The Crazies

Though mildly bloody, George A Romero’s original film version of The Crazies was neither scary nor, to be frank, really all that good. Romero himself executive produces this remake which is a big step up from the original, though without ever breaking free from the standard horror conventions. However, this is still an entertaining film which makes the correct decision to put its foot on the accelerator as soon as possible and let the film whizz by before any plot holes can even begin to be addressed. Timothy Olyphant is the Sheriff of a small Iowa town who suddenly finds a number of its inhabitants going loco. Before long shadowy governments forces and gas masked soldiers join the circus and Olyphant finds himself battling both the eponymous characters and the men in green. Breck Eisner directs with a dab hand, but does over rely on the soundtrack to create a number of the scares. However, he does realise that less is more in some of the more violent scenes and they are all the more effective for it. In respect of that, a scene where Olyphant and others are attacked in a car wash is stunningly executed as the unseen threat comes, and then continues to come, from out of view. On the downside, the ending is obvious and too many of the characters make the standard stupid horror movie decisions. The one character that raises his head above the parapet though is Olyphant’s deputy, played by Joe Anderson. Not a household name, but with a decent American accent and a decent character arc, Anderson is the one to watch in the film. So hit and miss overall, but Eisner’s does also give us the greatest non-CGI car roll since Casino Royale. Kudos Brett!

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Nothing new here, but entertaining nonetheless. Rating: 7/10.

Hachi: A Dog’s Tale

The poster for Hachi: A Dog’s Tale shows Richard Gere cuddling a fluffy, beautiful looking dog. Take into account the cheesy title as well and you expect a Disney-esque standard 90 minutes of fluff for the kids to enjoy whilst the parents go off to watch Dragon Tattoo instead. How wrong you’d be though. If you know nothing about the true story that the film is based on you will be in for a surprise. The film’s start is fairly routine as Professor Wilson (Gere) discovers a crate containing a puppy dog at his local train station and takes him back home until the real owners can be traced. No prizes for guessing what happens next. There is cuteness ahoy, and some silly laughs to be had. There are also decent (if stereotypical) supporting characters. Pretty soon though Gere’s perfect American dream lifestyle may grate with some. However, with about 30 minutes to go comes the plot twist. After that the final third of the film is an exercise in trying to keep your emotions in check. Believe me, you won’t manage it. Only the coldest hearted person won’t be getting watery eyes. You’ll feel drained at the end. However, soon enough you’ll start to feel uplifted. In fact, the films tagline of “A true story of faith, devotion and undying love” pretty much sums it up perfectly.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
A mature telling of a moving real life story. Utterly heart breaking though. Rating: 8/10.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Though I have yet to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, it appears that fans of the book have found Niels Arden Opley’s film a decent adaptation. The book is a mighty tome and Opley does well to try and squeeze as much of the labyrinth storyline into the screenplay. As for the storyline itself, what we have is a slow paced thriller concerning a journalist and The Girl With Guess What who investigate the disappearance of a girl from a wealthy family home some forty years previously. As a detective story this is fun to watch and there are plenty of red herrings thrown in. On the down side, as this is such a vast story (part one of three, in effect) this does cause a few problems as numerous names and characters come and go and it can be confusing trying to keep up (though Opley handles The Girl’s backstory pretty adeptly). In addition, some of plot revelations are a little bit too easily discovered by the protagonists, especially as their standard computer software at times seems to be able to undertake tasks that MI5 would find hard to do. However, perhaps best to just go with the flow and also to enjoy some of the stunning scenery. Some scenes that are difficult to “enjoy” though are the ones of sexual abuse, which appear to over step the mark of what I would think is acceptable to show. Overall though, despite the fact the film doesn’t grip as much as it should, it’s still confident enough to get through on the strength of it’s own convictions. Also, perhaps best to see now before the inevitable Hollywood remake….

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
The tone is unbalanced throughout, but as old fashioned detective story it’s entertaining and intriguing stuff. Rating: 7/10.

Micmacs

Micmacs is the latest film from the fertile mind of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and fans will be more than happy with this tale full of all the usual Jeunet elements. Mad-cap characters, chain reaction events, comedy sex, visual humour and originality are all present and correct. The story concerns Bazil (Dany Boon) who, after a series of outrageous coincidences (Jeunet ahoy!), attempts to gain revenge on two differing arms manufacturing companies. He stumbles across a gang of outcasts who aid him in his quest. However, there is a problem of too many cooks spoiling the broth here as some members of the gang are quickly sidelined as the story progresses. In addition, all the elements mentioned above at times feel just too individual and the film doesn’t don’t quite add up to the sum of its parts. Jeunet has enough experience though to drag us along with the help of some cracking gags and an enjoyable performance from the rubber faced Boon. There is also the usual gorgeous cinematography to enjoy and a final scene of pure ingenuity.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Quirky and entertaining enough for fans, but lacks the charm of previous efforts. Rating: 6/10.

Leap Year

If Leap Year was set in France all the locals would be smoking Gitanes and wearing onions around their neck, whilst trying not to dislodge their berets as they play a game of Boules. However Leap Year is set in Ireland . The Hollywood version of Ireland . Oh dear me. If you can imagine Alan Partridges visions of The Emerald Isle and its characters you’ll be pretty close to what you have here. One person even says “Top of the morning!”. Oh dear me, indeed. In fact, the only reason I can think of for actually recommending this film to someone is to watch it just so you can shake your head in disbelief at some of the stereotypes on show. As for the lame storyline, we have Amy Adams attempting to fly to Dublin so she can propose to her high flying boyfriend on February 29th. She doesn’t quite make it though and ends up instead in a small Irish village where she meets Matthew Goode where “hilarity ensues”. Far too many problems to list about this mess of a movie, but one major problem is that Adams’ absent boyfriend doesn’t seem a bad bloke (until a forced third act turn) and therefore Adams basically spends portions of the film either cheating or thinking about cheating on him. Oh the romance! Adams is miles better than this rubbish and I can’t even begin to think what she saw in the script (Money? Oh you cynic, you). At least Goode recognised he was in a pile of pants (see below). What’s surprising is that director Anand Tucker recently directed one third of Red Riding, one of the grittiest and brutal TV dramas of recent years. If any Irish luck rubs off on him after this it’ll be that this blot on his CV is quickly forgotten by everyone.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Throws in just enough sweetness that the target audience may enjoy, thus avoiding a zero rating. To quote Goode himself though, this is “turgid”. To be sure, to be sure! Rating: 2/10.

Alice In Wonderland

There’s a school of thought that The Great War began because it was just too much effort not to have a war. Whilst watching Alice In Wonderland, I started to think along similar lines regarding the film. It was just too much effort for Hollywood not to have a new version, and it was especially too much effort for it not to be directed by Tim Burton. So what we get is what we expected to see in the first place. Some cuteness, some zaniness, some Helena Bonham Carter-ness. However, it all feels a bit similar. In addition, and somewhat ironically considering the subject matter, it appears to be lacking in the imagination department somewhat. There’s idea’s afoot of course, but it feels like we’ve been here already in previous Burton films. Along similar lines to the above it was also clearly too much effort for Johnny Depp not to play The Mad Hatter, but his performance feels somewhat forced and ends up being irritating rather than entertaining. Mia Wasikowska is fine as Alice (though her stunning resemblance to a young G Paltrow is somewhat distracting), but it’s a joy to watch Helena Bonham Carter as the hilarious Red Queen. No doubt accusations of favouritism can be made in Burton’s direction, but at least Bonham Carter does him proud (though Blackadder fans won’t have to watch for too long before working out who Bonham Carter's performance is based on). Overall, this isn’t a bad film, but it just isn’t a brilliant one either.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Surprisingly unmoving, but kiddies should enjoy. Add an extra mark if you’re a youngster or an Alice fan in general. Rating: 5/10

Precious

So is Precious one of the most depressing films of all time? It depends on your point of view, of course. For me, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a depressing film. Whereas something like Precious, which has a depressing subject matter, can still be enjoyed on a filmic level. There’s been some mixed reviews for this release and whilst it’s definitely been over praised in some quarters, it has more than enough going for it to fall on the positive side. Based on the novel called Push, Precious tells the story of an overweight teen, who whilst pregnant with her second child, enrols in an alternative school. The first thing to say is that Precious is superbly acted. Gabourey Sidibe is fine in the title role, but she excels when playing off all the other actors in the alternative school, themselves all excellent (though seriously caricatured). Acting honours go to Mo’Nique though, as Precious’s hideous mother. It’s a startling performance, so much so that you are just aching for her to get some sort of comeuppance. There certainly aren’t many laughs to be had when she’s on screen. Ironically enough, despite the dark subject matter, director Lee Daniels does sneak in a few dry laughs. Unfortunately he can’t save the film from it’s main criticism of it being manipulative of the audiences emotions. This does feel a bit movie of the week at time and Daniels fluffs a number of scenes, especially the ill-advised fantasy sequences. It all becomes a bit of a mess at the end as the film starts to become disconnected as various story strands appear and disappear at will. Overall, it’s not quite the sum of it’s parts, but it still “entertaining” enough to deserve the praise it has received.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
This feels contrived up to its eyeballs, but its superbly acted and certainly thought provoking. Rating: 7/10.

Invictus

Now here’s an oddity. An American film about rugby? Of course, Invictus is a lot more than that, telling the story of how a single rugby game changed the course of South Africa for ever and put an end to the memories of apartheid regime once and for all. Or at least, that’s what Hollywood and director Clint Eastwood would have you believe. For though this is a worthy subject for Eastwood to tackle, it’s far too romanticised to be any sort of cinematic reference point. The film starts in 1990 with Nelson Mandela’s (Morgan Freeman) release from prison and his subsequent effort’s to close the racial divide in the country over the subsequent years leading up to the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Eastwood’s film is mainly about the Rugby though, in which Mandela believes a triumph for his country will send a message of unity to it’s 43 million residents. Any real analysis of Mandela is left to one side and the film’s study of apartheid is left to some token character sound bites and some scenes of cheese that will leave you squirming in your seat. As for the casting, Freeman is excellent as Mandela, nailing mannerism and voice to perfection (so much so that Mandela’s personal assistant couldn’t tell the difference when hearing both men vocally). Matt Damon, playing South African rugby captain Francois Pienaar, is badly mis-cast though. Sounding or looking nothing like Pienaar, Damon just cannot convey the gravitas that Pienaar bough. This is nothing against Damon, but this is clearly a bit of studio casting. So, forgetting all the above, can the film just be viewed as entertainment? It probably can and at least a few moments, especially viewing Mandela’s prison cell, will urge you to study Mandela’s / South Africa ’s history further. In addition, you could also play a game of seeing how many of the numerous inaccuracies in the film you can spot. I’ll start with the English fans in the crowd waving the Union Jack(!) when England are playing. Really….

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
It’s heart is obviously in the right place, but even viewing this as an interpretation of events, as opposed to a serious analysis, it still drops the ball yards from the try line. Rating: 4/10.

From Paris With Love

The first thing to say about From Paris With Love is that it’s amazing. Amazing in the sense that it’s actually not as bad as it looks. Cheap praise I know, but don’t be fooled too much. This is mostly pretty dire stuff redeemed only by the fact that it knows what its target audience is and goes at them with a frenzy. Pierre Morel was the man behind the ridiculous (but entertaining) Wanted, the film somewhat notoriously known as the one with some seriously dodgy racial stereotypes and where Liam Neeson kills everyone in the world. Unfortunately, this film contains the same teeth grating racial gags, however the two main protagonists (John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers) don’t kill everyone in the whole world in this one, but certainly give it a good go. If you’re epileptic you might struggle a bit during some scenes as it’s just an orgy of gun flashes as the two Johnny’s go about their business. The business in this sense is standard buddy buddy stuff regarding mis-matched CIA partners trying to bust a drug ring and foil a terrorist attack. Meyers is unsurprisingly blown off the screen by Travolta’s (now standard?) OTT performance, but at least it’s better than his awful turn in Pelham. To be fair to the film the last 30 minutes go at a fair lick and a car chase on the motorway is nicely handled. So…rubbish? Yes. Entertaining rubbish? Just.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
You should already know what you’re going to get with a film like this and if you like this kinda thing then you should go home happy. Rating: 5/10

Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart is Scott Cooper’s directorial debut, in which Jeff Bridges stars as Otis “Bad” Blake, a former country music star who now, in the twilight years of his career, plays gigs in one-horse towns to a small but loyal following. Cooper’s direction isn’t up to much apart from a few nice vista’s, but he has enough nous to know that this is the Bridges show and pretty much has him in every single scene. Bridges has always been a great actor, but he seems to be getting better with age. No doubt he gave his agent a bonus when this script found its way to him. Bridges is totally believable as Bad, even performing a number of songs himself. He gets the emotional balance right as well, as though he is down on his luck at the twilight of his career (including having a drink problem) he doesn’t play for pity and fully accepts his situation is of his own (stubborn) making. A short scene towards the end of the film where he butts heads with a sound mixer is a particular delight, and tells you all you need to know about Bad. Things take a turn for the better when he meets a local journalist Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and begins a relationship with her and her young son. A redemption of sorts then begins, but without all the plot strands having a happy ending. However, this only adds to the feeling of realism throughout the story, though the scenes between Bridges and Gyllenhall become melodramatic at times and one duff scene (an alcoholic loses a child he’s meant to be looking after!) is almost a television / film cliché now. On the brighter side, the relationship between Bad and his now more successful protégé (played by Colin Farrell) is much more believable and an uncredited Farrell is excellent, proving once again that he is always at his best in lower budget films. As the sun (literally) sets on Bad and the film, thanks to Bridges and his performance (that raises this to a higher level then would have been the case with a lesser actor), you should be left with a smile on your face.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
There isn’t much originality here, but some great performances and some toe tapping tunes lead to a film of high quality. Rating: 8/10

A Single Man

Tom Ford’s directorial debut is getting great buzz for Colin Firth’s portrayal of an English college professor getting over the death of his male partner in 1960’s Los Angeles. Firth rarely gives a bad performance and though this isn’t one of his best, it’s quality enough to carry the whole film which would struggle a bit for purchase it was wasn’t for him. Ford’s film looks amazing, with particular use of colours from the coolest of blue hues to the most gorgeous brilliant yellows. However, is this a case of style over substance? As a film this is a study in grief, and it does a pretty good job. Firth plays the grieving single man with a perfect combination of the English stiff upper lipness and childlike vulnerability. Firth keeps his cards close to his chest most of the time, and during his many facial close up’s you just long to know what is going on behind the mask. That is until a possible suicide scene which is pretty badly handled by Ford. There is decent support provided by Nicholas Hoult and Julianne Moore, but their characters come across as slightly forced. Not as badly forced though as Firth’s car park liaison with a male Spanish prostitute which really does look like a fashion advert. So it appears to be awards galore for Firth and an honest if limited first attempt from Ford. Oh yeah, the suits are pretty good too.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Some first time directing slip-ups are just forgotten about thanks to Firth. Rating: 6/10.

The Lovely Bones

Ryan Gosling dropped out of this film just three days prior to shooting due to the old favourite of “creative differences”. All I can say is if you’re standing near Gosling when he’s playing roulette, follow his lead, as he had the right sense to jump ship from this seriously disappointing film. Peter Jackson takes the gold dust of Alice Sebold’s novel, throws it into a computer and churns out a film heavy on special effects and light on tragedy and drama. If you’re not aware of the source material, it’s not a plot spoiler to tell you that the story concerns Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), who after being brutally murdered, narrates the rest of the story from “the in-between” (half way between earth and heaven). Jackson uses this half world as a ridiculous excuse to show some completely over the top and unnecessary special effects totally unrelated to the main aspect of the tale. In fact, it’s fair to say that Jackson has gone CGI mad on a film that needs very little or none at all. Jackson ’s pre-occupation with the effects means the rest of the film suffers badly. Mark Whalberg plays the father slowly being driven to distraction by his own investigation into his daughter’s death, but it never convinces for a moment. Even less convincing is the supposed breakdown of his marriage to Rachel Weisz, meaning that a key scene at the end when they reconcile is meant to play on the emotional heartstrings but ends up damper than a fish and over-played almost to the point of confusion. All this and we haven’t even mentioned Susan Sarandon’s bizarre turn as Susie’s grandmother, which includes a comedy montage scene in the middle of the film that it so out of place I’m amazed it survived the test screenings. Thankfully, two performances save the film from total disaster. Ronan doesn’t set the place alight, but is more than acceptable in most scenes. However, it’s Stanley Tucci as the suspected murderer who steals the show. He gives his character real menace and the abduction scene between himself and Ronan is the highlight of the film cinematically. Said scene is unbearably tense and Jackson actually tops it later in the firm with a further scene that will have you gnawing at whatever fingernails you have left. On seeing these two scenes, and Jackson ’s excellent direction of them, you despair at what might have been.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Decent turns from Ronan and Tucci are lost underneath a ton of CGI and awful direction. Rating: 3/10.

Edge Of Darkness

Martin Campbell is an assured hand when it comes to this directing lark, twice being entrusted to re-boot the Bond franchise and coming out smelling of roses each time. Therefore, it would seem that adapting his own mid-1980’s TV thriller Edge of Darkness into a feature film would be a shoo-in for another successful outing for Campbell . Unfortunately, much like State Of Play, Edge of Darkness proves that cutting down a successful and well respected TV series to two hours of coherence is a nigh-on impossible task. The first problem stems from the fact that the original was broadcast at a time when the cold war and nuclear weapons were seen as a daily threat. Though the threat is still there, and though this film version runs along slightly different lines, it just isn’t as pertinent as it once was. The second problem is the plot. Though it starts well and is intriguing enough, it soon becomes completely weighed down by all the plot twists and secrets it tries to convey and ends up being just a great lump of Swiss cheese full of many many holes, some quite ludicrous. This film is notable for Mel Gibson’s return from behind the camera for quite some years. He plays Thomas Craven, a Boston cop, who begins an investigation to discover why an attempt (which still has disastrous consequences for himself) is made on his life at the start of the film. Gibson is fine as Craven, though his Boston accent is somewhat suspect. Decent support is provided from Ray Winston and Danny Huston slimes it up as only he can. Nothing can save them though from the evermore confusing screenplay, which is briefly interrupted at times by some shocking and pretty unnecessary violence. The best part of the film though is totally unintentional. Gibson’s fight with a character early in the film utilises the worst stunt double in recent film history. Frankly it’s hilarious and brought to my mind the stunt double parody scene from I’m Gonna Git You Sucka. However, any enjoyment you may have got from this scene will have long dissipated by the ending in which Campbell, perhaps to tie everything up in a neat bundle and possible receiving advice from Metallica, can do nothing more than “Kill ‘em all”.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Despite threatening to break out into something more, the film never really gets the pulse racing and ends up a car crash of plot machinations. Rating: 4/10.