Arrival Review

Man has often wondered whether we are truly alone in the universe, through cinema we have been able to explore what might happen if we weren't. There have been hundreds of films that explore the idea of first contact, what would the aliens want? How would we react? and what famous landmark are they likely to destroy first? What's most exceptional is how many questions Arrival attempts to tackle.

Arrival, follows linguistics expert Dr. Louise Banks, an aggrieved mother who is drawn in as an expert by the US military to try and communicate with the aliens as great oval shaped monoliths have appeared at 12 points across the globe. What then follows is a film that is the polar opposite to most alien invasion films before it. This is one of the most intelligent films in recent memory, but unlike a film like Interstellar which just threw in loads of theoretical physics to appear smart, Arrival makes an incredible effort to take complex ideas and restructure them into digestible bites of information. There are anecdotes and diagrams that help the descriptions, but the film never feels patronizing, it is always fascinating.

With monoliths appearing at 12 different locations across the globe, the necessary countries are entitled to deal with their monoliths in whatever way they see fit. Arrival becomes a study in how international relations need to be maintained in the face of a crisis, how engaging in a dialogue and sharing information with each other is vital, the film dares to ask how can we begin to communicate with another species when we can't even communicate with ourselves?

The design of the film is exceptional, the stone design of the alien crafts are incredibly haunting as they lurk over the landscape, the moment we see them first enter the alien craft are incredibly eerie. Then there's the score, after his exceptional work on the score for last years Sicario Johan Johannson has one upped himself this year, creating an oppressive and brash score, with wonderful moments of lightness. There is also a beautiful symbiotic relationship between the sound design and score that make the score feel incredibly natural.

Director Denis Villeneuve is proving himself to be one of the hottest properties in the business at the moment, those fretting over the Blade Runner sequel to be released will surely fret less knowing he is at the helm. Whats so impressive about Villeneuve is the performances he gets out of his actors, which is no different here. Amy Adam intelligent and touching performance is sure to garner her another Oscar nomination. Louise is fiercely smart and determined but she's also been left tortured by the loss of her daughter. Jeremy Renner plays theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly, its a credit to the usually quite jockish Renner that he manages to play Ian with an affable and endearing quality. Supporting roles are all strong also, Forrest Whitaker is quietly impressive as the colonel in charge of the operation, particularly in how he manages to avoid any of the bad guy stereotypes associated with this role, leaving most of the pencil pushing bureaucracy burdening the science to Michael Stuhlbarg's CIA agent Halpern.

Arrival is so impressive for so long, and then it does what a lot of big idea sci-fi's do and shifts into something incredibly existential towards the end. Unlike most other sci-fi's though this isn't alienating in the slightest, it elevates the film to another level and feels entirely of a piece with everything that proceeded it.

Villeneuve has directed such marvels as Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario and now Arrival, he's got his greatest challenge approaching with his Blade Runner sequel, so its a good time to be bordering on near infallibility.

(High 5 Stars)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review

The story of the boy wizard Harry Potter definitively ended with the final installment of the series, The Deathly Hallows P2 released in 2011. However, over the course of 10 years, 8 films and over $7billion in box office takings, Warner Bros had successfully created their own cinematic universe, this definitely wasn't going to be the end. In an attempt to explore the wizarding world some more author JK Rowling has made her screenwriting debut and brought the world  Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Fantastic Beasts follows the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), who comes to New York carrying a magical suitcase filled with all manner of magical beasts, although not all of them remain in the case. In a case of unfortunate timing Newt has come to New York when some unknown and unseen being has been terrorizing the city sending the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA for short) into a frenzy. Newt, with the assistance of his new Nomaj (non magical person) friend, Newt seeks to collect all of his beasts in order to prove that none of them are responsible for the deaths in the city.

There is an unending amount of charm to this film helped in no small part by the delightful performance of Redmayne. Newt is the socially awkward type, averting his gaze from people in conversation wishing he could be anywhere else, he's the typical Brit a sort of wizarding Hugh Grant bumbling around, and the film barely gets under his skin meaning there's so many more layers of him to explore going forward. Katherine Waterston as Tina is a really interesting female lead, she's persistent and bossy but she feels very vulnerable in places. This is genuinely one of the best cast films there's been for a very long time, even when characters aren't given a lot of screen time they still completely embody their characters. Dan Fogler as Jacob is important as our eyes into this magical world, Samantha Morton and Ezra Miller are brilliant as witch hating Salemists, Colin Farrell is untrustworthy and incredibly intimidating as Director for magical security Percival Graves, then there's Alison Sudol as Tina's sister Queenie who is a real hark back to the stars of the golden age of Hollywood.

This wouldn't be much of a Fantastic Beasts film if it didn't feature some fantastic beasts, and fantastic they are. A sequence in Newt's personal zoo shows them in their great number, but the ones that really shine are Newt's Thunderbird called Frank, a glorious large golden bird that really gets his moment to soar towards the end. The most enjoyable of all the beasts though is definitely Newt's kleptomaniac platypus like creature, the Niffler. It is consistently enjoyable watching the adorably animated creature jumping around after anything shiny, which leads to some of the best slapstick comedy of the film.

It may seem, for the cynical, that this is a desperate cash grab to keep the Potter machine powering on, but whats so impressive about what Rowling has done is that she has moved to a completely different world, its 80 years before Potter, in a country we haven't seen before with wizards we've never met before. Its to the films strength that the Potter production team are kept in place, with Heyman producing and more importantly Yates directing, a director who established the visual style of the world that ran through the last 4 Potter Films. There is extensive work and time taken to show how different this world is, MACUSA isn't just another ministry for magic, there's a different dark wizard lurking behind the scenes and there's a very different attitudes towards Nomaj's. Unfortunately the new world means that a lot of time needs to be spent on world building for the audience, meaning this film has a lot of hard labour to do on the behalf of the films that are to come. 

That hard work means that this first film feels a little muddled in the end, there is just far too much going on at the same time, which means that so many characters are left underdeveloped. There is the sense that there are two stories running in this story and they only feel tangentially connected to one another. This has probably paved the way for superior sequels and Rowling barely scraped the surface of this world with Potter, there's going to be so much more from the wizarding world and its destined to be magic. 

(High 3 Stars)

Nocturnal Animals Review

It's been 7 years since Tom Ford's directorial debut, the Oscar nominated A Single Man. Since then Tom Ford has been incredibly busy running an incredibly successful fashion line and raising his family. His second feature Nocturnal Animals stars Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal and is well worth the 7 year wait.

Wealthy but unhappy art gallery owner Susan (Adams) receives a manuscript from her ex-husband Edward (Gyllenhaal), the manuscript is a violent story called Nocturnal Animals and is dedicated to her. The film has three stories intertwined with each other, there is the story of Susan in her vacuous unhappy life in LA, then there's the story featured in Edward's manuscript, and then the flashbacks to when Susan an Edward were married and the blossoming and deterioration of their relationship.

The first story of Susan's life in LA is really well observed, Ford is obviously commenting on the hollowness and emptiness of the lives that these people live. It would be very easy to become irritated by the people depicted, but these moments feel very self-aware so they're far more entertaining than you would expect it them be. The second story sees Gyllenhaal as the star of his own novel, Nocturnal Animals is the story of Tony who is travelling across Texas with his wife and teen daughter (Isla Fisher & Ellie Bamber) when they are run off the road by a group of red necks led by the incredibly scuzzy Ray Marcus (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). The altercation leads to Tony's wife and daughter being taken and him having to seek the help of Detective Carlos Holt, played exceptionally by Michael Shannon. The third story is Susan remembering her relationship with Edward and the events that led to them separating and how the violence of the book he's written may be to do with what she did to him.

In what is only is second film, Ford has to be lauded for the way he manages to get all three story lines to tie in to each other with such grace, plaudits should also be laid at the feet of his editor Joan Sobel who has pieced the film together in such a coherent manner. What's also impressive about Ford's direction is the way he seems to be operating in 3 different styles for each story, the high class life in LA is all sheen and glamour, then there is a tone of nostalgia and homeliness to the flashbacks, and an exceptional level of grunge and oppressive darkness to Edwards manuscript.

The performances across the board are wonderful, Adams does most of the heavy lifting and manages to be incredibly interesting even when long stretches of the film just involve watching her read. Gyllenhaal is exceptional in the way he tackles dual roles, though Tony is meant to be a reflection of his 'real' character Edward, he throws in enough differences to make them distinguishable from one another, particularly in the case of Tony he has some really powerhouse scenes of emotion. Then there's the rest of the cast, this is just one of those films that is littered with brilliant supporting performances, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is really creepy and intimidating, Michael Shannon is on scene stealing form as his chain smoking, stetson wearing detective. Then there's the likes of Armie Hammer, Andrea Riseborough, Michael Sheen, Jenna Malone and Laura Linney who are given little screen time but offer so much when they're there.

The problem with this film is that it seems emotionally stunted, there's lots of heft there that weighs the film down, but its difficult to actually feel for the any of the characters. It looks so slick, is acted so well and is put together so effectively that there isn't really any heart there. Ultimately this is a film that is very easy to admire but it is incredibly difficult to love.

(High 4 Stars)

Doctor Strange Review

Success often breeds opportunity to take risks. There is no stopping the cinematic machine that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and their box office smashes have led to them choosing more riskier projects and unknown quantities, all of which still have to tie into their overall plan for the universe. Their latest venture, the 14th installment in the MCU takes us to very uncharted territory in the form of mysticism, magic and the multiverse.

Doctor Strange is actually Doctor Stephen Strange, an incredibly gifted and also incredibly arrogant New York surgeon. He's cocky and big headed and also a rich playboy with the fast car and fancy watches to match. Heading speedily towards a night out on the town he skids off the road in dramatic fashion and winds up in hospital. The accident crushes his hands, after extensive work they are still irreparably damaged and will draw his career as a surgeon to an end. After exhausting all of his money on possible cures he winds up travelling to Nepal where he's heard of those who might be able to help him. There he meets The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and her right hand man Master Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who introduce him to a world beyond his imagination.

Director Scott Derrickson has to be commended for his work on this film, constrained by the necessary back story he has to tell he has managed to create the best MCU origin story in their entire catalogue. To begin with the performances are a uniformly brilliant, Benedict Cumberbatch is a welcome addition to the Marvel family, his ark is similar to that of Tony Stark's in that he is an incredibly arrogant playboy who goes through a grueling experience and comes out better on the other side. The difference is that Strange gains his powers through study and work rather than the money that Stark throws around, Strange loses everything and doesn't really get it back by the end, he has to make sacrifices. The delivery by Cumberbatch of the cruelty shown by Strange in the earlier moments make his transition and sacrifice all the more effective. Tilda Swinton as a The Ancient One is a stroke of genius, she's an actress that gives off the sense of being other worldly, and if you forget all that its just an absolute pleasure to see Swinton kicking ass left right and centre. Mordo is probably the most complex of the characters, he is a devotee to the teachings of The Ancient One and when she turns out not to be all what she seems Mordo's moral conflict is sold brilliantly by Ejiofor in few scenes to do so. Not everyone gets their fair share of time, Rachel McAdams is as good as you'd expect her to be but she is lumbered with a thankless role as Strange's love interest. Once again the MCU is lumbered with a poor villain, though Mads Mikkelsen is always menacing, his Kaecilius falls onto the pile of other average but forgettable Marvel villains.


What elevates this above so many others of its type is the sheer ingenuity and beauty of the design in the VFX. There is a logic to all the magic that is used and this is encoded by its design, geometric shapes in keeping with the designs in the comic, also the animation of the cloak of levitation, which calls to mind the magic carpet from Aladdin in that it feels like a character in itself. Moments in the trailer were commented on by many as looking a bit like Inception, to compare the two would do Doctor Strange a monumental disservice. In Inception the city folded over a bit, here the cities are tilting inwards, inverting and mirroring, architecture transforming and the characters having to run and fight through all of it. It is without question some of the most impressive VFX work put to screen, combined with the choreography of the fighting it produces some of the most unique set pieces in recent times.

Marvel have always have a pretty rigid formula, no question that the formula works but when they take a risk and break or alter the formula it draws better results. Rather than the usual city destroying battle for a climax Doctor Strange inverts the formula by rebuilding a city as time move backwards, it could just be seen as a wry wink to the critics of the previous films, but when it conjures up something so visually titillating, its very difficult not to be impressed.

People keep posing the question as to when the Marvel bubble is going to burst. Asking that question is assuming that all the films are the same, although they feed into the same universe they are in fact very different, Doctor Strange is unlike others in in the MCU and Derrickson has made something incredibly difficult, look incredibly easy, with good box office numbers so far, audiences will be queuing round the corner for their next appointment with the Doctor.

(Low 5 Stars) 

I, Daniel Blake Review

Ken Loach has been making films for 50 years, at 80 years old he is in the habit of saying that his most recent film will be his last film, then he gets another idea and makes another one. His latest film I, Daniel Blake won the Palme d'Or at Cannes earlier this year and once again shows that 80 years old is no time to slow down when you're still at the top of your game.

I, Daniel Blake focuses on the story of Daniel Blake (Dave Johns), a talented carpenter and friendly bloke from Newcastle. Daniel has suffered a heart attack and his doctor has said that he is unfit for work, but in the opening scene we see Daniel put through the department for work and pensions fitness for work test and we witness the start of Daniel's frustrations. Whilst at the Job Centre Daniel meets young mum Katie (Hayley Squires) and her two children Daisy and Dylan who have recently moved up from London in order to find a council house, a friendship forms between the two based on helping each other in their time of hardship.

What Ken Loach is better at than most, is the ability to observe natural human behaviour without imposing on it with any noticable influence. His habit of using mostly unknown actors is crucial in audiences believing that these are real people, they are, of course, characters, but Loach makes you understand that though the characters are fiction and the events are constructed, they are a reflection of the society we have currently in Britain.

In the past, Loach's films have felt far too angry for them to be as affecting as they could be, but here Loach has toned down his anger in favour of overwhelming despair and frustration at the system. The references to 'sanctions' and 'decision makers' seem Orwellian, but they're also entirely honest. It helpfully doesn't demonise the workers of the DWP, they're merely cogs in a very cruel machine, and the likeability of Dave John's performance  means that we feel consistent empathy for him throughout, sharing in his endless frustrations.

Hayley Squires performance as Katie is incredibly affecting. She carries a weight on her the whole film with out it ever being too morose or downbeat, she's a mother trying her best in the most difficult of circumstances and all she really wants is to provide her children with the best lives possible. It's all the little moments of frustration and resignation in Squires performance that really sell the character.

Loach has had a 50 year career and one scene in I, Daniel Blake may well be the high watermark of his filmography. Much has been commented on how the food bank scene is too much, or a bit disingenuous, but they fail to take into account that Britain has seen a colossal rise in the number of families eating out of food banks since 2010. From the moment the scene begins it becomes a masterclass in capturing human behaviour, its Squires desperation that the scene focuses on, but its everyone of the extras and supporting actors who provide all of the little touches that make it so affecting.

Despite its subject matter, it is, as ever with a Loach film, not entirely doom and gloom. The fact that actor Dave Johns is more known as a comedian is incredibly beneficial to the film, all the aside moments with him and his neighbour give the film some much needed comedy. It's unfortunate that given all the subtlety that Loach operates in throughout the film, that he feels the need towards the end of the film to get on his soap box, in what is an incredibly natural film its a moment that feels disingenuous.

Loach may be circling on retirement, but at 80 years old there are few British voices in cinema with this much passion and talent to take the current establishment to task for the state of the country. As with all Loach films though, I, Daniel Blake is a call for people to come together in harsh times, its basically a far more intelligent and longer way of saying, "Fuck you, tories". 

(5 Stars)

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Review

Jack Reacher is the popular fictional creation of author Lee Child. Reacher's adventures in literature now number at 21 outings and now 4 years after his cinematic debut comes the new Jack Reacher film, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.

After a brief opening which shows Reacher (Tom Cruise) successfully bringing down a human trafficking ring, Reacher returns to his old military headquarters to meet with the CO of his old team and the woman who has been helping him on his travels, Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), only to discover that the Major has been detained under accusation of espionage. With larger things in play, Reacher breaks the Major out and goes on the run to find the evidence they need to clear her name.

It's interesting that we're even being given a sequel to the first Reacher film, given its rather lackluster display at the box office. It was, however, successful enough on streaming, DVD/Blu-Ray to warrant a sequel, it's a shame then that this comes off as such a disappointment. Performance wise its quite strong, despite the protests of the teeny Tom Cruise being cast as Reacher in the first film, it seems that he's really inhabiting the character well, the small stature actually comes off as a strength to the character, Reacher is quietly threatening as opposed to the 6ft 4inch behemoth from the books. The addition of Cobie Smulders as the strong willed Major Susan gives Reacher a fresher dynamic in this outing, and the military gender dynamic and discussions between the two are really well played.

What was great about the first Reacher outing was that it felt retro and very 90s, but it had enough flair and quirk about it to make it worthwhile watching. With Werner Herzog as the villain, a brilliant car chase and Tom Cruise being an incredibly unlikable hero it was a really enjoyable watch. The worst crime the sequel commits is just how monumentally ordinary it is. It feels way too generic in every scene, there's not enough interest in what Reacher is up against, and the set pieces are monumentally ordinary. Ed Zwick has taken on directing duties from Christopher McQuarrie, and all Ed Zwick feels like is a safe pair of hands.

There are another 19 books that could possibly be adapted for more Reacher outings, but with something this ordinary, its highly doubtable that there's enough intrigue to warrant even a third.

(3 Stars)