Premium Rush

**
Release Date: August 24th 2012

In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city.

Director: David Koepp (Ghost Town, Secret Window, Stir of Echoes)

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dania Ramirez, Michael Shannon, Jamie Chung

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has definitely had a busy year with the release of both Dark Knight Rises and Looper, both smashing the box office. The advertising of Premium Rush was minimal, almost unnoticeable, although the budget was $35m. With such success from DKR and Looper, a third would have been an amazing outcome for JG-L, but this was not the case. Premium Rush is fun if you want to join the ride, but never goes any further than that.

JG-L is Wilee (like the Coyote), a bike messenger in Manhattan, New York. 'You can e-mail it, FedEx it, fax it, scan it, but when none of that shit works and this thing has to be at that place by this time, you need us', he says as he's making one of his deliveries. All hell breaks loose for him when an unknown man in a suit (Shannon), desperately needs the package in Wilee's hands.

The story doesn't get any more in depth than that. The camera flicks from Gordon-Levitt to Shannon and back, piecing fragments together with flashbacks of both the protagonist and antagonist.

When we are first introduced to Shannon's character, Bobby Monday, he sets off a powerful resonance that, with the deep and dark music setting the mood over the villian, he is not someone to be messing with. Five to ten minutes later, it's mockery from my behalf. He's a useless villian, talks gibberish a lot (listen out for his rant about the word 'douchebag') and makes weird noises. Monday cannot be taken seriously. Little is said about his character. All we know is he's got a problem, and the package will fix it.

There's little to say about Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's on top form, but never gets to shine because of the mundane story. In fact, all acting is let down by a weak storyline.

 For an action/drama it lacks twists and raw action. A cop on a bike keeps pursing Wilee, but he should give up the ghost, because there was little to no point in chasing him in the first place. Some extras to PR like this are screen fillers; bulking out the film so it gets a decent running time.

There are some positives in Premium Rush, the most notable being Wilee's method of working out the best possible way to get through traffic when he's stuck in a tricky situation. We see him plan out the route, reenact it, and suffer either horrible injuries or hurts someone else in the process.

Overview: Had the potential to be so much better but was let down by a weak storyline.

The World's End

***
Release Date: July 19th 2013

Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly become humankind's only hope for survival.

Director: Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs the World)

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike, Martin Freeman

Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright's collaborations since Spaced T.V series in 2001 have never disappointed. The World's End lacks the idealistic freshness of the first two films of the Cornetto Trilogy, but still finishes it off nicely.

Simon Pegg's character Gary 'the King' King is a drug abusing, maniacal, careless person, whose voiceover guides us through the 'good ol' days'... hanging out at school with his four best friends Peter (Eddie Marsan), Steven (Paddy Considine), Oliver (Martin Freeman) and Andrew (Frost) and pretty much getting up to no good. We are privy to their attempt at conquering The Golden Mile; 12 pints in 12 pubs, starting at The First Post and finishing at The World's End.

After the attempt fails the first time round, King rallies the group. Although the other four have moved on with their lives, Gary King is stuck in the past. It's a struggle to like King, or hate him, even if he's self-centered. There is no consistency here with Shaun of the Dead of Hot Fuzz.

Nick Frost's Andrew Knightley, seeps resplendence, outshining anyone in frame. Freeman, Considine and Marsan are great support, making up 'five musketeers'. Rosamund Pike's character sits in reverse, never getting a chance to shine, because let's face it, this film is aimed at lads being lads. What little romance there is, is overshadowed by the pending doom.  

It's almost easy to forget that TWE is a sci-fi. A fight breaks out in one of the pub toilets, snapping our thoughts back to the unreal and awarding us with a action similar to the successes of Scott Pilgrim.

Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are consistently funny, whereas The World's End tries and fails a lot of the time. Nick Frost, on the other hand, steals the show, dishing out all the laughs. Pegg and Frost's characters in both SOTD and HF shine brilliantly when together. Only nearing the finale of The World's End do we see any of this.

Cameos are a welcome sight from Pierce Brosnan (another Bond cameo... Hot Fuzz had Timothy Dalton), Bill Nighy (in all three) and David Bradley (Mr. Filch in Harry Potter). All make a strong impression in the film, for at least the small time they have.

It's also nice to see that they are a few familiar jokes that make the last of the trilogy. Look out for the cornetto gag!

Overview: Whilst it doesn't live up to it's predecessors, it's a worthy ending of The Cornetto Trilogy. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

***
Release Date: October 3rd 2012

An introvert freshman is taken under the wings of two seniors who welcome him to the real world.

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd

'1,385 days until graduation'. 

There are certain aspects of high school (Americans equivalent to our college) that clearly differ from British colleges, but also similar. The way students behave is a big factor, there will always be bullies and there will always be the bullied. Freshmans are forever picked on. Parties are plentiful and sex is discovered (if you're a popular kid). Students learn a lot at this point in their lives and learn from their mistakes.

One will understand, like myself, what it's like to go through the hardship of making an impression and gaining friends. Perks of Being a Wallflower is no different. Logan Lerman plays Charlie, a freshman who's about to start high school, wandering if he'll ever make friends after a summer long seclusion. After what feels like an embarrassing first day leaving school with the English teacher (Paul Rudd) being the only friend he made, Charlie engrosses himself in writing letters to his "friend" and tells him everything which also acts as a narrative for us the audience.

After suffering harassment from other students and sitting alone during lunch times for seemingly a long time, Charlie finds companionship with two seniors, Patrick (Miller) and Sam (Watson), an unlikely duo. Mishaps and adventures ensue. Charlie is happier in life and romance, drugs, alcohol, homophobia and various other things surround him.

Lerman's acting is superb. He is charismatic and flawless as this misunderstood teen. Emma Watson seems to be at present the most successful of the Harry Potter trio and lives up to her potential as a young actress. Miller plays Ezra, the eccentric performer of the group... dramatic at times but whose heart is in the right place.

Expect the unexpected during the course of the film. Things are not what they seem.

Overview: Lighthearted and easy to watch. Aimed more for the younger audience, ready to take on the big wide world.

Pacific Rim

**** 
Release Date: July 12th 2013

As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Director: Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy Trilogy, Pan's Labyrinth, Blade II)

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day

'Go big or go extinct'.

Big robots fight big aliens. The world is in jeopardy. That's the gist of it, right? Pacific Rim is intricate, in depth and full of action. Even though there's plenty of it, it never takes focus away from it's storyline.

The opening scene sets up the pace and narrative very nicely. There's no faffing around... destruction of the planet has already begun and a swift but precise back story of what's taken place so far. The lead, Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) explains through the power of voiceover. The aliens, known as Kaiju, appear from a portal under the sea. The big, lumbering robots, called Jaegars, are built to defend the earth. After an incident that causes Becket to retire, he's later sought after by the Pentecost (Idris Alba), the general in command.

There's a long, hard wait until the next encounter, but it's worth it. In the mean time a lot is learned about 'drifting'. Drifting is a bond between two people allowing their minds to link so that they can control a Jaegar.

There are friendships, feuds, love interests, and two very odd scientists that will at first seem like screen filler, but help out in ways most nerdy science whizzes would be too timid to do. Hats off to Rinko Kikuchi, who plays Mako. She is constantly undermined by Pentecost as he dulls her passion to pilot a Jaegar.

Pacific Rim could be compared to the likes of Transformers or Battleship, the Hasbro box office giants. This is not the case. GDT makes it unique. It's serious, dark at times and has the occasional chuckle that breaks up the flow. There were assumptions on my part surrounding the trailer, that it would be cheesy. PR is far from it, although Pentecost's rallying speech is a mild, yet compelling slice.

The combination of 3D and CGI make certain fighting scenes hard to watch. Sparks fly everywhere, close ups of the Jaegars and Kaiju get confusing which is which. I'd suggest seeing it in 2D, if it's still out of course!

There's more to say on the matter, but I'll leave it to you to decide.

Overview: No intentional pre-mind blowing.... but it's better than expected. It's a nerd busting film, catered to the gadget lover.

Hide and Seek

***
Release Date: January 28th 2005

As a widower tries to piece together his life in the wake of his wife's suicide, his daughter finds solace, in her imaginary friend.

Director: John Polson (The Mentalist, Flashforward)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Dakota Fanning, Famke Janssen

Hide and Seek, at points is hard to get to grips with. Firstly, because Robert De Niro is out of his comfort zone with this genre of film, and secondly because it has no originality whatsoever.

It's premise is great, a devoted father trying his best to squander what's left of his relationship with his daughter (who's played by Dakota Fanning) as a result of the death of their mother/wife. The loss has left them broken, so David Callaway (De Niro) decides to move to the rural countryside to start again. 

The joint effort of De Niro and Fanning manage to make this piece of work watchable. De Niro shocked me by starring in a thriller, but still manages to live up to his abilities. David struggles to keep cool with his daughter, Emily and her 'imaginary friend' Charlie. Some of the acts that Emily commits (which is blamed on Charlie), David is stern towards her but he never blows his top due to the nature of the loss of her mother.

Fanning's acting is impeccable for someone so young. Her chilling facade is unbeatable in the horror/thriller genre. We're fixated by her character's split personality.

Hide and Seek is let down by it's cliches and stereotypes. Creepy neighbours and townsfolk, there's a cat briefly wondering about the house (do they even own a cat???) and a jewellery box when opened has a jingle. There's nothing new. The shocking 'twist' at the end of the film is predictable, leaving viewers wondering why it wasn't done differently. According to the DVD's audio commentary, the ending that was finalised (out of a possible 5 including the extra features) was chosen because 'it gave the audience a relief at the end'. When does this ever happen in a horror film? Very rarely.  

Overview: Fanning is one to look out for in future years. Not bad to watch, just don't expect anything surprising.

All Good Things

***
Release Date: December 3rd 2010

Mr. David Marks was suspected but never tried for killing his wife Katie who disappeared in 1982, but the truth is eventually revealed.  

Director: Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans)

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella

All Good Things is inspired by the real life events of Robert Durst (Gosling's David Marks). The film spanning almost 30 years shows his link to the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen McCormack (Dunst's Katie Marks) in 1982 in which he was questioned but never charged.

In 2000, Durst was questioned regarding the death of Susan Berman (Deborah Lehrman), a long-time friend of his and journalist. It was understood that Susan had knowledge of the disappearance of Kathleen McCormack. Then in 2003, Durst was trialed and acquitted of the murder of Morris Black, his elderly neighbour. Body parts of Black were found floating in Galveston Bay, Texas. 

This may ring some bells for some of you. Jarecki, who directed All Good Things, didn't change the names of the characters for legal reasons, but 'to explore all the dark corners of the story, the things that are not understood'. Jarecki was nominated for an Oscar for his previous work Capturing the Friedmans... a documentary based on a family accused of child molestation. There's no reason why ALT could not worked as a documentary, but the approach was taken to film it as a 1st person narrative. 

All Good Things delves into the mind of David Marks and his stability, or for a better word, psychosis. It shows how ones mind can differ from another; at one moment malevolent, at others innocent. Marks' relationship with his wife is explored, unwoven and pieced back together with the unimaginable. If a loved one was not in a clear state of mind, would they receive help, or be left alone because of their actions? 

This is a very powerful film. It's morbid and at times hard to watch. This is helped by Jarecki's effort to seek out his own evidence, and not rely other sources, giving it a gritty, hard edged hit on reality.

Gosling and Dunst's performances are at their peaks. Gosling's Marks is undeniably violent, always likely to explode. He often talks to himself, or says nothing at all, drowned in his own thoughts. It's plain for us to see that Marks mental state is decreasing as events unfold. It's sparked by a traumatic experience during his childhood, and aflame whenever he's around his 'loving' father (Langella). Durst's heartbreaking character is blinded by love, being mistreated constantly. It is her best performance yet.

A big chunk of Marks' life is brushed over. Between Katie's disappearance and the shooting of Deborah, nothing happens. Surely there's something big missing. As it skips 18 or so years, so does the momentum and narrative change. We now focus on Marks being questioned about the deaths of his neighbour and friend. Katie is longer in the picture. She might be lost but she will never be forgotten.

Overview: Amazing performances throughout. Good effort from Jarecki, but the film lost it's course at the end. Worth the watch if you are familiar with the history.