The Final Destination

Now here’s a film that doesn’t need much introduction. The premise this time being that the survivors of an accident at a race track are picked off one by one by death in a serious of implausible events. The film suffers badly from the off. David R Ellis returns to the directors chair after helming the not too bad second part of the series, which included the industry respected automobile pile up at the start of that movie. So, filming a second car crash opening should be a shoo-in huh? Sadly not. The dreaded CGI take over is in full force and the deaths are all telegraphed. The film never recovers. The teenage cast are interchangeable (apart from one who’s acting is so wooden it would have been a great in joke to have him die via wood chipper) and the deaths are completely lacking in shock. Even one of the celebrated red herring scenes has already had the tension taken out of it by the trailer. By the time of the clumsy and oh so obvious ending it’s clear that this series has easily run out of puff. Oh yeah, and don't even get me started on the supposed 3-D.....

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
The first three movies all stood up fairly well and at worst were guilty pleasures. This film kills the franchise in one foul swoop, and you don’t need to be decapitated by a race car tyre to see the irony in that. Rating: 3/10.

The Time Traveler's Wife

A film based on a best selling novel can sometimes be a tricky sell. You already have a built in audience, but if the screenplay wavers from the book just for a moment you immediately start to hear the shifting in the seats and the grinding of teeth. Having not read the book I cannot judge how a fan of it will react to the film. However, it does clearly seem to fall within the boundaries of “the unfilmable novel” as the film itself is somewhat confusing and cack-handed in it’s execution. However, this isn’t too say this is a bad film per say. Eric Bana stars as Henry, a man born with a gene that causes him to travel through time involuntarily. The film concerns Henry’s time shifting around his relationship with Clare (played by Rachel McAdams). In terms of genre this is more drama than romance (which the cheesy poster implies) as Henry and Clare struggle to cope with Henry’s ill timed disappearances. Trying to grasp the plot and timescale can be bewildering at times so it’s best to just to try and follow the flow and not worry too much about it (for example, at one point Henry says he cannot change the past/future, but later on he buys a lottery ticket for which he already knows the winning numbers). In addition the scenes where an adult Henry meets the child Clare cannot help but feel a little “funny”. In the main though, helped by Bana and McAdams doing decent work, this is honest and mildly diverting attempt at tricky source material.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Slightly mis-marketed and not as cheesy as it sounds, but even the most concrete heart will be cracking at it’s dénouement. Certainly not a classic, but a decent stab at yet another “unfilmable novel”. Rating: 6/10.

Mesrine: Public Enemy No.1

Following on from the punchy Mesrine: Killer Instinct, Jean-Francois Richet presents part two of the Jacques Mesrine story, Mesrine: Public Enemy No.1. We start a few years after the conclusion of part one, with Mesrine under arrest and now beginning to sport quite a hefty belly (Cassel piled on the pounds in reality to show the effects of Mesrine’s aging and lifestyle). From here the film takes us on a circular route of arrest and escape a number of times. On the minus side this feels somewhat repetitive, but, as with the first film, the prison escape scenes are mini nail-biters. Another problem with the film is the impossible job of trying to crowbar in as much detail as possible about Mesrine's later life and though we are told of the dates of certain events, things fly by and Mesrine's occasional partners in crime are lost in a blur (Mathieu Amalric is particularly wasted). On the plus side Cassel is mesmerising again and this film has a wry sense of humour running through it that was missing from the first. Overall, whether this is an accurate representation of Mesrine is open to argument, but Richet comes down on the side of showing him as an uncompromising and brutal man and even having his fellow criminals point out the contradictory manner of some of his beliefs. The film ends on an extended version of the first films opening scene and though we know what is about to occur this is another scene filled with high tension and a welcome epitaph to 4 hours of tough, but welcome entertainment.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Though this isn’t as strong as part one, it’s still worthy of attention and provides a fitting conclusion to an overall above average package. Rating: 6/10.

Coco Before Chanel

Coco Before Chanel tells the story of Gabrielle Chanel’s life up until the beginning of her success as a fashion designer. Audrey Tatou must have been a shoo-in for the lead roll and at the start of the film does carry quite a resemblance to the young Chanel. Tatou gives a perfectly acceptable performance, though she is upstaged by Benoit Poelvoorde (the serial killer from Man Bites Dog!), a member of the French high society, who Chanel sides herself with in order to be integrated into the world of wine, wo(men) and song. Chanel’s story from orphanage onwards is aptly told and the attention to period detail catches the eye along with some luscious cinematography. Oddly, despite all this, there is one problem. Frankly, the film is boring. Not helped by some direction that points out Chanel’s future influences as subtly as a Teletubbie on a Parisian catwalk. Fashion aficionados may get more enjoyment from this than others, but I’m guessing there would be nothing here that they wouldn’t know already.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Much like the lame title, this does what it says on the tin, but it’s hardly awe-inspiring. Rating: 4/10.

Adam

In Max Mayer’s off-beat dramedy Hugh Dancy starts as the eponymous Adam, a loner who suffers from Aspergers, who makes friends with Beth (played by Rose Byrne), his new upstairs neighbour. The film then follows their friendship as it blossoms into romance and the couple struggle to maintain a stable relationship as they both try to live with Adam’s syndrome. Both Dancy and Byrne put in good work and the relationship between the two is certainly believable. Mayer’s approach to Adam’s Aspergers is underplayed and there is no patronising the audience when it comes to showing how it affects Adam and Beth. This also leads to some poignant comic moments. In respect of this, a quick search of the internet shows that Asperger’s sufferers have enjoyed the movie and found it a mature depiction of the disease. It’s a good job that Dancy and Byrne hold the picture though, as it is let down by some seriously stereotypical family and friends, Beth’s Dad and his “he’s not good enough for you” stance being a particular sore-point. In addition, some people may still find the approach and portrayal of someone with the syndrome somewhat fluffy. However, by the films realistic (i.e. not Hollywood) ending you’ll be thinking more about Adam and how a person and their loved ones in reality copes with such a syndrome, and whether that is Mayer’s intention or not, this can only be a good thing.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
No doubt in reality this would be a darker subject, but Mayer’s film still has enough of a mature approach for it to pass inspection, helped by two good leading performances. Rating: 6/10.

Inglourious Basterds

A new film from Quentin Tarantino is always a movie event, but after the pretentiousness of Kill Bill Vol.2 and the self-indulgent Death Proof (not too mention it’s disastrous box office showing) there’s a lot riding on Inglourious Basterds in terms of QT’s reputation and audience reaction. Well, in terms of the second issue, Basterds has conquered the box office on both sides of the Atlantic, despite (predictable) mixed reviews in Europe. As for Tarantino, though this isn’t a patch on the earlier glory days, this is a serious return to form. Interestingly enough, though the film is basically a two-hander it’s only been marketed as Brad Pitt and the eponymous Basterds on a Nazi killing spree. This strand of the story has its moments, but it’s clearly the weaker of the two tales that finally merge together at the end. It’s a shame that the film had to be marketed as the Pitt / Basterds show (in comparative terms Pitt doesn’t really have much screen time at all) just to get bums on seats as word of mouth would have easily have carried this to the top anyhow. The second and main strand of the story concerns Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) as a cinema owner in German occupied Paris who seeks revenge on the Nazi’s who killed her family. So while both storylines concern revenge of sorts, the Shosanna section provides the cinematic quality to the Basterds more popcorn affair. Not that this doesn’t work, but you feel there could have been a great movie here as opposed to a very good one. That’s not too say that this very good film doesn’t contain a number of great scenes. One in particular, a stand off (well sit off) in a bar, is superbly written and tense, and though it has clear nods to numerous other war films, it really does hold its own. In terms of the acting honours Laurent gives a solid, if understated performance, but the main plaudits go to Christoph Waltz for his stunning portrayal of Colonel Hans Landa, the man responsible for the killing of Shosanna’s family. Tarantino has stated that Landa is probably the best character he has ever written and that the film wouldn’t even get made unless he could find someone suitable for the part. How he must be thank his lucky starts that Waltz landed in his lap. Full of charm one moment and brutal violence the next (whilst switching effortlessly between English, French, German and Italian) Waltz eats up the screen whenever he is on there. It’s no wonder he walked away with the Best Actor award at Cannes for his performance. Some people may be put off by the alternate view of history on show and there are a few other unintentional historical clunkers (no Quentin, rats didn’t cause the bubonic plague!), but the good points, including some stereotypical out there casting (Rod Taylor as Winston Churchill!) far outweigh the bad. Overall, this is pure entertainment and welcome proof that old QT’s still got it.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Despite the actual Basterds storyline being somewhat underwhelming, and a change in tone that slightly spoils the ending, this is a rollicking ride, with a performance from Waltz that is one of best seen on screen in recent years. Rating: 8/10.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Oh dear. Where to begin with this? Let’s start with the more general issue of remakes. You’re pretty much safe it you’re going to remake a film that was awful to begin with in the first place, Oceans Eleven being an example. You’re in seriously shaky territory though if you’re going to re-make a total classic, and while The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 isn’t the worst remake idea ever (that’s still Gus Van Sant's Psycho by a long distance) it’s pretty near to the top. The original is not only a cult classic, but one of the best films to come out of the 70’s. So, the question is, how could this turn out to be such a turkey? Obviously this wasn’t going to be a shot for shot retread, but with the solid skeleton of the first film already there as a template, surely any additional meat added to the bones should only have been a bonus for the viewer? What we do have is an almost totally new film, with the entire star qualities of the first jettisoned. It’s obviously difficult to review a film like this without comparison to the original, but even without looking through nostalgic tinted spectacles this is a poor effort. It’s been a long time now since Tony Scott’s last true classic (Crimson Tide) and here’s a few reasons why we’re still waiting; Terrible dialogue, contrived plot co-incidences, total audience apathy towards supposedly terrified hostages, a complete lack of tension, Luis Guzman totally wasted (he must speak less than 20 words!), a shockingly OTT turn from John Travolta, a limp finish, the list goes on…..At the end of the day, here’s a question that Scott and the studio need to address. How can you make a film about the high-jacking of a subway train not exciting?

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
As a comparison to the original this would warrant a zero rating. As a stand alone effort, well, it needs to stand alone in the corner and think about what it’s done. Rating: 3/10.