Ex Machina

UK Release Date: January 21st 2015

A young programmer is selected to participate in a breakthrough experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breathtaking female A.I.

Director: Alex Garland (writer of 28 Days Later and Dredd)

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson

Ex Machina is a bold, elaborate fountain of knowledge regarding technology, AI and what could become with its advancement. Caleb (Gleeson), after winning a competition and jetting off to the middle of nowhere, is subject to a Turing test. In Layman's terms this means testing a machine's ability to convey human thoughts and emotions, and our reaction to them. He's up against a female robot who's so lifelike it's hard to distinguish the artificial from the human. Her creator, Nathan (Isaac) has spent so much time alone with his creation that he's become incredibly difficult to work out. One moment he's right as rain, the next he's an aggressive alcoholic. Every character (all three of them) is as engaging as the next. Isaac and Gleeson are a battle of morals, holding different opinions about the 'subject' being tested. Neither is right or wrong, but they struggle with their differences. Alicia Vikander is Ava, an absolute sensation. She plays with our minds so much it's hard to comprehend what's real and what isn't. Is this technology possible? Is this what we're to expect in the future? What will happen if it does?

Ex Machina needs to be seen to fully grasp its beauty and cacology. The trailer gives absolutely nothing away, which is divine, because there's so much more Alex Garland has to offer. The 28 Days Later scriptwriter has made an original idea that will be explored after this film's success.

4/5

The Double

***
UK Release Date: April 4th 2014

A clerk in a government agency finds his unenviable life takes a turn for the horrific with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite - confident, charismatic and seductive with women.

Director: Richard Ayoade (Submarine)

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn

The Double is an odd, odd film. So odd it needed to be said thrice. If you're familiar with Richard Ayoade's previous work (The IT Crowd, Submarine, Garth Marenghi's Dark Place) then you'll know what to expect. For those who don't, Ayoade has one of the driest senses of humour around. It'll have you either in fits of laughter or thinking of tumbleweeds blowing along a desert trail. The Double is reminiscent of Arthouse Cinema; a low budget offers more to the imagination, it's not aimed at a large audience due to it's odd story, and the events that occur take place in one location: an open office. Simon James (Eisenberg) is a worker at this number crunching hell-hole. He's boring, very shy and life is pretty much against him. He's worked for this data analysis company for many years but has daily run-ins with the security officer because his key-card doesn't work. He's in love with the copy room worker, blah (Wasikowska), but has neither the confidence or the charm to seduce her. Enter James Simon (also Eisenberg), an employee that's the exact opposite in personality but the exact same in looks. The hardest part is working out if Ayoade is taking us along the Fight Club route or taking a direction of his own. Rest assured, The Double holds plenty of originality; enough for us to see it through its eerie end.

3/5  

Lovelace

***
UK Release Date: August 23rd 2013

The story of Linda Lovelace (Seyfried), who is used and abused by the porn industry at the behest of her coercive husband (Sarsgaard), before taking control of her life. (www.imdb.com)

Director: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick, Juno Temple, Bobby Cannavale, James Franco

Amanda Seyfriend manages to pull off transforming from a young and innocent girl to a popular porn star in less than an hour and a half. Lovelace is an informative biopic of Linda Lovelace's life prior to, and after her first porn film Deepthroat. It was a sensation in the 70's, making Lovelace one of the biggest stars of the industry. This film focuses on Linda's life rather than the porn. Directors Epstein and Friedman pan away from those blushing moments and provides us instead with a broken relationship that's difficult to watch. Linda's husband Chuck, played by the stellar Peter Sarsgaard, is torn between fear and bullying. He owes people a lot of money, so he uses Linda to pay off his debts and live a comfortable life. The story delves deeper into Linda's troubles, supplying us with knowledge we probably never knew. The supporting cast dip in and out, but the round of applause should go to Seyfried for her most riveting and complex performance yet, and Sarsgaard for his density. Sharon Stone is hardly recognisable as Linda's very religious mother, and James Franco is Hew Hefner. Enough said. 

3/5

All Is Lost

****
UK Release Date: December 26th 2013

After a collision with a shipping container at sea, a resourceful sailor finds himself, despite all efforts to the contrary, staring his mortality in the face. (www.imdb.com)

Director: J.C. Chandor (Margin Call, A Most Violent Year)

Starring: Robert Redford

Robert Redford's nameless sailor spends the duration of All Is Lost by himself. Little is known about him, but in the first twenty minutes or so he shows how calm, patient and resourceful he can be. Whether it's repairing a giant hole in the side of his boat or freeing his boat after colliding with a floating shipping container, he knows his stuff. He's in the middle of somewhere, and faces one travesty after another, similar to Bullock's Ryan in Gravity. All Is Lost is unbearably tense to watch at times, thanks to the great Redford and his ability to survive and stay cool under pressure, and for us to want him to survive even though we know little about him. Chandor's nearly non-existent dialogue is a risky choice, but one that's pulled off impressively. It opens up our other senses and sound is very much still important to all concerned. Hearing the waves crash or thunder rolling over the sky gives us all warning of the problems heading Redford's way, and unlike Gravity, Redford's disaster-ride is a believable one, and one that will put anyone off sailing the seas altogether.

4/5

The Interview

***
UK Release Date: February 6th 2015

Dave Skylark (Franco) and producer Aaron Rapoport (Rogen) run the celebrity tabloid show "Skylark Tonight." When they land an interview with a surprise fan, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, they are recruited by the CIA to turn their trip to Pyongyang into an assassination mission.

Director: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen (This Is the End)

Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Diana Bang

The Interview has attracted a lot of media attention after the cyber attack on Sony Pictures. The FBI claim the attack came from North Korea, but others speculate current or former employees of Sony were involved. The threats from hackers who call themselves 'Guardians of Peace' have driven Sony to cancel its premiere and only distribute the film in the US digitally. The Interview follows similar footsteps to 2004's Team America, (mocking current North Korean President Kim Jong-il and Hollywood actors), but has spiraled out of control. It's nothing more than comedy-entertainment, but one that doesn't match the hype and attention surrounding it. Where Pineapple Express and This is the End saw Rogen and Franco's bromance flourish, The Interview strips and eradicates it. It's like two perfect solos that can't quite gel together. The first act, before they even set foot in Pyongyang, has them at their best. The usual improvisation flows nicely; getting celebrities to admit controversies and amicably quoting Lord of the Rings punches high, but the tone loses its touch in the second act, when our newly assigned assassins spend most of their time apart. This is where Park and Diana Bang step in. Bang's chemistry with Rogen is thoroughly comical and Park makes a courageous attempt at playing Kim Jong-un. Their characters surpass Rogen and Franco in interest. Not knowing where Skylark stands with the President is the bomb. The third act is outrageous, hitting the political spots well, and proves that taking the piss out of world issues and threats can be made mockery of like any other subject.

3/5

Pride and Glory

****
UK Release Date: November 7th 2008

A family's moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law. For Ray, the truth is revelatory, a Pandora's Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD. (www.imdb.com)

Director: Gavin O'Connor (Warrior)

Starring: Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, Noah Emmerich, Jennifer Ehle, Frank Grillo, Lake Bell

Pride and Glory keeps a very stable head above other cop thrillers, mainly due to its actors and gripping, personal storyline. A drug bust goes horribly awry and four cops are killed. Detective Ray Tierney (Norton) is assigned to the case, but unaware that his brother-in-law Jimmy (Farrell), who's also a cop, is connected to the murders. Ray is split between the decision of ratting out his own family, or keeping it under wraps. Quite the family dilemma. Norton's performance is one of his best, acting as a lone wolf and biting off more than anyone is capable of chewing. Farrell puts in his best too, he's a force not to be reckoned with, holding a scary and intimidating nature whenever he's on screen. His character has some incredibly well-written moments, ones that stick in the mind longer than the rest. They're aided by a highly driven supporting cast, all with added quirks, quibbles and sub-plots (Noah Emmerich and Jennifer Ehle's is captivating) and a deep, morbid atmosphere. New York looks rotten and full of decay, while the city looks invariably dull and grey. Setting the tone in an ironically beautiful way. The Departed may have won the awards and attention in 2008, but at least Pride and Glory does exactly what it sets out to do.

4/5