The Courier
reviewsfilm.23
Monday 17 November 2014
WKHFRXULHURQOLQH FR XN ¿ OP F ¿ OP#QFO DF XN _ #&RXULHUB)LOP
“You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!” - The Room (2003)
Nightcrawler (15)
I
don’t think I have ever given a film a 5/5 rating, and I’m not sure I ever will – although I’m pretty darn close to doing it right now. Perhaps I will have decided by the end of this review but I can’t quite be sure because I can’t think straight because Nightcrawler blew my bloody mind into tiny self-hating pieces. Easily the best release in at least half a year, it has received exceptional praise from nearly everyone (a scorching 94% from Rotten Tomatoes) and quite rightly, it’s rather wonderful. As I walked into the cinema I didn’t really know what to expect. I had seen the trailer and read the synopsis - ‘When Lou Bloom, a driven man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become star of his own story’ - but I remained mostly in the dark. What followed was a two hour cacophony of sound, visual and psychological intricacy that left me dazzled. The plot follows Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a Patrick Bateman-esque character as his strong desire for success and complete absence of any moral compass leads him to some brutally dark places. Gyllenhaal regarded his performance as a portrayal of how far one can go with a complete lack of empathy and it was far-and-away one of his best, combining the sociopathic elements of the typical Bateman horror-figure with an incredible passion, intelligence and wit that makes him downright
likeable and considering the events that follow, that is a masterpiece task in itself. Aside from the brilliant casting of Rene Russo as Nina Romina, or Michael Hyatt as Detective Fronteiri or the frankly incredible visuals, or the stunning use of suspense and build-up, this is what Nightcrawler truly excels at. It invites you to be as apathetic and morally bankrupt as Lou, Nina and the journalism industry that it is critiques and, to an extent, it shows that you already are. The score is beautifully cultivated to produce exactly this effect. Lou’s utter jubilation at being the first on the scene to any major crime (be it a murder, car-crash or fire) is part and parcel of his job – “I like to say that if you see me you’re having the worst day of your life” – and it shows. He is pleased because he is getting the scoop and despite all the blood, all the gore, gristle and brutality the score follows Lou’s mood, becoming almost angelic. You feel it, a small tug in your heart that invites you to revel in
it all and you’re repulsed. It’s this internal tugging, this constant feeling of moral uncertainty and the gentle pit in your stomach that shows Nightcrawler for what it truly is: a brilliant analysis of the lines between good and bad and a representation of how each and every one of us engages in these grey areas every single bloody day. Complete with beautiful visuals, the most intense long wait scene I have ever experienced and a fantastic supporting cast that beautifully complements Gyllenhaal’s acting talents, Nightcrawler really takes the biscuit when it comes to keeping you on the edge of your seat. So you must go, you must go and watch it and you must go and hate yourself – because after watching Nightcrawler, I know I do.
Northern Soul (15)
Horns (15)
Maze Runner (12A)
S
et in 1974 in the fictional Lancashire town of ‘Burnsworth’ (a thinly-veiled amalgamation of the likes of Blackburn and Burnley), Northern Soul examines the drug-fuelled underground soul scene that swept up thousands of young people in the early 70s. Shy teenager John spends his time writing poetry, clashing with his overbearing parents, pining after Angela, the only mixed-race girl in town (Misfits’ Antonia Thomas), and being bullied by his arrogant teacher (Steve Coogan in a comically overdone turn that feels out of step with the rest of the film). A chance encounter down at the local youth club sees John befriend outgoing soul fan Matt, and he’s quickly drawn into Matt’s world of amphetamines, all-night dancing, and obsessively tracking down obscure soul singles on vinyl. The combination of his newfound zest for life and the death of his beloved grandfather (Ricky Tomlinson) pushes John to abandon his old existence. He leaves both home and school in dramatic circumstances, moves in with Matt and gets a job at a local factory while the two of them attempt to start their own soul night. But the all-or-nothing, substance-reliant nature of their link with the soul scene takes its toll. At times Northern Soul betrays its first-time-director status. While the drabness of early 70s Britain and the energy of the soul scene are rendered brilliantly, characterisation is a little patchy, often falling back on clichés, using people as devices rather than rounding them out as real characters. John’s entrance into the scene feels very rushed and with not so much a character development as an abrupt personality transplant; Thomas’ Angela is also woefully under used. All in all, though, Northern Soul is a beguiling window into a particular time and place, and a fantastic soul soundtrack ultimately hides a multitude of sins. More like this: This Is England (2007) Kate Bennett
H
orns is a Jack of all trades, but unfortunately a master of none. It tries desperately hard to intelligently mingle the genres of horror, murder mystery, black comedy and romance but this weird concoction results in something disappointingly average. It tells the story of the unfortunate Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) who is recently bereft by the loss of his girlfriend, Merrin (Juno Temple). One day Ig awakens with horns (obviously) and that is when the chaos begins. Not only are the horns uncomfortable for poor Ig, but they also emit a strange control over the townspeople. Daniel Radcliffe gives a career best performance, finally shaking off his chains as the boy wizard Harry Potter, although the stand out performance has to be Kelli Garner who plays the sadly self-conscious ‘town bike’, Glenna Shepherd. She provides the first laugh in the film in a rather bizarre, but hilarious, doughnut scene. This hilarity at the beginning of the film twists into blackly comic, and also slightly scary, violence and vengeance in the middle of the film when Ig finally grows into his horns. However, this exciting turn soon loses pace and quickly slips into horror B-movie territory by the end. This is not helped by the rather more-primitive-than-expected visual effects, which a film like Horns should be doing a lot better with. One of the most disappointing things about Horns however is that it is not the film it promotes itself to be. It’s not a bad film by any means, but it is unfortunately a victim of its own hype. Although the majority of the film is predominantly entertaining, the ending pulls it into the pits of hell, leaving it sadly in the land of average. One thing that can be learnt from Horns however, is that it is a good job Harry was not sorted into Slytherin. More like this: The Woman in Black (2012) Emma Allsopp
O
ver the weekend I suffered a ‘near death experience’. However, it was not the usual kind; there was no close scrape between my body and a bus, or an accidental slip into the tub whilst holding the hair dryer. It was in fact the sadness that crept into my tiny, Grinch-like heart when I read the (hoax) story of Macaulay Culkin’s death. Obviously at that time I was unaware of the evil trick that was being played on me and other unsuspecting and fragile childhood fans. Quickly my fears were quashed, but lingering in my head was the thought of Macaulay and all those other child stars who have faded slowly into the background of adult life.
More like this: Gone Girl (2014) David Leighton
H
aving made no secret of my disdain for Young Adult adaptations, I cheerfully proclaimed I would eat a hat if The Maze Runner had me invested at any point. Yet on exiting the theatre I was willing to eat every hat that I came across, even merrily buy a new hat and then eat it for good measure. Protagonist Thomas is thrown by a mysterious individual into the middle of a seemingly infinite maze. There live a handful of other boys whose hopes of survival rest on navigating the maze, which is full of... er, something nasty. No one can remember who they were, or where they came from, and from here on out, it’s all thrills, twists and mysteries. That is not to say that The Maze Runner doesn’t face-plant into pitfalls that make me hate the Young Adult ‘genre’. I lost count of how many times a perplexed youth said “We’re all in this together”a direct quote - and stared emotionally into the distance while music too awe-inspiring for Lord of the Rings rang out in the background. Now rip out the negative part of this review and throw it out the window, because that’s what you’ll do if you go and see The Maze Runner. Visually it’s exceptional - the scale and beauty of the shots provides a refreshing change from the usual slapdash CGI approach. However the thing that really sets The Maze Runner apart is the execution of its storyline, which is perfectly translated into cinema. It’s fast paced, it’s exciting, and doesn’t allow you to become complacent - it waits till you’re nearing a conclusion and then throws you back into uncertainty. To say The Maze Runner has challenged my preconceptions about Young Adult adaptations would be an understatement. Whether it will hold its own next to The Hunger Games I cannot say, but as my mouthful of metaphorical hat proves, it is certainly worth a watch. More like this: Logan Run (1976) Rebecca Harrison
Culkin, it is safe to say, is a poster boy for childhood stardom gone wrong. After starring in unforgettable classics like Home Alone, Richie Rich and Uncle Buck, the loveable little tyke seems to have somewhat lost his way. Most recently his escapades have seen him turn from a fresh faced lad into an allegedly heroin-addicted bag of bones, as well as taking a side step from film into the music business. That’s right, if you want to find Maccaulay now days, look no further than The Pizza Underground: a pizza-themed Velvet Underground parody band.
And how about The Parent Trap’s double trouble star Lindsay Lohan - trouble indeed. Another case of childhood stardom gone awry, Lohan has battled for years with addiction, with numerous stays in rehab. After childhood roles and great success it seemed plain sailing for young Lindsay, but since then we’ve seen her in some pretty dire roles, continuously typecast and unable to create a career worth taking seriously. Audiences just didn’t seem to be able to move on from that freckle faced little girl, which can lead an adult actress frustrated with her inability to progress, into some dark places.
But surely all child stars can’t be train wrecks. Remember that kid who told Bruce Willis “I see dead people”, Haley Joel Osment? He seems to have beat the system (lets overlook his little DUI/weed arrest in 2006 shall we - everybody makes mistakes), trading the big screen to tread the boards of Broadway in 2008 for David Mamet’s American Buffalo revival and graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of Arts in 2010. Pretty stable, huh? Even the little sweetheart from Matilda, otherwise known as Mara Wilson managed to hold it together long enough to make it out of the spotlight in one piece. Now working as a playwright, Wilson remembers acting as a child like some kids remember finger painting – something its best to grow out of. Pity the others didn’t see it that way. Dominique Daly