Sundance London 2014 Review - They Came Together (2014)

Sundance London 2014
Genre:
Comedy, Indie
Rating: 15
Location:
Cineworld,O2 Arena, London
Release Date:
26th April, 27th April 2014
Director:
David Wain
Cast:
Paul Rudd, Cobie Smulders, Michael Shannon, Amy Poehler
Buy Tickets: Here
We’re all familiar with the rules of a rom-com by now. Boy meets girl, boy and girl hate each other, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl fall out, boy and girl get back together and live happily ever after. In fact we’re so familiar with the pattern that we could probably make one ourselves. Well there’s no need to anymore as David Wain has already done it for us in the sniggeringly titled They Came Together.

This skewed version of the genre takes all the conventions of an average rom-com and knowingly lampoons them to send up the formulaic nature with which they unfold. Paul Rudd stars as the “vaguely, but not overtly, Jewish” guy to Amy Poehler’s “klutzy but adorable” gal as the pair describe the story of their relationship to their friends over dinner.

It’s a story complete with all the well-worn traits which leads to a gag heavy 90 minutes, some landing slightly heavier than others. Crammed in are sight gags, slapstick gags, innuendo and nods to countless Meg Ryan, Jennifer Anniston and Katherine Heigl movies not to mention a pre-McConnassaince Matthew McConaughey.

The targets are certainly large and, for the most part, successfully hit but with the volume of jokes coming this thick and fast you’d be forgiven for hoping for a better strike rate. There is too a sense that this could easily have started as an idea for extended Saturday Night Live sketch and merely padded out to stretch to the length of a film to ape the genre that further bit.

Spoof movies range wildly in terms of success, by sending up entire genres they can sometimes have a rather scattergun approach; for every Airplane there’s a Scary Movie 4. Thankfully They Came Together is closer to the former than the latter, helped in no small part by the sheer likeability of the two leads Rudd and Poehler – cast perfectly and just as easy to root for as the characters they mimic.

★★★☆☆

Matthew Walsh

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DVD Review - Short Term 12

Genre:
Drama
Distributor:
Verve Pictures
Rating:15
DVD/BD Release Date:
10th March 2014 (UK)
Director:
Destin Cretton
Cast:
Brie Larson, Frantz Turner, John Gallagher Jr.
Buy:Short Term 12 [DVD] / Short Term 12 [Blu-ray]
Win Short Term 12 on Blu-ray: enter here
Short Term 12, for the most part, is an emotionally devastating drama that sensitively observes the lives of the residents and staff at a foster-care facility for at-risk kids. With an unsentimental eye, the director, Destin Cretton, creates scene after scene of believable situations that leave an indelible mark. Take, for example, the scene in which Jayden, the newest kid at the facility, throws the most harrowing of tantrums after her father doesn’t show up to take her home for the weekend, or the sequence in which she reads a fable she wrote about an octopus and a shark to her care worker Grace, revealing her abusive upbringing through an heartbreaking allegory.

The trouble is that as memorable as scenes like the ones I’ve described are, Cretton’s film is too often formulaic and predictable to be fully convincing. The rightfully lauded scenes of unsentimental observation are therefore occasionally undermined by the conventionality of the narrative, allowing for some sentimentality to creep in and overwhelm parts of the story. This is most apparent in the paralleling of Jayden’s traumatic story with the childhood of Grace, the films main protagonist. By creating similarities between the two characters’ upbringings, Jayden’s story becomes marginalised and is seen more as a contrivance to further Grace’s story arc.

The film is bookended by scenes in which Grace and her co-workers are sitting outside their titular workplace sharing informative anecdotes that neatly wrap up the story. This, coupled with the recurring motif of Grace arriving at work each morning driving her bicycle into the same static shot of the foster-care facility, leaves us with the notion that the cycle of care they provide is continuous and that for institutes like Short Term 12 there will always be at-risk kids in need of guidance. This is a rather poignant and fitting note for the film to end on. Though the film often frustrates, it is hard not to be moved by its story.

★★★☆☆

Shane James

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DVD Review - Bloody Homecoming

Genre:
Horror, Slasher
Distributor:
Imagine Entertainment
Rating: 15
DVD Release Date:
10th March 2014 (UK)
Director:
Brian C Weed
Cast:
Jim Tavaré, Rae Latt, Lexi Giovagnoli
Buy: Bloody Homecoming [DVD]
Bloody Homecoming, from first time feature director Brian C. Weed, is a strange kind of homage to classic slasher films, from its Halloween-inspired soundtrack to its creepy high school janitor, it wears its inspirations proudly but does little else. The film follows the lives of a group of students, each guilty for their involvement in a student’s death 3 years prior. As homecoming night looms, the anniversary of Billy Corbin’s murder, the students try their best to carry on whilst a masked killer butchers the group.

Though its heart is in the right place, a lot of stuff is crazy wrong with Bloody Homecoming. There’s a seemingly conscious engagement with slasher trope but it doesn’t lead anywhere. Spoof without comedy is pastiche, but pastiche without any comment or thrill is simply bad. As the film acts out a paint by numbers stalk-and-slash you’re left wondering when something cool will happen. Characters are killed in numerous anti-climactic death scenes whilst a lack of main character leaves the film directionless. Rather than pulling something postmodern out the bag and utilising that knowledge of slasher, the film executes an ending which, due to inconsequential characters and the inability to build tension, just kind of happens.  Saying that, Rae Latt does do her best to carry the finale though the shortcomings in editing and script unfortunately halt her most enjoyable scenes.

Bloody Homecoming dances the line between home movie and straight to DVD entertainment, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Its flat performances and hilariously stupid dialogue almost give it a charming edge over other plainly bad films, but the total lack of tension and drama keep it well and truly bogged down. It’s not enough for the film to be awful and unintentionally hilarious. This is a great shame since there’s obviously a passion for horror at work somewhere in there, it just needs to be addressed in a more deserving way.

Hilarious dialogue, wooden acting, and zero tension leaves this ode to classic slasher films looking like a second-rate re-enactment of better films. Avoid this if you can.

★☆☆☆☆

Scott Clark

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Movies Scored by Famous Musicians (Her Feature)

Often, a movie’s score goes unnoticed by an audience, but it can have major effects on the mood and setting of a film by subtly changing a viewer’s perception. If the score is not chosen wisely, it can hinder a film, or even worse, clash with the fundamental themes underlying it. In order to achieve the correct mood, it has become a recent trend for Hollywood film makers to collaborate with famous musicians. For Her, director Spike Jonze worked closely with Arcade Fire to create a sublime score that sweeps and swoons in alignment with Theodore’s (Joaquin Phoenix) emotions. In honour of Her’s February release, we’re taking a look at some of the best collaborations between famous musicians and film makers in recent memory.

Grizzly Bear/ Blue Valentine (2010)

Usually scores are inspired by the films they are created for, but in the case of Blue Valentine, the opposite is true. Director Derek Cianfrance worked for over 7 years to perfect his Blue Valentine script, but it wasn’t until he found the Grizzly Bear band that he hit his writing stride. As he wrote, he often listened to their music, fusing their melodic rhythm into the pacing of his writing. In 2007, he reached out to the band and asked if they would score his film. They obliged, and together with Cianfrance, were able to create two separate moods—one of romanticism for flashbacks and another highlighting tension for present day scenes—that defined the pacing of the film.

Alex Turner/ Submarine (2010)

The lead singer for the Arctic Monkeys took a brief hiatus in 2010 to work alone for the soundtrack of Submarine. In order to highlight this coming of age story, Turner put down his usual habitual rock style, and created six different acoustic songs. His soundtrack was critically acclaimed, and Turner used the experience to expand the sound of the Arctic Monkeys.

Trent Reznor/ The Social Network (2010)

While it’s hard to imagine The Social Network without its award winning soundtrack, Trent Reznor’s score almost didn’t happen. When David Fincher Initially offered Reznor the gig, he turned it down to take a break from music. Thankfully for the film however, Reznor changed his mind at the last minute, and joined forces with Atticus Ross to create a score that Roger Ebert called an “urgent composition that drove the film's headlong momentum.” After the credits finished, Reznor’s score kept on driving, taking the film to the academy awards where it was nominated for eight Oscars and won three including best original score.

Daft Punk/ Tron: Legacy (2010)

Before winning the Grammy for best album of the Year, the French duo took on the Disney remake of Tron in 2010. Their electric-pop vibe was a natural selection for the digital world, and the soundtrack for the film was a huge success, moving all the way to No. 4 on the Billboard top 200 list.

Karen O/ Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

To bring this beloved work of Maurice Sendak to life, Spike Jonze enlisted the help of Karen O, lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and at the time, his current girlfriend. She lent her voice for several songs, including the Grammy nominated song All is Love, and helped to write the score, which was nominated for best original score at the Golden Globe awards.

John Greenwood/ There Will Be Blood (2007)

For There Will Be Blood, Radiohead’s guitarist John Greenwood accented Daniel Day Lewis’ performance with orchestral sounds to give the film a sinister, unsettling tone. Although his score was ultimately snubbed by the academy awards because of its use of previously recorded material, it was nominated for a Grammy in the category of “Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media".

Arcade Fire/ Karen O/ Her (2014)

For Her, Spike Jones collaborated with Arcade Fire to produce the score, and once again Karen O to sing an original song. Arcade Fire’s score has been nominated for best score by the academy awards, and Karen O’s “The Moon Song” has been nominated for Best Original Song. The film is also in the running for three more Oscars, including Best Picture.

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Muirhouse DVD Review

Genre:
Horror,Thriller
DVD Release Date:
10th February 2014(UK)
Distributor:
Monster Pictures
Rating:
15
Director:
Tanzeal Rahim
Cast:
Iain P.F. McDonald, Kate Henderson, Steve Lynch
Buy Muirhouse: [DVD]

Handheld horror inducts yet another tired entry into its seemingly endless reign of crap in Muirhouse, a wholly disappointing and irredeemable project from Tanzeal Rahim.

Lazily opting for the typical handheld narrative; Muirhouse follows the story of Philip Muirhouse, an author out to promote his latest ghost book by staying in the haunted Monte Cristo household, only by the end of the night three people will be dead and Muirhouse himself will be found by the police wandering miles away.

When the film opens on a squad car coming across Muirhouse, he looks less “nightmare victim” and more “festival goer post-hammering tent pegs” and from that moment it all gets worse. Long stretches of nothing are perhaps the signature of this piece, cutting into the 80 minute run-time and questioning whether the obviously bare script deserves a feature length flesh-out. These boring wasted minutes are not nuanced moments of apprehension and fulfillment, they do not contribute to the film whatsoever, they simply make it dull and let the viewer’s attention wander from the start.

In terms of the fear-factor, Muirhouse could have easily achieved the minimum scares by perhaps being a bit more ballsy. Instead of going for consistent jump-scares, which would have at least evoked some kind of response, Muirhouse gets bogged down fairly early on with confused visuals and audio ensuring that there’s little to scare. In its favour, however, these incoherencies recreate the ridiculous nature of paranormal investigation to a tee.

The aspect of Muirhouse most worthy of note would be its majestic setting which unfortunately does most of the film’s work for it. Filmed at the actual haunted Monte Cristo house in Australia, the house oozes creepy, every room and hallway inspires some kind of dread, but the film still suffers from shoddy scripting and bad filming which make it seem like a location scout’s presentation piece as opposed to an actual horror film. Seriously, a documentary on the house might be a better use of the space because it is the perfect haunted house.

The “climax” works only in the fact it’s just as tedious and flat as the rest of the film. A quick-cut bullshit ending does little to explain the set-up at the start, instead stopping in an awkward and frankly laughable state of affairs. Blair Witch-style sudden impact finales only work with the right build up and imagery, here, Muirhouse squandered a final chance at coherency.

The ultimate bogus horror based on minimal understanding of the mechanics of fear and cinema. Blank scripting, dull performances, a patronizing  guide to ghost hunting ,and non-existent scares keep Muirhouse hopelessly marooned in tedium.  This is horror cinema at its least entertaining and most despicable.

★☆☆☆☆

Scott Clark

Penthouse North Blu-ray Review

Genre:
Thriller
Distributor:
Image Entertainment
DVD/BD Release Date:
3rd February 2013 (UK)
Rating:
15
Director:
Joseph Ruben
Cast:
Michelle Monaghan, Michael Keaton, Barry Sloane
Buy Penthouse North: [DVD] or [Blu-ray]
On New Year ’s Eve, blind photo journalist Sara (Michelle Monaghan) finds her New York penthouse apartment turned into a private hell when she is stalked by a sadistic criminal intent on finding a hidden fortune.  Directed by Joseph Ruben (The Forgotten) and written by David Loughery (Lakeview Terrace) Penthouse North understands the basic mechanics of the thriller and passes as a throw-away kind of feature, but overall there isn’t enough going on to send you away wowed. 

                Monaghan gives a good performance but the script doesn’t exactly allow her much room to really grapple with her character in an intriguing way. Strange attempts at backstory see Michelle Monaghan blinded in Afghanistan, whilst random and seemingly pointless moments of “character development” fail to interest.  The same can be said for Barry Sloane’s intimidating but ultimately third-wheel turn as Chad the sadistic burglar. For 45 minutes or so the two do their best to keep the film afloat until a frustrated phone call has Keaton’s smooth king-criminal on-route to save the film. The timing is symbolic: as the film starts to prove it doesn’t have the stamina to pull off a truly exhilarating cat and mouse ordeal,  Exec producer Keaton steps in to liven the mood and lend his extensive experience.  Make no mistake, Penthouse North wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining without Keaton’s input; the veteran oddball exudes charm, leapfrogging the script to steal the show and give a surprising amount of clarity and direction to an otherwise loose cannon of a thriller.

                As a thrill ride the film actually sweeps you up,  the pace and action all ensure that the ninety minute run-time doesn’t exactly drag, but Penthouse’s own inability to create consistently involving scenarios leaves Sara and Chad bumbling around the apartment with little idea of why either are really there.

                Even though Keaton, Monaghan, and Sloane charge the finale with desperate energy ensuring the film ends on a good note, the end reveal seems a footnote rather than a climax, the action often fizzles out with little emotional involvement, and the near-gimmicky turn of narrative event reduces the feature to an elongated episode of something daft. Again and again the film appears to be a selection of parts as opposed to one consistent feature film.

Coherent and enjoyable enough for one viewing Penthouse North is a bland kind of thriller, consistently replicating other features rather than embracing a truly original story. Keaton ensures the second half of the film glides along smoothly, stealing the show with perfect comic timing and a conversational kind of villainy only the great are gifted with. 

★★☆☆☆

Scott Clark