Edge of Darkness

"You need to decide if you're hanging on the cross or banging in the nails."

Great line in a scorching comeback to the big screen from Mel Gibson, there too few genuine movie stars these days so it's great to see an old stager like Mel knock it out the park as Boston detective and grieving father Thomas Craven.

He's ably supported by Ray Winstone as the menacing and enigmatic Jedburg, their scenes together are the highlight of the movie. The other supporting characters kinda flit in and out while Danny Huston brings the loathable sleaze as the main bad guy.

Flitting in and out is perhaps the film's main weakness, a number of characters appear briefly as a plot link to give Craven a piece of info, and then they aren't involved again, or only reappear to get killed. This is the curse of adapting a TV mini series with a nearly 6 hour run time and is most glaringly evident in a pivotal scene with Jedburg.

Now "State of Play" avoided that pitfall masterfully, having not seen either mini series I can only imagine they did so by streamlining the material which may have been a wise idea here.

Despite this the story is still intriguing and engaging and Tom Craven's journey is an intense one that has you rooting for him all the way, there isn't a lot of action but what there is, is impactful, the use of sound and editing is first class and really drives home the death of Emma and the finale gun battle.

Speaking of the finale I am sure some will have found it too simplistic and indeed it could have been much smarter, but personally I found it satisfying.

7/10


Sherlock Holmes

As a lifelong Sherlock fan I was very pleased with the movie. What it gets so right is it takes all of the classic touchstones, nails the look and gets the atmosphere spot on, then sprinkles in some comedy and shoots the detective sequences like an episode of CSI whilst never jarring you out of the period.

RDJ as Holmes is brilliant, he wisely chooses not to emulate Brett or Rathbone or even stick overly closely to the books, like the film itself he embodies the spirit and many of the facets of the character but puts his own modern spin oh him, creating one of the most entertaining interpretations I have seen.

Jude Law is actually built more like the way Holmes is drawn and is the only Watson I have seen to be taller than Holmes, yet it doesn't play on your mind at all as the two work together seamlessly in creating the classic duo. The choice to turn Irene Adler into a spunky American thief is an inspired one and Rachel McAdams imbues her with a real zest and charm. If there is a weakness on the character front it is Lord Blackwood, Mark Strong does fine creating menace in the scenes he is in but they are few and he is a pretty average villain.

Speaking of villains the introduction of Moriarty was superbly executed and creates the required air of menace around him, especially I imagine for those not familiar with the character, my only complaint would be the voice, not quite sinister enough IMO.

The action is not as big as I was expecting but the sequences that are there are very well executed, mixing modern editing with oldschool action, the chase to the shipyards in particular is fun and I thought the scene where Watson and Holmes are caught in the booby trap explosion was visually stunning, however the films greatest use of visuals is in the brilliantly executed deduction scenes.

The story is good enough to be a Holmes mystery, the twists are smartly unwound and I was engaged in the intrigue for the full run time, the film zips along at a fair pace but never feels rushed.

I'm not a fan of Guy Richie in the least but I commend his achievement here, he's created a visually grand, funny adventure/detective movie that is both a modern take and classic Holmes merged into a highly entertaining package.

8.5/10

Brothers

Powerful, thought provoking and at times disturbing, this is far from the melodrama that the initial promo reel made it out to be.

Tobey Maguire gives perhaps his best performance to date as Captain Sam Cahill, it is a challenging role that asks the audience to feel sympathy for a character put in an inhumane situation that leads him to inhumane acts. This is made even harder given the run time does not allow him enough time at the beginning of the movie to really establish a likable character before he is off to war where he is shot down and believed dead, yes we get he is a decent man and a good family guy, but there are only 2 scenes to get this point across, fortunately Maguire makes the most of both and we get the picture of his life that adds to the sadness of what happens to him.

The other two lead roles are also very well acted, Jake Gyllenhaal as Sam's ex-con loser brother is the more affable of the two brothers, he loves his brother but his brothers supposed death finally gives his life a purpose. Natalie Portman as Sam's wife Grace is convincing as the perfect wife and mother torn apart by the tragedy of war, her and the kids are collatreral damage in someone else's fight and they cling to Tommy for support and a lift, something that makes Tommy a better guy, however we don't some miraculous turnaround where he suddenly gets a stable job and becomes a perfect guy, his main effort in this area is refurbishing Grace's kitchen and hanging out with the her two young daughters, in essence filing the gap left by their father.

The movie jumps back and forth between Sam held prisoner in Afghanistan and Tommy and Grace attempting to repair their lives and raise the kids back home in the US. there are moments of warmth that you are ripped harshly from as the movie jumps back to the horrific situation Sam is in, this creates an emotional roller-coaster journey but I also felt more time was needed on the Tommy/Grace relationship to develop it further.

The third act where Sam returns home ratchets up the tension, he is damaged by the act he committed to stay alive in Afghanistan and paranoid that Tommy and Grace have been sleeping together, even though this is not true the attraction between the two is evident and when he sees them together he feels like he is watching a happy family, the happy family he wasn't able to have with them as he was always away on duty.

This all builds to an explosion at a family dinner for the birthday of the youngest of his two daughters, Isabel, the eldest, is now afraid of him and wishes Uncle Tommy was with her Mom instead, when Tommy shows up to the dinner with a girl he has just met it makes Isabel angry and she snaps at the dinner table revealing her pent up feelings, this is a fantastically natural piece of acting from a young actress and delivers the light to the powder keg that explodes when they get home, this is Maguire's moment as Sam finally snaps and while it's not a scene with great, insightful dialogue, it comes off as totally real, the rawness of the emotions of all three lead characters sear the screen.

The films wraps up without answers but just a glimmer of hope, much like real life often is. I think the movie could have done with another 20-30 minutes but it is still a fine drama with superb performances.

9/10 

Avatar

So I finally saw Avatar, I've been intrigued as to why it has made so much money and having now seen it I still don't have a definitive answer but then again nothing about Avatar fits neatly into reason.

Firstly I will preface this by saying I saw it in 2D as I wanted to judge the movie not the tech and in truth if the visuals are better in 3D then bravo to Cameron b/c the movie looks amazing in 2D anyway, however while the visuals are state of the art and cutting edge, the script and story are black and white, as old as the hills.

The story is a reworking of a very familiar age old tale, the bad guys are one dimensional and cardboard, albeit entertaining, the world of Pandora is awash with colour and leaves no room for shades of grey, the baddies are bad and the goodies are good, period.

The thing with this movie is that it is more than the sum of it's parts and takes me to my belief that great films are about how you tell the story, not how original the story is. Here Cameron has taken many basic tried and tested elements and fused them together to make a captivating whole.

Yes the hero's journey is a simple one, yes the story is linear BUT when whisked away to the majestic fantasy world of Pandora you become invested in the simplicity, you root for the good and detest the bad, you are taken into this magnificently created culture and learn to love it as Jake does, and then you marvel at the spectacle as the battle between good and evil takes place on this sumptuous fantasy canvas created by James Cameron.

The acting is better than the script deserves and Worthington does a fantastic job of making a giant blue feline creature relatable and this has a knock on effect for the other Na'vi characters. Giovanni Ribisi basically chomps the scenery and the guy playing Quarich relies on grizzly presence, but both do their thing with gusto and make for hateable pantomime-esque villains.

There are plenty of stunning set pieces throughout but only one true action sequence and it is spectacular, when it comes time for the big nature vs man and machines showdown Cameron steps into the ring like a champion prize fighter and KO's all the pretenders to his thrown as the king of the epic action sequence. Some complain it was too short but I disagree, I felt it was a beat perfect war sequence that had marvelous shot selection and a gripping infusion of emotion, a true masterclass.

So in closing I can't pinpoint the reasons for the films colossal success b/c it's an intangible, my guess being that for millions something about this age old tale in jaw dropping new clothes just connected with them in a way most movies can only dream of, Steven Spielberg said after seeing it, that it was the first time he'd felt this way since Star Wars, for me it is the first sense of wonderment I have felt to this degree since Spielberg's own Jurassic Park, so while I wont get into long debates over the shortcomings people see in the script and story b/c I agree, I will make no apologies for loving the movie for all that it is as opposed to what it isn't.

9/10

Up in the Air

What a fantastic movie, certainly top of my 2009 list so far (On catch up duty though.)

Reitman is a fantastic writer and director, the script here just bristles with great dialogue and the quiet awkwardness of the intimate moments, the scene where Clooney's Bingham first meets Farminga's Alex for instance is an instant classic, the zingy innuendo wordplay between the two strikes up a chemistry that makes you invest in two people who are on the surface shallow as a paddling pool.

Clooney is at his best here playing corporate assassin and serial loner Ryan Bingham, ok so he doesn't kill anyone but he is the hitman sent in to fire employees bosses don't want to face, and Reitman plays on this with the first scene we see of Clooney packing his travelling bag, folding and clipping everything into place, all shot like those scenes you see in action movies with assassins preparing their weapons. The usual Clooney touchstones (Self effacing charm bordering on smugness crossed with doe eyed everyman) are there but he invests Bingham with a world weary empathy that makes you root for him and feel for him when the movies kick in the nuts twist comes into play.

The film is essentially an age old tale of "finding yourself" mixed in with the many questions people ask themselves regarding life, love and relationships, but instead of being cliched or dull it is the opposite, the situations and questions are presented through entertaining and likable characters that you take this journey with all set against the frothy backdrop of high end air travel.

The key to the films success is the two main relationships Bingham has, one with fellow travel jockey Alex (Vera Farminga) and one with young trainee sacker Natalie (Anna Kendrick), the relationship with Alex is the movies heart and it's fun, the chemistry between Clooney and Farminga is feisty but tender and it awakeness some of Bingham's lost humanity. The relationship with Natalie is more like a student/teacher one in the beginning but Bingham finds out some home truths from his slightly neurotic young side kick. The thing that makes both relationships work is that the dialogue is sparky and enteratining, the banter crisp and engaging BUT it also comes with depth and a message just layered in there like subtle jabs so that you get the movies point without feeling smothered by it.

If you are looking for a thrill ride this isn't it, but if you are looking for a warm, funny non linear comedy cum character drama that allows you to think rather than spoon feed you and give you easy answers, then this is as good as it gets.

9.5/10