Review: X-Men: Apocalypse (UK Cert 12A)

After tackling the 1960s in First Class and the 1970s in Days Of Future Past, the new X-Men franchise reaches the 1980s with Apocalypse. 

It's 1983 and an ancient mutant, En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), is awoken in Cairo. Recruiting mutants- including a grieving Magneto (Michael Fassbender)- to serve as his Four Horsemen, Apocalypse seeks to raze the world and rebuild it. Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and his mutant charges must help to stop Apocalypse from completing his plan.

There are some particularly strong action setpieces- one shows off the speedster skills of Quicksilver (Evan Peters) to the tune of 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' by the Eurythmics, whilst another shows exactly how Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) get out of the Weapon X facility; a moment sadly spoiled by the latest trailer to be released. If that particular reveal had been left secret, it would have made a really brilliant moment even more so.

Performances are generally strong across the board, especially amongst the younger generation of mutants with Sophie Turner a real standout as the young Jean Grey. The returning cast- Fassbender, McAvoy, Hoult and Lawrence- fit back into their roles with no issues, with Fassbender really giving an air of gravitas and woundedness to his role. The only bum note is Oscar Isaac's curiously uncharismatic Apocalypse (but that's more to do with the writing than his performance, I think). 

My main gripe about X-Men: Apocalypse is that it never seems to kick into top gear. Both First Class and especially Days Of Future Past crank up the adrenaline towards the final act, but Apocalypse never seems to quite get there. The final smackdown between Apocalypse and his Horsemen and the X-Men is good- especially its resolution- but it never feels epic. It also doesn't help that several characters really get shortchanged, with Angel/Archangel (Ben Hardy) and Psylocke (Olivia Munn) virtually relegated to the sidelines. 

The film is a lot of fun and is enjoyable, and is a perfectly good ending to this trilogy. And hey any film that's content to throw a bit of shade at X-Men: The Last Stand is good with me.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Review: Steve Jobs (UK Cert 15)

When Steve Jobs died in 2011, he was lauded as a genius, the man who revolutionised home computing, a pioneer, a visionary. Even before he passed, his name was one everyone knew. There was a lacklustre (and unofficial) biopic movie released in 2013 starring Ashton Kutcher but this one is based on the official biography by Walter Isaacson, adapted for screen by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Danny Boyle.

The film focuses on three points within Jobs' profession career: the 1984 launch of the Macintosh, the 1988 launch of the NeXT and the 1998 launch of the iMac. Immediately before each launch, we see Jobs preparing to give his trademark speeches, pushing his programmers to deliver the goods, dealing with his Head of Marketing and trying to interact with the girl whom the courts declared to be his daughter (although he initially did not acknowledge her as such).

Michael Fassbender pulls off an amazing balancing act of getting you to admire Jobs whilst simultaneously wanting to punch him in the face. If this is what Jobs was really like, it's amazing that he ever got anyone to work for him: he's a complete control freak, an out-and-out ruthless bastard, a Machiavellian gameplayer, a supremely arrogant, condescending, egotistical bully- and yet utterly charismatic at the same time. There has to be something more there, otherwise he'd never have inspired such loyalty as you see in his Head of Marketing, Joanna Hoffman (who stayed with him for this entire period, even when he was out in the cold from Apple). 

Hoffman is played by Kate Winslet, who affects an Eastern European lilt to play the Polish-born Hoffman. She is the voice of reason, Jobs' anchor, his confidante and 'work wife' who deals with his demands with unflappable equanimity. Winslet's performance is strong, trading verbal spars with Fassbender and being one of the few who can stand up to him. Seth Rogen puts in a decent dramatic turn as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, pushing Jobs to acknowledge the team who worked on the Apple II in his newer endeavours. There are scenes between Wozniak and Jobs which have a real dramatic punch, especially the one where Wozniak tells Jobs 'you can be decent and gifted at the same time'.

Not all performances are as good as others, however, with Katherine Waterston's shrill and overbearing performance as Chrisann Brennan (the mother of Jobs' daughter Lisa) being particularly grating. I get that the character is supposed to come across as a bit flaky and annoying- trying to get Jobs to accept his paternal responsibilities when he still questions his paternity- but it's the one wrong note in an otherwise solid cast.

Sorkin's script is, as you would expect, tight and quick with lots of staccato punchy dialogue and flashbacks within the scenes. It's very play-like, the dialogue could easily lend itself to a stage adaptation. However, the script never really gets behind the spiky exterior- although it does attempt a last-minute redemption job with his relationship with Lisa which just about works. Do you really get to know more about Jobs the man? A little. For instance, I didn't know that he was adopted and I didn't know he had a daughter. So you get to know more about his biography (for want of a better word). But the psychology doesn't run very deep- the film implies that a lot of Jobs' controlling personality came down to the fact that he was adopted, which is mentioned a lot- and he remains relatively inscrutable.

This is certainly a superior movie to the Ashton Kutcher one and the performances- especially those of Fassbender, Winslet and Rogen- are very strong. However, I think you'd have to have a specific interest in Jobs to really enjoy it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Review: Macbeth (UK Cert 15)

In the UK especially, Macbeth is often the first exposure schoolchildren get to Shakespeare (as it's often used as a set text for school exams). The story is well known: Macbeth gets supernatural premonition of greatness, gets egged on by his ambitious wife, murders the king and then it all goes to pot. On film, the seminal version of 'the Scottish Play' is generally considered to be the dark and disturbing 1971 version directed by Roman Polanski. Here, Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) directs a bloody, bold and resolute re-telling of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays.

Michael Fassbender is the titular thane and he's damn good at portraying what is a complex character on paper but can often be written off as a crazed tyrant. Some of the dialogue is spoken as internal monologue as Fassbender broods upon the actions he's committed and plans to commit. Marion Cotillard is very impressive as Lady Macbeth, another complex character often boiled down. There's a scene that's been added at the beginning which can go to explain the mental state of the two characters- plus also gives weight to one of the big questions academics always ask about the play. Lady Macbeth's descent from ambitious bitch to madwoman is cannily played and Kurzel makes a canny directorial decision in just focusing on Cotillard's face whilst she delivers the 'sleepwalking' lines. It's a potent performance.

The rest of the cast are similarly strong. Happily, there's not an actor in the cast that speaks the words but doesn't know what they're actually saying; they all speak the Shakespearean language trippingly off the tongue. Paddy Considine is a solid presence as the ill-fated Banquo whilst Sean Harris gives a sterling turn as the avenging Macduff whilst David Thewlis makes an all-too brief appearance as Duncan. 

It's a brutal story told brutally. The opening battle scene spares nothing in the blood and guts state and the murder of Duncan is similarly unsparing. Macbeth does bad things and they are shown in unflinching detail (the dispatching of Lady Macduff and her children is particularly powerful). However, the film isn't perfect:  Kurzel employs the jerky camera movements which make me feel a bit seasick (quite annoying) and, sadly due to the virtue of necessity, some of the best pieces of verse/text are excised. The famous 'double double toil and trouble' witches scene is right out- in fact the witches get particularly shortchanged- and the arguments between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth before and after Duncan's murder get completely filleted. What's left is a taut telling of the main story but there's not a word or syllable wasted. 

In summary, it's worth seeing for the performances of Fassbender and Cotillard and some of the brooding cinematography (hats off to Adam Arkapaw), but by no means could this be considered a definitive version of the play.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Tez 

Review: X-Men: Days Of Future Past (UK Cert 12A)

Comic-book movies sometimes get a raw deal. They're perceived as low-brow popcorn-fodder, a sit-back-and-watch-things-go-boom experience. Basically, they're lumped in with Michael Bay films. However, that is far from the truth. Comic-book movies deal with huge themes- love, trust, truth, faith, death- and are much more than just a vivid spectacle. Captain America: The Winter Soldier plays out like a paranoid 1970s thriller with added superhero, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 deals with loss and betrayal, and now X-Men: Days Of Future Past asks questions about the nature of history, fate and destiny.

In a future ravaged by war, mutants and their sympathisers are hunted down and ruthlessly exterminated by massive killer robots known as the Sentinels. A small group of mutants- led by Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen)- have a plan to end the war. Using Kitty Pryde's (Ellen Page) powers, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back to 1973. He must reunite a separated Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) and, together, they must stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating Sentinel creator Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) at the Paris Peace Accord which ends the Vietnam War. Trask's death and Mystique's subsequent capture are the tipping point which brings about the war. But can they change the past?

It's a truly epic piece of film-making. Singer's direction is slick, the big action set-pieces look amazing (the opening scene featuring a Sentinel attack on a mutant camp in Moscow is just absolutely breath-taking) but the smaller, quieter character moments also work- there's a fantastic scene between McAvoy and Stewart as the younger generation meets the older which is just sublime. The period detail of the 1970s is nicely realised- there's a great opening sight-gag involving lava lamps and waterbeds which raised a giggle- and the soundtrack is also worthy of mention (taking in Eartha Kitt, Roberta Flack and Jim Croce). 

Performance-wise, there's absolutely no complaints. Given that the lion's share of the action goes to Jackman, Fassbender, McAvoy and Lawrence, it's no surprise that they're all at their A-game here. This is the seventh time Jackman's played Wolverine and he completely inhabits the character every time. McAvoy's performance is stunning, as he goes from a wreck of a man to the man we know he can be. Fassbender is smooth and suave and there are echoes of McKellen in his tone. Lawrence is just superb as Mystique- she is the tipping point, the fulcrum. There's a lot of weight on her shoulders but she handles it with aplomb. 

Other performances worthy of note are Peter Dinklage as Trask- what could have easily been a cardboard cut-out stereotypical villain is given nuance and heart by Dinklage, making Trask almost likeable- and Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy, acting as nurse and companion to Charles. There's also a sterling performance by Evan Peters as Quicksilver, a superfast mutant who helps reunite Charles and Erik in what is one of the most inventive and funniest scenes in the film. There are also a few lovely and unexpected cameos towards the end that I won't spoil and a post-credits scene that gives a tantalising glimpse at the next film (due in 2016). 

Be warned, though: this is not a film for people new to the X-Men franchise. You need to have seen the previous films (and, sadly, I do include X-Men: The Last Stand in that) to really have a handle on the what and why. For example, a lot of the pathos that comes from Professor X and Magneto's relationship- despite being immaculately played by Stewart and McKellen- is based on knowing what they've previously been through (as it's only given the most cursory of mentions). Similarly, some of Wolverine's angst might seem a bit confusing if you don't know what's happened to him. Also, given the large cast, despite an extensive run-time of 131 minutes, some characters feel a little underused- Halle Berry's Storm, for instance- whilst the vast majority of Anna Paquin's scenes as Rogue hit the cutting-room floor. 

So, with the caveat in place that you need to have seen previous X-Men films before seeing this one, I would heartily recommend X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Engaging, epic and excellent.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez

Review: Frank (UK Cert: 15)

Whatever you’re expecting from Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank, chances are you’re completely wrong. The poster suggests it’s a quirky comedy along the lines of Being John Malkovich or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s not. Frank is about a band of misfit, eccentric musicians slowly imploding, the results being funny, uncomfortable and tragic to watch.

Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) is a keyboard player who is taken under the wing of Frank (Michael Fassbender), lead singer of experimental band, the Soronprfbs. Frank wears a Frank Sidebottom papier-mâché head, which he refuses to take off, while the rest of the band are all kinds of dysfunctional. What is supposed to be a weekend touring across Ireland ends up with Jon and the rest of the Soronprfbs shacked up in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere, not leaving until Frank’s masterpiece album has been recorded.

Abrahamson’s film is a smart depiction of bands and artists suffering from illusions of grandeur, the fine line between inventiveness and pretentiousness. The problem is that Jon Ronson (who toured with the late Chris Sievey’s comic creation, Frank Sidebottom) and Peter Straughan’s script is a mess, with jarring shifts in tone. There are plenty of bright ideas here, but when they’re mashed together into one ninety-minute film, these ideas don’t come across as well as they should.

Frank has some truly funny moments: Jon’s reaction as he watches Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Clara and Frank take one of his catchy melodies and turn it into something genuinely offensive to the ears; Jon fighting with Frank as he tries removing the man’s oversized head; best of the bunch, Frank trying to write what he calls a “likeable song”. The script also throws in brutally honest observations about suicide. Music has been a way for many artists to confront their demons, yet what happens when being in a band becomes stifling? The Soronprfbs have no audience; their fourteen hour days writing music is going nowhere and the band are struggling to cope. The only band member who seems fine with the way things are is Maggie Gyllenhaal’s theremin player, Clara. Despite her hostile, violent personality, she acts as a mother to Frank, feeling responsible for him. Clara knows Frank can’t cope with commercial success, hence why she goes out of her way to ensure no one hears the band’s music. As well as all this you have Domhnall Gleeson’s Jon, who has his own ideas as to which direction the band should be heading; one where he gets fame, fortune, and thousands of Twitter followers.

These are all strong ideas, the problem is you can have one scene where you’re snorting with laughter, followed by the next scene, which throws themes of suicide and mental illness full pelt at the viewer. Very often, Frank is awkward to sit through as you occasionally find yourself wondering just what the hell you’re watching.

What definitely works here is the acting. Fassbender is nothing short of incredible, spending the majority of the film with his face hidden. Wearing a papier-mâché head and coming up with all sorts of zany ideas to create music, it would be all too tempting to portray Frank as larger-than-life, but Fassbender gives a gentle, subtle performance, making you care about a man who struggles to convey what is going on inside his real, flesh and blood head. Domhall Gleeson is, once again, brilliant. He’s a great character actor, whether it’s child-like and sinister (the Black Mirror episode, Be Right Back) or clumsy and socially awkward (About Time). Here Gleeson has a naïve charm about him as Jon, while also being far from whiter-than-white. He manipulates Frank into helping him on the road to success, getting the band a gig at the South by Southwest festival. It’s only when the inevitable damage has been done that Jon ends up feeling guilty, trying his best to fix things. Maggie Gyllenhaal gets the balance between being venom-spittingly anti-social, but hiding a tender, vulnerable side absolutely spot on. She’s not over-the-top, as several reviews have suggested, she is wholly believable whenever she is onscreen (the funny as hell sex scene in a hot tub where, during her ferocious, animal-like rutting Gyllenhaal very nearly drowns Gleeson, is another priceless moment).

The best film I’ve seen centred around the music industry is Michael Winterbottom’s 24 Hour Party People, a bonkers mix of irreverent comedy and Icarus fall from grace drama. Whether it’s down to the genius of Frank Cottrell Boyce’s script, Michael Winterbottom’s direction, or sheer blind luck, the pace and tone goes all over the place, yet the film absolutely, one-hundred-percent works. Sadly the same can’t be said for Frank. Lenny Abrahamson deserves praise for being so straight-talking about mental illness – it’s touching, heart-breaking stuff at times – but the whole thing doesn’t sit well. Abrahamson expects us to laugh at the Soronprfbs’ barmy behaviour, then punch us in the gut with powerful insights into mental illness, and then follows this up with even more offbeat humour. There’s no reason why a film with this structure can’t work, but it feels like Abrahamson and screenwriters Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan decided to throw everything at the wall and if it doesn’t stick, it doesn’t matter.

Frank has some well thought-out, eye-openingly original laughs, whilst also making you well up because of how honest it is. You get the sense that Abrahamson wants people to be comfortable talking about mental illness, that it’s not something we should be shy or coy about; occasionally we should even laugh about it. The problem is that the way Abrahamson has translated this onscreen, most of the time, doesn’t work. Frank deserves points for being one-of-a-kind, but it’s not the eccentric masterpiece that the film’s poster suggests.

3 out of 5

Matt

Programme 35: 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, Last Vegas and Anchorman 2

The Watchers Film Show Ep 35 from The Watchers Film Show on Vimeo.

Our latest show is now available to view!

In the first show of 2014, we look at awards heavyweights 12 Years A Slave and American Hustle and comedies Last Vegas and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

Enjoy!

Awards Season 2014: Independent Spirit Award Nominations

It's that time of year again, folks. 

Some of you will like this, most of you won't, but it's time for me to dust off the spreadsheet (yes, I am sad enough to have a spreadsheet) and start talking about the awards season.

I sometimes wonder if there aren't corners of Hollywood much like The Nightmare Before Christmas. After a successful Halloween, the mayor fretfully announces 'There's only 365 days left until next Halloween!'. Is it the same in Tinseltown? The day after the Oscars, when engravers' tools are barely cold and the hangovers are kicking in, are there shadowy offices planning the next year's potential award winners? Perhaps that's just me being a bit cynical- OK, very cynical- but it does seem, like Christmas, the awards season starts earlier each year.

Aside from the film festivals, usually the first of the major film awards to be announced are the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Their nominations were announced on Tuesday 26th November 2013, even though the awards won't be handed out until Saturday 1st March 2014- the day before the Academy Awards (this is a week later than usual, due to the Winter Olympics in Sochi).

The Film Independent Spirit Awards, as the name suggests, honours films made outside the major Hollywood studio system. Here are a selection of this year's nominees:

Best Film

12 Years A Slave

All Is Lost

Frances Ha

Inside Llewyn Davis

Nebraska

Best Director

Shane Carruth (Upstream Color)

J.C. Chandor (All Is Lost)

Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave)

Jeff Nichols (Mud)

Alexander Payne (Nebraska)

Best Actor

Bruce Dern (Nebraska)

Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave)

Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis)

Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station)

Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Robert Redford (All Is Lost)

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Julie Delpy (Before Midnight)

Gaby Hoffman (Crystal Fairy)

Brie Larson (Short Term 12)

Shailene Woodley (The Spectacular Now)

Best Supporting Actor

Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave)

Will Forte (Nebraska)

James Gandolfini (Enough Said)

Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Keith Stanfield (Short Term 12)

Best Supporting Actress

Melonie Diaz (Fruitvale Station)

Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)

Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years A Slave)

Yolonda Ross (Go For Sisters)

June Squibb (Nebraska)

Whilst these awards do focus more on the lower-budget, what could be described as niche, movies, there's still a fair bit of overlap between these and the other more mainstream awards. For instance, last year's big Independent Spirit award winner was Silver Linings Playbook which took Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars. The year before, it was The Artist.

If I were a betting man, I would say you are virtually guaranteed to see 12 Years A Slave, Blue Jasmine and Nebraska mentioned in the mainstream awards, with a strong likelihood of Dallas Buyers Club and All Is Lost also joining them.


The timetable for the other major awards are as follows:


Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award 
Nominations Announced: 11 December 2013
Awards Ceremony: 18 January 2014

Golden Globes
Nominations announced: 12 December 2013  
Awards Ceremony: 12 January 2014 (hosted by Tina Fey & Amy Poehler)

Writers' Guild Of America (WGA) Award 
Nominations Announced: 3 January 2014
Awards Ceremony: 1 February 2013

Directors' Guild Of America (DGA) Award
Nominations Announced: 7 January 2014
Awards Ceremony: 25 January 2014

BAFTA Film Awards 
Nominations announced: 8 January 2014
Awards Ceremony: 16 February 2014

Golden Raspberry Awards
Nominations announced: 15 January 2014
Awards Ceremony: 1 March 2014

Academy Awards (Oscars) 
Nominations announced: 16 January 2014
Awards Ceremony: 2 March 2014 (hosted by Ellen DeGeneres)

There'll be more on awards season as it progresses.

Tez

Comic Book Movie Round-Up #1: X-Men: Days Of Future Past

As you may have gathered, The Watchers are huge comic-book movie fans. There are so many future comic-book movie films coming out over the next few years, we thought it would be a good idea to do a round-up of some of the bigger ones that are due and what we know about them. We won't be doing a round-up for either Iron Man 3 or The Wolverine as both films are due out imminently (Iron Man 3 at the end of April and The Wolverine at the end of July).

So without further ado, here's our first round-up...

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

Director: Bryan Singer
Writer: Simon Kinberg, Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman from a story by Bryan Singer based on Days Of Future Past by Chris Claremont and John Byrne
Provisional Release Date: July 18 2014

What We Know: X-Men Days of Future Past is based on a storyline from two issues of The Uncanny X-Men comic book series released in 1981. In that, Kitty Pryde is warned about the future consequences of the X-Men failing to stop the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly which leads to anti-Mutant hysteria and a future where all Mutants are hunted by Sentinels. The title was confirmed in August 2012.

Who's In?: Cast members from X-Men: First Class as well as the original trilogy are reprising their roles, along with some new actors to the franchise.

From X-Men First Class:
James McAvoy (Charles Xavier/Professor X)
Michael Fassbender (Magneto)
Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique)
Nicholas Hoult (Beast)

From the original trilogy:
Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X)
Ian McKellen (Magneto)
Hugh Jackman (Wolverine)
Halle Berry (Storm)
Anna Paquin (Rogue)
Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde)
Shawn Ashmore (Iceman)
Daniel Cudmore (Colossus)

New actors:
Peter Dinklage (rumoured to be Bolivar Trask, creator of the Sentinels)
Omar Sy 
Booboo Stewart
Fan Bingbing (Blink)

Who's Out?: It has been confirmed that several previous characters will not be appearing in Days Of Future Past. These include January Jones (Emma Frost), Alex Gonzalez (Riptide), Zoe Kravitz (Angel) and Jason Flemyng (Azazel) from X-Men: First Class and Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler) from X-Men 2. Rose Byrne (Moira McTaggart from First Class) has stated she is unsure if she will be returning, despite signing a three-picture deal.

Anything Else?: Bryan Singer came back in to direct after X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn had to drop out due to scheduling issues. Vaughn will still act as producer, along with Singer, Simon Kinberg, Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner.

Oscar-winning production designer John Myhre, composer John Ottman and costume designer Louise Mingenbach are all confirmed to work on the film.

Days Of Future Past is set more than ten years after the events of X-Men: First Class, which would make it set primarily in 1973. American President Richard Nixon is due to appear (much like in Watchmen).

Singer tweeted this picture back in February 2013, showing the two wheelchairs for the different incarnations of Professor X:

Principal photography is due to begin in Montreal in mid-April, and the film will be released in 3D.

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