Film Reviews
Leading the Attack Attack the Block is directed by Joe Cornish, who is joined by the producers of Shaun of the Dead. It is a sci-fi creature feature set in a South London council estate. But there is no Sigourney Weaver or Arnold Schwarzenegger to save the day here, only a group of wayward youths who are determined to take back their turf. Sam (Jodie Whittaker) is a nurse who is mugged by a teen gang led by Moses (John Boyega) on the street outside the council block where they live. The crime is suddenly interrupted by something falling from the sky and destroying a nearby vehicle. Moses heads to the car in search for valuables to steal but is attacked by a vicious creature. The gang gives chase and ends up killing it and returning to their block with the corpse, only to find that there are larger, more vicious aliens invading their block and a battle of survival begins. Given that this film would have had only a fraction of the budget of most US blockbusters, the effects are quite impressive and realistic. The acting is
When Planets Collide The latest offering from Lars von Trier is back to his usual form after The Antichrist disappointed many of his fans. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on whether you are a fan. Some will see it as a profound work of art and others will see it as a tedious and depressing piece of self-indulgent cinema. The film starts with Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgard) on their way to their wedding reception. It is an extravagant event that has been funded by her wealthy brotherin-law John (Kiefer Sutherland). Justine suffers from severe depression and whilst her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) desperately wants the event to run smoothly, she finds herself struggling to keep it all together when Justine disappears for a nap and later a bath during key moments. All the while Claire tries to keep her fear that the end of the world is nigh, at bay, with news that a mysterious planet named Melancholia is on a collision course with Earth. This is a fear not shared by Justine who seems to welcome the potential disaster. I have never been a fan of von Trier’s
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magazine issue #065 — Dec 2011–Jan 2012
On A Mission
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Attack the Block r e vi e we d by
Mark Snelson r ate d
4/5
great all round, particularly from the young cast who put in believable performances with excellent comic timing. The screenplay is sharp and witty with excellent direction from Cornish who perfectly balances action with humour. Attack the Block is a great horror action sci-fi flick with some strong British wit and a little social commentary thrown in for good measure. It is funny, tense and fast-paced, with an ample serving of gore. There is already talk of an American remake which would be a pointless exercise as there is nothing wrong with this version and British humour never translates well to the US. Go see this one before they ruin it.
r e vi e we d
Melancholia r e vi e we d by
Mark Snelson r ate d
2/5
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zoomed-in, hand-held camera work. I know it is meant to add to the realism and give you a fly-on-the-wall sense of the story but all it does is frustrate me. The cinematography is not all bad though. There is some beautiful imagery thrown in amongst the shaky stuff, particularly during the eight-minute opening sequence and closing scenes. There are some strong performances in Melancholia - mainly from Sutherland and Gainsbourg. Kirsten Dunst seems to be getting all the attention, having won the gong at Cannes this year. But I found her performance uninspired compared to the rest of the cast. Overall the film is far too long for what it has to offer and I am sure things could have been trimmed by at least half an hour. While Melancholia boasts a sci-fi premise, fans of that genre would be best steering clear of this if they are looking for another Armageddon or Deep Impact, as the impending demise of planet Earth is very much a secondary story to the main plot. Fans of von Trier will no doubt love this. I found it slow and tedious but I made it to the end which is more than I can say for a couple of his other films.
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