Gazette
22 Gazette 26 December 2013
OUT&ABOUT
CINEMA
ReelReviews
Frozen
Snow budging this hit FROZEN (Cert G, 108 mins) sees Disney keeping its place at the top of the Christmas charts with, err ... an icy grip, its crowdpleasing mix of catchy songs, likeable characters and top-notch animation. Sibling rivalries (and love) are to the fore, with plenty of magic, feisty leads and a quest to save the land all adding up to Disney’s coolest film (and hottest ticket) for ages.
Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) finds himself very far from home as the mild-mannered office worker tries to live up to the more exciting life of his confident daydreams. It’s a handsomely shot film, to be sure, that shows a step up in Stiller’s skills – however, on its own merits as a comedy, it falls just a little short of the mark.
film of the week: the secret life of walter mitty is good, not great GRAVITY
Worth falling for SURELY about to hit the end of its distribution run, Gravity (Cert 12A, 91 mins) is still pulling in audiences for an unexpectedly thoughtful film, sneakily hidden behind some truly spectacular visuals. Sandra Bullock delivers a compelling, moving turn at the heart of the film, which has plenty to say about love, life and loss – as well as the plight of an astronaut in big trouble ...
THE HUNGER GAMES 2
Take a bite at it WHAT we’re calling The Hunger Games 2 (Cert 12A, 160 mins) is a big improvement on the hit original, with tighter focus and more story, less exposition to fit in. Following their win at the 74th annual Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta have a Victor’s Tour to undertake – but it’s soon clear that a rebellion may be brewing ...
You’ve Ben entertained by better films from Stiller
BASED on the James Thurber famous short story of the same name, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty tells the tale of a man who escapes the mundanity of his existence through adventurous and heroic daydreams. This version, directed by and starring Ben Stiller, places Mitty as an introverted and socially awkward worker at LIFE magazine, where he is set apart from any of the media glamour in a monochrome basement, handling negatives and photographs. Derided by his snazzier colleagues, Mitty secretly yearns for his co-worker, Cheryl (Kristen Wiig), but can only muster the courage to talk to her in the fantastical daydreams
Dave phillips
he is prone to lapse into. When the cover shot for the final print issue of LIFE goes missing, he sets out on an extraordinary journey to track it down. This version of the Walter Mitty story has apparently been on the cards for the past two decades; at one point, Spielberg was set to direct with the post-Mask Jim Carrey in the title role. Since then, several big names have almost been Mitty, including Mike Myers, Owen Wilson, and
Sacha Baron Cohen, but the role eventually found its way to Stiller, who has used the opportunity to step up his game as both actor and director. There’s a movement away from the straight-up comedy we associate with Stiller; instead, here, the film plays out as a comic-drama, dealing with existential themes, and deeply embedded with a life-affirming message. Mitty is directionless, and at times helpless, seemingly equipped with an integrity but devoid of any ability to enact his will. He is a kind of human flotsam that uses his imagination as a surrogate space to live out his desires. The LIFE magazine motto appears through-
out the film as a haunting reminder of his unlived life: “To see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls and within rooms, things dangerous to come to, that is the purpose of life.” Unfor tunately for what is essentially a onecharacter piece, Mitty is not particularly easy to attach to – a problem that stems from the fact that he is not particularly believable. Like the negatives he processes, he is black and white, and while the most interesting characters tend to occupy the grey area between, Mitty only exists at the extremes. His oscilla-
tion between the implausibly inept and the astonishingly adept proves jarring, and not relatable. The lack of character connection leaves an uncomfortable space in a film that otherwise has all the hallmarks of greatness. Visually beautiful, at times the film reverberates with an almost Middle Earth-feel, taking in some incredible panning shots of Icelandic scenery as we follow Mitty on his quest.
The plot never lacks momentum, which keeps things engaging, although the comedic writing is hit and miss. These elements try to fill the void left by the lack of character, but it’s an impossible task, relying on them to provide emotional connection is like relying on a key change in a song to do the same. It’s a film that admirably reaches out to touch our hearts, but finds itself a few inches short. Without a doubt, you’ll enjoy watching Mitty travel around the world on his adventure, but it’s unlikely you’ll experience any movement yourself.
Verdict: 6/10