Review: Coriolanus (UK cert 15)

If you asked most Shakespeare fans to name the Bard’s plays, it would be a rare occurrence for someone to name Coriolanus first. It’s arguably one of his lesser-known plays, written around 1608. It’s quite a tricky play and this is the first big-screen adaptation of it, directed by Ralph Fiennes (who not only makes his directorial debut but also plays the eponymous character).

The setting of the play has been changed from Ancient Rome to a modern Balkanised warzone, which ‘calls itself Rome’. Caius Martius (Fiennes) is a soldier for Rome, whose mortal enemy is the Volscian general Aufidius (Gerard Butler). After a particularly crushing defeat of the Volsces at the town of Corioles, Martius is lauded and given the name ‘Coriolanus’. When Coriolanus is asked to run for the Senate, his contempt for the hoi-polloi leads the public tribunes to denounce him as a traitor and have him banished. Coriolanus then tracks down Aufidius and offers himself as a soldier to the Volsces to bring Rome down…

It’s a powerful portrayal of the downfall of a great soldier, directed with some real visual flair by Fiennes (especially with the very visceral battle scenes especially, played without music so you hear every grunt, groan, stab and shot). The quieter scenes are no less powerful, as Fiennes allows the characterisation to grow surrounded by an eclectic but powerful cast.

I was as surprised to learn that Gerard Butler was doing Shakespeare as I was when he was cast as the Phantom of the Opera. Luckily, Butler can speak Shakespearean verse better than he can sing and provides a decent foil for Fiennes in their scenes together. Jessica Chastain rounds off a year of amazing supporting roles by playing the slightly thankless role of Virgilia, Coriolanus’ wife. She only has a few scenes but plays them well- starting as an anxious figure awaiting his return but growing in confidence throughout, to the point where she attacks the public tribunes who banished her husband.

John Kani and Brian Cox appear as Coriolanus’ comrades and friends, both of whom deal with Shakespearean verse as if it were second nature to them. There are two lovely performances by James Nesbitt and Paul Jesson as the public tribunes whose sly, wheedling, snake-in-the-grass politicking gets Coriolanus banished. To round the cast off, giving one of the strongest supporting performances I’ve seen this year to date, is the utterly brilliant Vanessa Redgrave. Every scene she’s in is so riveting and she speaks the verse so fluently that it’s a joy to behold. Volumnia is one of those great but oft-overlooked roles in the Shakespearean canon and Redgrave grabs it by both hands, never more so in the final scene where Volumnia goes to Coriolanus, now allied with the Volsces, to plead for Rome.

Updating Shakespeare to modern times is nothing new (you can thank/blame Baz Luhrmann for that) but there is something interesting at play to see what would have been messengers and soothsayers represented by scrolling 24-hour news. Channel 4 newsreader Jon Snow pops up in a few places to deliver the dread news of banishment or victory. When Coriolanus meets the public, many of them have mobile phones recording the encounter; similarly, the public meeting where Coriolanus is denounced is done in a television studio. Bizarrely, none of this seems out of place, given the setting and isn’t overly intrusive.

This isn’t going to be for everyone. Coriolanus is an intense play and the transition to film hasn’t softened it. If you’re a fan of Shakespeare and haven’t seen or read this play, it’s an accessible and well-made film full of stand-out performances. Personally, I enjoyed it very much but I can appreciate it may have a rather niche audience.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Tez

Review; Carnage (UK cert 15)

Yasmina Reza’s play La Dieu Du Carnage (‘God Of Carnage’) first premiered in Zurich in 2006. It was translated into English and had a run in the West End in 2008 before a Broadway production in 2009. Now, Reza adapts her own play for the movie version, directed in Paris by Roman Polanski (who also co-writes).

Two sets of parents- Penelope and Michael Longstreet (Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly) and Nancy and Alan Cowan (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz)- meet to discuss a playground altercation between their sons. The fragile veneer of civility starts to crumble as accusations start to fly and irrational arguments and tensions boil over. Unfolding in real time over eighty minutes, Carnage is fun but ultimately insubstantial.

All four actors are excellent in their respective roles- Foster self-righteous and highly-strung; Reilly mitigating and balanced; Winslet neurotic and anxious; Waltz sarcastic and caustic. The interplay between the four characters, their petty squabbles and veiled snubs at one another, is the driving force of the film. For a piece that originated in the theatre, it is entirely appropriate that words should be what kicks things off. When writing their deposition, Penelope- a writer- suggests that the Cowans’ son was ‘armed’ with a stick; Alan- an attorney- challenges her on the use of that word. It is this pedantic use of language that causes some of Carnage’s finest moments.

Throughout the course of the eighty minutes, battle lines are drawn, alliances formed and changed; at certain points the women gang up on the men and vice versa, or husbands quarrel with wives. At times the children’s altercation lies abandoned as the four adults tear into one another. Arguably, Waltz gives the best performance- much of the humour came from his delivery and demeanour.

You can tell Carnage started life as a play. It’s very stagy in places and I’m not sure if that’s down to the script, the direction or both. For the most part, the action is contained within the Longstreets’ apartment with occasional forays into the lobby. There is a certain implausibility to the speed at which characters get drunk which may be forgiven on stage but not so much on film. There’s also a slightly ill-advised scene of gross-out comedy when Nancy, constantly nervous, vomits all over the coffee table which, whilst initially funny, seems out of place with the rest of the piece. It also just ends. No real resolution, just a fade to black as the characters sit around.

Nonetheless, it’s worth seeing for the quartet of brilliant performances given by the cast.

Rating: 3 out of 5


Tez

Review: Young Adult (UK cert 15)

Juno is a real Marmite film: you either love it or hate it. I think it’s going to be a similar case with Young Adult. Writer Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman re-team to tell a tale of a divorced writer of young adult fiction (Charlize Theron) who comes back to her home town in Minnesota with the express intention of winning back her old high-school flame, Buddy (Patrick Wilson). Only problem is, Buddy is happily married and his wife has just had a baby… but that’s not going to stop Mavis.

There’s no two ways about it: Mavis Gary is a total bitch. An arrested adolescent pouting and flouncing her way through life, with a self-absorbed and utterly selfish world view which (quite frankly) borders on the sociopathic at times. Despite a last-ditch attempt to soften the jagged edges with a big reveal of some painful secrets, Mavis remains fundamentally unlikeable throughout. So it’s kudos to Charlize Theron who takes the role of Mavis with both hands and inhabits it fully. It is the script that decides to humanise Mavis, not Theron. Lesser actors may try and find a way to mitigate or tone down Mavis’ utterly demented scheming. But not Theron. It’s a performance full of bile and fire and one of the most impressive I’ve seen on film so far this year.

Also great is Patton Oswalt (probably best known for voicing Remy the rat in Ratatouille) as a crippled former classmate of Mavis. A self-confessed ‘fat geek’ who was attacked by a bunch of jocks in high school and left with shattered legs (all for being gay, which he isn’t), he bizarrely ends up as confidante and moral compass for Mavis. It’s a wonderfully observed turn and he and Theron work well together. Patrick Wilson is a little bland but nonetheless likeable as the object of Mavis’ affection and delivers a devastating put-down towards the end during the big showdown scene.  Elizabeth Reaser is similarly good as Buddy’s wife Beth.

I had several issues with Juno, mostly surrounding the script. I felt it was trying very hard to be ‘cool’ and ‘quirky’ which ended up being incredibly grating after a while. So it’s good to see that the catchphrasy nature of Juno isn’t present in Young Adult. It’s a much more mature script by Diablo Cody (ironic, considering Mavis arguably acts more like a teenager than Juno McGuff did) and it’s nice to see the excesses toned down.

The humour is a little dark in places and Mavis’ truly selfish behaviour may not appeal to everyone, but there are stellar turns from Theron and Oswalt and a rocking soundtrack (from Teenage Fanclub and 4 Non Blondes amongst others). 

Rating: 3 out of 5


Tez

Review: The Descendants (UK cert 15)

George Clooney may need to do some rearranging of his awards to fit in another small gold naked guy, because his performance in The Descendants will almost certainly net him the Best Actor Academy Award in February.

Clooney plays Matt King, a land developer and disengaged father of two who has to step up to assume parental responsibility when a tragic boating accident leaves his wife Elizabeth in a coma. Unable to deal with his daughters, wayward Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and precocious Scottie (Amara Miller), he’s also in the final stages of overseeing a land sale which will bring his family a lot of money. All these things come together when Alexandra drops a bombshell; Elizabeth was having an affair…

If this synopsis makes the film sound relentlessly miserable, it isn’t. As with Alexander Payne’s other movies (Election, Inside Out and Sideways) there’s a great deal of humour- both intentional and otherwise- to be found. It strikes a good balance between comedy and drama, being funny and moving often within the same scene.

It’s an incredibly well-acted film, led by a strong performance by Clooney. He’s utterly believable as a frustrated father and a confused husband, openly admitting he’s no good with his own kids and having to come to terms with his own failings that made his wife stray. Because the character has so much to deal with, so does Clooney- he is barely off-screen for the entire duration of the film. And whilst certain aspects of the role might not exactly stretch him as an actor, he is never less than superb.

The family dynamic created by Clooney and the actresses who play his daughters is astounding. It feels utterly authentic. Amara Miller plays Scottie just right; it would be very easy for her to be twee or annoying but there’s a beautifully twisted edge to the character which stops her being too saccharine. Shailene Woodley, in her first major film role, is a revelation; hard-edged, spiky and rebellious to start with, but the edges soften as the film progresses. It’s a remarkable performance by Woodley, inexplicably missing from the Oscar’s Best Supporting Actress category this year.

That’s not to say that the other performances are anything less than excellent, either. Also worth noting are Robert Forster (as Elizabeth’s father Scott), Beau Bridges (as Matt’s cousin Hugh) and Judy Greer, in a small but very important role. Also worth watching is Nick Krause, who plays Alexandra’s friend Sid: often the comic relief, but a rounded character in his own right

Payne’s direction is slick and Hawaii has rarely looked more beautiful on camera. The script is well-rounded and well-paced with some very funny moments. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable comedy-drama and I’m glad it’s getting so much recognition during this awards season

Rating: 4 out of 5


Tez

Review: Shame (UK cert 18)

Critics do like to use the term ‘brave’ when it comes to certain types of roles, usually anything involving full-frontal nudity or sex. Unsurprisingly, this appellation has been applied liberally in other reviews of Shame, a cheerful little film about sex addiction.

Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) is a thirtysomething executive living in New York . He’s also a sex addict; watching online porn at work, hiring hookers and even not averse to a bit of man-on-man action to scratch the itch. His lifestyle leaves little room for emotional intimacy, preferring as he does to opt for the physical kind. Into his carefully controlled life comes his chaotic sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan), an aspiring jazz singer, who throws things on their heads.

There’s been a lot of fuss over the fact that Michael Fassbender has some full-frontal scenes, thus showing that the age-old hypocrisy around nudity (female nudity, fine; male nudity, not) is still alive and well. It is, however, entirely appropriate in the context of the film; put the physical on display, keep the emotional hidden.

And that’s my main problem with Shame. There’s precious little intimation of the root causes of Brandon’s addiction (some allusions to a fractured childhood are dropped in), only the effect of it. But even that’s not fully explored. A dinner date with his colleague Marianne (Nicole Behari) hints at Brandon’s mindset- why tie yourself to one person for life? - but nothing more is developed.  Their fumbling sexual encounter leads Brandon to momentary impotence; she’s got too close for comfort. However, one prostitute later and he’s back on track.

It’s a powerful performance by Michael Fassbender even if the script doesn’t always serve him well. He’s unable to really get to the heart of the character because there is not much heart to get to. Nonetheless, it’s another strong performance to add to his already impressive roster.  Carey Mulligan’s performance is similarly impressive, but again there’s little development or explanation for her emotional neediness. That said, her story arc is more rounded and she gives a cool jazzy rendition of ‘New York, New York’. Her chemistry with Fassbender is undeniable, lending their scenes together (particularly the pivotal argument scene towards the end) some much-needed crackle.

It’s true that I have been thinking about the film since I saw it; in fact, I’ve been wondering exactly what I’m meant to have taken from it. It certainly doesn’t glamorise sex addiction; Brandon rarely looks fulfilled or content when he’s in flagrante and a traumatic twist at the end hints at some kind of rehabilitation, but my main feeling about this film is that it’s much ado about nothing.

A couple in front of me quipped at the end ‘it’s a Shame we sat through that’. I wouldn’t go that far; it’s worth seeing for the strong performances of Fassbender and Mulligan, two actors for whom I have a lot of respect. But the script does let it down.

Rating: 3 out of 5


Tez

Programme 7: Haywire and Valentine's Movies

Programme 7 has been released!

As Valentine's Day is coming close, we decided to come up with our Top 10 romantic movies as well as a review of action flick Haywire plus the latest news.

Podcast versions can be found on Podbean and iTunes 

Enjoy!

How To Drive Me To Despair!

I finally watched Drive starring Ryan Gosling.


From the opening few minutes of the film- with its lush, hypnotic retro-visual palette  - I could have easily been watching an episode of Miami Vice or Scarface. The beating retro soundtrack to match – I was hooked. I was loving this film.


It was witty, thrilling, intriguing and characters that are set out as well rounded and creative – with room to grow throughout the film. How mistaken was I!


Then. The complete opposite happened. I felt like the firm grip the film makers had on the hold of this film was slowly being released and what started out as a well oiled retro machine became a film that resembled some straight to DVD gutter trash that could easily be forgotten. 


As soon as the job goes bad – so does the acting, directing and all out class of this film. I find it hard to figure out what film the 'critics' where watching when they hailed this film as the epiphany that they take it to be.


The film is pretentious – it dares to see itself as more than what it is – this film has a weak plot, and worse still the film ends without an ending. No closure and thus I feel I should honour this film by finishing here. Leaving this unfinished.


Rhys