Shame

As an amateur reviewer of films, my role is to essentially articulate what I liked and didn't like about a film to an unseen audience who may or may not agree with my views. There are some films which leave you speechless...

Shame centres around successful executive, Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) whose life is effectively ruled by his sex addiction. This is further complicated by the arrival of his young sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) who needs to stay in his apartment for a while as she seeks a career as a singer.

From the onset, it is clear that these are two very damaged people and you have to assume that something happened in their childhood, but this is not revealed during the film. The consequences of their childhood is seen in their reckless behaviour; with Sissy, it is her self-harming and unsuitable relationships; for Brandon, it is his constant need for sex.

Brandon quickly realises that he cannot continue with his lifestyle while Sissy is living with him and tries to take the opportunity to establish a relationship with a work colleague Marianne (Nicole Beharie). It becomes obvious that his only method of communicating is through sex.

This is a fantastically powerful film, with Fassbender and Mulligan attaining career highs. Both gave honest, engaging and raw performances and although there are several graphic sexual scenes, these are not gratuitous in any way. The sexual scenes were never shown as being enjoyable for Brandon, had they been seen as pleasurable, it would have undermined the message of the film.

It is a brutal film that hides nothing, doesn't gloss over any aspect of the subject matter and shows sex addiction for the torment that it is.

Verdict: A tough, but remarkable film that was unjustly overlooked at the Oscars. I would liked to have had more backstory, but unusually, I didn't mind that I left the screening with more questions than answers and in silence. 

Truly fantastic performances from Fassbender and Mulligan (her version of New York, New York is gorgeous) and I am looking forward to seeing what director Steve McQueen does next.

J Edgar

I will admit to not being a fan of Clint Eastwood neither as an actor or director. I checked his filmography on Wikipedia and there are three films that I like that he has been involved in. However, that aside, I am interested in American history and J Edgar Hoover has certainly made his mark on American history.

The film is set in flashbacks as Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) dictates his story to a variety of junior agents in order to correct stories that are in the public domain and to provide the foundation of his autobiography.

The film centres on his time as Director of the FBI and the numerous battles he had with politicians, other law enforcement agencies and criminals. The film also looks at his relationships, in particular with his assistant Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), his PA Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) and his mother Anna Marie (Judi Dench).

The relationship with Tolson is the most interesting, but is never quite dealt with. It is clear that while there is a very close relationship between them, it remains chaste throughout Hoover's life as the great love of his life was his work.

There are many things wrong with this film, but I will start with a positive. Despite the clunky and limited script and the truly atrocious makeup in the later years, both DiCaprio and Hammer tried to make the best of a bad job. They tried to bring intelligence and weight to the roles, but it is difficult when you are dealing with a poor script and poor direction.

Now for the things that are wrong: The general storyline glosses over so many aspects of Hoover's time at the FBI. The fact that he was reluctant to investigate organised crime; the incidences of corruption that occurred under his leadership and his opposition to the civil rights movement.

There is some attempt to show Hoover in an unflattering light. For example the 'Personal Files' are mentioned and his eagerness to use wire-tapping are briefly discussed, but there is no real depth to this film. Much like the recent film about Margaret Thatcher The Iron Lady, the film focuses on someone in old age and doesn't go into any of the stories that made them the controversial figure that they are.

The film is far too long (almost two and a half hours) and has the pace of a snail. The makeup is truly awful and seriously impedes not only DiCaprio and Hammer's ability to act, but at times, their ability to even move.

Verdict: If there is any positive to be taken from this film, it is that it has made me interested in the story of J Edgar Hoover. Surely the point of the film was to tell me the story? Best avoid and find a decent biography of Hoover instead.

Margin Call

Given the recent bad feeling towards bankers and the financial sector in general, it seems timely that a film about a bank facing a financial meltdown should be released. I never thought that this topic would produce a 'thriller' but in the case of Margin Call, it really does.

The film is set around a fictional bank's risk management team where a number of employees are being made redundant including Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci) who heads risk management on the floor in question. Before leaving the building, Dale hands a USB stick to his risk analyst Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) and asks him to finish a project that he has been doing. 

Sullivan takes a look and discovers that the firm is on the brink of financial ruin due to toxic assets. He informs Will Emerson (Paul Bettany) who is the head of trading floor and realising how serious the matter is, reports the findings to floor head Sam Rogers (Kevin Spacey). 

The story moves onto what the firm can do to essentially save itself with other senior staff members becoming involved over the course of the 36 hours the film is set in.

This is a really interesting film in that it plays down the glamourous element of banking that films such as Wall Street epitomise. There are strong human elements in this film, you easily identify with all of the characters and their flaws. From the rookie analyst who is about to lose their dream job, to the senior executive who just wants to get a life back, they are all well developed, fully rounded characters. 

The script is tight, intelligent and realistic. Although I found some of the financial jargon confusing, it wasn't really an issue as the film moved along swiftly.

The cast were fantastic with standout performances from Spacey and Jeremy Irons who played the sinister CEO with panache. 

Verdict: For me, this was an engaging, tense and thought-provoking film which stays with you for some time. Brilliant performances from all cast members, but in particular Quinto's over waxed eyebrows... The best film about Wall Street that I have watched and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

War Horse

Unlike some critics and other film fans, I have not been looking forward to the release of War Horse. Why? Because I am a complete wimp when it comes to stories about animals. The merest touch of cruelty or bravery involving an animal and I'm crying like a baby. Add to that, the master manipulator that is director Steven Spielberg and a screenplay co-written by Richard 'tearjerker' Curtis, there was no chance that I'd make the screening without blubbing. Then you have the fantastic music of John Williams; it got to the point that even the trailer would bring a lump to my throat...

The story starts with a thoroughbred foal being born and as it grows older, it gains an admirer in Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine). When the horse comes up for sale at auction, Albert's father Ted (Peter Mullan), who was looking for a plough horse, gets into a bidding war with his landlord Lyons (David Thewlis).

Ted wins the bidding war, and faces the wrath of his wife, Rose (Emily Watson) who is furious that he has wasted the money on a horse that can't help them run their farm. Albert persuades her that he will train the horse to help plough the field, so they can plant turnips and pay the money they owe to Lyons.

Despite their best efforts, the weather destroys their crops and Ted is forced to sell Joey to the British Army who are looking for horses as World War One has been declared. The officer who buys Joey promises Albert that he will look after him and if he can, he will return him to Albert.

Joey goes into military training and becomes attached to Topthorn, another horse within the army. The horses are then sent off to France to participate in the war. During a calvary charge, the two horses are seized by German troops who use them to pull ambulance wagons.

The horses are later used by two young German soldiers to escape from the army. In order to allow the horses to rest, they hide in a windmill which is owned an elderly Frenchman (Niels Arestrup) who lives on the land with his granddaughter Emilie (Celine Buckens). The horses are discovered in the windmill by Emilie who tries to persuade her grandfather to allow her to ride them, which he refuses until her birthday.

On her birthday, Emilie is allowed to ride Joey and encounters German soldiers. The horses are captured by the soldiers, despite her Grandfather's pleas and used to move heavy artillery alongside other horses.

Meanwhile Albert has enlisted in the army and is serving in the trenches in France alongside best friend Andrew and is constantly trying to find Joey.

I'm not going to give anything further away as I really don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read the book or seen the play.

First of all, this is a masterclass in manipulation by Steven Spielberg. There are moments of joy, moments where you can't look at the screen and yes, there are moments where you sob. I found some of the scenes particularly difficult to watch as I genuinely don't like watching animals in pain (real or otherwise). The most difficult scene for me to watch was one which starts with Joey running through the battlefield (it's shown in the trailer).

That said, the film is good. It's very, very sentimental and the war is shown in a both a harsh and romanticised way. I particularly liked the way it showed that even in desperate circumstances, people (and animals) can do good.

As the film is a 12A, there is no bloodshed on screen and most of the violence is off camera. There were elements of Saving Private Ryan, in terms of showing the conditions that the soldiers and horses were operating in, but this was the extent of it.

The horses are the clear stars of the show, and they were truly magnificent. There's not much to say about the human actors as none of them are in it long enough to give a great performance. However Irvine was quite endearing as a very naive Albert and I was also taken by Arestrup's performance as the Grandfather, who for me, said one of the most moving lines in the film.

The music is gorgeous and has been brilliantly done by John Williams. The cinematography is very slick and there are some scenes which are spectacular and lay testament to the skills of the horse trainers.

One of the problems of this film is that as it is episodic, so you forget Albert and it is his and Joey's relationship that starts and finishes this film. War Horse is also very, very predictable. You know exactly who is going to survive and who isn't and that doesn't make the film any easier to watch in my opinion.

The ending is contrived, however the story leading up to the ending was actually very sweet and moving as it involves soldiers from opposite sides coming together for the sake of something else.

Verdict: A tad long and I wouldn't take anyone under the age of 12 to see it, but War Horse is a very sentimental, predictable film that will take you through the full gauntlet of emotions. The horses are the stars of the show and Spielberg used them to great effect. That combined with a heart-tugging score by John Williams makes this a real tearjerker. I'm glad I went to see it, but I don't think I will watch it again, not because it's not good, but because I found some of the scenes distressing to watch.

I should also point out that I stayed until the very end of the credits as I wanted to be sure that no animals had been harmed during the making of the film and I was pleased to see that the American Humane Society had been monitoring the filming to ensure the safety and well-being of the animals involved.

The Artist

One of the most special things about seeing a film is when it is as good as everyone says it is...

The Artist is a French film about Hollywood cinema between 1927 and 1932, the era where silent films were in decline and talkie films were emerging.

The story centres around popular silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) who wants to be in the films. After bumping into Valentin at the premiere of one of his films, Miller's picture is printed on the front page of Variety. She decides to audition as an extra for Valentin's next film and after his intervention, is offered a role as a dancer.

Miller then moves up the Hollywood ladder, with her roles becoming more and more prominent. Meanwhile Valentin is finding things more difficult. As studios are refusing to make any more silent films, he decides to self-finance a silent film which opens on the same day as Miller's new film which is in sound. Valentin is financially ruined while Miller becomes the toast of Hollywood.

The story goes on to describes how two key events help bring Miller back into Valentin's life.

This is quite simply one of the most loveliest films I have ever seen. Dujardin is absolutely fantastic and a joy to watch. Bejo is wonderful as Miller and together they have real chemistry. The dog is truly remarkable and although I laughed when people suggested he should be nominated for Best Supporting Actor, I can quite see now why it has been suggested.

John Goodman is brilliant as studio boss Al Zimmer (John Goodman) and James Cromwell is great as Valentin's loyal chauffeur Clifton.

Cinematically, it is a masterpiece; shot in black and white and with fantastic music accompanying the brilliant acting, it is nothing short of stunning.

Verdict: A funny, moving, witty, majestic and beautiful film that, if there is any justice in the world, will win Best Film at every awards ceremony it has been nominated for.

The Artist is now in my top five favourite films of all time. I cannot wait to see it again, in fact if anyone wants to go and see it, let me know.

The Iron Lady

The deposition of Margaret Thatcher was one of the earliest political events that I can remember. Even now, two decades on, her name still sparks furious debate between those who were destroyed by her policies and those who benefitted from them.

My interest in this film is solely down to the fact that Thatcher was the first female leader of any country in the western world which was an extraordinary achievement at the time. I was also interested in how her downfall came about.

The film is set in present day, featuring a frail Thatcher (Meryl Streep) who is suffering from dementia and hallucinations about her late husband Denis (Jim Broadbent). Each hallucination brings a flashback and it is through these flashbacks that various events are portrayed starting from Thatcher's childhood up to when she resigned as Prime Minister.

The main events that are covered include her path to becoming Prime Minister, the Falklands War, the Brighton bomb and Thatcher's relationship with Europe.

First of all, I have to commend Streep's performance. There are generally three things that make Thatcher recognisable, the first being the hair, the second being her bags and the third, and most importantly, being her distinctive voice. Streep absolutely nailed the voice and the performance was very realistic. Likewise, Broadbent did a great job as Denis Thatcher and Olivia Colman was also excellent playing Carol, Thatcher's daughter.

My main problem with this film is that it focused too much on the decline of Thatcher, too much on the dementia that she suffers from. I would have preferred a straight biopic, telling me more about why Thatcher made the decisions she did and I especially would have liked to have learnt more about her downfall. Any remotely interesting elements or events were heavily glossed over and there was very little explanation or probing into why certain things happened.

Verdict: More about how this woman became Prime Minister and how she was deposed would have made for a much more interesting film. The cast were superb, just let down by a weak script and in my opinion, a very questionable structure and a real lack of bite and intention.

I'm not angry, just very disappointed.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Before writing this review, I feel that I should be very clear from where I am reviewing this film. I haven't read any of the books. I haven't seen the original 2009 film versions of the books and am therefore reviewing this as a standalone film.

The film starts with the aftermath of a libel court case, which journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), lost against corrupt businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström. The financial implications of the court case are substantial and although Blomkvist has the support of his editor Erika Berger (Robin Wright), Blomkvist decides to take a leave of absence.

Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) is researching Blomkvist for Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), the former CEO of a family conglomerate, Vanger Industries. Salander is an extremely troubled, but highly intelligent woman who for reasons which aren't fully explained, is a ward of the state despite being in her 20's. This means that her finances are controlled by a court-appointed guardian. Although this isn't an ideal situation, it is one that worsens when she is appointed a new guardian who takes advantage of Salander's weak position.

Vanger requests to see Blomkvist on the family island in order to offer him a job. The job is in two parts; officially he is writing Vanger's memoirs, but in reality, he is to try to solve the mystery of his niece Harriet's disappearance forty years ago. Harriet's body has never been found and on the night that she went missing, the island was cut off from the mainland due to an accident on the bridge which is the only means of access.

Blomkvist reluctantly agrees to the job, on the understanding that Vanger provides him with damming information about Wennerström, who was a former employee of his.

Blomkvist moves into a cottage on the island and begins to piece together information about the Vanger family and in particular, Harriet. In order to investigate murders associated with the Vanger family, he asks the Vanger's lawyer Dirch Frode (Steven Berkoff) for a research assistant, Frode recommends Salander as she did such a thorough job researching Blomkvist. 

Salander agrees to work with Blomkvist and between them they work out what happened to Harriet and solve the murders that had eluded the police for over forty years.

First of all I should point out that the first 45 minutes of this film is a little slow, although punctuated with some graphic rape and revenge scenes, there isn't much going on. However, the story is a little complicated and requires the time so it can be fully understood by the audience.

Once Salander and Blomkvist come together, the pace picks up and the film gets very interesting and engrossing. There are several twists and turns which are unexpected and enjoyable. 

Mara is the real star of the film, she is captivating as the troubled Salander and she handled the film's more difficult scenes (the rape and revenge) brilliantly. She played Salander with a mixture of toughness, vulnerability and intelligence which was a pleasure to watch. Her last scene in the film was particularly heartbreaking.

Craig was more one-dimensional and showed very little emotion, however I am not sure if this was on purpose or just the way it came across. Plummer was great as the retired CEO and in one particular scene, was especially moving. 

The film was incredibly slick and beautifully shot with the brutal Swedish countryside being fully utilised. Although I will not be able to listen to Enya in quite the same way again, the music was great and very well suited to the film. 

Verdict: A very slick thriller which once it gets going, really does keep your attention. Mara is absolutely superb and Craig is watchable as always, although this is one of his weaker roles. Some graphic, but necessary scenes make this a tough watch at times, but a very engrossing film nonetheless. I look forward to the other two films in the Millennium trilogy.

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

I love a good action film. When an action film is done well (for example Die Hard), it is a fantastic treat. The simple good vs bad story is still as effective as it ever was and there is nothing quite like seeing the good overcome the many obstacles to defeat the bad.

Throw in a little espionage, some high-tech gadgets and you have a recipe for success in my eyes. I remember really enjoying the first Mission Impossible although I don't remember the two sequels.

The film starts with an IMF agent being gunned down by assassin Sabine Moreau (Léa Seydoux). The slain agent was carrying nuclear codes wanted by Swedish nuclear strategist, Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) otherwise known as 'Colbolt'.

To get the codes back, the IMF extract Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) from a Moscow prison and he is recruited to lead fellow IMF agents Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) to try to get information on the identity of Colbolt.

In order to this, they must break into the Kremlin's archive rooms to obtain records on Colbolt, but another team has beaten them to the records and the mission is aborted. Consequently the Kremlin is blown up which leads to the IMF team being disbanded by the US President. 

The IMF Secretary (Tom Wilkinson) gives the team an opportunity to re-group and act outside the Government instructions in order to track down Colbolt and the nuclear codes. An incident means that former IMF field agent, William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) joins the team and this causes some disharmony during the mission.

The film goes on to follow the team as they try to get the codes back and ultimately prevent a nuclear war between Russia and the US.

As an action film, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is not a classic, but it is good fun and zips along nicely at a fair pace. Cruise plays the role well and some of the scenes (particularly in the Dubai section of the film) are spectacular, especially given Cruise's penchant for doing his own stunts.

There were a couple of things that seemed a little out of sorts. The relationship between Hunt and Carter was not quite established either as platonic or as romance. Like so many films, the potential romance story appears to have been shoe-horned in a little. 

The narrative didn't quite run smoothly, which was then covered up later in the film and some of the fight scenes went on far too long. There was also a detour to India which was completely unnecessary (although for obvious reasons, it will help the film be successful in India) and added very little to the film, except for showcasing possibly the best hair in show-business, courtesy of Anil Kapoor.

Pegg was brilliant in his role, with all of comedy moments coming from him (and I did chuckle more than the required 6 times to classify a film as a comedy).

Verdict: A fun action film although by no means a classic. Tom Cruise doing what he does best, chasing the bad guys while being able to deal with any number of gadgetry thrown at him. At best a good throwaway action film. You'll enjoy it, but you are unlikely to remember it.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

I wasn't expecting very much when I saw the first Sherlock film, I wasn't a fan of Guy Ritchie and didn't think much of Jude Law either. Despite this I really enjoyed the film and was looking forward to the sequel: A Game of Shadows...

The film starts with the bombing of a government building Strasbourg, the latest in a line of bombings in Europe orchestrated by Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). Linked in with this is Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) who delivers a package to Dr. Hoffmanstahl as payment for a letter. The package is actually an explosive device which is foiled by Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr). Holmes takes the letter from Adler which leads to a confrontation with Moriarty.

Holmes is investigating the bombings and a series of deaths that he believes are connected to Moriarty. However, there is the small matter of Dr Watson (Jude Law) and his wedding to Mary (Kelly Reilly) where Holmes is the best man charged with organising the traditional stag night. Unfortunately as Holmes is so preoccupied with his latest case, the only person he invites is his brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry).

Whilst in the club where the stag night is taking place, Holmes meets the intended recipient of the letter, Simza (Noomi Rapace) who along with her brother Rene were previously members of an anarchist group who, under duress, now work for Moriarty.

The story moves into a typical cat and mouse game between Moriarty and Holmes which leads to an international summit in Switzerland and the full revelation of Moriarty's plans.

I really enjoyed this film, although it does have a couple of issues. The first being that although the fights scenes are brilliantly choreographed and excellently shot, there are far too many of them. I found them to be pointless particularly as their impact on the story is minimal. 

The second issue is that there isn't enough sleuthing for my liking. Sherlock Holmes is all about the intellect, about how he solves the mystery. This film seemed to be relying heavily on action rather than intellect which is to the film's detriment.

That said, the positives far out way the negatives. Downey Jr is superb as Holmes, he is making the role his own and he appears to relish the challenges that it brings. The banter and chemistry between him and Law is as strong as ever and is key to the success of the film. 

Law is great as Watson as he has to play the straight man. In fact it's the only role that I've enjoyed watching Law play. 

Harris was very good as Moriarty and Fry was brilliantly cast as Mycroft, although, I felt that maybe I saw a little too much of him...

However, I wasn't that impressed with the character of Simza - not particularly interesting or enlightening, I would have preferred to have had a bit more backstory on her character.

Despite my reservations about the number of fight scenes, they are beautifully constructed and the attention to detail is fantastic.

Verdict: A high-voltage and entertaining thriller with superb performances from Downey Jr, Harris and Fry. The story is a little convoluted, but the film is fast paced and has absolutely no lulls whatsoever. The only criticisms are the number of pointless fight scenes and the weak female lead. Thoroughly enjoyable otherwise, bring on the third instalment.