Skyfall (2012)

the 23rd James Bond film is Sam Mendes’ 6th feature. In a career that started with American Beauty, it is hard to surpass oneself, especially with a Bond film. When you are tasked with directing something so near and dear to the fans’ hearts and to the studios' pockets, one wonders what kind of room for artistic creativity there is left, after going through the hoops of satisfying everyone. The plot is nothing new, having been written by the same guys that wrote the last 5 Bond movies. The script hits all the classic Bond points, including the opening theme sequence, gadgets, cars, bond girl and villain. Somewhat reminiscent of an evil Julian Assange, Bardem easily navigates through the role of the evil mastermind with a vengeance - a role he is well versed in as we’ve come to see in No Country for Old Men. Craig again brings his own brand of Bond to the franchise, with his characteristic rough, action-oriented take on spying.  Love him or hate him, he is signed to at least 2 more Bond films after this, so we are stuck with this blonde, blue-eyed, Heineken-drinking bond for a little while longer. I personally like Craig, and can safely say that I’m a bigger Craig fan than I am a Bond fan, so I do not mind, but like all Bonds, everyone has a favourite one and you can’t please everybody. Cinematography is very strong and I enjoyed the beautiful images in full IMAX glory, even though at times it slipped into ye olde blue-orange contrast territory, but for the most part I liked it, especially the Scotland scenes filmed at Glen Etive in the highlands of scotland. I can’t say that the plot was amazing, but then again, were Bond movies ever about plot? Mendes makes it much more about the constant fight between Craig and Bardem, reducing the film to the emotional struggle between the 2, with M stuck in the middle (with Judy Dench being as wonderful as always, in her 7th Bond film as M). Overall enjoyable, even if formulaic (but then again if you complain about Bond being formulaic, maybe you shouldn’t watch it all together). The computer ‘hacking’ parts could have been made slightly more realistic and less ‘3D representation of computer code’ à la Hackers, and a few other parts defy reality/physics to a good extent, but once you get past that, it’s definitely a fun 2 hours. 

The Man With the Iron Fists (2012)

This looks like something that came about when RZA thought to himself one day - hey, I like Kung-Fu movies and I got money and friends in the movie industry, so why couldn’t I pump out an awesome Kung-Fu flick of my own? It helps when those friends are Tarantino and Eli Roth and when you’re a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. I can’t say this is a good movie, not in the sense that things like Sukiyaki Western Django or Machete are any good. This is pure throwback to B-movie territory in the vein of Grindhouse, albeit playing with the classical Kung-Fu flick genre. It’s entertaining to a certain extent, especially considering the always wonderful Lucy Liu’s participation and Russel Crowe who seems to have put on a bit weight and was just having fun in this, wielding a steampunk-style gun-knife. RZA makes sure, like his alter-ego in Californication, Samurai Apocalypse, that he comes out on top, no matter what. From his tongue-in-cheek ‘blacksmith’ character (get it, his real name is Henry Smith, but he’s also black - hence: blacksmith), to the fact that he’s a freed slave (Henry Smith, curiously, is a famous lynching victim, not sure if related), to the fact that his mother in the flashbacks is Pam Grier, RZA works hard at establishing a link between african-american history and the world of Kung-Fu. Overall it’s a fun little movie, ultimately not excelling in neither comedy nor Kung-Fu or film-making, but what it lacks in technique it makes up in nostalgia and plain old silly fun. I couldn't have imagined anything else coming from the RZA, and in that sense, he delivers on exactly the expectations that fans of the Wu-Tang clan have come to expect, be it for better or worse.

Seven Psychopaths (2012)

I absolutely love this film. I am a fan of In Bruges, so I was delighted to hear that McDonagh took a break from playwriting and wrote/directed yet another masterpiece. Adapting well to the Hollywood setting and America, he presents us with a colourful (and psychotic) cast of characters that are as hilarious as they are deranged. It’s always good to see Christopher Walken in a role that doesn't *completely* parody itself. Yes, his characteristic delivery is still there, but it somehow works, because it’s not any less crazy than the other roles. Woody Harrelson, when not busy promoting ‘Rampart’ is also great here, delivering a comical yet deadly version of a psycho. Not nearly as serious as in Natural Born Killers, but a lot more mature (if you can call it that) when considering his career over the years. Sam Rockwell gets another chance to shine, as he did in Moon and Hitchhiker's and Choke, proving again that he is a severely underused actor. I won’t spoil the plot but suffice it to say that if you enjoyed early Tarantino and Guy Ritchie multiple-narrative ensemble cast crime fare that those two were known for, you are bound to enjoy Seven Psychopaths even more, as it seems to go back to the genre’s roots. It is not yet another example of the genre, and is rather self-conscious (at times reminiscent of a film-within-a-film), but it does this with such ease and fun and joy that is refreshing considering most of everything that’s out there. Finally, as is usually the case, Tom Waits’ dark addition to the cast/plot is very welcome, adding a kind of mysticism and unease that fits right in within the whole feel of the movie. Great work overall, highly recommended. 

Cloud Atlas (2012)

in their second “serious” directorial effort after the matrix (i’m purposely not counting “speed racer”), the Wachowski’s team up with Tom Tykwer (of Run Lola Run / The International fame) to bring an ambitious high budget adaptation that still manages to be considered ‘independent’ despite the $102 million dollar budget. The trailer alone has set the tone for an ambitious, history, location and reality-spanning juggernaut. The multi-narrative style is reminiscent of things like The Fountain, Babel and Tree of Life, but it ups the ante by introducing an amazing star-studded cast and getting their money’s worth by getting them to portray a large portion of the many different characters across different epochs. But unlike the approach taken in things like Orlando, where the the same character is portrayed across time, here the same actors portray seemingly different characters, bound together only by loose narrative elements and overall ‘feel’ of their role. While not always sticking to positive or negative roles, the actors for the most part portray ‘equivalents’ of their various characters across time. Despite the apparent forced linking of plots (mostly using meaningless narrative details or just allusions), the overall connection between the stories, I found, was made through the thematic. Themes of rebellion, fight for freedom, going against the mold, and so on are prevalent throughout the film. This establishes a kind of auteur-like identity for the Wachowskis, considering the very similar themes in The Matrix and V for Vendetta. Overall very enjoyable, as it spans many genres and you could say there is something here for everybody. From the historical slavery epic, to early gay rights issues, 70’s cop movies, political intrigue to futuristic and post-apocalyptic big-brother-type scenarios, this film tries to satisfy as many genres as it can. For the most part, it does a very good job at achieving this. My only doubt is whether or not the stories could have functioned as well on their own as they did as part of the multi-narrative style, or was their worth amplified by the very mode of presentation. There is no doubt that the Wachowskis and Tykwer are masters of the cinematic language, often cutting and arranging scenes based on theme or emotion or just plain movement/action, so connection is established throughout, going beyond the mere narrative. Definitely worth watching on a big screen, but maybe a re-watch might ruin it, dispelling the magic that a first screening might invoke. 

Argo (2012)

I wasn’t expecting too much from this, after having seen the trailer. It was basically a collection of wide-rimmed glasses and moustaches wobbling about worried about how Iran is evil. Maybe with a bit of Affleck to spice things up as a sort of Bourne/Bond of the 70’s. But alas, to my pleasant surprise, it ended up being a wonderful thriller, without too much of the cheap action that a rewrite of history could entail (I’m looking at you Munich). You can really see Affleck maturing in his career as a director in this one. From small town crime/heist films (Gone Baby Gone / The Town) he is now tackling International hostage crisis in Iran, based on true events, no less. I really liked the pace, I didn’t feel bored nor did it feel like it was trying too hard to put me at the edge of my seat with car chases or fights (Taken 2 review to come). Even the final stretch felt more like a calculated suspense scene than police cars chasing a plane. Overall it was fun to watch, the 70’s glasses and moustaches did not distract at all and actually worked really well to recreate the era, and despite some Canadians feeling that this film robbed Canada of the extent of its role in the rescue of those hostages, I feel it worked really well as a stand alone film. Yes, it can get a little anti-Iran at times, and arguably the Iranians had plenty of reason to be angry after the US granted asylum to their dictator. Yes there are some stereotypically bearded brown men that are supposed to be antagonists to a western audience. So what. The revolutionary guards right after the revolution were most probably ruthless and angry, as they probably still are considering they are basically political police. It is after all a Hollywood film, with things like John Goodman and Alan Arkin cracking jokes about fake movies back in Hollywood. I don’t expect it to be very realistic or sensible to international politics. Highly recommended.

Total Recall (2012)

I think this is one of those films that I wanted to like, and while there is nothing terribly wrong with it (actually I did enjoy the visuals a lot), the fact that the 1990 iteration exists kind of ruined it for me. In fact, if it weren’t for the original, this would have been yet another Len Wiseman (of Underworld “fame”) product, only salvaged by the association with Philip K. Dick, which the 1990 version also enjoyed. The fact is, I believe Paul Verhoeven to be a much better director than Wiseman, and despite the 22 year difference between the movies, I find the original to still hold today, without CG and with so called outdated effects. In fact the few parts that raised a chuckle in this version were the winks to the old film, like the 3 breasted lady or the border mask robot woman, who ended up being just a lookalike in this film. Other than the old film, this is more of a Blade Runner (itself a Philip K. Dick adaptation) or Fifth Element knockoff, especially visually speaking, and if it weren’t for the fact that i’ll throw money at anything futuristic/post-apocalyptic/hover-cars related, I could have cared less about it. Perhaps i’m being too hard on Wiseman. He is afterall a relatively competent effects-flick director, and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy this new Total Recall at all, I just think that it was too soon for a remake, and it wasn’t different enough for me to consider it as a viable retelling of the mythos. Also that creepy little conjoined twin thing from the original could have made a comeback, I missed that little guy.

Iron Sky (2012)

Iron Sky has been germinating somewhere in the bowels of the internet since 2008 when the production company put out their teaser trailer and brought it to Cannes looking for financiers. It was supposed to be one of those new productions, with on-line collaborators contributing in various ways, making this a supposedly community effort. I didn’t have a lot of high hopes for it even being released anywhere but on the web, but lo and behold it actually got some theater releases and I managed to finally catch a copy of it for home. I wasn’t really expecting quality, so in that sense the fact that I was well intoxicated contributed somewhat to my enjoyment. For a “low” budget film (€7.5 million) this stands pretty well alongside more mainstream “holywood” productions, especially in the effects department. The acting wasn’t spectacular, but the cast was pretty respectable, with B-movie darling Udo Kier and a few other unknowns, it managed to drag along through a relatively comprehensible plot. The comedy wasn’t the greatest, although it did have some highlights. I especially liked the famous Downfall scene remake. Other than that, there is nothing much more to say. It’s a moon nazi movie, with all that that entails. There are plenty of nazi references, so think Dead Snow, but instead of Teen Horror, it’s a Hollywood effects blockbuster. I knew it wasn’t going to be the next Sky Captain (which wouldn’t have made it perfect by any means), so for what it was worth, I liked it. God knows there are much (much) worse things out there. It’s interesting to see a low budget collaborative web-movie take on a hollywood effects blockbuster style. You know it won’t work, but I still commend them for trying and having a certain success. Now they are supposed to be making a prequel and sequel, as well as a video-game based on the film. I say good for them. it’s about time someone took on Uwe Boll territory and tried to infuse it with something fresh and fun instead of the same old shit that he’s been pumping out forever. Definitely not to watch sober.

The Help (2011)

So Hollywood tries to tackle the issue of '60s south segregation, yet again, and yet again only gives us a glossy, inspiring, positive-outlook view. Yes there are so called “hard moments” and who knows, maybe someone in the audience might even shed a tear. Nevertheless, this is still a blond white girl’s story of how she rose to literary fame by telling black folks’ stories. I don’t know, maybe this can indeed function as some inspirational look back for black kids and “lessons learned” fare for white kids that otherwise wouldn’t look twice at the subject. maybe. and maybe not. maybe the long-lasting effects of slavery and segregation can’t possibly be summed up in a colourful southern tale with sassy black ladies and mean white women. I’m not one to tell. This definitely ain’t this year’s “Precious” that’s for sure, and it sure as hell ain’t anywhere close to Dogville or Manderlay (both of which starred a pretty white girl, curiously one that is also in The Help in Bryce Dallas Howard’s case, in the lead, but despite being written and directed by a Dane, still managed to be more poignant and relevant to the issue than The Help). I suppose it’s unfair to compare, as in the end, The Help is a well-made movie, targeting a certain genre, demographic and style, but one can’t help but wonder how different it could have been if it didn’t look so much like those Stepford Wivesque scenes from Edward Scissorhands. Overall, this can function well as the perpetuation or perhaps the thing that keeps the mythos of '60s segregation alive. After all, forgetting about it all together is still worse than remembering it in a nicely consumable format. Overall, good but not great. Definitely a must if you enjoyed the novel.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2012)

So here is something that seems like it was market-researched to jerk those tears. Little boy with social anxiety or maybe Asperger's? Dead father that is presented as the perfect dad in flashbacks? 9/11? echoes of the holocaust? can this get more pretentious? I’m not really sure how Tom Hanks can still be taken seriously, especially alongside Sandra Bullock, but maybe it is in movies like this, where director/screenwriter completely gave up on self-respect or decency, that those two are still allowed to “star” in. The kid is this most ephebic NAMBLA bait, that is paired up with “of all people” an old mute man that might or might not be his long lost grandpa (it totally is his granpa). Are you kidding me? I’d be offended if this was to be the movie that’s supposed to “make 9/11 all better”, and considering all the other offerings, this might just be it, (which I bet is what got it an Oscar nomination). If there is anything redeeming about this, is the always wonderful Max von Sydow (and to a lesser extent John Goodman and Viola Davis, of 2008 Doubt's “crying my snot out” fame). Von Sydow, in what must have been a brilliant stroke of genius, doesn’t say a word throughout the film, but manages to convey more emotion and authenticity than the whole cast combined. The “plot” conclusion, with the reveal of the little boy’s mom journey through new york, “preparing the way” for her kid to come and pull a fit on random people named black (and yes, he does go around town looking for and talking to “blacks”) is preposterous at best. Like what, you have nothing better to do with your single mom free time than to entertain your crappy kid’s pipe dreams? bitch please. Also, the fact that they’re Jewish and Hanks claims he “only became a jeweler because he wanted to support his family but really he wanted to become a scientist”? really? cliché much? I bet all Jewish jewelers are really just scientists at heart. Unfortunately the extent of his science goes as far as giving his kid a copy of Hawking's “A Brief History of Time” and making up some bs story about some long lost new york borough. Nobody Cares! this better not win the Oscar. or rather, hopefully it’ll win and convince everyone once and for all that the Oscars are bs.

The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) (2011)

Almodóvar’s latest sexy Spanish romp is pushing his usual motifs more towards the horror genre, but like he claims, this is "a horror story without screams or frights". Most likely it is very accessible to the more squeamish  viewers that wouldn’t normally enjoy horror. In fact I’d almost have a sick fascination with getting people who aren’t into horror to see this, because truly there is nothing really disturbing in the images other than the psychological implications of the plot. When I first heard of this film, there was the immediate association with Franju’s 1960 “Les yeux sans visage” which is one of my favourite films, but alas, this is merely inspired by that film, and is in fact an adaptation of a later french novel published in 1995. Overall, this is an Almodóvar work throughout, complete with all the signature plot twists, color palettes and gender play that he’s perfected so well in his previous work. I can’t possibly say that this is his best yet, mostly because it fits in a different genre than his other work, but it nevertheless fits nicely within his cinematic oeuvre. It did keep me guessing up until maybe halfway in, when his daughter’s purported assailant gets captured, but that did not detract too much from enjoying the rest of the film. if anything, the slow progression towards the eventual reveal and conclusion just made it more compelling to watch, especially in Almodóvar stylish and passion-filled presentation. Banderas does a good job as the obsessed and ultimately psychotic plastic surgeon, and the beautiful Elena Anaya is convincing in the role of the captive with the secret known to all but us. Overall definitely worth the watch, not only for Almodóvar fans.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Tomas Alfredson’s second feature, after 2008’s Let the Right One In (original Swedish version) is a much more ambitious and “serious” film. Adapted from the eponymous 1974 John le Carré novel, it presents us with many characters (portrayed by an ensemble cast of British actors, including John Hurt). Atmospherically and stylistically this is a masterpiece. in a sense, it is akin to what Mad Men does with '60s advertising ad agencies, except applied to '70s British secret intelligence. It presents that dreary, gray and brown, gloomy world of old men huddled up in rooms with cigarettes and mountains of documents while hypothesizing about soviet plots. It might not sound exciting, but visually I couldn’t resist but be completely engulfed by it. The plot is, as one would expect, rather difficult to follow. Not only does it start in medias res, in line with other le Carré work, but it also jumps back and forth between present and flashback, characters and events that at times I found myself going back to earlier parts of the film which seemed to make no sense when I watched them, but shape the part of the plot that I’m watching now and are essential to understanding it. It’s not entirely unpleasant (and can even be rewarding, when finally getting the whole picture, to understand what some parts were about) but it can be, at times, confusing (though one would think the spy world of the '70s cold war was just that). Overall enjoyable if you can get over the fact that at first it won’t make sense. Yes, there are many scenes where someone that was just introduced would utter some words with a British accent that seem to make no difference to the plot but make all the difference later on, so being attentive and alert to everything and everyone that is present can help, but once you get into the rhythm of it, the overall product is very rewarding.

The Artist (2011)

The artist is yet another one of those films that dabbles in black and white and tries pushing the envelope even further back into Hollywood’s history. I still remember back in 1993 when Spielberg was supposedly taking a chance with black and white, with worries of audience used to color not accepting it. Oh how far we’ve gone. With things like the Cohens’ ‘The Man Who Wasn’t there’ and Clooney’s ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ it seems like black and white isn’t so unusual anymore. Now they’re going to great lengths to emulate the style. Soderberg’s ‘The Good German’ dabbles in ‘40s lenses and microphones, but it still doesn’t feel quite authentic enough. Now we have The Artist, that goes back even more, back to the silent era. Its star is a kind of Douglas Fairbanks, that much like Fairbanks was also hit by the advent of the talkies (albeit, as the ending shows, for different reasons). The style, I would say, is even more impeccable when compared to the originals. Michel Hazanavicius went as far as shooting in 1:33 aspect ratio, with a 22 fps frame-rate for that sped-up effect, and with intertitles instead of dialogue. It’s not all in the technical details though. The acting and plot also follow traditional silent-film melodrama fare. There is even the hero dog that saves the protagonist from a fire. It’s maybe ironic that we had to wait this long for technology and style to advance enough for us to be able to emulate the low-tech style of the late ‘20s/early ‘30s. Style aside, however, this works very well as a fun walk down Hollywood’s own memory lane. A lot of the references might be lost on non-film-history-buffs, but I think it stands enough on its own to be enjoyed even by the average movie goer (if they were somehow convinced to attend a silent movie). Overall great fun, and not just for the retro-qualities. 

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Actually? not bad. Great effects and action, great editing and direction (from, surprisingly, Brad Bird, who directed things like The Incredibles and Ratatouille) and I can’t say I was bored at any one moment throughout. Everything was exciting (especially that climbing the Burj Khalifa scene, that was supposedly done with no stunt double) and despite the 2 hour 18 minute length, it did not feel like it was at any point being stretched. Of course, Cruise is hard to take serious these days, especially with his character’s blatant ‘we’ll do what’s right despite what others think’ attitude, but overall the whole ‘over-the-topness’ of it all fits nicely in the Mission Impossible universe. So what if they ‘break into the Kremlin’ or disarm a nuclear missile seconds before it hits its target by pressing a big red button (a thing that even the characters in the film can’t resist to joke about after the fact). Really it is just a throwback to the good old '90s action/spy movies, where it doesn’t need to take itself too seriously to be successful. Overall, surprisingly enjoyable, despite the Cruise, except for maybe the last bit that seemed somewhat out of place and almost stalkerish. Still, worth it in IMAX.

A Serbian Film (Srpski Film) (2011)

In a film where the baseline for normalcy is the mother catching the young son watching one of the pornos his dad starred in and lovingly lectures the dad about not leaving the old films around the house for their son to find, you know it can only get worse. A Serbian Film is one of those films that is often listed among things like ‘human centipede’, ‘antichrist’, ‘irreversible’ and ‘Ōdishon’ as an extremely messed up film. And it does, in many ways, share the graphic violence/shock/gore elements with those others mentioned. It does have some bit of politics/social commentary slipped in (considering the title and the movie-within-a-movie director’s comments), mainly relating to the war that has ravaged the region in the '90s, but this is by no means necessary to understand the film nor is it very significant in terms of the geopolitical situation of the region or the imagined community of national identity that it pretends to define. As far as the psychological shock-value is concerned, it does try to push the envelope a little. I’m gonna say a little, because you could see the ending come a mile away, to a certain extent, but it still does not detract from the ‘entertainment’ if you can call it that. Clearly not to watch if you’re squeamish, but it can very much be enjoyed if you think of it as one of those over-the top B-movies with over-the-top violence. There is some humour at the beginning (and, surprisingly, in a good way, at the very end), but other than that the tone is pretty much dead serious. The plot isn’t amazing and big part of it relies on flashback and a ‘MacGuffin drug’ that drives a big part of it, but other than that, it’s pretty much all about the violence (with, granted, some bits of sex mixed in) and the psychological shock. It’s not a perfect movie in any way you look at it, but it does hold a special place in the pantheon of shock alongside the other films listed above. Definitely worth a watch if you felt absolutely compelled to watch the rest of them.