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Thale (2012)
Inoffensive and quirky Norwegian flick
This is an odd little (and quite short – 76 minutes) Norwegian fantasy horror film. A simple plot and a small cast lend a quaint feel to the movie.
Two men discover a woman (Thale) in the basement of a place they are cleaning up, beyond that they try to figure out who or what Thale is, leading to a mysterious back story.
There is some strange and dark humour thrown into the mix and given the relative length of the feature, not much happens but the plot development combined with a rather alluring performance from Silje Reinåmo make for an interesting watch.
Inoffensive and quirky Norwegian film in a similar style to Trolljegeren (2010). Definitely worth a watch if you want something a little bit different to the normal Hollywood fare.
Looper (2012)
I didn't like it, but you probably will.
I think I will be in the minority when I say that I really did not enjoy this film.
Set in the near future the plot centres around Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) a hired killer called a 'Looper'. 30 years further into the future time travel has been invented and the only use for it (due to it being quickly hidden away) is for the Mafia to send people back in time to be dispatched, because it is incredibly difficult to kill someone in the future due to 'tracking'. That's it, that's your explanation for the setup of the whole film.
This is all set out in the opening sequence of the movie and from then on the director's appreciation of science and any dealings with time travel or the associated paradoxes is laughable.
In the reviews I write I try to give my impression and avoid spoiling the viewing experience by explaining every detail of the film and I'm not going to set out why this film fails on so many points because a lot of people seem to like it. I really want to but this will turn into an essay and life is far too short.
Bruce Willis is good throughout as the older Joe, he essential plays to his strengths, says little and kicks arse. Emily Blunt is a tenuous love interest and neither has much impact or credibility in her role, which as the film develops you learn is pivotal to events in the future. Gordon-Levitt is just about bearable, but his performance is not up to the standards of either The Dark Knight Rises or Inception.
One aspect of the film that intrigued me revolved around the make-up used to make Levitt look like Willis, it took me a while to realise that is was actually Levitt we were looking at.
I found this quite distracting as not only did Levitt look a bit odd, the likeness between him and Willis wasn't perfect (look at the ears!). This didn't help with transporting you into the story that, even with the ridiculous premise, could have entertained as an action flick.
This failed for me on several levels, the science, the plot, the strange retro styling that was trying to ape Blade Runner, the really silly ending that just disappoints and numerous other things that would just be spoilers. At just under 2 hours long this was an unpleasant and thoroughly lacklustre viewing experience, which came as quite a surprise due the hype surrounding the movie.
I didn't like it, but you probably will.
4:44 Last Day on Earth (2011)
A low budget indie flick that aspires to be deep and meaningful but renders you numb
What a disappointment. This was bad on almost every level, which is a shame because Willem Dafoe has had some excellent recent performances in Antichrist and The Hunter, but with a complete lack of any decent direction and a poor script he has little to do other than look forlorn (probably wondering how his agent managed to get him to sign up to this). Shanyn Leigh stars as his artist girlfriend who goes from placid to extremely emotional on several occasions for no real reason.
The plot of the film consists of the world coming to an end at 4:44am the following morning and proceeds to show the last day Dafoe and Leigh have together in New York.
Set almost entirely in a loft apartment, not much happens, there is little in the way of character development, relationships are tenuous at best and the reason for the world coming to an end? Well that is never fully explained.
It is hinted that it is man's fault, but the exact details are non-existent, you'll sit there wondering how we could predict the end if it is our actions that have caused it. Is the ozone layer just going to suddenly disappear? The sea levels magically going to rise and wipe out all life overnight? The only logical explanation would be for a meteor impact, but that would be utterly out of our control.
The main base for the story is shambolic and the apocalyptic nature of the film is not handled well. Family members final words to each other are short and hollow, the partying on the streets is half-hearted and the human interaction just has no depth or intimacy to it.
Another film with a similar premise is Melancholia written and directed by Lars von Trier, this handles the end of the world in an entirely different manner and is both believable and enjoyable to watch, with excellent direction, cinematography and acting.
As a low budget indie flick it aspires to be deep and meaningful but renders you numb, 4:44 lacks any redeeming qualities and it is such a shame as the subject matter would have perfectly fitted Dafoe's emotional acting style.
AVOID!
To Rome with Love (2012)
Not exceptionally bad or very good.
A Woody Allen film with multiple story threads set in Rome. Allen's recent offerings have been a bit hit and miss. I'm embarrassed to say this, but I actually enjoyed Midnight in Paris where Owen Wilson managed to produce a good performance. Unlike that 2011 feature, To Rome With Love is devoid of any charm or the snappy dialogue and finessed editing of Allen's older films.
I think the main issue comes down to the cast. With half the film spoken in Italian, the Italian cast do a good job of showcasing the frenetic energy of Rome and with comedic elements thrown into the mix these scenes are enjoyable to watch. In stark contrast to this, the sequences in English with the American cast are just painful to watch.
The dull performance from Jesse Eisenberg had me hoping he would be killed off early so I wouldn't have to endure his presence on screen. The same can be said for Ellen Page, who rolls out her usual quirky act that just leaves me cold. To date I haven't enjoyed any of Eisenberg's films and Page was fantastic in Hard Candy, entertaining in Super but just insipid throughout all her scenes here.
Alec Baldwin did his usual charming old man routine and for the most part he was the most entertaining English speaking participant.
Had the whole film been in Italian I think it would have worked much better, I have no idea what Allen was aiming for with this film but it falls short of being a full blown comedy or romantic piece. The idiosyncratic elements that littered his early work are still present, like the story of a worker who wakes up to find himself a celebrity for no apparent reason, but the rest of the film takes the edge off these amusing tableaux.
The Words (2012)
An unobtrusively viewable 97 minutes.
This was an interesting viewing experience. The plot is centred on a struggling author and his endeavours to get some of his work published, but all is not as it seems.
Bradley Cooper plays Rory Jansen, the author who finally gains success with work he has 'acquired' from an old man (Jeremy Irons). Both come across as innocuous with little in the way of emotion expressed until late on in the film. Olivia Wilde and Zoe Saldana star as the love interest for two of the characters and there is nothing much to say about them or their performances, as they seem to have been presented as a side element to the labours of the central protagonists. Dennis Quaid is another author in this story within a story within a story.
It isn't as complicated as it sounds, with reasonable performances from those involved, and the plot evolves at a steady pace. There is something missing though, the spark of intrigue or excitement, as the film meanders along you find it hard to empathise with any of the characters.
The various twists pass without much fanfare in what I would describe as an average affair. The ending is also a bit of an anti-climax, but I actually quite liked it, as it fitted with the film. The cinematography follows along the same theme of, well, bland. Some shots are nicely composed but it isn't enough to suck you into the heart of the action.
Overall this movie is pleasant to watch but there is no fire in any of the performances or within the direction. The dialogue is good but neither sharp nor passionate. I came away with a feeling of indifference due to a lack of affinity with any of the characters or the scenario, which is a shame as the movie may be bland but it is not really that bad.
An unobtrusively viewable 97 minutes.