Sin Nombre

Sin Nombre is a two stories merging into one tale concerning a Honduran teenagers (Sayra) journey into the US, coupled with an account of a Central American gang and how one of it’s members (Willy) attempts to break free from a life of crime and subservience to it’s leaders. Sayra’s journey, along with hundreds of other potential immigrants, is undertaken mainly on the top of a goods train as it dangerously weaves its way through the Central American countryside on the way to the US border. The two main characters come together when a botched robbery by Willy and another gang member means that Willy finds himself on train, and on the run from the gang. The scenes on the train are beautifully shot and the cinematography at times is breathtaking. Even better though is the portrayal of gang life. Hardly surprising though as director Cary Fukunagra apparently spent two years researching gangs and spending time with them. The authenticity is there to see on screen, ranging from the tattoos to the street slang, and as Willy's story shows, once you in a gang of this nature, there really is no way out. So does all this attention to detail make a good film? Overall, it’s a resounding yes. Though, the sudden relationship between Sayra and Willy isn’t really all that credible, you become attached to these characters, and the desperation of their lives, and genuinely hope for a favourable conclusion.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Though it may feel a little too documentary at times, this is solid film making with grand framing and an authentic touch. Rating: 7/10.

The Ugly Truth

The rom-coms keep a-coming with The Ugly Truth, the latest off the production line in the boy meets girl, girl hates boy, boy can you guess what’s gonna happen next genre of entertainment. Katherine Heigl stars as Abby, a successful television producer who, mainly through her own exacting standards, finds herself as a singleton on a succession of not going anywhere dates. In order to boost ratings, cue the arrival of Mike (Gerard Butler) on her television show, a trash talking relationship advice guru who Abby takes a dislike too. However, intrigued by his apparent knowledge of the way the male / female mind works when it comes to relationships, Abby agrees for Mike to help her as she begins to pursue her new good looking neighbour. If you can’t guess how this ends up, you deserve to sit through a Nora Ephron box-set as punishment. In order to spice things up a bit the screenplay is a bit more adult than the usual fluff, but this only half works. On the plus side we have some laugh out loud scenes, but too many one-liners included for shock value stick out like a sore thumb and just aren’t funny. Despite it being a two-hander it’s Heigl who carries the film and that’s good news. She really hasn’t had too many mis-steps in her career so far and she gives a great turn here easily hitting the target ranges of mild drama, romance and comedy. Gerard fares less well and stuck with a part that falls between TV image Mike and caring Mike, doesn’t really convince as either. Overall, this is hilarious in parts, but only mildly engaging during the rest, meaning that the ugly truth in this case is proof that cutting out cheese for crudity is a tricky skill to master.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Worth watching for some funny scenes, mainly involving the excellent Heigl. After that though, there isn’t really too much to get excited about. Rating: 5/10.

G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Stephen Sommers' G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra has already had a kicking from the critics, with the same accusations laid at this as per the rest of Sommers’ back catalogue, i.e. terrible acting, poor effects and huge plot holes. While there can be no argument that these faults also appear in G. I. Joe, this isn’t to say that, also like Sommers’ previous films, if you disengage brain and approach the film as pure entertainment as opposed to anything serious, you will get some enjoyment from this throwaway piece of cinema. The plot is too absurd to go into here, but it does serve as a flimsy connection between some good action scenes, with one (albeit heavily CGI’d) chase through the streets of Paris a particular highlight. On the down side, such a reliance on special effects comes a serious cropper in the last 20 minutes where virtually everything is an effect leading to a complete lack of tension. In addition, some outrageous hamming up from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Christopher Eccleston in the final scenes bring to mind Dr Colossus from The Simpson’s. That’s before we even mention Eccleston’s dodgy Scottish accent which is so thick it sounds like he’s from Moscow as opposed to Glasgow. However, with the door open for subsequent sequels, there is plenty of room for improvement and, after such dross as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, let’s hope for a better overall effort next time round.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
This is a Stephens Sommers film remember? Please leave brain outside before entering cinema. Rating: 5/10.

The Proposal

Sandra Bullock returns to rom-com territory in The Proposal, starring as Margaret, a hard nosed executive at a book publishing company, who, due to a mix up in her Visa application, strong arms her put upon assistant Andrew (played by Ryan Reynolds) into a quickie marriage in order that she avoid deportation. Subsequently they travel to Andrews’s parents in Alaska to convince his parents and family of their relationship. What ensues is fairly standard rom-com happenings with nods to numerous fish out of water films thrown together with a mix of Meet The Parents. Though Bullock never convinces as a ball-breaking executive, she puts in a decent performance (well, it’s not like she hasn’t done this thing before is it?) with some well timed slapstick and a game nude scene. She also has half decent chemistry with Reynolds, and the script does contain some zippy one liners. On the downside, there are a few terribly misjudged scenes, with Bullocks dancing with Betty White in the woods particularly painful to watch. Overall, while there isn’t much originality, by sticking to the rom-com template, this is a fairly enjoyable Friday night date movie.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Instantly forgettable, but it does what it says on the tin. Rating: 6/10.

Mesrine: Killer Instinct

Jacques Mesrine may not be a household name to many people outside France, but in his homeland he was a notorious gangster with a reputed 40 killings to his name. Mesrine: Killer Instinct is the first of a two part biopic of the gangster from director Jean-Francois Richet, and though it may play hard and fast with the truth, what it creates is a hard and fast punchy thriller. As with all film biopics, there is not enough time to cover the back story. Therefore the film begins with brief allusions (orders to kill as a soldier, his Dad being a collaborator) as to why Mesrine would become such an angry violent man. After that we are on a roller coaster ride as Mesrine’s life of crime starts big and just gets bigger. Mesrine exudes the classic paradoxical criminal code and Richet does not hide from showing us Mesrine’s penchant for violence against people he perceives have done him wrong. Vincent Cassel is on great form as Mesrine and there are fine supporting performances all round as well, especially from Roy Dupuis. Supporting performances being the operative words as well, as this film firmly focuses on Mesrine. We move from one crime to another, one city to another, and one lover to another lover in the blink of an eye with Mesrine dragging us along for the journey. Towards the end of the film things settle down with Mesrine’s incarceration in a Canadian jail, with Richet’s direction to the fore with his excellently framed scenes of Mereine’s solitary confidment. However, this leads to a nail-biting prison escape, later followed by an outrageous attack on the same edifice as Mesrine attempts to break out his fellow inmates. Any morally ambiguous respect you may have for such a brazen act is quickly dissipated due to one final act of brutal violence in the final scene of the film. That the film ends here, just as it’s got its firm grip on you, come as a disappointment. For a film that’s almost two hours long, that’s high praise indeed.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Cassel provides a strong turn in this well directed film, with a superb final third. Here’s to Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1 continuing with the same entertainment. Rating: 7/10.

G-Force

G-Force is the latest in the current over-load of 3D animations to hit the big screen, and after this one, I think it’s about time for a re-think on the whole 3D issue animation wise. In all circumstances the 3D experience should not be compensation for a poor film. Sadly not only is G-Force a below par film, the 3D effects are almost non-existent, which makes the extra money you have to pay for such a film an outright con. The storyline revolves around a team of secretly trained animals (mainly guinea pigs) who try to foil a plan by a sinister etc etc. The plot really is a side issue, as this film is aimed at very young children who should get some enjoyment from the talking animals and action sequences. There isn’t much to entice older children / adults apart from a running joke regarding incorrectly identifying what type of species the guinea pigs actually are, and the old favourite of guessing what star is providing what voice. However, throw in a totally underused Bill Nighy (with a cockney accent so strong he sounds like an Aussie…or was he meant to be an Aussie anyway?), a limp finish and the aforementioned rubbish 3D, and you’re left with a film that might amuse the rugrats, but not many others. The fact it had a drastic fall at the box office after a strong opening suggests word got around quick.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Not funny and not really even that cute. Clearly all ideas regarding a plot and script were forgotten just as long as they could slap 3D at the end of the title. Rating: 4/10.

Antichrist

If you had to guess which directors latest film contained shocking scenes, had mixed reviews and caused people to faint (not too mention walk out) at Cannes, it wouldn’t take too long until you got to Lars von Trier’s name. As with the majority of his films, von Trier’s latest, Antichrist, has people up in arms and the usual moral judgements and accusations being made. That aside (for once) lets look at the main issue. The man is a film maker. This is his new film. Is it any good? The story concerns He (Willem Dafoe) and She (Charlotte Gainsbourg) who, after the death of their young son, retreat to their cabin in the woods to finish their grieving and to try and repair their strained relationship. Once there though, things go from bad to worse. The first half of the film moves along very slowly as She suffers badly from the loss of her son, while He, as a psychiatrist, and too proud and stubborn to let anyone else look after her, attempts to comfort her. Slow it may be, but here Gainsbourg gives a startling depiction of someone suffering indescribable grief. By the time the couple arrive at the cabin She seems to be slowly improving until a fantastic plot twist totally pulls the rug from under the viewer and we go from cold drama to cold horror. Make no mistake that some of the later scenes of the film are horrific, but as most people will have already read what they were due to all the controversy, they do seem slightly sanitised once seen. Do not be fooled into thinking this is something like Saw, Hostel etc. The violence here is realistic, brutal and, dare I say it, necessary? Without giving too much away, the plot reveal means we go from seeing one character as a grieving parent to a psychopath already well on the way to the Dante’s Inferno. We see disturbed acts from a disturbed character. There’s no doubt that von Trier sets out to shock, but I feel the scenes show that the film has moved into serious horror territory and anyone feeling bored from the opening acts will suddenly have nowhere to hide. The film also has a number of fantasy scenes. Some work, some don’t, some look like we’re disappearing up Von Trier’s backside. Where Von Trier really triumphs though is the uneasy tone of the film. As the couple venture into the woods, the use of unsettling images and sounds really starts to tighten the atmospheric noose. We know bad things are on the way, we just don’t know what they are yet. Gainsbourg easily takes the acting honours. Though the Cannes audience may have found it a tough watch, the jury knew enough to award her the award for Best Actress. On the minus side, the pacing at times is a drag and there’s no doubt that this film will split viewers. However, for all those people that hate it, it means they’ve seen it and / or they’re talking about it. And with that, I’m sure von Trier will not mind at all.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
To say this isn’t for everyone would be somewhat of an under statement. In addition, if you’re after your standard horror film then this isn’t for you either. Make no mistake; this is an adult film, with adult themes, for a mature adult film audience. Rating: 7/10.

Moon

Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie, has assumed a few monikers over the years and so for his directorial debut, Moon, it’s hardly surprising that we have a tale revolving around confused identities. In the film Sam Rockwell stars as Sam Bell, an employee of Lunar Industries who is nearing the end of a three year mining shift on the moon. However, as he prepares to return to earth to be with his wife and daughter, Bell begins to suffer hallucinations. Then, following an industrial accident, Bell makes a startling discovery which hints that his life and job are not all they are made out to be. To say anything further would spoil the remainder of the film. As Bell, Rockwell gives an understated but assured performance as things slowly start to unravel (on seeing the twist you’ll understand why Jones needed it to be understated as well). The film does move sluggishly at times, but not Tarkovsky tempo, and anyway, who’s in a rush on the moon? The specials effects are decent, with miniatures and models being preferred to dodgy F/X and though Kevin Spacey as the voice of the moonbase’s computer is a bit surreal, it’s refreshing to have a computer / robot in a Sci-fi film that isn’t on the rampage for once. Overall, this is a tidy package. It may be confusing at points, but the explanations do eventually come, and anyway, where’s the harm in a film that actually makes you think for once?

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
A slow pace may put some people off, but this is a thoughtful and at times moving film which will demand a repeat viewing in order to spot the subtle nuances of Sams situation, possibly missed first time round. Rating: 7/10.