Lost Generation | Creative Times

Lost Generation | Creative Times

50/50

I've never seen a film about cancer that was so real, that really said what needed to be said instead of cheesing everything up. I admit, it's a difficult matter to discuss without feeling you're treading on people's toes, but 50/50 does it perfectly.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character, Adam, is shown to be an upstanding citizen; waiting for the green man to cross the road, recycling, didn't drink, didn't smoke, that's what makes it all the more frustrating for him, and us, when he gets cancer. It not only deals with cancer, but Alzheimer's as well, with some truly heart rendering moments. Look out for the beautiful volcano metaphor and you may guess Adam's (Gordon-Levitt) outcome.

Basically, take your tissues but don't be afraid to laugh, Gordon-Levitt looks more like an alien with his shaved head than he did in 3rd Rock From The Sun. Seth Rogen offers some hilarious moments, including his analysis, "every celebrity beats cancer," and Anjelica Huston is the perfect smothering mother.

Check it out on IMDB.

Moneyball

To compare America's pastime with something more relevant in Britain would probably frustrate American's the world over, so I won't even attempt it. I thought the topic of the film would be lost on me considering my typically British upbringing, but there is so much more to Moneyball than just the sport of baseball.

Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill bounce off each other so well (I wanted to be sat in-between them chuckling to myself), especially during the introduction of Hill's character Peter, with everything he said seeming to sound like an apology and Pitt's Billy Beane basically telling him to man up. The supporting cast did a superb job of looking dumbfounded when the new strategy of baseball drafting was presented to them, created awkward moments even Woody Allen would be proud of.

The mix of archive footage with the newly filmed, brings an air of nostalgia that's really fitting. Without the back-story of Billy Beane creating the emotional connection we, as an audience, need, there would be no story at all (apart from that of which we could read on Wikipedia), but with this, there is enough narrative to entice even the most British of non-baseball fans.

Check it out on IMDB.

Justice

Nicolas Cage and Guy Pearce aren't exactly my favourite actors, I can't put my finger on why but they both just really annoy me. So I didn't have very high expectations going into this film, thinking that I would be rolling my eyes at every word they uttered. The fact that I enjoyed the film, is either a nod to my ability of being able to withstand irritating people or that it was actually a really good film.

The untimely incident with Will's (Cage) wife (January Jones), was made even more disturbing by the juxtaposition of him playing chess. Such an ugly event opposed to a tranquil game, it worked really well. I did have a little pernickety moment, when Will went to visit his wife in hospital. His character just didn't seem believable, he didn't even ask what had happened to her or how she was. Most normal people would (ok, moment over).

The snakeskin shoes worn by the villain is a great reiteration of the phrase several characters use, "This place [New Orleans] is going to hell," and judging by the choice of the initial villain's footwear, he's going to be the one to take them there.

January Jones shows how to fight back, with her major "girl power" moments and as a teensy feminist, I loved it. Alongside a thrilling plot, I was pleasantly surprised.

Check it out on IMDB

The Rum Diary

I am a sucker for films set in the 1950s; the cars, the outfits, the overall charm, but then again, The Rum Diary shows a 50s that wasn't exactly plain sailing.

The story follows Johnny Depp in his second Hunter S. Thompson role (his first being Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) as the enigmatic Kemp, while he tries to uncover the real story of San Juan, away from the Americans swarming in to bowl and build hotels. The extravagant character of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart) epitomises everything that was wrong with the Americans in Puerto Rico with his yacht and jewel encrusted tortoise.

Although I appreciate the message the films trying to convey and the great performances from Eckhart and Depp, with his subtle Jack Sparrow expressions, certain parts are unnecessarily longwinded. I think Bernardo (West Side Story) said is best, "Puerto Rico is in America now."

Check out The Rum Diary on IMDB.

Tintin

This week marks my first review of an animated film with Tintin, which carries some nostalgia on my part. I'll lay my cards on the table, I do tend to favour Pixar over Dreamworks (Tintin being the latter), but I shall endeavour to be impartial in my critique.

The title sequence is fun and whimsical, for the first three minutes, but seems to drag on. Don't get me wrong, some of the greatest films have the longest titles, but this is Tintin for crying out loud. The introduction of Tintin as a character is lovely, using a street artist to present a cartoon picture of the original Tintin to his newly computer animated self. This link between series and film is also found in the well known catch phrases of both Tintin and Captain Haddock ("Great snakes!" and "Blistering Barnacles!" respectively), but are annoyingly overused. The graphics are indeed impressively realistic, but when it comes to bodily gestures and how the characters interact with each other, they become strangely robotic. It's a shame considering how flawless the faces are.

The end definitely gears towards a sequel and alas it is true, due for 2013, an adaptation of The Seven Crystal Balls and The Prisoners of the Sun is reportedly being written by Antony Horowitz (writer of the Alex Rider novels). Steven Spielberg seems to be into everything, what will he get his hands on next? Oh yeh, a story of a horse that fights a war.

Contagion

I may have made an error in judgement in my choice of film this week, but in my defence the trailer looked quite good. I may have been better off seeing Real Steel (ha).
The introduction showing the subtle spread off germs was disturbing to say the least, it went downhill from here starting with the discovery of the dead. Morbid, I know. Jude Law has gone up and down in my expectations with the amazing Talented Mr. Ripley and the not so amazing Repo Men, quite roller coaster like. His fake Australian accent in Contagion was overly stereotypical, he even went as far as saying "crikey". Marion Cotillard was as stunning as ever, but was hardly seen in the film, I actually forgot about her character at one point. She was definitely not used to her full potential. As for the others, Matt Damon seemed to fade into the background and Gwyneth Paltrow was dead within ten minutes.
Long story short, it was a typical disaster movie with everyone doing what they are told they shouldn't. By my calculations, we'll all my dead by christmas.