Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Not sure I can muster enough enthusiasm to write a full review for this one. If truth be told I've never been much of a Tim Burton fan. His Gothic sensibilities just don't gel with my own and I've not out and out enjoyed any of his films since Ed Wood.

This is the archetypal Tim Burton film. Dark lighting, tortured main character, a touch of the fantastical, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, handsome visuals, etc. Much of that is all well and good but the main problem with Sweeney Todd is that it's a musical. And worse than that it's a musical with lousy music. The songs are dreadful. All of them. I couldn't even sing one now if I tried and I only saw it two days ago. You have to at least have some memorable songs in a musical but there a none here. Zip. There's one amusing line in one song - a line about piss in a scene that features Sacha Baron Cohen - easily the best thing in the film - but it's far too little enjoyment in a film that could have done with a heck of a lot more humour. I'm not the world's greatest fan of musicals granted but I do appreciate them if they're good. I really didn't think this was.

Obviously it is not a bad film. I'm not sure Tim Burton is capable of that. He's too talented: the visuals alone are award-worthy and pretty much always are with Burton. Just as much effort must go into creating the look of a film as in the story-telling so he certainly deserves credit for presentation. But I really was bored by the story and I think I'd have walked out of had I not been stuck in the middle of a row so I can't give this a good grade. However, I suspect if you like Burton you'll love this.

C-

No Country For Old Men

A bit late to the party with this review as it opened a couple of weeks back, but for those that haven't yet seen the Coen brothers' latest, it's well worth the effort. Adapted from the Cormack MacCarthy bestseller, this has been cited as a return to form for the Coens and spoken of with the same regard as Fargo. No Country For Old Men is hot favourite top win the Oscar this year and the Coens have been winning directing awards left right and centre including, most notably, this weekend's Director's Guild of America award, which they were presented with by Martin Scorsese.

If it wins the Oscar (and it seems to be more than a decent bet) it will mark this as the most critically acclaimed Coens film of all time. Forget the comparisons with Fargo - this will stand out there on its own. It'll be the movie that all their others are compared to.

The obvious question is does it deserve such praise? I have to say that it probably does. I have my reservations - and I really really wish I hadn't - but for a good 80% of the running time this is sheer pleasure in celluloid form. My complaints are no doubt the same as many other people's - in fact I know they are because I've heard them. However these criticisms are what turn this A+ film into an A- one - it's not as if they make this an abject failure. It's still a terrific motion and one I'd unhesitatingly recommend.

Josh Brolin stars as Llewelyn Moss, who spots a strange sight one evening whilst hunting pronghorn - a limping pitbull. The injured animal leaves a trail of blood which he follows to reveal several trucks parked out in the middle of the desert. This impeccably directed scene ends with Moss' discovery of a satchel holding $2 million dollars.

$2 million dollars doesn't often go missing without someone trying to find it and amongst the men trying to track it down is Anton Chigurh, a man best described as a complete psychopath with a dodgy haircut. Chigurh is played brilliantly by Javier Bardem who manages to unsettle simply with a softly spoken, guttural voice. He is the physical embodiment of the movie's themes fate vs free-will. One of the greatest scenes in film this year sees him engage in conversation with a gas station employee, who he asks to call the toss of a coin. It quickly becomes clear that Chigurh is asking the employee to stake his life on the coin-toss. The scene is one of many stunning sequences that literally had me on the edge of my seat. I actually leaned forward in admiration, soaking up every brilliant second of a thriller that was as tense, as exciting and as, well thrilling, as any made in recent years.

For 90 minutes this is an A+ film. Stunning. Magical. Unforgettable. But then things go a little wrong. The last 30 minutes don't exactly ruin the film. It's still an A- effort, however it does take the gloss of a perfect creation and that is more frustrating than seeing a good film screw things up really badly. However it's impossibly to discuss what I believe to be flaws without giving away key plot information. Do not keep reading if you've not seen the film!

Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers


Really Really Big Spoilers


Have You Seen The Film?


If Not Why Are You Still Reading?!

Firstly Josh Brolin dies off camera. His death is a complete anti-climax to a story we've been becoming more and more invested in for the film's duration. It helps that Brolin delivers a stunning performance, but Moss is the perfect foil to the madness of Chigurh. He's the good guy that we can all root for - the average Joe who stumbles across $2 million and who tries desperately to hang onto it in the face of a seemingly unstoppable bad guy. Every single person in the theatre is hanging on to his every move, his every decision and to have him killed is bad enough but to have him killed in such an anti-climatic way is much worse. We then have 30 minutes of the Coens driving home the reasons for this, but the film feels like it should end with Moss' death and spiritually I think it does. The Coens, in the way they present Moss' demise and in the 30 minutes that follow, are exploring the themes of free-will and fate. In his death they are essentially showing us how things don't turn out how we want them to. Yet sometimes sermonising is far less enjoyable that a good old fashioned denouement with good guy going up against bad guy and the good guy prevailing against all the odds. Well of course it doesn't have to turn out exactly like that, the good guy can even die, but at least let us see it!

Spoilers End Spoilers End Spoilers End Spoilers End

By all accounts Joel and Etan Coen have been faithful to the source so I guess the fault lies with MacCarthy, but it is not the most satisfying way to end a film that was chew your nails off brilliant. I'd still say it is there best since Fargo. I suspect when I see it again I'll enjoy it even more. I may even see it again whilst it's still in theatres. I'd advise you strongly to do the same.

A-

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Oh, how long I waited to see this, in eager anticipation for well over a year. So, the question is...was it worth the wait?

The story focuses on the final year of the life of one of America's most infamous, and most controversial, figures, Jesse James before...well, the title kind of tells you the rest. James, depending on who you speak to, was a cold-blooded murderer, a bandit, a philanthropist, a madman, a Robin Hood type character who took from the rich and gave to the poor and an American hero. All these aspects - and many more besides - are captured by the film and by Brad Pitt's outstanding performance in the titular role.

It is difficult to know where to begin with this. Pitt and Casey Affleck (Robert Ford) are both outstanding and deliver 10/10 list-busting performances. For me, Pitt just edges it and that is not in any way a criticism of Affleck, or of the other cast members, to whom I'll return. What's most impressive about Pitt's performance is the gravitas and the depth he lends to the character. James stalks every scene with his aura and charisma. They say you can tell when a great person enters a room and the atmosphere changes and somehow this effect (which I can genuinely believe the historical James possessed) is captured on film. The tension, and James' presence in every room, is palpable and only increases as James becomes more and more unstable, paranoid, and neurotic as the film drifts on. That's a real testament to Pitt, but also to the ensemble cast who are obviously vital in capturing so difficult an essence to bottle. All are excellent, though a particular mention in dispatches must go to the underrated Paul Schneider (as the philandering Dick Liddil) and, especially, to Sam Shepard who plays Frank James, Jesse's almost equally notorious older brother. Sadly, the elder James disappears to early and Schneider is underused. Parts of this actually feel like the Thin Red Line in the way characters flow in and out of the movie as naturally as the light lays on the tips of the Missouri corn on the prairies depicted in the film's most beautiful moments.

Which brings me on to the cinematography. It has to be seen to be believed. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a beautiful film, with its harrowing depictions of wide open, sun-kissed, beauty entwined with bleak, snowy, landscapes that foreshadow James' darkening mood and his ever-shrinking world. Utterly stunning in the way that it encapsulates everything the film seems to be about. Roger Deakins has deservedly been nominated for best cinematography. Will he win? Well, after Saving Private Ryan won in 1999 ahead of the Thin Red Line, I lost what little remaining faith I had in the Oscars to reward quality film making. It would be a crime if Deakins didn't win. Casey Affleck has also been nominated for Best Supporting Actor and would be a worthy winner.

Another excellent thing about this film is that at least the first hour and a half disappears without any kind of plot whatsoever. It's all about life and the characters who make it up. Only half way in does a recognisable plot (as such) begin to develop and that is a huge positive as you are free, during the first part of the film, to invest in the deep and layered characters being presented to you on screen.

If truth be told, there is much more than this to recommend this film but it must be seen to be truly and fully appreciated. It's brilliant. I could have watched on for much longer in the company of these characters and the performers who depict them so brilliantly. An true example of master craftsmen, director, actors, cinematographer, musicians (and many more), at the top of their game and working in harmony to create a spellbinding and sublime whole. If you haven't already (and if you can find a cinema that's showing it) go and see this.

A+

Heath Ledger (1979-2008)

You'll be missed

Monster (2003)

An odd film this. Based on the true story of America's most notorious female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, it was never going to be an easy watch, particularly as the director takes a first person perspective on the killer in the way that (for example) Zodiac (or Se7en) doesn't. The result is an enjoyable, balanced (in one sense at least) and fair, if unspectacular, film.

The first half of the film is better than the second and the relationship between the two main characters, Aileen, played by the excellent (and duly recognised by the movie-watching public as such) Charlize Theron, and Selby, played by Christina Ricci. Ricci's performance is solid but, in all honesty, there is not much substance to her selfish character and it's not, in my view, a very challenging role. The same can't be said of playing Aileen Wuornos. Theron gets into character perfectly from the off and at no point do you ever feel as though you are watching someone acting, it feels like a very real, flesh and blood, performance. Excellent.

The first half of the film charts the sweet and innocent relationship that develops between the two before things go wrong because of a tragic incident that can easily have the effect on fragile human life as portrayed in the film.

The second half, as Wuornos' killings become more and more senseless, is far less compelling and convincing. The ultimate result is a satisfactory film that I can't, however, see myself ever returning to. I cannot say whether it represents a genuine representation of Wuornos' life but it is a fair and balanced look at how life, and events, can so tragically and dramatically destroy the lives of individuals because of the unequal and often dehumanising conditions in which many human beings are compelled to live. As a film, the characters just aren't engaging enough, especially as the material becomes tougher and tougher and that is partly down to Ricci's miserable and selfish character Selby. It's an interesting ride following the short and tragic journey of the couple, but it's not always a gripping one.

Not great, but not bad either:

B-

Lack Of Posts #2

This picture I'm sure represents the forlorn feelings of all our many fans at the lack of posting.
My apologies as well. I cannot use the excuse of lack of internet sadly, I've just been mega busy. Ironically, this has also been the time when I've made more visits to the cinema than any time in the last six months. This lack of posting will be rectified as of tonight, starting from now...

Lust, Caution

Ang Lee specialises in films that explore love and intimacy. His best work explore these intangibles from all angles: the lack of affection between a middle aged, quite unhappily married couple in The Ice Storm; the repressed but deeply held intimacy between two men in Brokeback Mountain; the interwoven, requited and unrequited love in Sense and Sensability. All these films are superb examples of how to bring to life a relationship and convincingly portray it on screen. His latest effort is arguably his most convincing and most satisfying yet. It concerns the intensely intimate relationship between a government official and a resistance fighter and it can be described as nothing short of ground breaking.

This is Ang Lee's first film in his native tongue since 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and it is fascinating to see him work again with great Asian actors. One of these is Tony Leung, an actor who is all over my colleague's movie years ballots, and after seeing this it’s not hard to understand the appeal. I’ve seen Leung before, in Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love. That’s a highly regarded film and one that features a widely acclaimed performance. But I’ll be damned if he’s not so much better here. Starring opposite him is an actress with none of Leung’s years of experience, but one who betrays such youth with a performance that matches Leung in every way. Tei apparently saw off literally hundreds of other applicants for the role. It was one well worth fighting for and for Lee and his casting crew, such a meticulous auditioning process has paid off.

Wang Tei plays a student in Japanese occupied China, who's recruited by a group of idealistic, patriotic youths determined to resist the oppression thrust upon them. They begin their opposition through theatre but quickly become frustrated with the impotency of their efforts and soon gradate to more brutal methods. They hatch a plan to murder one of the key Japanese collaborators in the region (Leung) and plot for Tei to first befriend then seduce him.

Ang Lee has really taken a chance in this film, filming the most graphic love scenes ever seen in a movie intended for mainstream audiences. However these scenes are not only the most graphic they are also the most convincing. Perhaps there’s a correlation between the two, but it is not just the nudity that makes these scenes so effective. Lee handles the camera with absolute precision. Every movement, every shot so thoughtfully planned and note perfect in execution. The acting is a tour de force and this fascinatingly complex relationship is brought to life, and to a certain extent is told through their love making. It’s a relationship that evolves in unexpected ways throughout the course of the film and it is rare that we see character development as effective as this.

Leung and Tei are perfect. Leung plays a man who shows very little emotion for 90% of the time, and then an explosion of ferocity and passion for the rest. This stark contrast and the intensity of the emotion displayed, nearly all of which is reserved for the love scenes between himself and Tang Wei, is completely riveting. Wei begins the film as a naïve student who can barely overcome her shyness enough to appear on stage, and ends the film as a key figure within the resistance able to deceive one of the most paranoid and cautious men in China. Her transformation is utterly compeelling; she’s superb.

Lust, Caution was disqualified as Taiwan’s entry for foreign language film at the Oscars due to having to large a percentage of cast and crew coming in from outside Taiwain. It’s a real shame as it will almost certainly not find itself shortlisted in any of the other categories* and this is a film that deserves more attention. Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography deserves notice, although it has to be said there’s an embarrassment of riches in that particular category this year so one cannot complain too much if he is overlooked. The score by Alexandre Desplat is certainly award-worth as well, but the greatest behind the camera achievement is undoubtedly that of Lee’s. This may very well be the best directed film of the year and the greatest directorial achievement in his illustrious career.

A-

*and indeed it wasn't. Nominees were announced earlier today - I wrote this review last weekend.

Lack of Posts

Apologies to our many fans for a lack of recent posts. I've no internet at the moment - that'll be rectified Friday. Have some reviews to go up, including Lust, Caution which you'll probably read before you read this post as I'll put it up shortly.

Shame to see it get completely shut out at the Oscars but overall I liked their list so I won't complain too much.

Oscar Reaction

Nominees announced today - head over to Oscar.com for the complete list. Here's my reaction to the best and worst...

The great:

6 nominations in the major categories for Michael Clayton: film, director, actor, supporting actor and actress, screenplay. That's the best of any film. Totally deserved.

Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises

Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Roger Deakins’ cinematograpy for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Marco Beltrami’s brilliant score in 3:10 to Yuma.

The not:

No love for The Lookout (totally expected though) including no love for the best score in recent history by James Newton Howard.

No love for Lust, Caution – was disqualified for foreign film but still deserved notice especially for Tang Wei who would have slotted in nicely instead of Cate Blanchett who’s been nominated for that character before and the film was, by all accounts, awful. Total non-surprise that Ang Lee’s film was shut out but I’ll moan anyway.

Zero love for the excellent Zodiac. Again, no surprise but that doesn’t make it right!

No Gordon Pinsent in Away from Her, despite him delivering the best performance in the film. Julie Christie’s nomination was deserved though and it was good to see Sarah Polley recognised for an excellent debut (she was nominated for adapted screenplay).

The Dark Knight Trailer

Haven't been so disappointed by a trailer in a long time...Be interested to know what you guys think. Might even take it off my top 10 for 2008 preview list : (

Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)

This reviewer was decidely unimpressed with Kill Bill Vol.1 to the tune of a D. In fact, I had decided not to bother with part two, which I'd anyway heard was the weaker of the two. I think my colleague will protest, but I couldn't disagree more.

Vol. 2 is by far the superior of the two films. The characters are better and, more importantly, better developed, it feels like there's a proper story, with some interesting sidelines, and it isn't just a pointless bloody mess (in both senses of the term). In fact, there is very little in the way of the blood and gore which so defined, and in my view overwhelmed, the first movie.

The Bride feels like a more flesh and blood character than in the first movie, (the excellent) Daryl Hannah's Elle Driver is by far the best of the villainesses, and she gets proper screen time here, and Michael Madsen is as entertaining as he always is. The real star of the show, however, is Bill, played majestically, thoughtfully and deeply by David Carradine. He, like Hannah, is given far more screen time here and the result is a full-bodied, mature, character. The Bride's colourful (to say the least) and sadistic martial arts teacher, Pai Mei (pictured above), played with real verve and chemistry by Chia Hui Liu, is also highly deserving of a mention in dispatches. Apparently the character Pai Mei (which means "White eyebrow") appeared in numerous kung fu films in the 1970's and 1980's, they might well be worth seeing for Pai Mei alone!

It's not a perfect film by any means. The ending is ropey and you can see it coming a mile off and a few aspects and moments invite you to suspend belief just a little too much for my liking (though there are less of them than in vol. 1). That said, there are some excellent scenes (I could watch the Bride and Bill on the porch of the church over and over again - it would win scene of 2004 if we had such a list - and it takes on even more sophistication after you've seen Vol.2's last reel) and it by far surpasses the over-indulgent, shallow and heartless original. This, on the other hand, has flesh, it has heart, and it has soul.

B

Another 2007 release, another great film.

Will try and get round to a full review but for now I'll just say this'll be vying for a top 5 spot without a doubt and both Tony Leung and Wei Tang will be on my shortlist as well. Ang Lee is just immensely talented.

I'd also confidently predict that Matt will love it.

January Preview

With my main 2008 preview to come, here's a little preview of some potential highlights (and lowlights?) in January...

First up, I've gone for the new one from the Coen Brothers' 'No Country For Old Men', featuring a rumoured-to-be-stunning performance from a Matt all-time top 25 performer, Javier Bardem. Also starring Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, the story focuses on Llewelyn Moss (Brolin) who finds a stash of money and heroin and the bloody events that follow. Bardem seems to have been given huge creative licence and, possibly, the role of a lifetime in the form of a sadistic killer who flips coins for human lives. This could be stunning. Released Friday 18/01/07

Next up comes the Tom Hanks vehicle, Charlie Wilson's War. Hanks plays the titular character who helps to arm Afghan rebels against the Russians, at the heart of the cold-war era, with obvious and deep consequences. This sounds weighty and I'm sure it will be, although I hear that early reviews (unlike No Country For Old Men) have not been favourable, despite it once being an early frontrunner in the Oscar race. Still, an all-star cast of Hanks, the returning Julia Roberts, Amy Adams and the always excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman promises much, not least in dollars, as my colleague's excellent post a month or so back highlighted. Should be worth a watch at least. Released this Friday (11/01/08).

A lowlight for me, but surely a highlight for others, is Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd. I was distinctly unimpressed with the initial trailer and now that I've found out it's a musical, am less impressed still. However, Burton, and his long-time collaborator, the ludicrously handsome Johnny Depp, have massive followings and this is sure to have a wide appeal, even if it is not one I'll be queuing up for. Or even dusting off the Blockbuster shelves in three years for that matter. Still, for those who are going to check it out, expect a colourful interpretation, a solid performance from Depp and plenty of (not Al) gore. I hope you enjoy! Also starring the excellent, and always always watchable, Alan Rickman. And Ali G and Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen. Released 25/01/08.

On MyFilmVault we always like the personal touch, none of this withdrawn ivory-tower film journalism nonsense on here, so here are two films I'll certainly be checking out in January after belated arrivals to a screen near me in Leicester. The first is Ang Lee's new espionage thriller Lust, Caution, starring one of my favorite actors of all time, Tony Leung. I cannot wait. I can wait even less for a film that I've been salivating over for at least a year, the impressive-looking The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. It seems I'm destined not to see this film, so the projector will probably break or the cinema burn down or my bike will get a flat on the way, or something, so keep your fingers crossed for me. I hope I finally make it! Will post reviews if I do manage to see them both.

And finally...January sees the reissue of a Hitchcock classic and a film Adam and I both adore, The Lady Vanishes (1938), starring Margaret Lockwood, May Whitty and Michael Redgrave. Despite its age, this remains a true edge-of-your-seat thriller about a woman who mysteriously disappears on a train journey, that stands comparison with anything the directors of today can offer. In fact, it surpasses them. Who touches the master after all? If you've not seen it, you've got to check this out, I can promise you that you won't regret it! In fact, even if you have seen it, what an excuse to catch it again with Hitchcock on the big screen!

And that takes us up to 01/02/2008 and the release of my first 'can't wait to see' film of 2008 - Cloverfield, the stunning trailer for which I've pasted below...



HAPPY NEW YEAR MYFILMVAULT READERS!!! Let's hope 2008 is a great year for moviegoing!

Matewan (1987)

Have seen quite a few films recently, but it seems only appropriate to start with the best of them. Based on real life events, Matewan focuses on Chris Cooper's union man, Joe Kenehan, who visits the town of Matewan to support a group of coal miners in their dispute with the mining company that has long exploited them and their families. Naturally, Kenehan stirs up trouble, whilst managing to unite the various factions of minors (including the 'scabs' who initially take the place of the indigenous striking minors), and all hell breaks loose.

As readers of MyFilmVault will know, this is my kind of stuff. It's tough, taught and hard-edged, with a powerful social conscience in tow. Yet, as I always say, it's the characters, and the actors who portray them, which make this such compelling, impossible-to-look-away, fare.

Perhaps MyFilmVault needs to have another section in movie-years for other notable bits of excellence. For the first time I would genuinely like to nominate the ensemble cast of Matewan for a stunning all-round performance which gives the film all its compelling drama. They surpass all other casts in terms of what they provide as an ensemble. In short, there are no weak links. Cooper is excellent as the film's focal point, James Earl Jones is superb (though sadly underused) as the earthy, best-name-ever-list-topper, 'Few Clothes' Johnson, Mary McDonell is good as the (nicely) understated love interest, Will Oldham is good as the young, idealistic, preacher Danny, and Gordon Clapp and (Lost's) Kevin Tighe are suitably despicable as the bad guys and David Strathairn...well, you get the idea. A stunning cast and huge kudos to John Sayles for directing them so well. This is one of those films where you can just tell the chemistry is right and each scene flows delicately and subtly into the next like the river that meanders softly and naturally through the titular town.

Haskell Wexler was deservedly nominated for the cinematography and the pastel, light, shades hide a darker underbelly and a cutting social commentary on the nature of exploitation and poverty and yet, with that, some of the more positive things that can come out of them, togetherness, struggle and unity. A true testament to an excellent director, a truly stunning ensemble performance, and ideals we, at the beginning of this new millennium, might do well to revisit.

Highly recommended to all!

A

I Am Legend

Here is the other perspective on the MyFilmVault class trip to see Will Smith's latest. Well, not so much another perspective as we almost agree entirely.

I had heard reviews saying that the first hour or so of I Am Legend are brilliant and the last half hour ropey. And, as my colleague says, that is absolutely spot on. I do not generally find myself in agreement with the film-reviewing community, and I'm not sure my colleague does either, but this time it is hard not to agree.

The first hour is brilliant, A grade, material. Smith is good, the atmosphere is taught and gripping, the post-apocalyptic New York looks visually stunning, and the character of Robert Neville is very well developed indeed. As in Cast Away, a non-human character is used to excellent effect and is a central part of the film's best scene. Unfortunately, this best scene also signals the film's turning point.

The last half hour is ropey, and it is possibly even ropier if I have misunderstood part of the ending (which I won't spoil), but I'll give the film the benefit of the doubt. God comes into it very unnecessarily and the whole chance/fate/free will thing is dealt with pretty poorly. It is handled much better and much more effectively, for example, in the excellent and underrated Signs.

I would go a couple of steps further than my colleague and say that the CGI monsters are pretty damn terrible and unconvincing, which doesn't help when you're on fictitous sci-fi territory anyway. Monsters need to convince if they are to frighten. It felt like all of the budget went on making New York look as good as it does and a few quid went on the mutants. Disappointing.

However, the good bits outweigh the flaws and it is, to be honest, worth watching for the first hour alone, an excellent and, at times, very moving character study on the themes of loneliness, isolation and tragedy. So, therefore, it is fully worthy of a

B

I am Legend

Well my piece on actors vs actresses left no doubt about who the most bankable star in the world of cinema was and Will Smith has done it again, breaking records for December opening weekends and smashing through the $200 million dollar mark in a little over 3 weeks.

I am Legend is the 3^rd adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel about the last man on earth. Ridley Scott was slated to direct Arnold Schwarzanegger in this film (or a variation thereof) back in the 90s but however much I love Ridley Scott, I can’t help thinking it was probably best that this film was made instead.

It’s not perfect – in fact I thought the entire second half was a bit of a let down, however Will Smith is one of the few actors that can be on screen on his own for 2 hours and for that not to become a little stale. He’s not quite at his best here – a couple of scenes don’t convince, particularly when he has a bit of a meltdown. However he shows once again why the public will pay to see him and for the first 60 minutes this is a grade A action film.

New York has never been portrayed quite like this. In fact it probably surpasses Ridley Scott’s own take on New York earlier this year in American Gangster. The latter was a brilliant retro look at 70s New York, and it was totally convincing. This though is a look at an apocalyptic New York and looks even better (if you’ll forgive the slightly pointless comparison!). Grass grows in the pavement cracks, plants have grown to 8 foot tall, deer wander along deserted avenues. It’s brilliant. A big gold star for the CGI guys on that one.

A big black mark for the same guys though (if indeed it was the same guys) for the zombified human mutants. They’re not quite right – not appalling mind you, just not quite up to scratch.

I stated that the entire 2^nd half is a bit of a let down. There’s a mention of God at just over the halfway point that totally gives away the ending. I didn’t imagine God would be proved wrong in an American blockbuster and indeed he is not. It’s a pointless and stupid mention and really irritated me. However, for all its flaws I find myself preferring to concentrate on the good points and I guess that’s testament to how well they pulled much of it off. Not the perfect action film but worth seeing on the big screen.

B-

Enchanted

Certainly the best live action Disney film the studio has produced in quite some time, this genuinely funny comedy benefits from a committed lead performance from Amy Adams. Adams had come to notice in Junebug and shines here as the cartoon princess thrust into the harsh, alien world of Manhattan.

Perfectly cast as the prince who vows to rescue her is James Marsden – a guy so good looking that he looks exactly how you’d imagine a cartoon prince would look if they ever came to life. Maybe that doesn’t sound good looking, but he has the face and the charm to suit the role perfectly. Patrick Dempsey plays a real person who may or may not be her real true and although his floppy hairstyle created numerous continuity errors throughout, he’s more than capable in his role. Timothy Spall, an actor who was surely waiting all his career for an Alfred Hitchcock bio to come along, only for Anthony Hopkins to get the gig plays the wicked queen’s henchman; the queen herself being played by Susan Sarandon.

It’s hard not to like much of this film. The casting’s great, there are some great songs – including a terrific musical number in Central Park that even the biggest musical curmudgeon can’t possible not smile at. The script could be tighter – there are some funny moments – there probably could have been more, but all in all it’s a great family film that the adults will enjoy just as much as the kids.

B