A dystopian sci-fi, In Time is about a society that has literally adopted the adage that 'time is money'. In this world, humans are implanted with a digital countdown timer that by default triggers death at the age of 26. This time is traded as currency for everything from cups of coffee to rent and can extend natural life to be infinite for the rich. We meet Will Salas, a time-poor twenty-something year old who manages to gamble his way to such wealth that the timekeepers suspect fraud. He is stripped of most of his time and exacts revenge by breaking into time banks and distributing it to the masses. Unfortunately, at times the acting and the dialogue is awkward and this compromises the "what-if" experiment and prevents any real moral lessons. The soundtrack is instrumental but includes orchestral as well as upbeat electronic pieces and this keeps the film on pace and fresh. Worth a watch on a Sunday afternoon.
7/10
A rom-com-esque oldie, this film follows Harold, a young man with an unusual fascination with death. One day, while attending the funeral of a complete stranger, he meets a like-minded yet almost elderly woman named Maude. The pair hit it off, despite any age gaps, and a quirky adventure ensues. A key driver here is a full album or two of Cat Stevens songs that are heavily woven into the story and make the film feel like a well put-together musical. These tunes guide the narrative and help to disguise any semblance of it being outdated. Combined, H&M is a worthwhile entry point to 1970s cinema and a likeable homage to Cat Stevens and, for that, it deserves a viewing or two.
7.5/10
A genre-bender, Warm Bodies is about a zombie called R whose 'affliction' starts reversing after he meets a beautiful young woman. Unbeknownst to her, R has literally consumed her boyfriend and soon begins inheriting his memories and feelings for her. With a brilliant support cast and authentic acting in general, it's easy to get on board with the fantasy. Jam-packed with a rockin' soundtrack ranging from golden oldies music to modern crooners and singer-songwriters, this is a romantic comedy filled with awkward zombie humour that mostly hits its marks. The main pitfalls here are in the lack of depth of the film: while it skims the surface of themes such as prejudice and xenophobia, it never capitalises on it - which is a shame as it could've really said something more. Still, this one's an easy recommendation and worth a couple of views.
7.5/10
Akin to Scent of a Woman, The Intouchables is about a young man who becomes a caregiver and friend for a wealthy old man with a disability - in this case, tetraplegia. A French film with English subtitles, this leans more towards comedy than drama and ultimately is more enjoyable than its more famous cousin. Both men have something to learn from each other in terms of race, class and life in general while the careful translation keeps the dialogue snappy and smart. The soulful soundtrack is lightly peppered throughout the film and culminates in an amusing music appreciation scene where Phillipe's classical music is played against Driss's hip hop music. Unlikely friendship movies are not a new idea, however, so long as they remain as merry as The Intouchables then I'm sure there will always be a market for them. Watch it many a time.
8.5/10
A charming, off-beat coming of age story, TPOBAW is about Charlie, an awkward freshman looking for friendship after spending time in hospital. He befriends two half-sibling seniors: Sam, a beautiful yet damaged girl and Patrick, a flamboyant class clown. He quickly falls for Sam while the seniors introduce him to the world of parties and minor college drug use. The film leans heavily and successfully on a fantastic soundtrack including Come on Eileen and Bowie's Heroes. As they work through their problems, it's easy to like Charlie - who brings a stability to the trio - and this pays off when the film darkens. The only noticeable downside is that it does feel like it's forcibly trying to be quirky at times. That said, there's a few interesting quotes and tidbits that give the film a smartness and these help to make it worth watching several times.
8.5/10
The first of three film prequels to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit tells of Bilbo Baggins' journey and how he came to own the One Ring. Despite recycling much of the talent of the LOTR movies, including the same director and several actors, this time around it all feels a bit childish - much like the earlier films in the Harry Potter franchise. The comic relief is goofy and includes a protracted dinner table scene where Dwarven warriors outstay their welcome. It also misses the emotional punch of its predecessors and thus fails to connect with the viewer - save for a scene between the Dwarven King and Bilbo. The visuals are sweeping and gorgeous but coupled with the dreary orchestral score the whole thing feels a bit regurgitated. Given the almost 3 hour run time, regretfully, this is a oncer.
6/10
Sacha Baron Cohen's fourth film, The Dictator is unfortunately more of a slapstick comedy than a political satire. It follows a despot from a fictional country in the middle-east who is summoned to New York for developing nuclear warheads. The comic material is centred around cultural and political differences and serves as a heavy-handed argument against oppressive regimes. Certainly funny throughout, the film suffers from the usual Cohen problems; it lacks subtlety or depth and frequently becomes silly. Music is noticeably absent here and a politically-charged soundtrack could've really helped during the more ridiculous moments. Still, it's a guaranteed laugh at least the first time around.
6/10
An odd-ball romantic-comedy, Silver Linings Playbook follows Pat and Tiffany, two twenty-something misfits trying to overcome their mental problems and find their place in the world. This film is essentially about dealing with unresolved loss: Pat is unable to come to terms with his wife cheating on - and leaving - him while Tiffany is unable to let go of her deceased husband. They soon bond and use training for an amateur dance competition as an alternative therapy session. The soundtrack is based around some good oldies tracks but is also hit-and-miss due to some unsurprisingly obscure tracks. However, decent performances from the leads and, in particular, the always-charming Jennifer Lawrence, help to make the quirky, hard-to-relate-to characters a bit easier to digest. It ties up neatly as is to be expected from the genre but struggles to fully engage the viewer throughout. Worth a watch or two.
7/10
A beautiful spectacle, Life of Pi is about a young man named Piscine, who gets ship-wrecked while relocating from India to Canada. He survives for months aboard a life-raft with only a handful of zoo animals for companionship. The dangerous journey soon becomes a spiritual one as we wonder if mistruths are acceptable if they serve a greater story - much akin to Big Fish. Sadly, the soundtrack throughout is dull and orchestral when it could have capitalised on the international flavour of the film. The loneliness of the subject matter also makes the runtime feel longer than it really is - like a prettier version of Cast Away. I also would've preferred 20 minutes less ocean and 20 more of his life after the ordeal. Criticisms aside, everyone should see this for its camera work at least.
7.5/10
Yet another righteous revenge movie from Tarantino, Django Unchained sums up our tale of a black slave's life a few years before the American Civil War. The story begins with a fortuitous encounter with Dr. Schultz, a forward-thinking bounty hunter who frees Django and trains him as his apprentice. Django excels and gains the confidence and wealth to challenge the social conventions of the time with the ultimate goal of freeing his wife from a slave plantation. The film hits all the right theatrical notes and masks it's lengthy run time quite well but there's an over-arching feeling that the story is a little too-cooked: with two-dimensional good guys and bad guys and a reliance on anachronism for emotional punch. The soundtrack is fantastic and well-placed throughout the movie but I couldn't shake the parallels of its subtler and richer cousin Inglourious Basterds. Still, it's definitely worth seeing.
8/10
A sombre thriller-mystery with a Scandinavian backdrop, TGWTDT follows an unlikely duo who are hired by an old man to investigate the disappearance of his niece 40 years prior. Mikael, a disgraced journalist is joined by Lisbeth, an anti-social computer hacker as they uncover the family's many secrets and the evils that still lurk on the island. At times too bleak, the film would've benefited from more music to break it up a bit and there is an unforgettably strange scene involving Enya's Orinoco Flow. While there are plenty of twists and layers to unravel and the setting is interesting enough it also feels foreign throughout and this makes it difficult to connect with the characters. That said, since the mystery genre is under-represented these days and this is coupled with a satisfying story, it is easy to recommend this one for repeat viewing.
7.5/10
A fantasy-drama with a romantic, sci-fi feel to it, Cloud Atlas is a strange beast that overwhelms the viewer with 6 story-lines that span our past, present and future. The casting is massive and helps tremendously, so prepare to know almost everyone and to see them recycled in unrecognisable ways over the ages. I particularly enjoyed the freed-slave friendship and a clone named Somni's awakening story but there's something for everyone here. Short vignettes from each period invite you to explore the depths of the links between each story, to your own preference, and the heroic flow on of events over time is subtle and charming. The visuals are truly brilliant and while the soundtrack leans heavily on the Cloud Sextet, it binds their shared history together just nicely. My least favourite story was, funnily enough, the 'current' 2012 one but the oddly comedic, great escape for old people still had its merit. Buy it, watch it again and again and keep your mind open over the years.
10/10
