Don Jon

Trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6615kYTpOSU

Don Jon, a film that deals with porn addiction and the big question 'is it okay to look at girls on the internet while in a relationship?'. Mum, Dad, this is your cue to stop reading, go read my Catching Fire review, it's nice and tame. 

I'd describe Jon Don as a romantic comedy that goes a little bit deeper. It's even brought up in the film itself how romantic comedies always follow the same story, fall in love, break up, get back together, no complications. Don Jon almost is that film but set in a real world where sex online is sometimes a little more appealing than the real thing. There's a fantastic monologue where he compares the two that gave me a good laugh. 

Talking of laughs, Don Jon does have funny moments but it's not a laugh a minute riot. It's okay though because that's not what it's supposed to be- it goes more down the drama-dy line of looking a little deeper into the characters' stories and replacing comedy set-pieces with scenes of relationship dynamics where the comedy flows naturally. 

There's strong performances all round- Joseph Gordon Levitt becoming ever closer to the biggest name in the modern film business. He wrote and directed the film as well and as a first attempt I'd say he can pat himself on the back. 

It's not exactly a masterpiece however and as much as the film is only 90 minutes long it does lose steam especially in the third act. I feel that certain parts of Don Jon's story could be elongated and other parts cut shorter. It throws us into the story of how he got into a relationship with a very attractive women while keeping up a porn addiction very fast but leads us out rather slowly. 

Overall though it's stylish, fun and brings up a few moral dilemmas often missing from other rom-coms. I'm sure it'll lead to many a conversation between couples around the world, probably all starting with the girl casually asking, 'so you don't watch porn do you?'. 

7/10

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keT5CRhhy84

I remember the first time I heard about The Hunger Games. It was described to me as a 24 person death match with children in an arena made to kill them. It's not a premise you'd expect to see in mainstream cinema, especially one aimed at teens and families. I hadn't a clue how that would work as a franchise.

Well 2 films in I can safely say I'm very happy The Hunger Games franchise exists. The story of rebellion flows smoothly into Catching Fire and picks up almost right where we left Katniss and Peeta at the end of the first movie. There's no signs of weak sequel syndrome here. Catching Fire is every bit as good as the first film. 

I'll try to keep the review as spoiler free as I can for the series in general but as always a lot is given away by the trailers. The film starts with us seeing Katniss and Peeta struggle to deal with life after the games and also highlights how the world they live in is changing. The 'Victory Tour' they go on is a genius mechanic to reintroduce us into the world of the Hunger Games and recap everything that's happened before. Whereas the first film had quite a slow start Catching Fire is far more interesting in the way it sets up the story. 

President Snow, the kind of 'man behind it all' figure, is understandably a little pissed off about the whole possible rebellion thing so in a harsh move makes Katniss and Peeta fight in the games again with past winning tributes. I was a bit put off by the whole 'it's the Hunger Games- AGAIN!' premise initially but it's quite different this time. It does feel a bit samey in parts; getting chased round the jungle, fighting other tributes etc. But there is something a little deeper going on this time. Something I'm not going to spoil for you. 

The atmosphere of Catching Fire is fantastic. Moments of total silence lead to dialogue that really pierces the air. The villains in the capital feel as foreboding as ever and the tributes that want to rebel deliver speeches that are powerful and effective. I found myself really backing what Katniss and Peeta are fighting towards and wanted to see the whole system taken down.

The overall bleak tone of the film is done well with the colour scheme being very grey and gloomy in the lower districts and the film's score matching it perfectly. It shows what a horrible world they're living in and what the tributes are going through. 

The games themselves are as exciting and action packed as ever. It doesn't feel as fresh and there's the lack of chaos present from the first film but their struggle to stay alive is still gripping. It's not so much tributes vs tributes this time as it is The Capitol vs tributes (vs some other arsey tributes I suppose). I personally could have gone for more fighting between tributes but it is still present at least and the huge set pieces and chases they face from their environment make up for it. 

The main negative is that the film doesn't have a grand finale as such and doesn't have the satisfying ending you'd hope for. You're left wanting more and to see the story continue further which to be fair isn't a bad thing. It shows that the film has had you totally invested in it for the past 2 and a bit hours. It's by no means a disappointing ending, it's still pretty spectacular, but it's certainly surprising and doesn't wrap everything up nicely. We all know there's a third movie being made- you could say the ending of Catching Fire is the bridge leading into it. 

A strong story that loses none of the first movie's good points, Catching Fire is a fantastic continuation of The Hunger Games series. It may still be a little early, but Christmas definitely has it's first major blockbuster.  

9/10

published 4.15am 21/11/13

The Butler

Trailer- Coming soon

Fun fact before I get to my sirius review of a sirius film. Butlers are called butlers because they buttle people. Yeah buttling is actually a thing. And possibly my new favourite word.

The Butler is a film based on a true story about a black butler who worked for the president for maneh maneh years from the 50s to early 80s (I think). It deals with his life and his family as well as black people's civil rights in general while also dabbling a bit in other American politics of the time.

 It's not something you'd usually see me review under Elephantchris reviews; my film taste is often a bit lighter. But I'm glad I saw The Butler. It started really strong, the anti-black issues of the time were very well dealt with and was for the most part very interesting. It's just a shame it's let down by a weak finish and long run-time.

I found the best part of the film was when it dealt with Cecil's (the butler in question) rise from slave to hotel worker to white house butler and his initial time there. It's interesting to see how the world reacts to him and how he's overwhelmed when he gets to serve the president for the first time. There's a heartfelt family story behind it all and it all feels very human. I love rooting for an underdog and Cecil is definitely that. He's a hugely disadvantaged man who's been given the chance of a lifetime.

The 'black power' aspect of the film is dealt with through a sub-story with his son joining a group at university to stand up for black rights. This is where I think the film is most clever. It would have been easy to ham up how badly black people were treated and the film to scream 'LOOK HOW BAD THE WHITE MAN TRIED BLACK PEOPLE!'. But it doesn't.  There's tense scenes where they are treated like crap by racists and at one point the KKK but it also shows how in their defiance the movement they created went a little too far at times. As the film goes on you find yourself not fully backing Cecil's son, you disagree with the things they do. It's a risky move that really pays off, until they almost ruin it at the end of course.

If it sounds like I'm siding with the KKK there I'm not- you'd need to see the film to understand. Or maybe I'm just a massive racist.

There's a boatload of celebrities in the film and it is a little distracting. No one does a bad job but when Robin Williams turns round as president Eisenhower it's not president Eisenhower. It's Robin Williams.

As said above the film really starts to drag after about the 90 minute mark and the stories they tell after some of the bigger stories they tell in the 60s-70s seem totally uninteresting. If it had stopped at the start of the Nixon administration it would've been perfect.

That's when the film nearly ruins itself by prolonging the story right until near present day and loses it's initial message and subtlety. It doesn't ruin the film that's happened before it but it comes close.

The Butler is well worth seeing but just be prepared to be in the cinema a little longer than you'd want to. If the film had kept up the momentum it had at the start it would be a must-see.

7/10

Gravity

Trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiTiKOy59o4

Well as the green witch from Wicked would say, Sandra Bullock defies gravity in this new hugely acclaimed space thriller directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Or rather she doesn't as Gravity does not actually feature in the film much at all. In fact there's less gravity in Gravity than possibly any other film I've ever seen. Misleading titles, what can you do.

In all seriousness Gravity is seriously impressive. If you weren't told it's just a movie you'd assume it's all real from just looking at it. Space looks authentically like space and it's immersive as hell. It's also helped by some subtle but very well done 3D and some breathtaking goosebump inducing panoramas of Earth below. In a word- Gravity looks beautiful.

The sound, or rather lack of it, really helps Gravity to become the realistic space experience it is. There's a lot of action and explosions in the film but you hear absolutely none of it. It makes the moments of peril seem more dangerous as it's so unfamiliar to see such huge action going on around you in silence. Similarly the feeling of isolation felt by Bullock's character is translated perfectly to viewers by the surrounding silence. She's by herself up there, no one can hear her- that over used Alien quote 'in space no one can hear you scream' has never been more true than in Gravity.

The main character's could be a little more interesting but they do their job okay. George Clooney does a good job of playing a seasoned astronaut and 'kind of' love interest. Bullock maybe just touches on being a little irritating with her constant panic but to be honest there's no other way she can react to what's happening to her. The atmosphere created in Gravity is terrifying.

So film of the year right? It's what the posters say? I thought Gravity was great...but not perfect. It's not a constant thrill ride and there are moments of slow down. For what it is it has a perfect run-time of 90 minutes which is good as there's only so much you change in terms of setting in Gravity. Gravity is like Paris for me. When you get there it looks incredible, you're overwhelmed by how nice it all looks. But once you've been there a while you get used to it and progressive gets less impressive. If it were any longer my attention would definitely start to drift.

It's not trying to be sci-fi though- Gravity is outer space at it's most real and any major change of setting (scenes on earth, flashbacks) would take you completely out of it.

The constant struggle to stay alive and the frustration of Bullock's character makes Gravity almost constantly gripping other than the occasional slow moment and I'd highly recommend Gravity to just experience the outer space atmosphere the film makers have created. See it in 3D and in the cinema or not at all.

8/10

Captain Phillips

Trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3ASoBrFGlc

I love when a film does so well based on how good the film is as opposed to who's in it or how it's advertised. Sure Tom Hanks is a huge star but he puts on arguably the performance of his career in Captain Phillips. The whole film is tense as hell, the whole story is excellently told and the whole thing just feels so...real.

The film starts by introducing us to the Captain Phillips himself as well as the Somalian pirates which surprised me a little. The film isn't just told from one side here- we're introduced to the pirates as actual human beings and find out a bit about them and their motives. It's an excellent touch and when shit starts going down on the ship it makes them seem all the more terrifying that you know a little more about them and you understand their desperation.

The film doesn't take it's time in getting right to the action and the panic and fear felt on-board the ship is shared equally with the cinema audience. My heart sunk as they started to board the ship and I bit my lip as the took the captain's men hostage with guns to their heads. It draws you right in and puts you right in the crew's shoes.

The whole film is essentially a hostage situation and as much as the story weakens in terms of interest near the end before the grand finale the tension is set on full for almost all of the film's 135 minute duration. The pirate characters seem so wild and unpredictable sometimes you're kept on the edge of your seat constantly at the prospect of what they're going to do next.

The acting in this film is in my opinion the best of the year. Every cast member feels genuine- especially Tom Hanks. He doesn't over-play the character, he just plays him as an authentic human being. A heroically brave one at that.

I always say that films based on true stories have a tough job sometimes on translating a real life story to one that's almost constantly interesting and gripping but Captain Phillips nails it. There are parts of the film where not much happens at all- just interaction between characters while they wait for things to happen but it's never a bore to watch. True some of the scenes near the beginning are more powerful than some of those at the mid-end point but I never felt like the film dragged.

It also has very broad appeal with a load of action, wonderfully acted drama and a load of heart. You invest a lot of emotion in Captain Phillips and as the film ends that emotion is likely to come gushing out.

One thing- every scene seemed to end with a rising  trumpet- like the end of an episode of Lost. Pretty sure no one else noticed other than me but I was at least a little aware of it and distracted me a little.

Captain Philliips is deserving of the praise it's come to receive in the past few weeks and is very much a must-watch for 2013. Let's just hope Hanks can make it a double with Saving Mr.Banks.

9/10

Bad Grandpa

Trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvXHbJzWMqI

Do not watch the trailer for bad Grandpa. I've even taken away the temptation by replacing the trailer above with a video of a basket of kittens. If you're one of the lucky 10 people in the world that haven't seen the trailer you're in for one of the funniest films of the year. If you have seen the trailer- you've basically seen about 80% of the film. 

Bad Grandpa is funny and in many parts side-splittingly so. The stunts the Jackass team have dreamt up are hilarious and seeing people's reactions had me laughing out loud minutes after the scene had ended. There's not a single stunt that falls flat and there's never any slow-down in the laugh department. 

Both Knoxville and the little boy have serious guts for getting themselves into the situations and there are times it's often too cringey to watch. It's certainly not the cleverest film in the world but it is an interesting look at America sometimes, how they just accept old people being hugely inappropriate as 'cooky old-person behaviour'. It also has an almost heart-warming story and the relationship between Knoxville and the child is quite sweet.

It is a bit odd at times as the film makers try to tell the story while also acting in the real world environment. I'm glad there is a small story about the boy getting back to his dad and that but it does feel a bit clunky and put-on. When you're watching the stunts it's funny because you're in on the joke- you know they're just actors. But to then be asked to believe them in their little moments of bonding doesn't feel right- it doesn't feel genuine. 

The story is hardly why you came to see Bad Grandpa though and it doesn't take away from the laughs at all, just gives the film an extra element. 

Now the main problem- if like most of the population you've seen the trailer for Bad Grandpa you know what is going to happen in every scene. The scene in the beauty pageant is the film's grand finale for god's sake- it's like putting a book's final chapter in the blurb. I found myself leaving the cinema feeling a little let down. 

It's still hilarious though, even if you have seen a lot of the film already. It doesn't have the crazy shock value of the previous Jackass films but it's still outrageous. Ryan Dunn would be proud. 

7/10