Son of Rambow, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Joy Division, Smart People, Iron Man

There's a couple of films I really want to talk about in depth, but before I go into those, I thought it'd be best to brush a few others aside. I'm going to briefly touch on the movies listed in the post title, with individual verdicts. Awesome.

So the first of these is Son of Rambow (2008, UK, dir. Garth Jennings), a nostalgic coming-of-age tale set in the English countryside of the 1980s around the release of First Blood. The film is essentially a retelling of Jennings' own experience recreating the first Rambo feature with his friends, complete with inventive set-pieces all captured on home video. There's a good deal of slapstick and a sense of adventure as the loudmouth schoolboy Lee takes Will under his wing and sets about creating his own amateur mini-masterpiece, generating a warm friendship along the way. There's a distinct charm to Son of Rambow that wasn't present in the similar Be Kind, Rewind, released earlier this year. Whereas that film relied too heavily on Jack Black's buffoonish antics to carry itself to the Capra-on-acid conclusion, Son of Rambow chooses to mix a blend of childhood laughs and drama for a contemplative feel.

However, the two varying tones don't mesh together completely well. In fact, the serious nature - and indeed moral - of the story only fully joins with the comedy in the last 10 minutes, and up until then they're presented in differing measures that don't exactly balance out well. Throw in a subplot about a French exchange student that's extremely ill-judged and irrelevant, and this pleasant lil indie flick falls short of greatness.

**1/2

Next up is Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008, USA, dir. Nicholas Stoller), the latest offering from the Apatow troupe, whom I have been quick to praise on the basis of their recent efforts, such as Knocked Up, Superbad and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Here we have Jason Segel playing a character he wrote, yet another hopeless middle-aged slacker beset with girl problems. Sounding familiar?

To cut a long story short, Peter Bretter (played by Segel) is dumped by his actress girlfriend (Kristen Bell), and proceeds to wallow in depression and one night stands, until his step-brother (played by the consistently funny Bill Hader) suggests that he take a well-deserved vacation. Peter heads to Hawaii but oh noes~! Sarah is there with her new boyfriend: one Mr. Russell Brand.

Now I'm not the biggest fan of Russell Brand. In fact, on a good day I don't find him funny at all. He's a very charismatic and quick-thinking comedian, but not all he throws at the wall sticks terribly well. Having said that, he is honestly the best part of this film, and he's really just being himself. It's amazing, and the same goes for Bill Hader, Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill. The supporting actors, with minimal screentime, steal the show and really show up the main cast.

In Knocked Up, the pigheadness of Seth Rogen's character actually helped lift the film above your typical rom-com fare, adding an edge to proceedings and creating a little admiration for a person we should automatically dislike from the get-go. In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Segel's character is so pathetic and whiny that it's hard to spend time with him over the course of 120 minutes.

The structure of the film is complete mess; once the one-joke gag is set in place, the story devolves into a series of overlong episodic occurences that further drive Segel into depression, thus furthering our despair at his irritable, helpless personality. In a film such as this, we need to be on the protagonist's side in his quest for the girl(s), but in all honesty, I just wanted to see Russell Brand own this sucker. When Brand packs up and leaves a fair bit from the end of the movie, I felt like there was nothing left to stay for. Another scene with Bill Hader, maybe?

The biggest crime committed by Forgetting Sarah Marshall is its utter lack of laughs. There's so few funny moments that you forget it's supposed to be a comedy, and therein lies the ultimate sin: a comedy that isn't funny. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a failure, and it left me leaving the cinema feeling pretty downtrodden. Should a comedy do that?

*1/2

Keeping with uplifting cinema, we look at Joy Division (2008, UK, dir. Grant Gee), a well-crafted documentary look at the seminal 1970s post-punk band. If you're not a Joy Division fan, this may do little to keep your attention. If you are a fan, a big fan, it's hard to estimate whether you can take something away from this.

I loved last year's Control, placing it high up in my Top Movies of 2007 list (coming soon, by the way). However, it was obviously a film centred firmly around the illness and impending suicide of Ian Curtis more than the band itself. With this new documentary, Grant Gee helps to fill in the blanks left by Control, and invites the remaining members of the band, nowadays known as New Order, to give a retrospective look at their time spent as Joy Division.

There's plenty of amusing tales to hear, loads of archive footage to sink your teeth into. It's an altogether well-made, well-researched piece of work. The major problem is that I'm unsure that for big Joy Division fans, whilst the film offers a nostalgic, elegaic reflection on the band's short-lived existence, it doesn't really say anything new. Amongst the tidbits and musical performances that fill the runtime, one must leave the screening as I did and wonder what exactly was learned. Are we merely looking back through a photo album?

**

Here's another depressing piece of trash. Smart People (2008, USA, dir. Noam Murro) follows a dysfunctional family as they fail to communicate effectively with the outside world, each other, and most importantly, us. Aside from Thomas Haden Church, playing the slacker character he nailed so well in Sideways, every character is toally unlikeable, following unsympathic plights that when they finally reach a resolution, mean nothing. The whole thing is just heinously uninvolving.



Ellen Page grates too easily, Dennis Quaid spends most of the movie mumbling incoherently, and Ashton Holmes is so underdeveloped as the quiet older brother that the only line I even remember him saying in the film was "Shut up", directed at Ellen Page. Bravo, Ashton. I probably felt more depressed coming out of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but I definitely left Smart People feeling deflated, like the film had nothing to offer and I took nothing away from it.

There was a message in Smart People, but I didn't want to find it, because the whole thing was so detached from its audience. It reeked of self-importance and, in a fitting sense, pretended to be more smart than it was. It should have been called Miserable People. It should have been called People That Chat Balls Whilst An Indie Guitar Strum Kicks In At The End Of Every Scene, Followed By Some Douche Singing About Autumn Leaves.

*1/2


The summer blockbuster season has begun, and our first treat is Iron Man (2008, USA, dir. Jon Favreau), a fantastic origin tale of one of the most overlooked comic characters in history. Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark to perfection, embodying the icon with a level of attitude that couldn't be pulled off by anyone else. There would have been no substitutes; Downey Jr. is Iron Man, he carries the entire film on his shoulders so flawlessly that it's impossible to think of anybody else in the role. Could Iron Man have fallen apart without Downey Jr. in the lead role? Probably not, but it would be half the film it is currently.

I thought Iron Man would be an average by-the-numbers origin tale. I didn't think it could match the excellence of say, Spider-man 2 or Batman Begins. Needless to say, Jon Favreau must have some amazing talent to completely surprise me with the level of quality imbued in Iron Man. It has action, suspense and explosions; yes, all the key ingredients of your summer blockbuster, but it's also really, really funny. The light humour that fills the movie, partly down to the chemistry between Downey Jr., his robots and Gwyneth Paltrow, signifies a larger accessibility to the heart of Tony Stark's persona than the emo-stylings of Peter Parker, or the brooding angst of Bruce Wayne. Stark is a millionaire playboy, one that asks for a cheeseburger first thing after fighting his way out of a hostage situation, so he's pretty chillaxed.

The action doesn't disappoint, mostly because Favreau has the same line of thought as me when it comes to CGI. He isn't keen on the stuff, so he opted to make the action sequences in the movie seem as photo-real as possible. The sight of two iron suits fighting seemed relatively realistic, gleaming with a polished look that made the combat altogether nice to look at. Believe it or not, you could actually see the robots fighting in this one. I'm looking at you, Michael Bay.

Jeff Bridges looks permanently dodgy throughout that it's a wonder they didn't pre-emptively lock him away in the opening minutes. His villainous alter ego, the Iron Monger, is a worthy opponent for a rookie such as Tony Stark. While some were disappointed by the final confrontation between these two, I was left satisfied; I felt that it was a fair match for an origin tale, leaving a much bigger, badder villain to emerge in the sequels...possibly the Mandarin, or even the Hulk.

Villains aside, this was an extremely pleasing superhero origin story, helped along most significantly by the central performances from Downey Jr., Paltrow, Howard and Bridges. I can only hope the chemistry between these actors continues to sparkle into the next few films in the franchise, and that Stark's eventual lapse into alcoholism won't bring about too dark a tone that the series will lose its way. For now at least, I deem Iron Man to be a highly promising franchise.

***1/2

As well as my Top Movies of 2007 to come, I'm set to give my verdict on other recent summer blockbusters: Speed Racer and Indiana Jones and the blah blah blah. On top of that, Doomsday and Funny Games U.S. will get a score out of 10, and I'll leave you to guess which one I loved, and which one I hated.

Shine A Light (USA, 2008, dir. Martin Scorsese)

It seems that biopics and musical documentaries are slowly becoming Scorsese's things as of late, the former represented by The Aviator and the rumoured upcoming Sinatra flick; the latter comprised of the 2005 Dylan picture No Direction Home, the also rumoured Bob Marley doc, and of course, Shine A Light. The Departed was Marty's rightful farewell to the mobster genre that he had so skilfully mastered over the years, leaving room for the venerated filmmaker to express his passion for music once more. Next up: The Rolling Stones.

For those who argue that Marty's talents are better employed making fictional feature films as opposed to music docs and concert films (an opinion belonging to my lecturer, who wasn't impressed by SAL, if you must know), the output doesn't prove them to be correct, nor does it condemn their wish for Scorsese to stick to the thrillers and gangster flicks they revere him for. Shine A Light will not please everyone (it won't convert non-Stones fans), though if you're into the music, and you're out to have a good time, it won't disappoint.

For those wondering whether this concert flick matches, or supersedes, the quality of 1978's The Last Waltz, I'll tell you now: it sure as hell doesn't. Although, for what it attempts, it very nearly succeeds to the best of its efforts. After all, Shine A Light has all the ingredients: the music, cinematography and onstage personalities all do good in carrying the film to its rockin' curtain call. The flaws that hold it back should be as evident as daylight, or to put it more bluntly, as evident as the deep wrinkles adorning the saggy, decrepit face of Keith Richards. Sorry, I had to go there.

The Rolling Stones do indeed look like animated corpses bouncing around on stage. Mick Jagger at least maintains his trademark swagger, strutting up and down the makeshift catwalk with confidence whilst the remaining members of the band do their thing in the background, drowned out by the sheer presence of their frontman. The camera stays on Jagger for the majority of the runtime, with second place going to Richards... and I don't even remember catching sight of Charlie Watts.

To combat the ghastly sight of The Rolling Stones looking like mouldy fruit, the filmmakers have cunningly decided to plant stupidly hot young females in the front row, just in case, y'know, we want to touch ourselves in the cinema. In all seriousness, I appreciate the sentiment, but putting actual Stones fans in the right places might have been an effective way to showcase an intimate communication between the band and their fans, instead of having to put up with a legion of clueless blonde girls feigning a sing-a-long mere inches away from Jagger's feet.

The placement of these 'fans' is the only significant qualm I have with Shine A Light, as the majority of the film is packed to breaking point with what you pay your money for: an expertly filmed concert featuring the very best of the Rolling Stones back catalogue. Some songs hit harder than others, particularly with the big songs popping up at the beginning (Jumpin' Jack Flash, Shattered) and end (Satisfaction, Start Me Up) of the set, though the middle space is occupied appropriately by collaborations with the likes of Jack White, Christina Aguilera and Buddy Guy, ensuring your attention never wavers.

All this is captured with some dazzling cinematography by a whole host of contributors, perfectly keeping up with the charismatic to-ing and fro-ing of Jagger; infusing the screen with as much colour as the exuberant tunes of the Stones.

The concert footage is intercut with archive footage of the musicians in their youth, consistently stating their ambitions for the band that always seem to revolve around how long they'll last. Well, they've lasted a hell of a long time, and in that respect, Shine A Light seems as though it has something to prove for the band.

Maybe it has something to prove for Scorsese, that he can still shoot a concert film to the best of his abilities. It isn't perfect, but so what? For the most part, Shine A Light does what it says on the tin, and delivers on its promises. And really, do most films these days succeed so admirably?

***

The Red Album

I love Weezer. They try my patience, but I bloody love them.

The crushing truth of the matter is that they haven't produced anything worth a damn in the last 10 years. Which is upsetting because The Blue Album and Pinkerton are easily two of the best albums of the '90s, and the soundtrack from better days in regards to yours truly. The Green Album has its moments but is far removed from the Weezer of old, Maladroit is unfortunately sending the band headfirst into guitar-pop hellfire and the less said about Make Believe, the better.

"We are all on druuugs".....*shudder*

I was informed tonight that the much anticipated (?) Red Album, due out in June of this year, had 8 of its tracks recently leaked onto the internet. I took a sneaky listen, though I swear I'll either delete it if I don't like it, or pay for it if I do. I promise. It's Weezer.


1. Troublemaker - Yeah, this is a good opener. It doesn't exactly signify that this album will be an immediate return to form for the band, but it starts the proceedings off optimistically. Although, I'm a little uneasy at Rivers rhyming the words "beeyatch" and "keeyads".

2. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived - WOW. This is easily the best track on the album so far. It's more complex than Weezer have allowed themselves to ever be, and it works. There are a lot of different parts, from the Isaac Brock-sounding opening lyrics, to the finishing rush of guitars that seem so reminiscent of early Weezer. A great, great song.

3. Pork and Beans - This was the first track that anyone heard from this album, and it generally pleased fans and critics alike, some saying it was a sign of a return to form. I'll agree; it's a catchy, feelgood anthem, without sounding like something that would belong on Maladroit. It seems almost Pinkerton...

4. Heart Songs - River gets emotional on our asses, and I'm not entirely sold. It starts off sounding like an R'n'B song, before building up into a climax that utilises a guitar melody I'm positive they've used before on a Blue Album song. I just can't remember which one. I don't dislike this song, it just hasn't grown on me yet. I'm not sure it will.

5. Everybody Get Dangerous - Uh, what. This is one of the worst Weezer songs I've ever heard. The title is basically the chorus, basically sung on repeat over a three chord riff that wouldn't seem out of place on the soundtrack of a racing game. Oh, what's that? It features on the new Gran Turismo game? Fucking hell. Things were going so well, too.

6. Dreamin' - Fluffy, poppy anthem here. I didn't like it at first, but on repeat listens I notice that at a five-minute runtime, I actually like more than half of it. It does get better as it progresses, I'll give it that. It still hasn't got the sour taste of Everybody Get Dangerous out of my mouth, but I think we're getting there. Decent song, and I dig the last part.

7. Thought I Knew - Who's this singing? It ain't Rivers, but what the hey time for a bit of a mix up. Not a bad song, not a good song. Sort of middle of the road, but it might just grow on me more so than Heart Songs. I could give it a thumbs up for now.

8. Cold Dark World - I actually really like this one. It's a slow-burner, but it's also quite a dark treat on an otherwise so-far so-chummy LP. Thumbs up? Yeah, go for it.


So...out of the 8 tracks so far we have three very impressive opening tracks, along with two decent tracks, two semi-decent tracks and one simply atrocious song that I will never, ever warm to. Now, there's two extra tracks due for the official release, plus four bonus tracks. I'm a little worried about quantity superseding quality here, but alas my fears of this being Make Believe Pt. 2 have been proven fatally misjudged.

It's definitely not a return to form as I would have hoped, though on the basis of the first three tracks, I know Weezer can still pull out a tune or two and fingers crossed the closing tracks may just rescue the whole thing. It'll probably end up slotting underneath Pinkerton and above Green. Weezer are hanging on by a very small thread, but oh man, do I love 'em.