The Wrestler - 2009

Mickey Rourke is back. If your interested in The Wrestler you've probably read this already. A lot. But it's true. Mickey Rourke may have given his finest performance in The Wrestler. On a thematic level the film feels as if it was meant for Rourke. In one scene before a fight he addresses the crowd and the distinction between actor and character becomes blurred. And yet thankfully Mickey Rourke is not the only reason to watch The Wrestler. Darren Aronofsky makes a significant departure from Pi and Requiem For A Dream territory with an intimate handheld style which observes, follows and watches Rourke's Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Robert Siegel's script also presents an intimate portrait of a man coming to terms with the limits of his body, and realising that without that which he loves he doesn't have much else to cherish and saviour in life. Supporting Rourke is Marisa Tomei who gives a performance as engaging and emotional as Rourke's. Playing a stripper you also serves as a counterpoint to Rourke's wrestler. Both characters exploit their bodies for money and the enjoy of the crowd. But both are beginning to realise that their time is up.
Thankfully for all of the sentiment and emotion running around in this film, it never loses sight of its sense of humour. Nor does it opt for a typically sentimental ending. Instead leaving the opening slightly ambiguous. There are questions which remain unanswered and yet you feel satisfied. The ending shot is one which captures the films theme elegantly whilst also hinting at the greater tragedy of this man's life.
This is still Rourke's film. He gives passionate, emotional performance, truly relishing the chance to show his real actin range. He'll draw a tear to your eye, but also make you laugh, perhaps inappropriately. He also conveys the extreme vulnerability a man in Randy's position must feel. Although the best actor Oscar category this year may be a tough one, Rourke can feel quietly confident that when the envelope opens it'll be his name, and his return to the main stream of America cinema that will be the outcome. A if that happens it'll be long overdue. And if it doesn't, his reputation ill be cemented as one of the most engaging, heartfelt and enjoyable actors working today.

Role Models - 2009

I unashamedly love Paul Rudd. He first came to my attention when he was getting some of the best lines on Friends as Phoebe's boyfriend and later husband. But since Anchorman and The 40 Year Old Virgin he is usually to funniest supporting character in anything he features in. Thankfully he has been given a lead, and Role Models is it. Not a great film, but a solid, hilarious romp in which he plans a cynical miserablist. A type of humour I think I respond to. Not zany, wacky or downright ridiculous like so many contemporary comedians are, Paul Rudd is understated and instantly likeable.
As for Roles Models, its really Rudd's film, Sean William Scott, his co star is good, funny and entertaining, but he is trading on his screen image (something Rudd could equally be accused of), and he plays the dumber, less inspired of the two characters.
The premise is simple. After a pathetic proposal to his girlfriend (Elisabeth Banks), Danny (Rudd) is dumped, then after a poor demonstration for energy drink Minotaur, he becomes victim of community service to avoid the prison sentence. His job, to be role models for children from backgrounds which have left them unhappy or neglected.
The film provides a belly full of laughs from the relationships formed between the adults (a loose term) and the kids, played brilliantly and for the most effective comedic effect by Christopher Mintz-Plaisse and Bobb's J Thompson.
The film will never be considered a classic, but can not be faulted for a good friday or saturday comedy which will give you some intelligent humour, but mainly just crude innuendos and stupidity personified. Which is some ways is the best comedy you can hope for from any film.
So what's next Mr. Rudd, given a writing credit for Role Models, I would hope to see more material catered for his brand of sarcastic humour. He's an actor who deserves time and a platform to demonstrate his brilliance.
I for one will be queuing up in a jovial mood to watch his next film.

Slumdog Millionaire - 2009

Danny Boyle's new film has been described as the feel good film of the year, and in most respects it is. A unique little story about a slum dweller who manages not only to get onto the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, but also manages to get all the way to the final question and the chance to win 20million Rupees. Through a inventive and engaging flashback, which writer Simon Beaufoy intricately weaves into the script, we learn the life of this unexpected success from his childhood right through to his destiny in the chair.
Beautifully shot in Mumbai the film successfully captures the vibrancy of living in a city so over populated. In addition the film spans enough time to show how the city has evolved over the past 20 years.
Danny Boyle's direction is effective, if not quite up to some of his previous efforts, and the performances are all engaging, commited and above all believable. Dev Patel who plays the hero Jamal is particularly likeable and his younger selfs (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar & Tanay Hemant Chheda) are also fantastically good actors.
Essentially this film is a romantic drama. Jamal, as a young boy meets Latika and spends the most part of his life trying to save her, find her or be with her, despite traditional obstacles. This is another love conquers all stories, if with a distinct twist to the tale.
Slumdog Millionaire picked up Best Film and Danny Boyle, Best Director at the Golden Globes, and this bodes well for his Oscar chances come February, but the film feels too much like a Oscar type film. The ending, although never too sentimental, still feels predictable, right from the very first few frames. But then this is not a story about the ending, but rather the journey there. The bizarre and often unexpected events in the young hero's life which provide him, unexpectedly, with the answers to each of the questions. The interrogation, as the authorities suspect fraud, of the Jamal is violent but never brutal, and his questioning seems a little too relaxed, particularly considering the violent interrogation which occurs beforehand. What interrogation techniques actually exist for cheating on the game show (which aparently is more common than in the UK) are excessive, but shed little light on the true mentality of the Indian authorities.
My main problem with the story wasn't that it felt over romantic, or sentimental but that it was all too convenient and stereotypical. Two brothers, Jamal and his older sibling Salim, follow a preditable path. There's nothing there which feels genuinely unique other than the concept of having the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire reward. Despite this its very difficult to not like the film, and for most this will be one of the gem's of 2009.
Although I do not feel it is good enough to be deserving of Oscar's, I for one would not be in the least surprised to see both best picture, and best director going to Danny Boyle's heartfelt love story.
A uplifting, heart warming romantic drama with a unique twist, still manages to feel predictable and conventional despite some excellent cinematorgraphy and superb performances. Not so much a missed opportunity as a solid entry into the feel good genre.

Che Part 1 & 2 - 2009

On New Year's Day I was fortunate to get to see Steven Soderburgh's excellent Che is its full uncut version. For most people they will have to pay twice and see Che as part 1 and 2 seperately. Unfortunately this will probably reduce the appeal and the reaction of peoples opinion, as the two parts together make the film a more enriching and enlightening experience. Firstly both films are distinctly different. Part 1, the cuban revolution is fragmented, unconventional, and lacks a clear cause and effect. Instead the film seems to show isolated moments of the revolution, the growing guerilla force, the attacks and invasions of villages, towns and cities. Castro pops up from time to time and pushes the story forward, without ever really giving too much context to the struggle. To a degree the film could be accused of assuming too much. i can not tell you why Castro felt a revolution was necessary, other than believing the country was run by a dictator. Nor could I tell you the exact political reasons Che decided to become an integral part. What I can say for sure, is that the revolution made him an icon. A hero in the truest sense of the world (to those who felt liberated at least). And this is generally already known. So the film ends up feeling a little too much like a step by step unvailing of how Castro and Che, along with some other siginificant commanders, managed to overthrow a government and liberate its people.
The film is intercut with moments of Che's address to the UN. Shot in black and white they go some way to underlining Che's political feelings toward America, the world and Latin America in particular. This event occurred chronologically in between the Cuban revolution and the Bolivian revolution, which makes up the second part of Che.
And its with the 2ns part that you begin to fully understand part 1. Where part 1 demonstrated how a nation needed and desired a change, how the people had longed for a hundred years for this revolution, the second part juxtaposes a failed attempted revolution. Part 2 is also much more conventional in its narrative structure. The film carries a fatalistic air from the very first moments. Che, who throughout is portrayed with exceptional skill by Del Toro, is a massive figure to the small band of guerrillas hoping to liberate their country. However, Bolivia is a different country, with a different history and a people seemingly less motivated than the Cuban's. It also demonstrates a slight stubbornness on Che's part. He is so committed to his political beliefs that Latin America be freed from tyranny that he never once contemplates that his revolution may fail, that the people are not as proactive. As such the film becomes a engrossing counterpoint to part 1 and enables a deeper more resonant meaning to come to fore.
If you ever get the chance to view both films as one, do so. It may be four hours, but it will not as such. If on the other hand you see part 1 out of a curiosity, then be sure to watch part 2, and keep in mind throughout part 1. It will make the experience much more fulfilling and definately more rewarding.

Film Review of the Year Part 6 of 8

With the release of Pixar's WALL-E animation reached new levels of quality in 2008. Recently awarded the LA Film Critics Best Film of 2008. Upon release the film was described as being Pixar's best effort to date, and the film contains some of the best silent film work since before the coming of sound. A technical marvel as much as a great story the film is a testament to the exemplary being being carried out by Pixar studios.


Two other notable animated features from 2008 which challenged WALL-E on different levels were Persepolis and Waltz with Bashir. Both films used animation to deal with the effects of war and oppression on the lifes of the creators.

Where Waltz with Bashir's animation is much more striking and evocative, the simple black and white graphics of Persepolis perfectly fits the narrative created by Marjane Satrapi. Based on the life of the Satrapi the film explores Iran's oppressive and religious past and sheds a illuminating eye on a history not too well known in Britain.

Waltz with Bashir achieved a similar result, as Ari Folman tried to come to terms with and understand his role in the First Lebanon War. Filled with strikingly violent acts of war, and documentary style interviews, this was the first animated documentary I have seen and Folman delivered a shocking evocation of the terrible nature of war.

For me, animation is more than a style of storytelling directed at children. With the unique and artistic approach of films such as Persepolis and Waltz with Bashir, and the universal appeal of WALL-E 2008 was a superb year for animation as the artform enabled new and unique approaches to political, religious and even environmental themes.

2009 should also offer some animation to look forward to with the release of Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo on the Cliff.