Star Trek Beyond Review

This year sees Star Trek celebrate its 50^th birthday, timed with that celebration is the third installment of the JJ Abrams helmed Star Trek reboots, in this latest outing however Captain Abrams has relieved his role aboard the Starship Enterprise and overseen Justin Lin in the driving seat.

Co-written by Scotty himself Simon Pegg, Star Trek Beyond sees the crew of the Enterprise now actually exploring the final frontier. After some shore leave on the beautifully designed spherical glass ball Starbase called Yorktown, they are tasked with assisting a stranded ship that lies beyond an asteroid belt. Once through, the Enterprise is attacked by Idris Elba’s big bad Krall and though mostly evacuated to safety the crew are now left stranded on the planet below.

After the solid jumping off point of Abrams first, and the slightly squiffy venture of Star Trek Into Darkness which, Benedict Cumberbatch chewing the scenery aside, seemed to more or less forget what Star Trek is about, it’s refreshing here to see it back on track. What is most prevalent in Simon Pegg and Doug Jung's script is the love and respect for the history of Star Trek. There are dutiful nods to the sad passing of Leonard Nimoy, but the ultimate reverence they’ve paid to the original series is to uphold the principles of what made it so great.

Once stranded on the planet the film makes the decision to break the crew up into fun double acts, with Kirk and Chekov ending up one place, Sulu and Uhura held captive, Spock and Bones in another place and Scotty making a new friend in the form of the brilliantly feisty and charming resident alien Jayla. The time spent with the crew apart means the film can explore the characters more closely, the most enjoyable of which being the relationship between Bones and Spock, which gets the closest to the bickering relationship between the two formed in the original series. It also feels like every character gets at least one moment, particularly Sulu, reminding us that whilst its Kirk who sits in the captain’s chair, it’s really Sulu who does the hot shot piloting.

As with nearly every sci-fi action film ever made there are obviously giant leaps in logic which, if the film slows down long enough for you to put any thought into you could spot black holes in from a mile away, fortunately the moment the film feels as though it might slow down it immediately ramps back up to warp speed. Though Idris Elba’s Krall is a better villain than these films have received in the past, his motives behind his actions seem a little bit repetitive of Nero and Khan from the first two, and in all the whizzing fun it rushes a big revelation towards the end without ever really fleshing it out.

The overriding feeling experienced during this film is that it’s fun, and it has no pretensions of being anything more, yes it doesn’t have the substance that other Star Trek films have had in the past, but Justin Lin is a director who knows how to create spectacle, and destroying a swarm of enemy ships to the tune of the Beastie Boys is probably one of Star Treks funnest moments, and that’s saying something because there’s 50 years worth of them now. (4 Stars)  

The Neon Demon Review

There was a time, what feels like a lifetime ago now, when Nicolas Winding Refn had finished his Ryan Gosling starring film Drive and released it to almost universal acclaim. After that, with Drive as his calling card, he had all sorts of people knocking at his door. However instead of jumping on a franchise bandwagon he turned to Bangkok and brought us the nightmarish descent into hell in the divisive Only God Forgives. It seemed like an almost deliberate attempt to tell those who were knocking at his door that he had no intention of answering. 

Now he brings us The Neon Demon, a film that explores what lies underneath the modelling world of LA, as Elle Fanning’s stunningly beautiful wannabe model Jessie moves to the city of angels and enters the jealous, competitive and narcissistic world of beauty, as Alessandro Nivola’s designer observes at one point “beauty isn’t everything, it’s the only thing”

The style that Refn has cultivated is maturing into something truly unique and special. Refn, along with his cinematographer Natasha Braier, create stunning shots of pure formalist brilliance, whatever you think about the content of the film, no one can deny that with shots this beautiful and a brilliant pulsating score from Cliff Martinez, there are few films that look or sound this good. The performances are all strong as well, as with any Refn film they are all very still, but that’s mostly because the time Refn takes with them means that his actors are more images then they are characters, how their appearance is presented through the camera is all he really wants you to know about them. Which in a sense is the films main flaw, the script, which was co-written by Refn with Mary Laws and Polly Stenham, doesn’t quite achieve the malice that it tries to create between the characters in this world. Aside from a strong moment on the discussion of real beauty and artificial beauty, the film operates best when it is communicating through image rather than dialogue.

There’s a moment where The Neon Demon feels like its drawing to its natural close and you’d leave the theatre and feel somewhat passive towards the ending. It’s at this point that Refn doubles down in a truly glorious fashion, yes there had already been necrophilia by this point of the film, but the final moments descend into something else entirely which ends up elevating the experience to something far more visceral.

Essentially what Refn has created with The Neon Demon is his vision of Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, only this vision is more like a mean acid trip, and when you end up in wonderland there’s no Cheshire Cat or March Hare, just Keanu Reeves being a scuzz ball and make-up artist into necrophilia, now how many other directors can you say would bring you a film like that? (High 4 Stars)

Ghostbusters Review

Hell hath no fury like fan boys who’ve been royally pissed off by someone to have the cheek to remake a ‘classic’ film, because that’s what happens when a remake is done, it destroys all available copies of the original and makes remembering it a thought crime. Perhaps, it could instead be seen that a director like Paul Feig felt he had an approach on Ghostbusters that would make a remake worthwhile seeing.

                Feig’s vision of Ghostbusters sees 3 scientists and 1 street smart subway worker team up to investigate the seemingly increasing levels of paranormal activity in New York City, with a scheming villain named Rowan seeking to enhance the presence of the ghosts and ghouls in the big apple. Paul Feig’s films have a unique style to them, his comedy is lots and lots of jokes that come thick and fast and usually have quite a high hit rate. In his last film Spy, Feig showed he could tackle fight sequences just as well as he could handle puns, and the great joy of his Ghostbusters film is how well he tackles the creepy/spooky stuff, in an early sequence in a haunted house he manages to pull of spooky without ever being too scary to alienate the comedy.

                The greatest strength of Ghostbusters is the Ghostbusters themselves, Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig’s scientific investigators of the paranormal Abbie and Erin, Kate McKinnon’s whacky engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and Leslie Jones as font of all New York knowledge Patty. Between them is a chemistry that is really hard to fake, a chemistry you get the sense is as strong off screen as it is on and without it the film would suffer greatly. Their characters as individuals work to varying levels of success, though Wiig and McCarthy work well together, their characters are almost too similar in their qualities to distinguish one of them from the other, McCarthy is right to stray from her more brash characters of the past, but that then means Wiig needs to provide something different, there is however much joy to be taken from Wiig’s cringe-inducing ‘flirting’ with Chris Hemsworth’s hilariously stupid secretary. In the case of Leslie Jones its impressive that with her little experience in the way of film credits to her name, her on screen charisma is strong throughout, her ‘race-thing, lady-thing’ joke lands big, but her delivery of throwaway lines produce smiles throughout. The real breakout star of the piece however is McKinnon’s Holtzmann. Holtzmann will be a character that divides people, she’s far zanier and out there than any of the others and that might grate on people, but when you provoke as many laughs as Holtzmann does then you’re onto a winner, and it will be a hard moment to beat at the cinema this year seeing Holtzmann whipping out dual pistols of her own design before dispatching a series of ghosts.

                If there are problems with this reimagining, which there are, it’s that it doesn’t quite reimagine as much as it could. It often feels like a bit of a slave to the original and loses itself as it approaches its climax where it turns the CGI fest up to eleven. There’s also a villain that isn’t really a villain, Rowan isn’t really a character let alone an antagonist and the film was crying out for someone far more compelling for them to rally against.

                This probably doesn’t turn out to be quite as good as you want it to be, but what it has done is set really strong ground work to move on with, there will be more room to breathe in a sequel now that all the necessary nods to the original have been made, so for the love of God make sure this film does well at the box office, because 4 smart women saving the world and doing it without wearing tight shorts and vest tops is exactly what young female cinema goers need today. (High 3 Stars)

Page to Screen - The Must See Film Adaptations of Stephen King

Film adaptation, the process of bringing a writer’s hard work to screen for audiences to enjoy in their local cinema. Some of the more difficult adaptations in film have been that of the literary works of horror writer Stephen King.

This week at the wonderful FACT Picturehouse in Liverpool, Park Circus will be screening not one, but two of the finest King adaptations, Carrie on Saturday the 16^th and Stand By Me on Sunday the 17^th.

Before you take in a weekend of King at FACT, here's a countdown of the must see Stephen King film adaptations.

10. THE RUNNING MAN

A camp 80s sci-fi action film starring Arnold Schwarznegger and directed by one half of Starsky & Hutch doesn’t necessarily scream great movie and it probably isn’t. Based on the King novel of the same name it’s an example of how someone can take a book and rework it so heavily into something else. The Running Man is set in a dystopian future in which prisoners are pitted against each other in gladiator style combat for the amusement of the masses. Though a very enjoyable film, one wonders what King would think of Schwarznegger strangling someone with barbed wire and delivering the line “what a pain in the neck”.

9. MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE

This would perhaps feature on a list of the worst Stephen King adaptations with its enjoyable but absurdly over the top horror/comedy and often more unintentional laughs feature than intentional ones as you watch a film where machines begin to attack people. However, what makes this a must see King adaptation is that the adaptation was done by King himself, who both adapted the screenplay from a short story of his own, as well as directing the film. It remains his only film to date, which says pretty much everything you need to know, and is probably why he has left the films to others better suited since.

8. CHRISTINE

When thinking of horror, two people always come to mind. The first is obviously King, the master horror writer himself. The second is the master horror director himself, Mr John Carpenter. A match made in heaven then when Carpenter brought to the screen King’s 1983 novel about a possessed Plymouth Fury called Christine. Though it should feel ridiculous and definitely not scary, the talent of Carpenter elevates this to a film that has some genuinely chilling moments. I’ll stick with a Fiesta; it’s a little less threatening.   

7. THE MIST

Frank Darabont had already directed two King adaptations by the time he came to direct 2007’s The Mist, the story of people holding out in a supermarket when a strange mist brings terrifying creatures to the town. Though featuring much more creepy monsters than his previous adaptations, Darabont is astute at making the film about the flaws in the characters fighting the monsters as much as the actual fighting of the monsters. The Mist also features one of the most memorable endings in recent cinema, changing the ending of the original novella; Darabont opted for a far more nihilistic ending. If ever there was a film that feels like one thing for so long before taking a sharp right turn and ending somewhere completely different then it’s this. In King’s own words “Frank wrote a new ending that I loved. It is the most shocking ending ever and there should be a law passed stating that anybody who reveals the last 5 minutes of this film should be hung from their neck until dead.”

6. THE GREEN MILE

Taking things down to brass tax, this second collaboration between Darabont and King is the most successful of any King adaptation, making almost double the box office of its nearest competitor, nominated for four Academy Awards and also being critically acclaimed, it’s fair to say that they struck gold with this one. Starring Tom Hanks as a prison officer on death row in 1930’s Louisiana, the film follows the events from those waiting for their day in the electric chair, and those responsible for their fate. It doesn’t really feel like King in that it’s not really a horror in the traditional sense, but it’s a film looking for the light in what is traditionally a horrific situation. It also features an exceptional performance from the late Michael Clarke-Duncan as the mentally challenged inmate John Coffey.

5. CARRIE

A landmark in this countdown, as Brian De Palma’s Carrie adaptation from 1976 is the very first work from King to be adapted for film, and what a way to start. Carrie is a masterclass in horror film. The first half is all about the natural horror we see day today in people, from the bitchiness seen at Carrie’s school, to the horrific abuse from her mother (brilliantly played by Oscar nominated Piper Laurie). And then one of cinemas most iconic moments happens and the horror becomes gloriously and violently supernatural, a horror film that also manages to get away with a jump scare ending. This is one of those must see films, and you have your chance to see it on the big screen in Liverpool this week.

4. MISERY

What happens when obsessive fandom goes too far? The answer is Kathy Bates Oscar winning performance as Annie Wilkes who takes hostage her favourite author and subjects him to some really messed up shit, including a now infamous ‘hobbling’ scene. Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Kings novel cuts away a lot of King’s more horrific violence and instead focuses on the mind games and acts that Annie and Ed Harris’ Paul enact with each other. It’s a really impressive piece of work and also inspired a very amusing Family Guy version, which I’m sure is what King really wanted all along.

3. STAND BY ME

Before he tackled the darker Misery, Rob Reiner brought to screen an adaptation of the King novella The Body, in which four friends set out on a trip to find the dead body of a lost child, in the process Reiner created cinemas ultimate coming of age film. It being the most autobiographical of his works it’s no surprise that this is King’s personal favourite adaptation of his work. Will Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell and of course River Phoenix. It’s those four young and very talented actors whose legacy will always be this film. Phoenix’s career ended far too soon but his exceptional performance in this film lives on forever. And you have a chance to see it in all its glory at FACT Picturehouse this weekend.

2. THE SHINING

From King’s favourite adaptation to his least favourite. There has been no doubt over the years given how unflinching and unmoving he has been with his opinion of it, that King really didn’t like Stanley Kubrick’s version of his book. Though it has since been regarded as one of the undisputed masterpieces of horror, a film that conjured images and moments that live on to this day, upon release the film received a fairly lukewarm reaction. It may be a poor adaptation of the original book, and might feature a slightly iffy performance from the usually exceptional Jack Nicholson, but the nightmarish atmosphere formed by Kubrick is almost unparalleled in horror cinema. Sorry Stephen, I’m afraid I have to disagree, this film is a classic.

1. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

So here it is. The number one must see Stephen King film adaptation, the reason for it being number one? Quite simply it’s the most loved, the one that’s stood the test of time, the one people keep revisiting and enjoying it just as much as the first time. The first of Darabont’s collaborations with King, Shawshank is the adaptation of one of King’s novellas focusing on the story of Andy Dufresne and his time spent in Shawshank Prison. Similar to The Green Mile it’s a story of maintaining hope in a hopeless situation. It’s responsible for some of cinemas iconic moments, whether it’s the opera over the courtyard or the exceptional surprise ending. It’s also supplied us with quotes to live by such as “get busy living, or get busy dying” or “hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”. It was nominated for 7 academy awards, and frequently features in the top ten of greatest films ever made lists. Quite simply, if you haven’t seen it, what the hell is wrong with you?

For more information on those screenings head to https://www.picturehouses.com/cinema/Picturehouse_At_Fact