WADRICK’S THIRTY SECOND FILM REVIEWS

Zodiac (2007)
Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr, Anthony Edwards, Chloe Sevigny, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch & Dermot Mulroney.
Written by James Vanderbilt.
Directed by David Fincher.

He was known as the Zodiac – a psychopath who terrorised San Francisco with a spate of murders beginning in the late 1960s. He sent coded messages and taunting letters to police and to the Chronicle newspaper. And he was never caught. From the outset, the case attracted the attention of a young Chronicle cartoonist named Robert Graysmith, and he spent many obsessive years poring over case files eventually penning a best-selling book. Graysmith declared he had cracked the unsolved case, naming the man he believed responsible for the killings. Based on Graysmith’s book, David Finchers’ long and at times difficult film is nonetheless a visually beautiful piece of work. Detailing (and I mean detailing) the exhaustive investigation and the effect on those involved, Zodiac weaves a serpentine story with an astounding nuance. The cast, production design and direction are all first class, with Fincher providing perhaps his most stylistically impressive film to date. This is, however, an acquired taste, but one of those films that gets better with each subsequent viewing.

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Sunshine (2007)
Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Troy Garity, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong & Mark Strong.
Written by Alex Garland.
Directed by Danny Boyle.

Near-classic sci-fi about a small crew of astronauts charged with delivering a nuclear payload to our dying Sun. When they receive a radio transmission emanating from the idle craft of a failed earlier mission, their decision to investigate and what they discover threatens to sabotage mankind’s only chance of survival. Production details are one of the key elements of this film, providing a consistently believable (if fictional) account of life on a spacecraft. The first half of the film expertly introduces its characters and their environment, allowing the audience to identify and become emotionally involved. This is all thanks to the excellent script from Alex Garland and the dramatic skills of Sunshine’s talented cast. The visual effects are some of the most impressive ever created for a film since the advent of CGI, enhancing the story with subtle power in the deliberate manner of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Director Danny Boyle’s often creeping camera affords instant comparisons to Ridley Scott’s 70’s classic Alien, and I would be seriously in error to not also mention the terrific score by John Murphy & Underworld. In all, Sunshine is a work of art, existing in a genre that rarely offers such treats.

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Michael Clayton (2007)
George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Merritt Weaver, Robert Prescott, Terry Serpico & Sydney Pollack.
Written & Directed by Tony Gilroy.

Arthur Edens (Wilkinson) is the leading defence attorney in a major civil suit being brought against United Northfield - a multinational agricultural corporation. When he suffers a breakdown (crisis of conscience) during a deposition, his New York law firm sends their fixer Michael Clayton (Clooney) to render damage control. When a memo surfaces that threatens to unravel the case, and not content with Clayton’s assurances regarding Arthur’s mental state, U-North’s sycophantic lead council Karen Crowder (Swinton) murderously decides to deal with the matter herself. Michael Clayton is a magnificent film – dark, smart and complex. This impressive directing debut from Tony Gilroy is a no-holds-barred examination of the corruption of the powerful juxtaposed with the indelible morality of the righteous. Clooney, Wilkinson and Swinton (she won an Oscar for her performance) are tremendous in meaty roles and are afforded excellent support from the entire cast. Slick, tense and written with clarity and a poison pen, Michael Clayton is one of the finest American dramas of this decade.

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WADRICK’S THIRTY SECOND FILM REVIEWS

Syriana (2005)
Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, George Clooney, Chris Cooper, Alexander Siddig, Amanda Peet, Mazhar Munir, Tim Blake Nelson & Christopher Plummer.
Written & Directed by Stephen Gaghan.

In the Middle East, two unemployed youths are drawn into a circle of Muslim extremists, while a energy analyst is sent to apply for a contract with Arab royalty and is met with tragedy. In the United States, a CIA operative becomes obsessed with finding a missile sold in an arms deal, and a morally corrupted attorney investigates the merger of two massive oil corporations. Gaghan, the Oscar-winning writer of Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, has again chosen heavy material for his second film as director, this time concentrating on the global influence of Big Oil. Loosely based on former CIA officer Robert Baer’s memoir, this complex, serpentine tale of interconnected lives and events is a masterpiece of subtle storytelling, weaving its tapestry deliberately and gaining momentum at every turn. Accompanied by a haunting, minimalist score from Alexandre Desplat, Syriana is a rare bird in the fickle environment of Hollywood, demanding strict attention from its audience. Wright and Clooney (in an Oscar-winning role) are simply magnificent amid a cluster of excellent performances, and Gaghan demonstrates again that he is a writer of enormous talent.

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Music & Lyrics (2007)
Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, Brad Garrett, Kristen Johnston and Campbell Scott.
Written & Directed by Mark Lawrence.

Alex Fletcher (Grant) is a former pop idol from the 1980s now reduced to singing for his middle-aged fans at embarrassing venues. When he is given the chance to resurrect his career by writing a hit song for a young Britney-style pop princess, he teams up with kooky Sophie (Barrymore), a former English Lit major who displays a natural talent for lyrics and melody. As the two proceed in their venture, love blossoms…of course. This insightful, honest comedy is highly entertaining and features the kind of genuine laughs that are conspicuously absent from most Hollywood comedies. Grant and Barrymore have chemistry to spare and are wonderful foils for each other, receiving solid support from TV actors Johnston and Garrett. OK, the more macho among us may consider this your typical “chick flick”, but this macho man was totally captivated by Music & Lyrics. The film never felt contrived and delivered some truly catchy tunes that had this reviewer singing the next day in the shower (much to the chagrin of my partner).

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Dawn Of The Dead (2004)
Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Michael Kelly & Mekhi Phifer.
Written by James Gunn & Scott Frank.
Directed by Zack Snyder.

Ana (Polley) awakes one morning to a living hell. Her husband is trying to kill her after being bitten by their next door neighbour, and outside on the streets, civilisation is collapsing. This is all thanks to some unknown phenomenon that is turning people into ravenous zombies – but these ain’t your typical shuffling kind of zombie, these suckers can run! She eventually teams up with cop Kenneth (Rhames) and a bunch of other survivors who take refuge in a shopping mall. This electric horror film is a remake of the George A Romero classic of the same name from 1978. Yet, all the two films really share in common are their titles and major set-piece (the shopping mall). It lacks the social commentary of Romero’s film, but stands proudly alongside it as a definitive ‘re-imagining’. The film is redundant and obvious at times, and even crosses the line on one occasion, but for this genre, it delivers exactly what its intended audience craves – a decent story, a good pace and a bucketload of gore.

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(Wadrick Jones is a freelance writer for GritFX and will post weekly thirty second film reviews on this blog.)

WADRICK’S THIRTY SECOND FILM REVIEWS

Burn After Reading (2008)
George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton & Brad Pitt.
Written & Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen.

For the last twenty-five years, the Coen Brothers have created some of the most unique films in American cinema history. From Blood Simple to No Country For Old Men, the Coens have consistently displayed highly individual techniques and superior writing. Burn After Reading is another addition to their long line of quality work with crazy performances from all involved. On the surface, not much happens in this short and sweet black comedy, but at it’s deepest it is a brilliant study of the power of perception. When the financial records of a former intelligence analyst fall into the hands of a pair of nitwits, they mistakenly assume the numbers and codes are of extreme national security importance. When their blackmail of the analyst goes awry, they decide to sell the ‘secrets’ to the Russians, setting off a string of events that involves multiple fools and horses. This is one of those films that depends on the viewer’s ability to conform to its’ style from the outset – those unaccustomed to the Brothers’ work may find themselves floundering in the material, just like the characters in the film itself.

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Cloverfield (2008)
Michael Stahl-David, TJ Miller, Jessica Lucas, Odette Yustman & Lizzy Caplan.
Written by Drew Goddard.
Directed by Matt Reeves.

I love a good ‘creature feature’, but the decent one’s are few and far between. In an update of the classic Godzilla-style monster rampage, Cloverfield is an original and entertaining take on the creature flick. Seen through the lens of the video camera of one of the characters, the film begins simply enough, introducing us to its cast via a farewell surprise party. Amid the drama of the party, an event occurs. Something is happening in Manhattan – and it is not entirely clear what the hell is going on. Until we catch sight of a massive creature tearing up the city that appears to be ejecting smaller creatures from it’s body into the streets. The military arrives, but soon find that their asses are gonna get kicked hard. From there, we follow the actions of a small group of characters attempting to flee the path of destruction. This is the best faux-documentary film since the granddaddy of this sub-genre The Blair Witch Project. Whilst the handheld camera technique may annoy some viewers, it is handled deftly, presenting an incredibly intense and believable (fictional) record of events.

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The Strangers (2008)
Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, Glenn Howerton.
Written & Directed by Bryan Bertino.

A young couple arrive at a remote country house in the middle of the night following a wedding reception. There is tension between them – he has proposed and she has rejected him. The tension escalates when it becomes apparent that there are some nefarious masked dudes outside stalking them. This moody, well-shot film was marketed as being based on a true story, but this is simply not the case, prompting one to ask if it’s a story that is worth telling. What purpose does a film such as this serve? It could hardly be described as entertainment and borders on voyeurism. For the recent surge in films of this nature (ie; Hostel) present a sadistic approach to what is considered ‘entertainment’. Unlike the similar Vacancy, The Strangers leaves a bad taste in the mouth due to the visceral representation of its cruelty and lack of morality.

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(Wadrick Jones is a freelance writer for GritFX and will post weekly thirty second film reviews on this blog.)

WADRICK’S THIRTY SECOND FILM REVIEWS

Hellboy 2 (2008)
Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss and Jeffrey Tambor.
Written by Guillermo del Toro & Mike Mignola. Directed by Guillermo del Toro

The red ape is back, wisecracking his way through another adventure and saving mankind from the evil elements of the netherworld in the process. Big, brash, colourful and highly entertaining with visuals that put the original and Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth to shame. Yet, this Grand Guignol of fantasy is missing some of the mystery and mythology that made the original Hellboy so great, not to mention some seriously questionable plot developments.

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There Will Be Blood (2007)
Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano and Ciaran Hinds.
Written & Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Daniel Day Lewis is a phenomenal actor. The man could dress himself in a bunny suit and play Brear Rabbit and still win an Oscar. Adding another gritty epic to his outstanding resume, director Anderson weaves an incredible tale of nihilism, eliciting the kind of raw emotional impact that few filmmakers can achieve. A truly great American film that stands as a mountain against the majority of crap that descends from Hollywood.

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Leatherheads (2008)
George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski and Jonathon Pryce.
Written by Duncan Brantley & Rick Reilly. Directed by George Clooney

In his third film as director, Clooney travels back to the 1920’s and the birth of professional football in this fitfully funny homage to the screwball comedies of Hollywood’s yesteryear. A great performer, Clooney is still no Cary Grant and Zellweger is definitely no Kate Hepburn, making this film a strange hybrid of modern and retro sensibilities. And despite it’s wonderful period detail, it becomes increasingly tiresome at it’s almost two hour length.

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(Wadrick Jones is a freelance writer for GritFX and will post weekly thirty second film reviews on this blog.)