Red Lights

Rodrigo Cortes' last film was the technically impressive, if overly praised, Buried. For Red Lights Cortes has a much wider palette in which to mix his ideas and he gives us a film that will be written off as corny and far fetched by some, but still gives enough thrills and food for thought to make the price of the cinema ticket worthwhile. Paranormal investigator Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and her assistant Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) spend the majority of their time researching, and then exposing, bizarre occurances. Seemingly finding this too easy the re-appearance out of the blue of world famous psychic Simon Silver (Robert De Niro) gives them a harder target to expose. However, is Silver really a fake? The list is as long of my arm of recent films that deal with a similar subject matter (i.e. sceptics who debunk unexplained phenomena discovers phenomena that they really can't explain), so what makes this one stand out? Well, nothing really, but it makes sure the things it does well out shine the lesser moments. Similar to Chris Sparling's screenplay for Buried, Cortes (doubling as writer here) makes the smart decision to keep his characters in the dark as much as the audience as to whether Silver is a fraud or not, helped in no part by Murphy's smart performance as the increasingly befuddled and unnerved Buckley. Weaver and De Niro fare less well, but that's more to do with their parts, which are more ciphers for Buckley to feed off as opposed to well rounded characters. This isn't really scary (most of the jumps are of the loud music variety, though some are still effective), but what it lacks in thrills in makes up for in mental stimulation. This genre of film always draws an audience due to it's subject matter. Whether it's ghostly goings on, demonic possessions or paranormal activity our interest is drawn to the topic as, whether you're a sceptic or not, no-one can prove 100% that one party is wrong and the other is correct. Cortes' himself has said that the film is for entertainment purposes only and doesn't reflect his actual feelings on the subject matter, but the conclusion (with its nice twist) suggests which way his viewpoint may lean. In addition, you can't knock Cortes' commitment here as he spent 18 months researching this topic. Regardless of that, this film is similar to his previous effect in that fact that (arguably) it's only an average production, but its certainly intriguing enough for you to dip your toe in to check out its temperature.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Entertains more often than not, aided by Murphy's nice turn and a subject matter that always intrigues. Rating: 7/10.

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen is one of those books where you may have heard of the title, but only a few people will actually be able to name the author (Paul Torday, to give him his due). After watching this film it’s possible you may have a similar experience if a few months down the line someone asked you about it. You’ll probably be able to tell people what it was about (the clue’s in the title or something), but in terms of what actually happens I expect you’ll be floundering like a fish in a desert. What does happen is that Fred Jones (Ewan McGregor), a government expert on the salmon industry, is pressured by the PM into helping a wealthy Yemeni sheikh (Amr Waked) introduce the sport of salmon fishing to his desert country. He’s aided by consultant Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt), who Fred falls for, but Fred is already married and Harriet is traumatised due to her soldier boyfriend being declared missing in action. Reading all that back, it sounds a bit over the top. The film succeeds though if you don’t take it too seriously. There’s plenty of social and class differences hinted at, but the film doesn’t ram it down the viewer’s throats and is all the better for it. Whether the filmmakers did this by choice or if it’s occurred by chance is harder to work out though. Veteran Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom calls the shots here and he’s a safe pair of hands for such material, though he doesn’t quite put the audience through the emotional wringer like he’s done in the past, but I put that down to the fact that the actual characters aren’t overly sympathetic. McGregor and Blunt are both fine on the acting front (though hardly believable as a couple), but its Kristin Scott Thomas as the foul-mouthed ball busting press secretary to the Prime Minister who steals the film. She’s basically a female version of Malcolm Tucker and the movie goes up a gear whenever she appears. Overall, despite the big issues which propel the story along, this is light stuff and is more suited to a Sunday afternoon viewing at home (or, dare I say it…a book?) as opposed to the big screen treatment.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Some dry laughs to be had in a film which, at times, is as odd as its title. Rating: 7/10.

The Raid

Hear the one about the Indonesian action film from a year ago that was directed by a Welshman? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. However, following its appearance at a number of film festivals towards the end of 2011, the positive reaction generated has now meant a worldwide release for Gareth Evans’ The Raid. This is one of those films that gets snapped up by studios based on viewing the first 20 minutes only. The reason for that in this case? Well it’s stylishly directed, bone crunchingly violent and completely bonkers. Telling the story of rookie policeman Rama (Iko Uwais) and a SWAT team who raid a criminal ridden derelict high rise in Jakarta in order to take down a crime lord, the first half of the film flies by in a blur of guns, knives, fists and feet. Once the dust settles though things become a bit more mundane with a plot device involving Rama’s bad guy bro (has there even been an Asian martial arts released where this isn’t the case?) and the fighting focusing on the traditional Indonesian martial art of Pencak silat. This is a shame as the first 45 minutes threatens to be one of the films of the year, especially when the fridge’s and axes start flying about as well. This was originally planned to be a prison gang movie (a trailer was even shot) before fiscal problem meant the script was completely re-written which formed the basis for this film. This could partially explain why the mayhem subsides in the latter half of the film, but for fans of broken bones and claret on the walls, don’t worry as that is pretty consistent throughout the running time. Uwais isn’t a great actor, but he can certainly kick the required arse. Ironically it’s the films blistering start and Evans’ no nonsense direction that also proves to be one of the films handicaps. There’s so much mayhem going on that you can’t really invest much emotion in too many of the protagonists (especially the SWAT team with their similar get up from person to person) and things fly by so quickly that even when you have learnt one of the characters names there’s a good chance they’ll be knife or bullet fodder seconds later. The film also suffers from the old choreographed look that many martial arts suffer from, highlighted towards the end of the film where a dust up between three of the main characters just goes on forever and actually elicits boredom rather than sweaty palms. However, with a US remake in the works you better check this out before there’s a version out there staring Statham, Li, Tatum et al…..

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Enjoyably outrageous mayhem. Shame it runs out of steam towards the end. Rating: 7/10.

The Possession

I’ve managed to miss most of the run of the mill horror films that have appeared over the last few months so I thought I’d make an effort to see The Possession. The film is based on the allegedly haunted real life Dybbuk box, which is an interesting enough tale in its own right. Luckily, whether you believe that story or not is irrelevant when it comes to enjoying the film as, hokum or not, this is a quick (though very silly) enjoyable little thriller. Thriller? OK, this is clearly marketed as a horror, but with very few jumps or scares this will only chill the bones of peeps with the most nervous of dispositions. To that box, then. After it’s picked up at a yard sale by teenager Em (Natasha Calis), she begins to display increasingly erratic behaviour. When the blood-letting begins father Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) suspects the box must have something to do with what is going on and starts to delve a little deeper. The actual story line is pretty basic, but this isn’t without its moments though, including a nice scene where Em’s face is distorted through numerous glass jars and an MRI scan that shows up a lot more than just a side strain. Newcomer Calis is pretty good as the young girl who the spirit from the box takes a fancy too, with her blank eyed expression a lot more terrifying than the scenes where the makeup makes her resemble a moody teenage goth. Dean Morgan is also good value as the flawed every day Dad of teenage girls. Unknown Danish director Ole Bornedal also moves things along at pace so you don’t really have time to be distracted by the numerous plot holes, but even he can’t hide the most obvious one of all. In a number of scenes the Dybbuk attacks people despite being locked up inside the box. So the whole premise behind the crux of the film (i.e. trying to lock the demon away inside the box) is pretty much redundant anyway! Still, in a film where it’s made clear that a person is possessed by the amount of food they eat, it’s probably best not to worry about these things….

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Few scares, but enough thrills to pass the time until the next scare of the month rolls off the conveyor belt. Rating: 6/10.

The Sweeney

So, this is a Nick Love film, mainly about East End cops and robbers, starring Ray Winstone and Ben Drew (aka Plan B). The answer to the first obvious question? Not that I was timing it, but I think it was about the 12 minute mark when I first heard someone call someone else a "cant". As you've already probably guessed, apart from a few characters, this film version of The Sweeney bares little resemblance to the much loved TV series from the 1970's. In effect this should be reviewed as a standalone effort, but it's difficult to forget about its roots. In this version with have Jack Regan (Winstone) and George Carter (Drew), members of a Flying Squad in London, who go about their business of nicking criminals by any means necessary and worrying about the consequences later. Unsurprisingly this film is cliches galore. Regan has a shadowy informant that gives him tips (Alan Ford in a small role that somewhat confusingly is never really explained), the bad guys have maps and pictures on the walls of their hideouts and when one character gives another one a piece of jewellery before they attempt to stop a theft occurring you just know that the bookies will have at that instance closed the account on whether that person survives the next 15 minutes or not. As for nods to the TV series there are a few to listen out for, but this bears little resemblance to the glory days of John Thaw and Dennis Waterman. This is particularly obvious when it comes to Winstone's portrayal of Regan. Whereas in the TV series Regan was a lovable rouge, here he's a bit of a, well, "cant". Plus, the side storyline that Winstone is bedding hot married copper Hayley Atwell is pretty unbelievable. Obviously Winstone is the senior partner here in terms of the acting side of things, so it's not a surprise that the film concentrates mainly on him. It's a shame though as there is zero chemistry between him and a sidelined Drew throughout the picture. In effect this could have just as easily have been called Regan as opposed to The Sweeney. Where the film does score highly though is during an extended bank robbery / chase sequence in the middle of the film that has the loudest guns since Heat and an impressive (in terms of the difficulty they must have had in filming in such an iconic location) shoot out / foot race through Trafalgar Square. It's decent stuff and proof that Love can pull out the stops when required. It's a shame then that the film doesn't kick on from there and eventually meekly pitters out, culminating in a short run of the mill car chase. In fact, the whole plot is pretty thin and you'd expect more from co-scripter (and Danny Boyle cohort) John Hodge. Overall it's all quite hokey, but it somehow does just enough to stop it from landing in clunker territory. Love's style of film making (or, perhaps more to the point, the content of his films) isn't to everyone's liking, but The Sweeney is more than passable, doesn't pretend to be more than what it is and perhaps further kudos should go to Love for sticking to his guns and making his version rather than one with an Americanised style (what the studio allegedly pestered him for). Londoners will also enjoy location spotting and there's some breathtaking helicopter shots of the smoke to enjoy. It's just a shame that Lorne Balfe's loud and obtrusive score spoils a lot of them (and a lot of other scenes as well). 

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Exactly what you would have expected in terms of director, actors and material. Certainly no more though. Rating: 6/10.

Men In Black 3

Right, hands up anyone who can remember anything about Men In Black 2, or even what year it was released in. Well it was ten years ago that Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) were getting up to, err, stuff, and as Hollywood's original ideas well has been running dry for a while now it's time for more alien based shenanigans involving men in dark glasses and smartly pressed suits. The way audiences are these days director Barry Sonnenfeld and executive producer Steven Spielberg could just have recycled the same plot and gags from the previous two movies and this would still have made gazillions at the box office, so it's hats off to them that they've actually put a bit of thought into the screenplay in respect of the history of the characters and the MIB universe. We start off with a bang as Boris The Animal (Jemaine Clement) escapes from a maximum security prison on the moon (the actual breakout is surprisingly brutal) with the intention of travelling back in time to 1969 in order to kill K, his arresting Agent. When J suddenly finds himself in a world where no-one has heard of K, he suspects that Boris has somehow achieved his mission and therefore decides to travel back in time himself in order to save K's life. Basically from there you have the usual scenes you'd expect from a MIB story, but the ten year break between films has actually been a blessing as though nothing here (the aliens, the wisecracks) really feels all that original, it doesn't feel particularly stale either. The time traveller out of his element is an old film and TV staple, but the script doesn't try to make too many gags on this front and the film is all the better for it. What's most impressive about the film was that shooting began before the script was even half-finished. However main writer Etan Cohen (not a typo, this is a different, unrelated Cohen) with aid from David Koepp and Jeff Nathanson (helping to put the memory of Crystal Skull to bed) have taken their time to unknot the twists of the time travelling skeleton and leave meat on the bone that is as far away from anachronisms and continuity errors as best they can. I suppose it's also fairly impressive that Sonnenfeld himself got the gig after alleged conflicts on the set of MIB 2, lawsuits regarding payments and the fact his last film was the risible RV in 2006. Acting wise Smith does his usual goofy / confused / smarmy combo, but it's Josh Brolin who takes the plaudits with his performance as the young K, complete with spot on tonal impression of Lee Jones. Clement is also good value, though he's lost under a ton of make up (On that front see if you can spot a brief cameo from special effects guru Rick Baker as well). On the negative side this isn't as funny as it thinks it is (a number of one-liners fall flat) and the brief commentary on racial attitudes in the 1960's is shoe horned in and sticks out like a sore thumb. Overall though this is a lot better than what you might expect, especially in it's final scene which is not only thrilling, but which also ends on a surprisingly moving note.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Unexpected fun, but I'm not sure we need a fourth part. Hang on a sec, this made $624M at the box office. Fourth film green lit and coming your way.....Rating: 7/10.

The Angels' Share

Back in 1966 Ken Loach's calling card, Cathy Come Home, was a portrayal of the working-class and the hardships they live under. Over the ensuing 45 years since that landmark production he's rarely ventured from that template and his new film, The Angels' Share, is no exception. This won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2012 (Loach has always been a darling of that festival), but is it really that great? The story line concerns Robbie (Paul Brannigan), a young father who narrowly avoids a prison sentence, and a number of other peeps who end up doing community service instead of stir. Kind hearted community leader Harry (John Henshaw) decides to take the gang on a trip to a distillery where Robbie and cohorts show some hitherto skill in whisky tasting. Is this the chance for the gang to put past misdemeanours behind them and start afresh in life? Yes and no. As with all Loach films the biggest problem for the audience is how much sympathy you have with the protagonists. Loach doesn't apologise or give an excuse for a shocking act of violence by Robbie at the start of the film and the overall screenplay basically condones any further crime that Robbie and his friends commit. Loach's politics are well documented and here, once again, he's saying "There, but for the grace of God, goes you". Whether you agree or not could make or break this film for you. Though Loach always strives for social realism whenever he can, Robbie and his clan are all a bit too caricatured here (there's the smart one, the dumb one etc). This does lead to many laughs though, virtually all of the black variety, with the opening scene of a train station announcer trying to get a drunk off the tracks pretty much summing it up. The young unknown Scottish cast are all decent enough (though you'll need subtitles at some points to get past the accents), but it's the veteran actors who shine out, especially the excellent Henshaw. This is quite a dark film, but it does have moments of sunlight that shine through and only the stoniest of hearts won't have cracked by the end when Harry receives an unexpected gift from Robbie. This won't convert anyone who finds Loach too preachy or his direction too minimalist, but there aren't many directors around who, as in this film, can make the entire audience gasp in shock at something as simple as the act of saying "Cheers" to someone.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
This is standard Loach, but if he's not making films like this anymore who else will? Rating: 7/10.