Charlie St. Cloud

There was a fair bidding war for the film rights to Ben Sherwood’s novel The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud. Though I haven’t read the book, you can see why there was such an interest as, though the storyline is pretty un-original, it does have that Nicolas Sparks feel to it and a number of those books have been made into films which have garnered some decent box office (though the quality of each film has varied). Unfortunately (for the producers anyway), Charlie St. Cloud hasn’t set the box office alight. The main reason must be that Zac Efron (despite being decent in Me and Orson Welles) just isn’t cut out as a dramatic leading man. In this kind of film, if the teen / tween audience isn’t interested, then who is? As for the film itself Efron stars as St. Cloud, a young man who, following the death of his younger brother, still “sees” him each night and plays baseball with him. Before long though a girl appears on the scene and Charlie has to decide whether to break a promise to his ghostly brother and spend time with his new squeeze instead. This hardly sounds exciting stuff. I guess the novel is a lot better, but this is a bland film. Far too slow in places and very heavy on the saccharine (though the target audience, if they’re not at home watching their HSM DVD's, will lap all that up) it’s odd that what should be a heart breaking story actually leaves you somewhat non-plussed (though you’re bound to be riled by St Cloud’s best friend sporting an awful Hollywood British accent). You may fall for the twists towards the end, and if you do then the film will probably be an improvement. All in all though, the film is a bit like Efron himself. Looks great, but is there any substance there?


The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
You’ll enjoy this if you’re a diehard fan of this genre, as opposed to a diehard Efron fan. If you’re a fan of neither, steer well clear. Rating: 5/10.

Made In Dagenham

Nigel Cole’s Made in Dagenham tells the story of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham assembly plant by its female workers. The reason for the strike was the women campaigning for equal pay, and the long term effect eventually led to a change in the law. Though it’s an important footnote in British employment law, at first glance it doesn’t appear as a story that would make riveting cinema. However, though Cole’s film is unlikely to provoke second viewings, he’s smart enough to tap into the aspects of quintessential British film movie making that earn plaudits both here and abroad. We have social realism, mentions of the war, cold and rainy landscapes, dry wit, black humour, and, of course, plenty of swearing. This feels like a stable mate of Brassed Off, Billy Elliott and (though to a lesser extent) The Full Monty. Sally Hawkins takes the lead role and does a fine job, though she doesn’t really inhabit her character enough to persuade us that we’re not watching Sally Hawkins. As with a lot of ensemble films, it’s the lesser characters that are actually more interesting, though Cole finds it a bit of a struggle to get the balance right. However, despite some 1960’s clichés, it’s hard to be too down on the overall show as films like this must always be made in order to counterbalance the blockbusters. Plus, in this you get both Bob Hoskins and Miranda Richardson, and that’s definitely worth downing tools for.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
A well acted interesting real life story. Unlikely to be a future DVD purchase though. Rating: 7/10

Tamara Drew

Here’s an odd little film. Tamara Drew (based on a newspaper comic strip that became a graphic novel) is a very loosely linked reworking of Thomas Hardy’s Far From The Madding Crowd. In the film, Tamara Drew (Gemma Arterton) returns to her childhood village as her old house is being put up for sale. Whilst there she stirs the interest of the man-folk of the hamlet, including an old flame (Luke Evans) and a slimy novelist (Roger Allam). Not that’s she interested in them for the moment, due to her new rocker boyfriend Dominic Cooper. The film is basically a commentary about love and lust, both consummated and desired. A problem lies in the fact that you feel very little sympathy for any of the characters. The majority are self absorbed, whilst others are wetter than the English Channel. Tamsin Grieg though scores points as Allam’s put upon wife, giving a performance of real devastation as things turn sour. In addition, Jody Long and Casey Shaw are excellent as teenage girls obsessed with Cooper. Director Stephen Frears smartly showing us just how dangerous young obsession can be. Your eyebrows may raise at the mention of Frears, as, yes, this does seems an unusual project for him to take on. He does his best, but the screenplay is too episodic for any directorial flushes to occur and the turn into some dark comedy at the end doesn’t fit well. Talking of not fitting well, this film could set a record for Arterton wearing the smallest pair of denim shorts since that girl in The Hitcher remake.


The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
A few laughs to be had, but it’s hard to care what happens to anyone really. Give it an extra mark if you love cows though. Rating: 5/10.

Buried

Buried’s director Rodrigo Cortés tips his head early to Hitchcock in his film with a credit sequence that is a homage to Saul Bass. It’s a nice touch, but sadly the rest of the film fails to live up to The Master. Obviously, the relatively green Cortés can’t be expected to reach such highs so quickly, but his film fails to build up the relevant tension that was a mainstay of Hitch’s films from the get go. In Buried we following Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), a US contractor working in Iraq, who has awoken to find himself buried alive in a coffin. Struggling to escape, he finds himself with a mobile phone and so begins a game of life as Conroy desperately tries to escape from his tomb before the air runs out. Direction wise Cortés employs smart tricks involving light and camera angles, but fails to engage the audience fully in Conroy’s dilemma. I think this is because despite a few explanations, the whole thing, even with suspension of disbelief, is somewhat implausible. When Conroy is making his mobile phone calls to various agencies, Cortés’s attempts to highlight US bureaucracy is completely lost amid some of the least convincing telephone voice “acting” heard in some time and a scene where the HR manager of Conroy’s company records a conversation between themselves is so laughably ludicrous I can’t believe it survived the test screenings. To be fair to Cortés the film never drags and that’s impressive for a 90 minute feature set in only one location. He’s also helped out by Reynolds who puts in a decent, if Hollywoodish, performance. So overall, not a film you’d bury forever, but not one you’d go out of your way to help with an air straw either.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
This will be nightmare territory for some, but more seasoned veterans will be reaching for the Dutch version of The Vanishing. Rating: 5/10.

Takers

I saw Takers back to back with The Town, which was an interesting experience as they are both heist movies, but very different in their execution. Whilst, apart from the final scenes, The Town gave a more realistic and gritty approach to robberies, Takers goes the other way, what with the protagonists strolling around, smoking cigars, wearing the latest threads from GQ Magazine and generally living the high life. No going underground with these boys. In the film, the members of the gang (including Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Chris Brown and Hayden Christiensen) find their relaxed lifestyle of taking and then chillin’ interrupted by the release of a previous member of their gang from jail and a proposal he brings. Despite being wary, the gang prepare to undertake a new heist, whilst unbeknown to them, a cop (Matt Dillon) is also on their tail. With the exception of Elba and Dillon the acting here isn’t all that great (though you could say there is plenty of decent strutting on show) and there are clichéd characters ahoy, not least Dillon’s pre-occupied with the job bad father (yawn). However, director John Luessenhop neatly fits the pieces of the plot together, cutting between gang members discussing, arguing, planning, to the police who are also.....well…discussing, arguing and planning. The main heist scene is nicely executed, with a fair about of tension bought to the fore. On the down side, it all goes a bit John Woo towards the end and some people might take umbrage at the glamorisation of, well, theft (and that’s fair enough). If this looks like your cup of tea I think you’ll enjoy it enough not to feel robbed yourself.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
This is an FHM magazine readers dream, but you can’t deny that it is, for all its faults, cool. Rating: 7/10.

The Town

Thought he hasn’t come back from the dead (he was still getting roles at least, albeit in complete dross), Ben Affleck continues his rehabilitation in the eyes of the movie going world by starring and directing in the above average The Town. Affleck’s been smart here as for all intents and purposes this is a heist movie, a genre that more often than not gets the thumbs up from a cinema audience, and coupled with the fact that this is set in Affleck’s beloved Boston, it’s a combination that provides thrills, drama and sight-seeing kicks for people with an interest in Bean Town. Set in the neighbourhood of Charlestown, Affleck stars as Doug MacRay, a member of a gang of armed robbers. Usually, cool, calm and calculated at what they do, things go awry at the start of the film when they find themselves having to take a hostage for the first time, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). Though they release her without harm, the fact she lives in Charlestown provides tension amongst the group. MacRay attempts to track her down and discover what she knows, but he soon finds himself in a situation he never expected. I’ll leave the storyline there so as not to spoil what happens next. Though what we do get is some great acting from Affleck and Hall, their scenes together being particularly believable. One delivery from Hall where she describes the kid-napping is the films performance high spot. Jeremy Renner as the group’s loose cannon is a cliché, but also gives good value. Less successful is John Hamm as a charisma free cop on the gang’s tale, whilst Chris Coopers cameo as MacRay’s father seems forced. On that note it is interesting to read that the original cut that Affleck produced for the studio was four hours in length. I guess a lot of character development has ended up on the cutting room floor, but what’s left still works to an extent. Affleck keeps the robbery scenes short, which may be frustrating for some, but is realistic. In addition, he explores the unspoken relationship between cops and robbers, including one memorable scene where a policeman stumbles across the gang fresh from their latest heist. Affleck loves Boston no doubt and along with the numerous sweeping helicopter shots of the city the films finale takes place at Fenway Park. It’s a good finish, but the film moves into self indulgent territory a bit too much here and Affleck and co stick out like a sore thumb as they undertake a further robbery, looking more like an advert for a fashion chain, rather than hardened robbers. If this all sounds a touch familiar, well, it is. There are numerous comparisons that can be made with the vastly superior Heat. However, on it’s own The Town is still a decent production and it’ll be interesting to see what the phoenix that is Affleck applies his directorial eye to next.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Some may mutter about a further ode to Boston from Affleck, but strong acting and decent direction mean you can give him some good will (sorry).Rating: 7/10

I'm Still Here

The irony of the title of the film I’m Still Here, is that anyone who can manage to say that in the cinema after sitting through this rubbish until the end is deserving of a medal. The only thing that would have saved this film is if it was still a mystery while you watched it as to whether you were watching a mock documentary or that Joaquin Phoenix had really gone a bit tonto. However, now that director Casey Affleck had admitted the whole thing was a hoax all you’re left with is a spectacularly unfunny experiment where the film’s most famous sequence (the interview with David Letterman) has already been viewed Ad nauseam on the internet. For those that are unaware, the film follows Phoenix as he announces his retirement from acting and decides to re-launch himself as a hip-hop artist. The fact that Phoenix and Affleck planned the whole thing to see how taken in people would be might have been fun for them at the time, but as a feature film it’s desperately lacking any sort of structure and the social comment they are trying to make is lost amongst Phoenix’s mumbling, plenty of male nudity and a defecation scene that really plumbs the depths. It’s lucky that Phoenix and Affleck have plenty of kudos in their back catalogue otherwise this would have been the ultimate career killer. What a waste of everyone’s time.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Like a 5 minute video that you make with your mates that only you find funny. Or in this case, stretched to an hour and 45 minutes that no-one finds funny. Rating: 2/10.

Winter's Bone

If you’re looking for a film that is the complete antithesis of the usual blockbuster fare then Winter’s Bone will probably be the film for you. This story of an Ozark teenager who, after discovering that her absent Dad has put up the family home as a bail bond, must not only try and track him down, but care for her mother, brother and sister at the same time, is (mainly) filmed on location, has very little dialogue and not a special effect in sight. What it does have though is a great central performance from the relatively unknown Jennifer Lawrence as the teenage girl (Ree) in question. Her journey to find her father, which takes in the crystal meth making criminal fraternity, feels less like an obligation, but more like the fact that this is just how life is for the people living in such a remote area. Whether it’s skinning squirrels, getting beaten up or having a gun pointed in her face, Ree just gets on with it with barely a shrug. The fact that Lawrence lived as Ree does as part of her preparation has paid off in spades. Filmed on location in Missouri, the cinematography is fantastic, with the houses looking and feeling real because, well, they are real. In fact, so authentic is the feel of the film that, as Ree crackles through the forest, with the cold air exhaling from her mouth and nose the film almost takes on a documentary edge. Offering great support is John Hawkes, cast as Ree’s uncle Teardrop. Hawkes is probably best well known for his soft character in Deadwood, but here he comes across as a serious bastard. As the film progresses though you’ll begin to warm to Teardrop as some semblance of honour and pride begin to shine through, all thanks to Hawkes’ nice performance. So, this is all sounding great, right? But….but….but……this film is seriously slow, almost funereal at times. No doubt things aren’t rushed in the Ozark region, but watching such sluggish pace in a cinema is a big struggle. Whether this is a problem of the film being adapted from page to screen is hard to say as I haven’t read the book, but sometime director Debra Granik obviously felt that Ree’s journey will be enough to take you in full-stop. I’m not so sure. This also leads to a problem that if your mind does start to wander, you’ll probably miss something crucial to the story meaning that the final few scenes will be confusing to say the least.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Looks amazing with two great performances, but the leisurely pace may have you fidgeting in your seat, no matter how many great shots of the mountains there are. Rating: 6/10.

Cyrus

Jay and Mark Duplass are the brothers behind a number of well received short movies, but they find it a bit of a struggle to stretch their latest output into feature length entertainment. In addition you should be aware that the Duplass brothers have been labelled “mumblecore” in the past, and it’s safe to say this film won’t be for everyone due to the minimal dialogue and pedestrian pace. To be fair to the brothers though they at least get a bit of mileage out of the hardly original concept, that of a love triangle between mother, son and new man on the scene. Playing the respective parts are Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly. Reilly plays John, a divorcee who meets Molly (Tomei) and they get on great. However, John soon discovers that Molly has a son, the eponymous Cyrus, who isn’t at all happy that John is starting to come between himself and his mother. Mild shenanigans ensue. Reilly’s performance as a sad sack loser is hardly a push for him, but it’s his scenes with Hill where the film briefly sparks into life. Following Reilly’s performance from bemusement to confusion to anger as he discovers the increasingly odd relationship between Cyrus and Molly is fun to watch. Hill himself is hilarious at times, and a scene where he plays John his awful music and just stands there starting at him whilst doing it is very funny indeed. Having said that, if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve already seen some of said scene already, and I can actually only recall one other scene that made me laugh that I hadn’t already seen in the trailer. Smart marketing to get the crowds in perhaps, but, unless you’re desperate to know how things turn out in the end, if you’ve seen the trailer for Cyrus, you’ve basically seen Cyrus.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Looks out of place on the big screen, but, if you haven’t seen the trailer that is, there’s enough here (particularly the scenes between Reilly and Hill) to raise the occasional laugh. Rating: 5/10.

The Kid

Based on the bestselling book by Kevin Lewis, The Kid (which recalls Lewis’s upbringing), this film version is one of the more disturbing films you’ll see all year. Though it does have a happy ending, it’s a hell of a journey to get there. Lewis himself was subjected to horrific abuse as a child and though the film has been toned down (director Nick Moran sensibly realising that less is more) these scenes are pretty difficult to watch still. The main reason is due to Natascha McElhone who plays Lewis’ mum (Gloria) in the film. Under a ton of make up the usually stunning McElhone has been turned into what can only be described as a beast of a person, complete with a mouth that shoots off F and C words like an expletive machine gun. The character is horrendous to watch and it’s a great performance from McElhone, so much so that the real Kevin Lewis had difficulty being on set when McElhone was in character. Strong acting is prevalent throughout the whole film from the teenage Lewis (Augustus Prew) to the young adult Lewis played by Rupert Friend. Friend is great, giving Lewis a real vulnerability that manifests itself in such naivety you almost wish you could burst through the cinema screen and save him from the various people prepared to exploit him. One person who does try to help is Ioan Gruffudd, in a small role as a school teacher, showing us that gumph like the Fantastic Four is well beneath him. The film does meander at times, but at least that will give you time to appreciate Moran’s nice eye for detail in terms of the 1980’s setting. Despite this being a difficult watch, The Kid is a shot in the arm for the British film industry, especially after recent dross like Wild Target.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Great acting across the board and though it’s very dark in places, you’ll be rewarded if you stay with it until the end. A possible purchase of the book may well follow as well. Rating: 7/10.

The Other Guys

Make no mistake, The Other Guys isn’t a particularly great film. However, compared to the similarly themed Cop Out, its Adam McKay’s latest outing with Will Ferrell that wins the shoot out with bullets to spare. The film has a good start with McKay doing an outrageous parody of buddy cop movies with Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L Jackson hamming up the screen gleefully alongside a knowingly ridiculous car chase. A plot device means we then focus on Gamble (Ferrell) and Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) a pair of mismatched cops (yawn) who eventually leave their usual desk bound duties and get out there where the action is. The storyline that unfolds, investigating Steve Coogans shady business, is basically a MacGuffin for a number of scenes where Ferrell and Wahlberg knock heads. This works up to a point (the scene where Wahlberg meets Ferrell’s sexy wife is great) but after a while it becomes somewhat tiresome, not helped by the continued confusion whether Wahlberg is actually a great straight man or as wooden as they come. Ferrell is the star of the show though, pretty much carrying the film from start to finish. McKay could have had something a bit better here overall if he had trimmed the running time by a good 20 minutes, and the films social commentary falls flat on its face as the target audience will be laughing at Ferrell's antics as opposed to caring what a Ponzi scheme is. All in all this is quite a disjointed film, but there are enough scenes that work to at least justify the entrance fee.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
This is the Ferrel show, which is a good thing as McKay is still struggling to find the magic touch that bought us Anchorman. Rating: 6/10.

Devil

Devil has one of the more eye opening scenes of the year, that of an upside down Philadelphia (though I guess some people may think the projectionist has goofed). It’s a strange, but ultimately intriguing start and definitely the best use of a city landscape since the opening credits of Panic Room. Can the rest of the film live up to this startling beginning though? The first thing to mention is that, yes, the film (based on a story by M Night Shayamanlan) does seem to, ahem, “borrow”, from the similarly themed Elevated. The main storyline of Devil concerns 5 strangers who become stuck in a lift in a sky scraper. Pretty soon though feelings of discomfort and claustrophobia give way to something much darker. The film then essentially becomes a two hander as we flick between the inhabitants of the lift and the struggles of the security and police outside trying to release them. Though the title of the film is somewhat of a giveaway, director John Erick Dowdle does a neat job of keeping the audience guessing and most reveals are cleverly in line with the characters finding things out for themselves at the same time as the film-goer. On the down-side, despite a couple of decent scares, the film really isn’t all that scary and all in all has a TV movie film to it or perhaps a longer Twilight Zone / Outer Limits episode. The cardboard cut out characters in the lift don’t do much to change this perception either. Despite all that, the short running time means it doesn’t outstay its welcome and it’s almost a breath of fresh air for a horror film these days to attempt some smarts over out and out scares.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
You won’t be biting your nails, but there’s enough intrigue here to keep your interest until the final reveal. Rating: 6/10.

The Switch

The Switch will be forgotten by most after they have watched it, but it will go down as a cinematic footnote as the first film released by Miramax since Disney sold it on. The film itself has an interesting start where Wally (Jason Bateman) accidentally spills the sperm of a donor that his best friend, Kassie (Jennifer Aniston), was going to use to become pregnant with. Panicking, Wally (drunkenly) replaces the sperm with some of his own. Fast forward seven years and Kassie, now with kid, meets up with Wally again and before long Wally starts to see some resemblance between himself and said child. Eventually he recalls what he did that night seven years ago and is torn between what to do next, especially as he holds romantic feelings for Kassie, though this isn’t helped by her relationship with who she perceives to be the donor (Patrick Wilson in effortless form). Additional able support comes from Jeff Goldblum (so laid back he appears mildly drunk in some scenes) and the ever improving Juliette Lewis. Hmm, I’ve just realised I’ve typed half the plot, but you’d have to had never seen a rom-com before to not know what direction this one goes in. To be fair, this isn’t all that bad with Bateman giving a turn that garners the audience’s sympathy and Aniston hitting emotional depths not seen from her for a long long time. Thrown in a few belly laughs and you have an above average effort for the target audience to enjoy.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Standard fare, but this is an improvement on Aniston’s recent output (not difficult that, I know), Bateman is good and there’s enough laughs to see you through the obvious screenplay. Rating: 6/10.