47 Ronin
Well this is gut-wrenching. The legend of the 47 ronin is one of my favourite Asian stories (behind only the Monkey king and the journey west) and this looks so beautiful aesthetically.
BUT Keanu?!? Now I’m not hating for hating sake. I’m not complaining it’s Keanu (though that’s far from ideal) – I just don’t know why there’s a white guy there at all. Seriously. It could be David tennant and I wouldn’t be happy (well maybe a little).
But it looks like a visual feast… oh confliction of emotions…
Puella Magi Madoka Magica – Rebellion
Cuteness overload? Well actually this looks like it’s got a bit of an edge.
http://youtu.be/SCKUo0kl1pE
The Counselor
What it’s about?
Filmmaker Ridley Scott and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) team up for this thriller about a respected lawyer’s (Michael Fassbender) one-time involvement in an illegal drug-trafficking deal that spirals out of control.
What did we think?
Hilary says: The cast alone – Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt – is undoubtedly a crowd puller and the vivid characters they play (especially Malkina by Diaz) is definitely a highlight of this film, but this is McCarthy’s first-time screenplay and it shows. The Counselor’s slick, good looks can’t make up for the fact the story is tediously indulgent and incomprehensible for the majority of its two-hour running time. But it does contains some of the best monologues in recent memory, and you won’t want to miss Diaz’s auto-erotic sex scene and the recounting of it by Bardem.
Fruitvale Station
What’s it about?
The tragic true story of 22-year-old Oscar Grant III, who was fatally shot by an Oakland transport-police officer on the morning of New Year’s Day, 2009, following an altercation on a train. Viral video footage at the scene showed he was completely apprehended and posed no threat.
What did we think?
Alex says: We follow Grant (Michael B. Jordan, who fans of The Wire will remember as the equally ill-fated young Wallace) on what is to be the final day of his life. He’s no angel and has done time in prison but he is turning his life around and genuinely cares for his girlfriend and daughter. After his mother’s (The Help’s Octavia Spencer) birthday, Grant and his friends celebrate a fateful New Year’s Eve on the town. A very well-acted dramatisation that is thoroughly deserving of its two Sundance awards. Not a feel-good hit.
The Butler
Rising from a boyhood of slavery in the cotton fields of Georgia to enter into domestic service and eventually becoming a butler serving eight presidents at the White House, an African-American man clashes with his son, who is involved in America’s burgeoning civil rights movement.
What Did We Think?
Marnie says: Historical epic The Butler paints an important, moving picture of the effects of injustice and systemic oppression by showing one uniquely placed man’s sacrifice and dedication to providing for his family against a backdrop of a radically changing America. An overlong, occasionally heavy-handed script’s quest to visit every historical signpost pushes its trajectory towards potted history lesson, but the film rightfully brings attention to the stories of the courageous, inspiring individuals who fought for racial equality in the United States.
Captain Phillips
What’s It About?
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
What Did We Think?
Rebecca Armour says: A chilling depiction of the hardships endured for those in third world nations, Captain Phillips wastes no time with boring introductions and has you on the edge of your seat within thirty minutes. Complete with moments of laughter to break the overwhelming tension, Captain Phillips is sure to take you on a heart-wrenching endeavour of survival.
What’s Popular
The Good Dinosaur
What’s it about?
An Apatosaurus named Arlo becomes lost and during his adventure home makes an unlikely human friend.
What did we think?
In itself The Good Dinosaur is a wonderfully simple and heart-warming tale but it’s this simplicity that is both its strength and weakness. It suffers mainly because we have come to expect so much more from Pixar. Adults won’t enjoy it as much because there’s no intricate multi-layered story with jokes for different ages. Instead we have likeable characters without any real depth and only two emotional scenes to really connect with us. There’s nothing really wrong with the ‘find your way home’ story other than there’s nothing more to it. But the most important thing is that the children WILL enjoy it.
Suffragette
What’s it about?
Combining both real and fictional characters from the underground suffragette movement of 1912 Britain, Sarah Gavron directs this Abi Morgan-scripted foray into the dirty streets of London women’s harsh fight, depicting the sacrifices so many made to place the first brick in the as-yet unfinished road to equality.
What did we think?
Angela Young says: Carey Mulligan is brilliant as working-class mother Maud Watts, drawn into a fight that sees her lose her job, her family and her home. Other poignant performances from Anne-Marie Duff and Helena Bonham Carter ensure the grim reality of this brutal fight against the state hits you right where it hurts, with certain significant events depicted with powerful reservation. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s still a must-see for anyone that feels they owe so much to the women who gave so much.
In The Heart of the Sea
What’s it about?
Moby-Dick is lauded as one of America’s greatest romantic novels. Herman Melville took his own experiences as a whaler to bring the tragic true story of the Essex to life. This is an interpretation of Melville meeting the sole survivor of the shipwreck, and the dramatic recreation of the fateful voyage.
Segue
Dear Chris Hemsworth fangirls, you keep pining for this film, I do not think it contains what you think it contains*
What did we think?
Ishmael^ says: An epic retelling of one man’s monomania that led to the destruction of a great whaling vessel, and the deaths of most of its crew. The brutality and beauty of whaling is told in vivid realism, with impeccable execution: the broad 1820’s Nantucket accents; the graphic harpooning and gutting of a whale; the impending sense of madness and doom. It just feels a tad bloated – a ye olde saga in an age of 15 second attention-spans.
*It says quite clearly on the poster … “Based on the incredible true story that inspired Moby-Dick”. Not “Chris Hemsworth takes his shirt off and reveals his rock-hard abs”.
^Not really, it’s actually me – Stephen Scott – I just thought, for a lark, that for this one review, you could, you know, call me Ishmael?
By The Sea
What’s it about?
Angelina Jolie Pitt directs herself and her real-life betrothed (Brad Pitt) as they play a disenchanted husband and wife, holidaying by the French coast as he tries to write a new book and she languishes in large hats, resenting the local culture and generally being miserable.
What did we think?
Angela Young says: This film has been prey to a lot of speculation, most of it predicting a big bunch of pretentious self-indulgent wank. Bizarrely, despite the fact that it is indeed, basically a big bunch of pretentious, self-indulgent wank, I rather enjoyed it. The cinematic colour and styling suits its mid-‘70s setting like a glove, and the titillating twist to the story adds a little frisson of excitement, albeit not the greatest of crescendoes. Prepare for lots of moody pouting and sideways glances, and you could just get something out of it too.
Editor's Choice
The Good Dinosaur
What’s it about?
An Apatosaurus named Arlo becomes lost and during his adventure home makes an unlikely human friend.
What did we think?
In itself The Good Dinosaur is a wonderfully simple and heart-warming tale but it’s this simplicity that is both its strength and weakness. It suffers mainly because we have come to expect so much more from Pixar. Adults won’t enjoy it as much because there’s no intricate multi-layered story with jokes for different ages. Instead we have likeable characters without any real depth and only two emotional scenes to really connect with us. There’s nothing really wrong with the ‘find your way home’ story other than there’s nothing more to it. But the most important thing is that the children WILL enjoy it.
Suffragette
What’s it about?
Combining both real and fictional characters from the underground suffragette movement of 1912 Britain, Sarah Gavron directs this Abi Morgan-scripted foray into the dirty streets of London women’s harsh fight, depicting the sacrifices so many made to place the first brick in the as-yet unfinished road to equality.
What did we think?
Angela Young says: Carey Mulligan is brilliant as working-class mother Maud Watts, drawn into a fight that sees her lose her job, her family and her home. Other poignant performances from Anne-Marie Duff and Helena Bonham Carter ensure the grim reality of this brutal fight against the state hits you right where it hurts, with certain significant events depicted with powerful reservation. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s still a must-see for anyone that feels they owe so much to the women who gave so much.
In The Heart of the Sea
What’s it about?
Moby-Dick is lauded as one of America’s greatest romantic novels. Herman Melville took his own experiences as a whaler to bring the tragic true story of the Essex to life. This is an interpretation of Melville meeting the sole survivor of the shipwreck, and the dramatic recreation of the fateful voyage.
Segue
Dear Chris Hemsworth fangirls, you keep pining for this film, I do not think it contains what you think it contains*
What did we think?
Ishmael^ says: An epic retelling of one man’s monomania that led to the destruction of a great whaling vessel, and the deaths of most of its crew. The brutality and beauty of whaling is told in vivid realism, with impeccable execution: the broad 1820’s Nantucket accents; the graphic harpooning and gutting of a whale; the impending sense of madness and doom. It just feels a tad bloated – a ye olde saga in an age of 15 second attention-spans.
*It says quite clearly on the poster … “Based on the incredible true story that inspired Moby-Dick”. Not “Chris Hemsworth takes his shirt off and reveals his rock-hard abs”.
^Not really, it’s actually me – Stephen Scott – I just thought, for a lark, that for this one review, you could, you know, call me Ishmael?
By The Sea
What’s it about?
Angelina Jolie Pitt directs herself and her real-life betrothed (Brad Pitt) as they play a disenchanted husband and wife, holidaying by the French coast as he tries to write a new book and she languishes in large hats, resenting the local culture and generally being miserable.
What did we think?
Angela Young says: This film has been prey to a lot of speculation, most of it predicting a big bunch of pretentious self-indulgent wank. Bizarrely, despite the fact that it is indeed, basically a big bunch of pretentious, self-indulgent wank, I rather enjoyed it. The cinematic colour and styling suits its mid-‘70s setting like a glove, and the titillating twist to the story adds a little frisson of excitement, albeit not the greatest of crescendoes. Prepare for lots of moody pouting and sideways glances, and you could just get something out of it too.