Gone

When a film doesn’t have a showing for critics before its planned release date, 99% of the time it’s for the same reason: i.e. its rubbish. Unsurprisingly, Heitor Dhalia’s Gone doesn’t buck that trend. Jill (Amanda Seyfried) is a young woman residing in Portland who is recovering from an alleged kidnapping the previous year. I say alleged as the police never found any evidence of said crime and believe that Jill made the whole thing up. Soon enough Jill’s sister goes missing and believing to be the work of the same man Jill escaped from she goes on the hunt for him in order to rescue her sister. The catch being that she gets no help from the police who again believe whats happening is a figment of her imagination. Dhalia’s back catalogue is full of Brazilian dramas and he certainly doesn’t have the chops to produce anything remotely thrilling here. Not that he’s helped by Allison Burnett’s script which moves at a snail’s pace and the fact that it’s obvious from the opening frames of the film that Jill was kidnapped originally any interest from the audience in that possible “did it or didn’t it happen?” side of the story is immediately lost. Seyfried herself isn’t bad, but this is hardly going to help her career wise. On the positive side the rainy Oregon setting adds a bit of gloominess to the proceedings and Wes Bentley’s copper keeps us guessing as to what side he’s really on. Overall though this is just too plodding to get the pulse going and the ending is as limp as they come.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Going….going…..Gone! Rating: 5/10.

The Cabin In The Woods

Drew Goddard’s and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin In The Woods is one of those films that is an amalgamation of numerous others. There’s nothing wrong with that per se (most directors and writers are magpies to some degree), but it can be distracting when you start thinking of what films certain ideas have been pilfered from when you’re meant to be concentrating on the main feature. Having said that the central premise itself is pretty smart. A group of college students go to a plush five star hotel in downtown Manhattan (or is it a cabin in the woods? I can’t remember) and the usual horror staples of weird locals, nudity and odd decision making come to the fore. The catch here being that they are actually in a Truman Show style environment and all their thoughts and actions are actually being manipulated by a team of scientists and technicians via a series of switches, trapdoors, gasses etc. It’s a nice touch and horror veterans will enjoy plenty of knowing references. Whedon has stated the idea behind the film was to move away from the torture porn genre of recent years to have a nostalgic critique of what we love and hate about horror films. It pretty much does the trick for the first part of the film. Things go completely bonkers after that though and you’ll either go along with the ride or find the whole thing completely preposterous. Fanboys should enjoy it though, especially when a collection of varied monsters and beasties appear and the tone of the film suddenly becomes quite nasty. Acting wise there’s nothing to write home about, though you could say that’s almost an unintentional homage to the scene chewing performances of the 1980’s stalk and slashers. The film was actually wrapped in 2009, but due to the financial difficulties at MGM and dithering over whether to release this in 3D (it isn’t, thank God) its only finally seeing the light of day now. Worth the wait? Not really, but this is still fun enough if you’re looking for something a bit different than the usual horror gumph.  

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
A real pick and mix of a film, which entertains as much as it frustrates. Rating: 6/10.

The Amazing Spider-Man

My initial thought a year ago on hearing that there was a new re-booted Spiderman film being planned was the same as most people it appears, i.e. do we really need another one? Well, if you want an un-thrilling effects heavy cheese fest then your prayers have been answered. In The Amazing Spider-Man Andrew Garfield dons the costume with Rhys Ifans taking baddie duties as Dr Curt Conners / The Lizard and Emma Stone being token totty Gwen Stacy. It’s a nice gag to say that director Marc Webb helped get the gig on that surname alone, but his previous film was the highly enjoyable and original (500) Days Of Summer. Its irony ahoy then that whilst this is a film regarding the origins of Spider-Man, there’s virtually nothing original here in the telling of that story. Peter Parker is a nerdy teen, gets bitten by a dodgy spider, fights the baddie and saves some peeps. It’s all here and it’s all been seen before. In addition, despite the film allegedly utilising “spectacularly advanced technology” the effects work isn’t all that great, especially with The Lizard which looks like it was designed using mid 1990’s computers. Has this been mis-cast as well? Garfield’s already proved himself in other films, but he’s pretty laid back here and doesn’t really convince as a superhero or as a standard teen. It’s similar for Stone who doesn’t even bother getting out of first gear, not helped by the fact that despite being only 23 she looks about ten years older than the character she’s playing. Oddest of all is that despite becoming a couple during shooting there is zero chemistry between Garfield and Stone and their scenes together smack of sixth form acting classes as opposed to big screen romance. Plus Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Parker’s respective uncle and aunt barely register. On the plus side, Ifans continues his recent upsurge in Hollywood with a decent performance and Denis Leary (in his first live action film appearance for ten years) is fun and believable as Stacey’s humourless police chief dad. Other good stuff includes the scenes where Parker starts to develop superhuman strength, the decision to revert to the original comic idea regarding the web slingers, a few decent laughs and the best Stan Lee cameo for ages. At least it’s a slight improvement on Sam Raimi’s disastrous last spidey effort as well.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
An un-amazing film. Rating: 5/10.

The Dark Knight Rises

It’s hard to imagine now, but back when The Dark Knight was released it wasn’t a world stopping cinematic event. Batman Begins had been surprisingly enjoyable and Christopher Nolan had a solid track record, but there was no indication as to how superb that film would be and how it would become part of the cultural zeitgeist. A few years down the track, with a side excursion into the minds of Leonardo DiCaprio and co to keep us going, Nolan now emerges with the The Dark Knight Rises which, thanks to the popular and critical acclaim that met the previous film, is arguably the most anticipated film release since The Phantom Menace. The story then: Following a storming opening airborne sequence we come to Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), now holed up in his mansion and a virtual recluse to the world outside. One character even comments that Wayne now has long fingernails and is urinating in jars (Nolan followers will get the reference here). Soon enough he finds cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) half-inching something from his safe which sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Wayne donning the cape once more and engaging in battle with Bane (Tom Hardy) who is planning to bring anarchy to the streets of the now relatively crime free Gotham City. So where to begin when reviewing this? Let’s begin at the obvious staring point and yes, this isn’t as good as The Dark Knight (to be fair though, how could it be?). As a standalone film you could also argue that Batman Begins has the jump on it as well. However, as the closing chapter to a thrilling trilogy, it’s a perfect conclusion. This is almost as standard a film that Nolan has ever made, but on current form standard Nolan is still 99% better than everyone else out there. Nolan’s gift is that he shoots films with tight scripts complimented with his eye for stunning visuals, aided by his long time cinematographer Wally Pfister (also returning here). The Dark Knight Rises has more of the same, but doesn’t reach the heights in either area compared to the previous film. Both Nolan and his brother Jonathan are assured writers, but this screenplay gives as much as it takes. It’s a cracker in terms of a third act script as it perfectly concludes numerous storylines from the previous two films, including a smart little twist towards the end. Where it doesn’t work though is in its confused politics in which Bane’s manipulation of the masses rising up against The Man before then being overrun by the state is working both left and right wings and not really saying much at all. Some people may also be put off by the outrageous coincidences that occur in the plot that help move things along, but that has always been stock in trade with Nolan. On the ocular front things are somewhat hampered by the productions relocation from Chicago to Pittsburgh. The steely but smart look of The Windy City replaced by a computer aided sprawling mass (though arguably that’s most peoples impressions of what Gotham should look like in the first place). In addition, the films signature scene (gridiron game goes kaput!) has already been half spoiled by its exposure in the trailer and the impact of it in the film is also lessened by some below average special effects. On an aside here I haven’t seen the IMAX version of this yet, but this has over an hours worth of IMAX camera shots (compared to TDK’s 20 minutes or so) so this should help booster things aesthetically. So, to Bane. You’re probably already aware of the negative reaction that Hardy’s voice had when the first teaser clips were released in the fact that most people couldn’t work out what the bloody hell he was saying. It’s clearly been re-dubbed for the film release, but there are still many occasions where Hardy is muffled in his speech. It’s hard to believe a filmmaker of Nolan’s quality let that slip through the net (unless it was on purpose to add some extra mystery, but I doubt that). As for Hardy himself, fine actor though he is, he gets lost behind the mask here and can’t inject Bane with much of a personality and his general “badness” can’t hold a torch to the unhinged tappings of Heath Ledger as the Joker or indeed Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow. The voice is bizarre to say the least. It’s apparently based on a famous bare knuckle boxing champion, but it sounds more like an exaggerated version of Peter O’Toole and, coupled with Hardy’s habit of holding his lapels, instead of having a fearsome foe we have what appears to be an English gentleman in a gimp mask. In terms of other memorable players the best on offer is Hathaway. Not only is she great in the part (beating, amongst others who auditioned, Jolie, Portman, Biel, Theron, Blunt and Green to the role), but her morally ambiguous character is one of the most interesting parts of the screenplay. It’s just a crying shame that she doesn’t appear that often. So sounds like quite a few negatives so far….and yet….and yet…..there’s just something about this film that gets under your skin. From further exploration of the relationship between Alfred (Michael Caine) and Wayne to the horrors of mob justice, there’s plenty for people to get their teeth into. Even if the quality does dip on occasion, there’s very few wasted moments or scenes (again, classic Nolan) and the story always moves forward. This also has a wry sense of humour that provides more adult chuckles than the broad laughs you get in other superhero ventures. I know some people will again find this hard viewing in terms of its cold feel and lack of heart, but this is the whole point behind Nolan’s Batman world. This is a superhero film without a superhero. The Dark Knight is the superior film, especially as it had a dangerous edge to it in the fact that we really didn’t know what would happen next. With The Dark Knight Rises we just know peeps will be rescued and things will turn out alright in the end. However, after the mayhem of the first two films, don’t we deserve to relax a little? As Nolan himself has stated the idea behind him taking up the reigns for a final time was that he saw this as a great opportunity to finish the story as opposed to expanding it. He’s triumphed on that front. Also at 2 hours 45 minutes long it doesn’t outstay its welcome (which the shorter previous film did by a good 20 minutes) and there can’t be a better seal of approval than that.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Arguably the lesser of the three films, but still a great watch and a perfect conclusion to Nolan’s epic vision. Rating: 8/10.

Rock Of Ages

Though not a genre picture per se, its safe to say that Rock Of Ages is only going to appeal to a certain section of society, i.e. ones that love classic 1980's guitar rock.  Though you may be a bit put off by the thought of movie stars massacring some of your favourite axe hits, don't worry as most of the singing is more than acceptable. Based on Chris D'Arienzo's Broadway musical of the same name, the plot concerns southern gal Sherrie (Julianne Hough) arriving in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a singer. Almost immediately she meets Drew (Diego Boneta) a barman at The Bourbon Room who gets her a job there as a waitress. Though we follow their on off relationship as the film goes on (and their attempts to break into the music industry) there are also two other strands of the plot. One includes Alec Baldwin as the owner of the club and his attempts to stop it being shut down due to fiscal difficulties. The other, which has unsurprisingly been pushed in the marketing, stars Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx, a rock star on the verge of quitting his group and going solo. Though it is cheesy, the film doesn't take itself seriously in any way (I mean, how could it?) and overall its just silly forgettable fun. Plus there's plenty of cameo's both music (Debbie Gibson) and film (Eli Roth!) related for eagle viewers to spot. Director Adam Shankman (Glee, Hairspray and Step Up amongst others) knows his way around this kind of film with his eyes closed and moves things along at pace knowing that even when the script throws up some duff moments the audience won't care 20 seconds later when the next blast of Foreigner comes on. There are some serious bum moments though including Cruise and Malin Akerman in a jokey love scene in which they both appear so uncomfortable it appears to have been only shot once and Russell Brand, complete with a terrible Midlands accent that comes and goes at will, is atrocious as the manager of The Bourbon Room. Acting wise Cruise seems to be getting the plaudits, though he doesn't convince in the slightest as the sex, drugs and rock n' roll singer who's seen it all. Luckily the two young leads are excellent, both being able to sign, dance and play up their innocence as kids about to have their eyes widened by the big bad world. Paul Giamatti is also great in one of his usual slimeball roles (and even belts out a couple of lines!). Finally the terrible wigs that lots of the cast members wear seem to be cheap products from the local joke shop as opposed to Hollywood top dollar items but, hey, the 80's was the decade of horrific haircuts after all.....

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
If you're packing hairspray then this'll hit the right notes for you. Rating: 7/10.