of the novel upon which the film is based.

After his messy divorce from Kim (Kelly Preston), Steve Miller (Greg Kinnear) has made a new life for himself in a small beach town in Georgia. His teenage daughter Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) and her younger brother Jonah (Bobby Coleman) stayed with their mother in New York, but Steve has hopes for new beginnings when they come to spend summer with him. Things go well with Jonah from the start but less so with Ronnie. Steve tries to reconnect with his reluctant daughter through the only thing they have in common - their shared love of music - but initially finds his attempts at forming a connection failing. However, everything begins to change when Ronnie meets a handsome local boy named Will (Liam Hemsworth) and romance develops between the two. As Ronnie spends more time with Will she finds herself falling in love for the first time, getting closer to her father and returning to long lost musical passion but soon secrets being kept by both her father and her new found love threaten to destroy her happiness, as things turn out not to be quite as perfect as they appear.

Comparisons between The Last Song and the two week old Dear John are inevitable and obvious - they share similar story elements (boy on holiday meeting and falling for girl is replaced by girl on holiday meeting and falling for boy) and themes (the issue of cancer features once again) and are set in similar locations - but, largely thanks to a lead who can actually act, The Last Song proves to be the superior of the two. Enjoyment (or lack thereof, as may be the case with some people) of the film, though, will of course depend on your personal opinion of star Miley Cyrus. If you are a Miley hater then obviously you won’t think much of this film. If, however, you are like this critic in considering Cyrus to be a very talented individual, you may well love this film. Being someone who appreciates Miley Cyrus as an actress (and as a singer, although that isn’t particularly relevant here, only one song by her featuring and then at the very end of the film), this of course means that my review is coming from the perspective of liking her. While I admit that she probably wasn’t the best choice for the leading role in this film, she proves pretty convincing and shows that she really is more than just Hannah Montana, managing to capture all the emotions necessary in her character convincingly, doing the moody teenager thing pretty well and believably transforming, as the film progresses, into a more upbeat and open personality as her character is revealed to be kind and caring and then reacting to tragic events with a good level of emotional resonance. The latter aspect isn’t quite perfect but she does show that she is a very capable actress and she is certainly far better than Channing Tatum was in Dear John. Even those who don’t like her have to admit that she is a much more capable actor than him. It isn’t just Cyrus who delivers a strong performance here either. While no one exactly stands out or anything, most of the cast member delivers at least a decent standard and her co-star Liam Hemsworth in particular proves to be quite a charismatic individual. As matching ups go Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth don’t seem like an ideal match - in fact they seem like quite an odd match - but it actually kind of works, with their chemistry being suitably charming and very convincing (although it may help that they are together in real life). Many of the interpersonal relationships between the characters are also pretty convincing with Greg Kinnear sharing a pretty good father-daughter dynamic with Cyrus and Bobby Coleman also being very likable and believable as the third part of the father-daughter-son dynamic. It also helps that many of the characters are relatable, particularly Ronnie and Jonah, whose situation has undoubtedly been experienced by many children of divorced or separated parents in real life. This creates characters who more emotion can be invested in. As with any adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, however, the film is far from perfect, even if it does gain a bit from actually having Sparks onboard as co-writer of the screenplay this time round. The story is pretty predictable, with some of the turns late on being less surprising than those in Dear John and just as with that film there is little in the way of memorable dialogue. Also, while the film deals with some very sensitive real world issues, reflecting the not always perfect nature of real life and in a very sensitive fashion, it lacks some of the deeper themes of that other film. Nonetheless, though, while the story is extremely predictable and not especially memorable (at least to those who don’t enjoy a basic romantic tale), most of the target audience won’t really care as the love story at the heart of the film is sweet, touching - with a few scenes that might bring a few tears to your eyes, something Dear John was greatly lacking - and charming, and brought to life thanks to characters that may not be expertly written but are pretty well performed. Direction from Julie Ann Robinson is nothing to shout about but given her television only resume the film at least feels like a movie rather than something that has been made for television. It lacks some of the cinematic invention of Dear John, though, which gained from a more experienced director in the form of Lasse Hallström. Overall, younger Hannah Montana fans may be a bit bored due to the slow pace and lack of music (this may be somewhat surpising to some considering the film is called The Last SONG) but those looking for a sweet romantic movie and those who enjoy movie adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels will likely find much to love here. Obviously, Miley haters won’t agree with much of what I have said (and should probably take two stars off my rating) but those who do like her will likely join with me in hoping that this isn’t The Last Song for Miley Cyrus as here she shows genuine acting talent and with further opportunities to really act she could go on to great things.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Film Review with Robert Mann - Date Night

Date Night ****

Last month the awful Jennifer Aniston/Gerard Butler starrer The Bounty Hunter attempted to combine aspects from the romance, comedy and action genres. Suffice to say, despite solid credentials from its cast and director, the attempt was a complete disaster with the film failing to provide anything of value as either a romance, a comedy or an actioner. Now, another film is attempting something similar but Date Night is no repeat of the awfulness of The Bounty Hunter. For starters, the credentials of those involved are quite a bit more impressive. Say what you like about director Shawn Levy but, while he has never made anything especially memorable, he has a fairly consistent track record of delivering comedies that entertain with films like Cheaper By The Dozen, The Pink Panther and Night at the Museum showing that he is very capable of delivering crowd pleasing humour. More importantly perhaps are stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey, who are two of the hottest properties in American comedy right now, each having conquered both the television (Carell with his leading role in the American version of The Office and Fey for creating, writing and starring in the Emmy award winning 30 Rock) and film (Carell has starred in hit comedies such as The 40 Year Old Virgin, Evan Almighty and Get Smart while Fey wrote and co-starred in Mean Girls and was also the star of Baby Mama) mediums. On top of that, the film also boasts a rather impressive supporting cast featuring the likes of Taraji P. Henson, Ray Liotta, William Fichtner, Leighton Meester, Kristen Wiig, Mark Ruffalo, James Franco, Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg. All in all, quite impressive credentials and, coupled with a simple yet fantastic concept with lots of potential for hilarity, this is a film with the makings of a hit and one that really deserves to be successful.

Claire Foster (Tina Fey) and her husband Phil (Steve Carell) are a suburban couple who slog through their daily lives and try to make the best of their marriage. Even their regular 'date nights' of dinner and a movie have become just another routine. In an attempt to reignite the marital spark, they visit a trendy Manhattan bistro, but fail to get a table. In desperation, they pretend to be another couple - the Trippelhorns - who haven't turned up. This turns out to be a big mistake when two scary gangsters (Jimmi Simpson and Common) turn up looking for the Trippelhorns, intending to retrieve something that has been stolen from crime boss Joe Miletto (Ray Liotta). Suddenly, Claire and Phil find themselves running for their lives and attempting to track down the real Trippelhorns - Taste (James Franco) and Whippit (Mila Kunis) - along the way getting help from private security expert Holbrooke (Mark Wahlberg) and police Detective Arroyo (Taraji P. Henson). As their date becomes a night they'll never forget, Claire and Phil take an unexpected walk on the wild side, and begin to remember what made them so special together in the first place.

If it had been made with anyone other than Steve Carell and Tina Fey in the leading roles, Date Night would have been average and forgettable. The writing and gags, while providing a few laughs, are largely not much to speak of, lacking the sharp wit of any of Fey’s self-written stuff, e.g. 30 Rock and Mean Girls, and generally being predictable and not laugh out loud funny. On their own the gags may be nothing special but coupled with the perfect comic timing of Carell and Fey they prove very funny. It is a testament to the strengths of Carell and Fey as comic performers that even with sub-par material they are still able to deliver something that is genuinely funny and that provides plenty of laugh out loud moments. Much of this can be attributed to their improvisational skills as it is clear that they haven’t just read the script and spoken their lines but have rather have done a substantial amount of ad-libbing, their improvisation really raising the comic qualities of the overall film. Scenes that could be completely devoid of humour in the hands of anyone else, here are transformed into scenes that will have (some of) you on the edge of your seat with laughter. It really is hard to imagine anyone other than Carell and Fey playing the roles. And it isn’t just in the humour regard that they deliver. We really can buy them as a married couple because they have such a convincing married couple dynamic, one that I suspect many married people may be able to relate to, particularly the monotony of routine that can arise in a marriage and the desire for more excitement, two things which are major elements in the story of the film. And when the action gets started, sparks really fly between them, their chemistry becoming truly electric. Simply put, on every level, they are perfect together. And thanks to them, this film provides one hilarious scene after another, including plenty of physical comedy as well as word play and what just may be one of the funniest car chases ever seen in a film. Despite boasting such an impressive supporting cast, the other performers generally fail to stand out, many of them having little more than cameo appearances and, unlike Carell and Fey, failing afoul of the flaws in the writing, but there is at least a very amusing turn from Mark Wahlberg in what is perhaps one of his best roles in a while. The absence of strength or screen time from other performers isn’t really a problem though as the majority of the film is focused entirely on Carell and Fey and they truly are fantastic, completely carrying the movie all on their own. So, if you are a fan of the zany comic stylings of Steve Carell and Tina Fey you are sure to love Date Night. In spite of shortcomings behind the camera, it is extremely funny and a great film to watch if you are out on your date night.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Film Review with Robert Mann - It's A Wonderful Afterlife

It’s a Wonderful Afterlife **½

So, what is It’s A Wonderful Afterlife, you’re wondering. Is it a sequel to the 1946 classic It’s A Wonderful Life? Absolutely not, such a thing would be an abomination. Or a spoof of that film maybe? Again, no, that would be even more outrageous. Maybe, a horror take on said film. Third time no, but the horror element isn’t too far from the mark. You see, It’s A Wonderful Afterlife, following in the footsteps of 2004 film Bride & Prejudice by director Gurinder Chadha (who is also the director of this film), is the latest film to combine sentimentalities and humour of the British romantic comedy with the vibrant colour and musical stylings of a Bollywood movie, but with a macabre twist that makes for a film that, if nothing else, has a degree of originality and ingenuity on its side, and takes the phrase “I could murder a curry” to hilarious new heights. Is it really a wonderful afterlife though?

Mrs Sethi (Shabana Azmi) in an Indian widow who can’t bear the thought of her only daughter, Roopi (Goldy Notay) being alone and unhappy. Okay, she’s a little plump and opinionated…but she would make a great wife for some lucky man, if only she were given a chance. Matters are not helped either when Roopi’s psychic friend Linda (Sally Hawkins) returns from a trip to India announcing that she is to marry an Indian man. When Mrs Sethi can no longer stomach the rudeness of families who refuse her daughter, she takes matters into her own hands with the only way she knows… Suddenly, the police, headed by DS Murthy (Sendhil Ramamurthy), who happens to be a family friend, and DI Smythee (Mark Addy), begin a hunt for a serial murderer who cooks a killer curry. Mrs Sethi doesn’t feel too guilty until the spirits of her victims come back to haunt her as they are unable to be reincarnated until their murderer dies. Mrs Sethi has no problem killing herself – she’ll get to see her dead husband again – but how can she go before her beloved daughter is married? The spirits realize that helping Mrs Sethi’s daughter find a suitable husband before the police catch her is their only chance for a wonderful afterlife!

It’s A Wonderful Afterlife is much like Shaun of the Dead in that it attempts to fuse aspects of different genres that normally no one would even associate with one another, let alone would actually gel together. Unlike that film, the fusion doesn’t quite work here. The horror element, in particular, is quite poorly handled, only really featuring sporadically (I don’t really count the scenes featuring the ghosts as horror aspects), mostly only being significant in the opening scenes, starting with a fairly gruesome (although not explicitly gory - this film is rated 12A after all) scene involving one of the murder victims and followed by a series of news reports that bring up to date with the victim count thus far - the murders all take place before the film actually begins. The humour is also a mixed bag, mostly being of the silly, slapstick variety and failing to provide many really big laughs. Expect curry puns a plenty, some fairly funny if extremely predictable one-liners, a range of curry and Indian food related murders and lots of undead related gags, most of which will only really amuse more undemanding viewers. This is pretty much it in the way of humour for much of the duration but there are a few scenes that do manage to provide some big laughs, the most notable being a quite hilarious spoof of the infamous prom night scene from horror classic Carrie with the high school prom being substituted by an Indian engagement party. If the whole film were up to the standard of this scene it could be something quite memorable but sadly the writing mostly fails to pack a big enough punch, the story meandering somewhat at times, the dialogue only occasionally being funny and many of the gags falling flat. The romance at the heart of the story does at least manage to be sweet though and a strong, believable and delightful chemistry between Goldy Notay and Sendhil Ramamurthy ensures that we both believe in it and really are rooting for things to work out. Individually, both are also strong performers, Notay being likable and sincere and Ramamurthy delivering pure charm and charisma in his performance. Sally Hawkins is also excellent, delivering the film’s funniest, scene stealing performance, as a character whose psychic ability allows for some comic gold, what little of it there is in this film. A whole host of recognisable British faces also appear throughout the film, among them Zoë Wanamaker, Sanjeev Baskar (as one of the murder victims/ghosts, the others being played by Shaheen Khan, Adlyn Ross and Ash Varrez), Steve Jones and Jimi Mistry. In general, the cast members all do a good job in their roles, in fact, but weak material means that they aren’t given much to work with for the most part. So, while, It’s A Wonderful Afterlife is a very watchable film and one that doesn’t take itself too seriously, the whole is less than the sum of its parts, making for something that, while mildly enjoyable is rather forgettable. The afterlife really isn’t that wonderful, just ok.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Film Review with Robert Mann - The Joneses

The Joneses ***

It has been estimated that the average person sees 20,000 adverts in a single year. Marketing is a key part of everyday life that, try as you might, cannot be avoided, with advertising appearing pretty much everywhere - on television, in cinemas, in magazines and newspapers, on buses and bus stops, on bilboards, and the list goes on. All this, however, is just the marketing we are actually aware of. Companies will go to great lengths to ensure that we buy their products, with undercover - or stealth - marketing being quite popular with companies determined to get hands on our cash. This usually involves the company paying an actor to use a certain product openly in an area where the target cosumers congreate. Such is the central theme of The Joneses, a satirical comedy based around a seemingly perfect American family who are not as they appear - they aren’t just living the American Dream, they are selling it. Will you be keeping up with The Joneses?

Kate Jones (Demi Moore) and her husband Steve (David Duchovny) are a seemingly perfect couple who, along with their equally blemish-free teenagers Jenn (Amber Heard) and Mick (Ben Hollingsworth), move into a beautiful house in a well-to-do community. Everything about the Joneses is fresh, exciting and up-to-the-minute, and they quickly charm their new neighbours. But the Joneses are not a family. They work for a stealth marketing organisation, Kate is Steve's boss, and their job is to make the public want the things they've got. From clothes and food to golf clubs and beauty products, The Joneses are walking, talking advertisements for the lot. Everything goes according to plan until Steve begins to develop real feelings for Kate - and to question their life of luxurious deception...

There is something extremely ironic about The Joneses. Filmmakers often receive a lot of flack for the inclusion of product placement in their films yet here, in a film that satirises consumerism and everything that comes with it, products (at least some, if not all of which are real - in the first few minutes there is a HTC phone which I saw an advert for on a bus stop only a few days ago) are flaunted left, right and centre. For all we know, this film itself could a piece of stealth marketing, one that is masquerading as satirical commentary. The products may well be intended as satire but if the products are very much real then so may the plugs they receive. When the film is attempting satire, it presents a pretty interesting picture and says quite a few things about conformity and the need to fit in the things we all want but don’t really need. However, the film is only semi-successful in this regard. First time writer/director Derrick Borte does quite well in examining the surface of the issues he is exploring but simply does not dig enough, with the true potential of the concept simply not being exploited and many of the issues not being examined with enough conviction. The greater problem is that the satire too often makes way for the other elements of the storyline, especially Steve’s disenchantment with his life, which often seems to have priority over the satire and isn’t nearly as interesting. When the film is dealing with family drama it occasionally verges on soap opera territory with events surrounding the film’s central characters sometimes at odds with the satirical aspirations of the storyline, and the result is a film that is interesting but is never as much so as it has the potential to be. Additionally, while the film is subtly humourous on occasions, it fails to provide any laugh out loud moments or any particular funny observations - a problem considering this is part comedy after all and disappointing considering the distinct potential of the concept. Consequently, while this film may make you think it may not make you laugh, particularly if you are not very susceptible to more subtle humour. Despite many of the flaws in the writing and execution department the film is at least carried by two very strong leading performances from Demi Moore and David Duchovny, who share a chemistry that is very believable and each work well on their own too, with Duchovy in particular having charisma to spare. Amber Heard and Ben Hollingsworth are somewhat underwhelming by comparison but do a competent job nonetheless. Overall, The Joneses manages to be a semi-interesting satire that will certainly make you think about the nature of products and how they are sold to us but so much more really could have been made of it all. So, to answer the question, you may not be all that bothered about keeping up with The Joneses.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Film Review with Robert Mann - Dear John

Dear John **½

Adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels are just the kind of films that separate most film critics from the average moviegoer. Past Sparks adaptations such as A Walk to Remember, The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe proved relatively successful at the box office but were derided by critics who considered them unsophisticated Hollywood fluff. And the same is true of the latest Sparks story to be brought to the big screen, Dear John. As expected, on its release in America critics responded with a collective yawn, but at cinemas it proved to be one of the most popular Sparks adaptations yet, almost doubling expectations on its opening weekend, even if less than spectacular legs in the following weeks suggest that cinemagoers too may not have been all that impressed by this one. So, how good is Dear John really? After all, star Channing Tatum is not exactly known for being either a convincing or charismatic actor, and director Lasse Hallström’s track record has been somewhat hit and miss as of late, his last film Hachi: A Dog’s Tale lacking in several key areas.

A young soldier, John Tyree (Channing Tatum) is home on leave when he has a chance encounter with idealistic college student Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried). When Savannah's bag falls from a pier into the sea, John impulsively jumps after it. Touched by John's chivalry, and intrigued by his brooding good looks, Savannah finds herself falling passionately in love over the course of two magical weeks and also gets to know John’s lonesome father (Richard Jenkins). When John is shipped overseas for his next tour of duty, Savannah writes asking him to tell her everything that happens to him: “That way we'll be with each other all the time”. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the couple is separated by John's increasingly dangerous deployments. While meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch by sending a continuous stream of love letters overseas - correspondence that eventually triggers fateful consequences.

Dear John is a film that boasts one truly excellent performance, not from either of the leads but from Richard Jenkins who, as John’s Autistic father who is incapable of showing emotion, completely convinces in a truly sincere and believable performance of a character with Autism that is much more restrained than some of the more over the top portrayals of characters with the condition that have been seen in other films. It’s really saying something that Jenkins playing a character who cannot show emotion still shows more emotion that leading man Channing Tatum. Tatum is woefully miscast as John, his miscasting virtually ruining what could have a pretty good emotional drama. His ‘acting’ ability is a vacuum of emotion and charisma with him displaying the same virtually blank stare throughout the entire film and it is rather to see how anyone, especially Savannah, could be so easily charmed by his character. Of course, the target audience - teen girls - won’t care too much about Tatum’s inadequacies as an actor, they will probably just be happy that he gets his shirt off several times. Clearly, Tatum’s casting is more for purposes of eye candy than acting ability. He may look the part as a soldier but looking the part does not make for a good performance. Unfortunately, the lack of emotion on Tatum’s part virtually destroys any chemistry that could have existed between the characters of John and Savannah which, in turn, makes for many scenes that seem dull and lifeless. It’s a real shame as Amanda Seyfried is really quite delightful and gets all the emotions just right. Sadly, a one sided chemistry is no chemistry at all and no sparks (sorry, couldn’t resist) fly between her and Tatum at all. In addition to this lack of chemistry, another major flaw of the film is that Tatum gets far more screen time than either of his co-stars, thus robbing of the performances that are actually good for substantial amounts of screen time. When the focus is purely on John it is really hard to care much about what is actually happening. While Tatum is the thing that really ruins the film, though, the inferiorities of the overall product cannot be blamed entirely on him. At times the film is too dull to really engage the attention and events do seem to drag in some segments, notably the ones where the focus is only on John. The writing is decent but doesn’t really spark (sorry, last time) with quite a sweet and moving story being let down by an absence of memorable dialogue, a feeling of disjointment and a strong degree of predictability, even if the plot does veer off in some slightly unexpected directions late on. On a positive note, however, the characters are mostly quite well developed and the way the film tackles the issue of Autism is sensitive without seeming preachy or out of place. Additionally, the inclusion of a 9/11 element within the story doesn’t detract from the main focus of the film and ultimately feels more natural in its inclusion than in a certain other film that was in cinemas recently. The overall execution of the film, though, is decidely average, with this being far from Lasse Hallström’s best work and the overall product being rather forgettable. So, all in all, Dear John is a romantic drama that is not without promise but the miscasting of Tatum in the lead role combined with merely satisfactory direction from Hallström makes for a film that could have been great but is instead mediocre.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Film Review with Robert Mann - Cemetery Junction

Cemetery Junction ****

The second directorial effort from Ricky Gervais is not a Ricky Gervais movie per se. His new film Cemetery Junction, which sees him writing and directing alongside long time writing partner Stephen Merchant, does not feature Gervais as its star, with him only playing quite a small role and Merchant only appearing in a cameo. Instead, this coming of age tale set in 1970s Reading boasts a cast made up mostly of young up and coming stars, (although a few bigger names do feature as well). Also, while many people will likely go into this film expecting a comedy in the vein of Gervais’s past work, what we get here is rather a drama that happens to feature a few (or should I say lots of) funny moments.

It's the glam rock-era of 1970s England and the small city of Reading feels about as far as you can possibly get from where the action is. But for Freddie Taylor (Christian Cooke) and his two best friends Bruce Pearson (Tom Hughes) and Snork (Jack Doolan), this is all they've ever known. As they spend their days joking, drinking, chasing girls, fighting and running afoul of police officers Sgt.Wyn Davies (Steve Speirs) and Renwick (Burn Gorman), Freddie can't help wondering if they're wasting their lives. Desiring to avoid being stuck there his whole life, working in a factory every day but never having anything to show for it like his father Len (Ricky Gervais), he yearns to leave their cosy-but-blinkered environment and see what the rest of the world has to offer - but cool, charismatic Bruce and lovable loser Snork are happy with life the way it is, or so they claim to be, as Bruce has long talked about leaving but never gets around to doing so. When Freddie gets a new job working as a door to door insurance salesman for Mr Kendrick (Ralph Fiennes) and bumps into his former school sweetheart Julie (Felicity Jones), who is engaged to Freddie’s colleague Mike Ramsay (Matthew Goode), the gang are forced to face up to the future and make some difficult choices.

From a technical standpoint, no one can deny that Cemetery Junction is a very well made film. A sort of passion project for Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (it is based on their own real life experiences growing up and Freddie’s family is inspired by Gervais’ real life family), it is clear that they have put a lot of effort into creating a truly authentic feel of what it was like to live in a small British town during the 1970s with the look and feel of the period being captured perfectly and period Reading being lovingly recreated in authentic detail with every facet - costume design, set design, locations, props, cars, dialogue and even character attitudes towards race, etc. - that features in the film really capturing the essence of 1970s Britain. There is a distinct sense of realism in everything that we see, the 1970s setting not being used so much to portray the culture of the period but rather as a window into the monotony of existence in a place where you feel you cannot escape. This proves to be the perfect setting for the coming of age tale that is told here, the realistic elements allowing for characters and situations that many will be able to relate to, even today. While the film is realistic, it also manages to be somewhat escapist as well. Stephen Merchant said in a recent interview that what the film shows is “a slightly more romanticized vision of how we remember growing up” and this is a pretty good summisation of what is shown here, with the film reflecting the wonder of youth rather than all out gritty realism but still having enough of a sense of reality for everything that happens to be completely believable. The film is a drama first and foremost and in this regard it really does deliver but it has plenty of laugh out loud moments as well and it is in this regard that the film may divide moviegoers. This being a film by Ricky Gervais you will likely know already whether or not this will be a film for you as the kind of humour we get here will be appreciated by some but not by others, just as is the case with any film by Gervais. A considerable amount of humour is extremely crude - thus, anyone who is easily offended probably won’t appreciate it - and based around heavy profanities but there is something refreshingly honest about it that means it doesn’t seem too obscene or gratuitous. The film provides lots of very funny and very true observations about life and what it means to really live and this is what really drives the film - a truthful, honest and no holds barred representation of real people trying to find happiness in their lives, whether it be by finding a way out of the dead end place where they live or by discovering that what they really need or want has been right there all along. All this is put across very well thanks to the combined writing skills of Gervais and Merchant who deliver a script that delivers on most levels. The dialogue is snappy, humourous and sounds authentic. The characters are all extremely well developed, each with their own individual quirks. And the story is engaging, combining aspects of tragedy and comedy with expert precision. The film also delivers on the acting front with every member of the cast, old or young, big name or rising star, delivering strong, believable performances and perfectly capturing the dialect. Bigger stars such as Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson (as Mrs Kendrick), Steve Speirs, Burn Gorman, Julia Davis (as Freddie’s mother), Anne Reid (as Freddie’s grandmother) and Ricky Gervais deliver exactly the standard we expect of them but the spotlight is really stolen by the younger cast members. The friendship dynamic shared between Christian Cooke, Tom Hughes and Jack Doolan is absolutely spot on perfect, their friendship seeming completely real, even when their lives seem headed in different directions. The real revelations, though, are Cooke and Felicity Jones, who not only share a fantastic chemistry but also deliver superbly on their own terms, both having charisma and emotion to spare. Both are definitely stars to watch out for in the future. Overall, Cemetery Junction is a well made and, charming very enjoyable coming of age tale that won’t be appreciated by everyone but is definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of Ricky Gervais or like films that provide a fond look at the past of Great Britain.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Film Review with Robert Mann - The Ghost

The Ghost ****

In the past year controversial film director Roman Polanski has been in the news quite a bit, not for anything relating to his film career but rather his arrest last year in Switzerland on an outstanding charge for a sex offence committed in 1977 from which he fled prosecution. With such controversy surrounding him it is certainly easy to forget that Polanski is in fact a highly accomplished Academy Award winning writer and director. His latest film, The Ghost (known as The Ghost Writer in the states), based on the novel of the same name by former BBC TV news reporter and political columnist Robert Harris, was actually in the post production stage when he was arrested but the process was never put on hold, him continuing to oversee every step of the film and handle all artistic decisions and even finishing editing while he was in a Swiss prison. While Polanski’s arrest is certainly justified, it is good that he at least got the opportunity to finish this film.

A ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) is hired to take over writing the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), after the previous writer dies in an accident. Soon after The Ghost accepts the assignment, a high-ranking British official accuses Lang of having illegally seized suspected terrorists and handing them over to the CIA for torture. The controversy over this alleged war crime brings reporters and protesters swarming to the Martha's Vineyard mansion where Lang is staying with his wife Ruth (Olivia Williams) and his media-handler turned mistress Amelia (Kim Cattrall). As The Ghost continues his work, he begins to uncover what seem to be clues placed by the previous writer. Did the dead man piece together a dark secret linking Lang to the CIA? And did he somehow hide this information in the manuscript he left behind...

The Ghost is a film that is rather anti-Hollywood in its style. Such is the strength of Roman Polanski’s direction that the film never has to resort to elaborate setpieces or needless action to create tension. Instead, it manages to be a tense and taut thriller just by utilizing simple, almost Hitchcockian (the film even starts without any opening credits like Hitchcock tried out, something was quite revolutionary at the time), filmmaking techniques, with the musical score being used to great effect in amping up the sense of threat and simple cinematography giving the film a distinctive look with doing anything fancy or extravagant. Really, only a director such as Polanski could make a film as restrained as this and one that completely avoids the excesses of Hollywood movie making. The fact that the film manages to be pretty interesting both visually and otherwise is a testimony to Polanski’s filmmaking skills as its use of rather nondescript locations (the film is mostly set in American but, due to the arrest warrant on Polanski there, was actually filmed in Germany) and largely confined setting (much of the film takes place in one rather limited location) could easily have resulted in a film that failed to hold the interest. Sadly, despite the technical proficiency of Polanski’s work, the film is occasionally a bit too slow paced to fully maintain the attention, particularly with the rather long running time. Nonetheless, this narrative driven film does have a very satisfying conclusion, it just takes a bit of time getting there. The screenplay (written by Polanski, adapted by book author Robert Harris) is well structured and features plenty of sharp, occasionally even humourous (in an everyday conversation kind of way) dialogue, as well as characters that are realistic and thoroughly developed, each having their own personal demons to contend with and reflecting the complicated nature of interpersonal relationships. These characters are well realised on the screen thanks to strong, believable performances from every member of a cast that also includes Tom Wilkinson and Eli Wallach among others. The most intense performances, though come from Pierce Brosnan (whose screen time is actually rather limited, his character not being present for much of the story) and Olivia Williams who convincingly and excellently portray the strains of being individuals under siege from everyone around them. Ewan McGregor is good also but his performance is not in the same league as that of either Brosnan or Williams. All in all, while The Ghost is far from being a cinematic masterpiece, it is still a well made thriller, albeit one that is perhaps lacking in actual thrills. Nonetheless, it provides an interesting insight into both the dark side of politics and the truth about so-called ‘autobiographies’. It won’t be to everyone’s taste of course but anyone who likes a bit of political intrigue will find that this is a film definitely worth checking out.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Appledore

‘Coastlines’ is the theme for the 13th Appledore Visual Arts Festival (Thursday June 3rd – Sunday June 6th). Our relationship with the sea has profoundly influenced our history, our identity and our character. There is no finer example of this relationship than North Devon’s beautiful and rugged coastline. Through an innovative programme of contemporary visual arts events the Festival will celebrate this world class coastline.

Appledore Arts are proud to be working in association with the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Festival is a flagship event celebrating the AONB’s 50th Anniversary. In the lead-up to the Festival, Appledore Arts has developed two exciting new coastal projects both of which will be showcased at the Festival. On World Dance Day (April 29th), in response to North Devon’s amazing coastline Appledore Arts and Dance in Devon will create a unique dance performance in the grounds of Clovelly Court. A film of the project will be screened on the Opening Night. In early May, a contemporary visual artist will conduct a two week residency in Bucks Mills Cabin. The Cabin was used as an artists studio and is now owned by the National Trust, it will be open during the Festival and the artist will also give a talk about this exciting and rare opportunity.

More here.

Quote of the Week : The Pledge (2001)

"Whenever a good child dies, an angel of God comes down from Heaven and takes the child in his arms and spreads out his great white wings and flies with her over all the places that she loved during her life.. And then the child carries a large handful of flowers up to God."

Annalise Hansen (the brilliant Vanessa Redgrave) quotes from The Angel by Anderson with heart felt emotion to Detective Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) in his search for a child killer, in Sean Penn's controversial film The Pledge.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Remember Me

Remember Me ***½

It really doesn’t seem like that long ago that no one had heard of Robert Pattinson. The British actor got his first big break when he was cast as Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter franchise but this wasn’t the role that really threw him into the spotlight. The role that really made him a star was that of Edward Cullen in the Twilight film series, the role that has turned him from being a relative unknown into the object of desire for teen and tween girls all over the world, who swoon whenever he appears in anything. His fanbase is almost rabid in their adoration for him but they are used to seeing him play a certain kind of role. This is what makes his latest film, Remember Me, quite a daring career choice. Pattinson himself warned his fans that they may well be disappointed by this film and this is most definitely the case, as his in this romantic drama (notice it is a drama, not a comedy) here is completely removed from anything he has done before.

Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson) is a rebellious young man living a disaffected existence in New York City. Ever since their family was separated by a tragedy, Tyler has suffered a strained relationship with his influential father, Charles (Pierce Brosnan). Tyler also has a young sister, Caroline (Ruby Jerins), who lives with their mother Diane (Lena Olin), and he is outraged that their father can't bear to spend time with her. One night Tyler intervenes in a street brawl but ends up getting arrested by tough cop Neil Craig (Chris Cooper), whose wife was murdered in a shooting ten years earlier. After spending a night in jail, Tyler learns from his roommate Aidan Hall (Tate Ellington) that Neil has a daughter, Ally (Emilie de Ravin), with whom he shares a class at college. Ally is beautiful, spirited and inspiring, and Tyler begins to fall for her. But with two strong and disapproving fathers to contend with, the circumstances that brought them together also threaten to tear them apart.

A warning for Twilight fans - whatever you are expecting from Remember Me, you should be informed that it is likely that you will be disappointed. You see, this is not a fantasy like Twilight but rather a story taking place completely in the real world. And this is clearly evidenced by the fact that the film opens with a tragedy, a character getting shot within the first minute and another prominent character, just a child, witnessing it. The romance presented in this film is entirely real world stuff. There is none of the fluff that is present in most romantic comedies and there is definitely no sugar coating of anything. The story does not shy away from real life tragedies, but rather embraces them. People die and tragedies occur. It does not avoid tackling the everyday problems that people face in their relationships but places them right at the heart of everything. The characters are all damaged, struggling with their own inner demons and Tyler’s family in particular is fractured with every single member experiencing the strains of their experiences on their relationships with one another. Then there are the metaphors and multiple levels of commentary and subtext, relating to all kind of issues, among them terrorism. This is a film that has much to say although for quite some time it seems like it is trying to say something but the message doesn’t seem to be coming across. For all the efforts at greatness, the story elements don’t entirely click together for the most part. The romance at the heart of the story is pretty average stuff offering little that really stands out, even if the story of two damaged characters finding kindred spirits in one another is undeniably moving, but there is a deeper meaning to the film beyond the romance. It almost seems like this meaning is not going to be revealed. But, then it happens, out of the blue - something so completely unexpected and shocking yet actually kind of hinted at in some of the subtexts running through the film and that makes so many things that have happened and been said up to this point suddenly come alive with meaning. I won’t give anything away but the last ten minutes or so translate what might otherwise have been a fairly forgettable and possibly meaningless film into something poignant and thought provoking. It is fair to say though that if you want to leave with a warm feeling inside this will be a film to avoid as tragedy has a strong presence and at points you probably will be drawn to tears. As for Robert Pattinson himself, even he is nothing like what his fans might expect here. He portrays a character who is emotionally scarred and he plays the rebellious, independent type very well. In fact, his performance here shows a whole new level of acting ability, with his performance being very powerful and quite intense. His character really is one who we can believe in and this is also true of the other actors as well. Emilie de Ravin plays an unorthodox love interest and shares a believable chemistry with Pattinson, one that reflects the realism of relationships as opposed to the fairy tale portrayal of romance that we are used to, while there are superbly intense performances from both Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper. These performances are key to the film working as without strong acting the entire thing would just fall apart. Fortunately, while the film undoubtedly has flaws and isn’t wholly successful in putting across its message or engaging the interest, it has more than enough going for it to ensure it is far from forgetful and may even be talked about in the years to come. Will you remember Remember Me? Quite possibly.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

Film Review with Robert Mann - Whip It

Whip It *****

Every year at the cinema there are a number of underdog films that are fully deserving of broad recognition from moviegoers but invariably pass by ignored and underappreciated at the box office, failing to even achieve the status of sleeper hit. This is particularly the case with a number of films dealing with so-called alternative culture. Every now and then such a film does manage to break out but generally the best films like this can hope for is a devoted cult following. This was very much the case with last year’s Bandslam, one of the cinematic gems of 2009 that flopped spectacularly at the box office despite great reviews and word of mouth. Whip It is very much in the same situation. Already having being released in America, it too was a box office flop, but this film - the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, starring Juno's Ellen Page - really deserves to be seen. Based around the alternative sport known as Roller Derby (which is a real sport in case you’re wondering) and based on the book Whip it by Shauna Cross - who herself is a former Roller Derby skater with the Los Angeles Derby Dolls and skated under the name Maggie Mayhem - this is a film that delivers a whole new spin on the chick flick, a film genre that has become somewhat stale as of late, frequently being associated with the many mediocre romantic comedies being churned out by Hollywood rather than anything truly great or unique. Whip It is both of these things.

Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) dreams of escaping the tiny town of Bodeen, Texas, where her mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden) is convinced that she can only succeed in life if she wins the local beauty pageant. When Bliss sneaks off to the big city of Austin with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) she discovers the sport known as Roller Derby, with its girl-power-meets-punk-rock spirit and its liberating celebration of wild individuality. Inspired by the likes of Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Bliss secretly tries out for a spot on Maggie’s Roller Derby team, the Hurl Scouts, a rag-tag skate team of scrappy underdogs, whose team members also include Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore), Rosa Sparks (Eve), Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell) and the Manson Sisters (Kristen Adolfi and Rachel Piplica) and who are coached by Razor (Andrew Wilson). Proving a natural on her skates, Bliss is welcomed into the team and, calling herself Babe Ruthless, she leads a precarious double life, fearlessly facing off with rivals like Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) and Eva Destruction (Ari Graynor), and falling for band member Oliver (Landon Pigg) as life becomes more exciting - and complicated - than she ever thought possible, and she falls in love with something for the first time in her life.

Whip It is far from your average chick flick. It is not a cutesy romantic comedy. Nor is it a mushy romantic drama. Or even a Hannah Montana style tween movie. It is, however, a love story, just not about love between a girl and a guy but rather a girl’s love for the one thing that gives her life meaning - in this case, Roller Derby. And don’t think that because I say this film is a love story that it means the film is any way lacking edge as what we get here is a combination of drama and comedy that manages to be as raw and real as it sweet and charming, portraying a sense of female strength and independence and all round girl power that should really speak to many of today’s women. The success of this can be attributed to the winning combination of superbly quirky direction by Drew Barrymore (in her first time as director) and the fantastic screenplay written by Whip It book author Shauna Cross herself, whose experience of the sport in real life translates excellently into every facet of the writing. She clearly knows the world of Roller Derby inside and out and this shows throughout, particularly in terms of the rules of the sport, which we learn as Bliss does and that are presented in a way that is easy for those unfamiliar with Roller Derby to understand but that doesn’t seem in any way watered down or compromised for the sake of a mainstream audience as a result. Cross’ writing is also excellent in the aspects that don’t directly relate to the sport though. At the heart of the film is a sweet (if perhaps slightly predictable) coming of age story that is warm and occasionally humorous, the humour being simultaneously smart and silly, and packed full of characters that are multi dimensional, completely believable and who speak dialogue that seems completely out of real life. The characters are just as great off the page as well with every member of the cast performing to a high standard. Ellen Page channels the same energy that she put into her Oscar nominated performance in Juno, delivering a spirited performance that perfectly captures the essence of the independent and strong willed character she is playing. The always excellent Marcia Gay Harden also delivers a top notch performance as Bliss’ uptight but loving mother. In fact, everyone in the cast is excellent with particular mention going to the suitably bad-ass Juliette Lewis and the more down to earth Kristen Wiig. Now back to the Roller Derby stuff. For starters, due to a well done explanation of the rules of the sport, the Roller Derby sequences are fairly straightforward to follow, even for those with no prior knowledge of the sport, i.e. pretty much everyone. The sequences are all superbly shot and executed and the excitement of the sport into real life feeds into the scenes here which are kinetic and guaranteed to get the pulse pumping. Consequently, this is a film that offers excitement as well as heart, offering as much in style as it does in substance. Overall, Whip It is an extremely well made and hugely entertaining film that is probably going to be completely ignored at the box office. It most definitely does not deserve this fate, however, and I urge you to whip down to your cinema and see it as soon as possible.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

The FIFTH NEWSBLAST

New Trailer for Step Up 3d: http://bit.ly/avwKVP

Toy Story 3:Meet Big Baby & Bookworm: http://wp.me/pnpGP-1Qs

Ramin Bahrani's masterful short Plastic Bag, with narration by Werner Herzog. http://j.mp/dchksJ

Dunstan confirms The Collector 2 http://www.killerfilm.com/articles/read/dunstan-confirms-the-collector-2-29854

Everything I know about The Walking Dead TV series so far - http://bit.ly/cU0Pk8

NEWSBLAST 4

Meet Chatter Telephone. http://bit.ly/d9U28s

War of the Gods release date set http://ow.ly/16W1wp

Al Pacino as Jack Kevorkian: http://bit.ly/can33D

At last, @edgarwright breaks down the Scott Pilgrim trailer. http://tinyurl.com/ykuqxus

The Hangover 2 Cast Confirmed - are they going to Thailand this time? http://bit.ly/cacqa0

NEWSBLAST 3

Trailer to Michel Gondry's very personal new film http://bit.ly/9pBED2

Is British Cinema Stuck In a Rut? Have your say! http://thefourohfive.com/articles/2724

Knight and Day Trailer: Actually Looks Good. No, Seriously... http://bit.ly/9FaBYL

Meet Chunk. http://bit.ly/18Ke45

Eight of the greatest long shots ever, via @ebertchicago - http://bit.ly/bsOptW

NEWSBLAST 2

Excitement as word on 1 June #edfilmfest prog launch spreads - http://bit.ly/bY65Ek!

Should Filmmakers Apologize For Bad Films? http://su.pr/1VP0xb

New Salt Photos, New Trailer Expected This Thursday http://goo.gl/fb/w4b9z

NEWSBLAST 1

Vaughn makes a Bloodshot http://www.killerfilm.com/articles/read/vaughn-makes-a-bloodshot-29056

Are We Closer to Two More Independence Days?: http://bit.ly/cOMzp5

Godzilla returns to the big screen http://www.killerfilm.com/articles/read/godzilla-returns-to-the-big-screen-29051

Joe Quesada Loves Chris Evans

Marvel boss Joe Quesada is thrilled Chris Evans has been hired to play comic book superhero Captain America on the big screen - calling the Fantastic Four actor the "perfect" choice.

The race to land the coveted role has been a two-year marathon, with many comic book fans urging movie chiefs to sign up Mad Men star Jon Hamm for the lead.

Some critics have slammed the decision to hire Evans, insisting the 28-year-old actor is too young to play Captain America, but the comic giant's editor-in-chief is adamant he's the best man for the job.

Quesada tells Comic Book Resources, "Here you have a guy who absolutely embodies every aspect of Cap (Captain America), including the look and feel of the character. (Producer) Kevin Feige was absolutely beaming after meeting with Chris and seeing what he could do, and I've got to tell you, I think he's perfect as well.

"That to me is the beauty of the movies that we at Marvel produce. We know the characters better than anyone outside of our fans, and we know how important it is to cast just that right person. We aren't a bunch of Hollywood execs who don't understand the source material or its history.

"It's Marvel guys and gals making Marvel movies, and that's a huge difference."

Gervais/Hoskins

Ricky Gervais was left fuming after reading his recent interview with men's magazine GQ - because the article opened with a wrongly attributed quote from Bob Hoskins.

The Office creator spent an hour being interviewed by a journalist from the publication to publicise his upcoming film Cemetery Junction.

But the star was left aghast when he read the story's introduction, which incorrectly accredited a quote to him made famous by Hoskins.

In a post on his official blog, Gervais writes, "I did an interview for GQ magazine. We talked for some time. The journalist even taped it. What could go wrong? I'll tell you what can go wrong. They introduce the piece with this quote; 'Ricky Gervais once said "I came to this business uneducated, 5'6", dyslexic, with a face like a squashed cabbage. And they welcomed me with open arms'.

"No he f**king didn't! Why the f**k would he? He came to this business with a f**king degree in Philosophy, not dyslexic, 5'8" with a face like... OK the last bit is fine. But the rest is b**locks and I never said it.

"Where did they get that from? Why didn't they ask me if I said that when we were in the same c**ting room for a b**tard hour?

"I put the quote into Google. I found this; 'I came into this business uneducated, dyslexic, 5ft 6in, cubic, with a face like a squashed cabbage and they welcomed me with open arms.' Actor Bob Hoskins.

"How f**king hard was that?"

Blanchett Movie

Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh made a low budget movie last year based on Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett and her husband Andrew Upton.

The filmmaker directed a play called Tot Mom at the Sydney Theatre Company, where Blanchett and Upton are joint artistic directors, and invited the cast to test their acting skills in front of the cameras in a secret side project.

The improvised comedic film, titled The Last Time I Saw Michael Gregg, tells the story of a glamorous couple who run a theatre company in Australia and is said to have been based on Blanchett and her husband.

A spokesman for the Sydney Theatre Company says, "It's something the cast did while they were making the play. It was just a bit of fun between the cast and Steven."

Blanchett praised Soderbergh for giving the actors some filmmaking experience, adding: "How great that the actors got a taste of working on a film with one of the true masters. You can tell everyone had a good time with it and it was the perfect way to balance the intensity of working on the play."

UK Film Council 15Mil

The UK Film Council has announced plans for an annual fund for the development of new movies, worth £15m.

The funds will be available to both established and emerging talent, the organisation has said.

A new national web-based talent pool has been proposed for the homegrown film industry, which could uncover the next big star of UK cinema.

The Film Council made its new proposal after its long-term budget was slimmed down by £25m.

The organisation's new financial plans have also allocated £5m to an innovation fund, which will be announced later in the year.

Money to help the export of UK films abroad, amounting to £500,00 each year, has also been secured.

Tim Bevan, chairman of the UK Film Council, said it had a "renewed mission" and "a new set of priorities".

"With the right level of support, a successful British film industry can continue to help get the UK out of recession, drive innovation and create more highly-skilled jobs."

But Mr Bevan admitted that "further tough choices lie ahead" after the Film Council substantially cut running costs.

The film fund has opened to new applications from today, while more details about the talent pool will be released later in the year.

Give It A Rest Lucas!?

A new animated Star Wars series is being developed by Star Wars creator George Lucas.

Animators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, who were behind hit parody sketch show Robot Chicken, will team up for the Lucasfilm Animation production.

"The Star Wars universe is so dense and rich," Green said.

The series follows on from Lucasfilm Animation's Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which focuses on the Jedi Knights' struggle to maintain order.

The animation show, which airs on Cartoon Network, is now in its second series.

But the newly developed series will have a more comedic and irreverent tone.

"What do these characters do when they're not overthrowing empires?" Green said.

"We're going to pull back the curtain of some of those behind-the-scenes shenanigans," added Senreich.

George Lucas's Lucasfilm company is considered a world leader in animation techniques.

No US television network has yet been linked to the latest Star Wars series.

R.I.P. Corin Redgrave

Actor and political activist Corin Redgrave - a member of the famous theatrical dynasty - died on Tuesday at the age of 70.

Redgrave died surrounded by his family after being taken ill in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A statement issued by Redgrave's wife, Kika Markham, and family said: "Corin Redgrave has died today. He was taken ill at home in the early hours of Sunday morning. He died very peacefully surrounded by his family. We will miss him so very much."

Redgrave was brother to Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave and the son of actor and director Michael Redgrave.

His daughter, from his first marriage to Deirdre Hamilton-Hill, is the actress Jemma Redgrave. Redgrave also had three sons.

He was uncle to film and TV stars Joely Richardson and Natasha Richardson, the latter of whom died last year following a ski accident.

Redgrave notched up an impressive series of theatre roles, appearing at the National Theatre and the RSC among others.

His film roles included Andie McDowell's husband Hamish in Four Weddings And A Funeral and Cornwall in Excalibur.

TV credits included, most recently, The Turn Of The Screw last year and The Girl In The Cafe in 2005. In recent years he also appeared in episodes of Spooks, Shameless, Foyle's War and Trial And Retribution.

Redgrave was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2000. He recovered but suffered a heart attack in 2005 while speaking in support of Travellers' rights at a public meeting in Essex.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans 3D ***½
Clash of the Titans 2D ***½

Mythology is very popular in Hollywood right now, as evidenced in the release this week of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon which plays on Viking mythology and in the May release of Disney’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time which finds its inspirations in Persian mythology. The real hot property, however, is Greek mythology. This year has already seen the release of Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief, a children’s fantasy film which provides a very loose interpretation of aspects from Greek myth while in development project Dawn of War aims to provide a more literal take on the mythos. For right now, though, we have the eagerly anticipated remake of classic 1981 film Clash of the Titans. As with any remake of a classic film, there has been a fair amount of backlash aimed at this 21st century take on the 1981 classic Ray Harryhausen stop motion film. However, Clash of the Titans is nonetheless more ripe for a 21st century re-envisioning than many other films that have been remade over the years, with today’s advanced visual effects technologies allowing the filmmakers to really do justice to the film’s many monsters. Not that the original film’s stop motion effects didn’t have their charms, mind you, but visual effects open up whole worlds of new possibilities for the scope of the film. But is this film ambitious enough to fully live up to these possibilities?

Born the son of god Zeus (Liam Neeson) but raised as a man by simple fisherman Spyros (Pete Postlethwaite), Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless when his family are murdered by Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld, collateral damage of an attack against the people of Argos in retaliation for their destruction of a statue of Zeus as a show of defiance against the gods. As a further punishment for their defiance, the people of Argos, ruled by King Kepheus (Vincent Regan) and Queen Cassiopeia (Polly Walker), find themselves threatened by both Hades and an enraged Zeus, with a stern warning that if their princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) is not sacrificed to them, the monstrous beast known as the Kraken will be unleashed. With nothing left to lose, and encouraged by the ageless Io (Gemma Arterton), Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission, accompanied by a small group of Argosian soldiers headed by Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), to find a way to stop the Kraken, a mission that will take him right into the heart of the underworld. His quest sees him pursued by Acrisius (Jason Flemyng), a man who has a personal vendetta against Perseus; battling giant scorpions in the desert; encountering the Djinn, a group who themselves have tired of the gods; seeking aid from witches; and coming face to face with the dreaded gorgon Medusa (Natalia Vodianova) before his final climactic encounter with the Kraken itself. With time fast running out Perseus can only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

The tagline used in the first trailer for Clash of the Titans was “Titans Will Clash” - certainly not very imaginative but a pretty good indication of what to expect from the film. You see, this is one of those films where things like plot and character development take a backseat to action. The slight plot only really serves to link together a series of action sequences rather than the action occurring within a well developed narrative. Aside from the opening sequence (which is quite visually inventive, introducing the gods through star constellations) there is little to no exploration of the mythology upon which this film is inspired and, aside from the protagonist, there is no development for any of the characters, and even Perseus is given the bare minimum of backstory. Essentially, the characters just are rather than being developed enough to make us really care about them.
Additionally, the dialogue is pretty unmemorable. So, to be succinct, the writing is not great. But, the film does make up for this in other areas. Visually speaking, the film is quite stunning. The production design, costumes, sets and locations are all very good and are joined by some pretty decent practical creature effects. Aside from the CG creation of Medusa, which is a bit shoddy in places, the visual effects are very spectacular too, particularly in the climax when the Kraken reveals itself, with the monster being suitably menacing and also showing off some fantastic CGI work. The visual effects play very well in the numerous action sequences which all deliver the level of thrills and spills you would expect from a film such as this, with director Louis Leterrier’s action background really being put to great use, especially in the climax, which really does deliver a spectacular finale to the film. Another strong point is that Leterrier avoids the temptation to do anything cheesy, avoiding some of the mistakes made by the recent Percy Jackson movie and wisely reducing the clockwork owl that featured prominently in the original Clash of the Titans movie to a brief homage appearance. Considering that the writing isn’t that great, the performances are understandably not quite amazing. As we have come to expect from films such as this, no attempt is made at authentic accents, everyone just speaking in their native dialects, but no attempt is made to do the film in the Greek language either. This, however, doesn’t mean that the actors don’t do a decent job. For starters, most of the Gods are better cast than in Percy Jackson with real thespians playing Zeus and Hades, Neeson and Fiennes both bringing gravitas and intensity to their roles. Sam Worthington, in third blockbuster film to be released in less than a year following Terminator Salvation and Avatar, also delivers a very intense performance, once again showing that he is a natural movie star. The rest of the cast too are generally decent but no one really shines due to a lack of great material to work with. The star studded cast also includes quite a few other recognisable faces including Izabella Miko, Nicholas Hoult, Elizabeth McGovern, Alexander Siddig, Tamer Hassan, Danny Huston, Kaya Scodelario and Ian Whyte (the latter’s face not being so recognisable), although most only have very small roles. Overall, Clash of the Titans is a film that will never be remembered as a classic like its 1981 namesake nor will it really appeal to anyone looking for a film with real substance but if what you are looking for is an enjoyable popcorn movie that will keep you entertained there is plenty here for you.

NOTE: Unfortunately I was only able to see the 2D version of the film hence I am unable to comment on the quality of the 3D here. Thus, I cannot entirely vouch for the accuracy of the rating for the 3D version of the film.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)