Empire Magazine went from ‘Movie Con’ at the British Film Institute to taking over large swathes of The O2 Arena, creating a new mini film festival – ‘Empire Presents Big Screen’. Looking at the website, there seemed so much to do/see/attend that a timetable had to be created. Who doesn’t love drawing up a good timetable? Below is a diary of most of the things I got up to. Hats off to the organisers, I had a great time (though it may not look at from the first two reviews).
FRIDAY 12TH AUGUST 2011
How entertaining? ★★☆☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
You wait ages for two movies about mates who sleep together to satisfy carnal urges without emotional consequence only to fall in love, and two come along at the same time. First No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, which was just your typical rom-com. I was expecting more from the Portman! Here, we have another movie about the same thing, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. My hopes were not high. However, during the first half I was thinking this might actually be decent. There’s fun banter, and even a bit of meta – they watch a sh*t rom-com and he comments disparagingly on the genre’s tropes and falseness. You’ll forgive me, I hope, for assuming that a film that disparages its own genre is going to elevate itself beyond the norm. The second half then goes and undoes everything gone before and turns into the usual, tedious formula. Thrown into the mix is a tasteless addition of Richard Jenkins’ Alzheimer suffering parent, who seems to be a tool to increase the weepy factor and then deliver the sage advice about getting the girl. A great cast (Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson) is squandered. Hard to believe this is from the director of the excellent Easy A.
How entertaining? ★★☆☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
What a crushing disappointment. Down there with the dead-on-arrival Wild Wild West. With those two duds, sci-fi Western amalgams must surely be on the endangered species list at studio meetings. Cowboys & Aliens is a half-baked mess. I’m sure six different writers didn’t help, and that Jon Favreau is making another summer tentpole a year after Iron Man 2. What should have been B-movie bad-assery with a seriously A-list cast (Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano), was instead a sentimental bundle of half-hearted action moments. The movie compounded my suspicion that actually Favreau doesn’t know how to handle big set pieces, or is uninterested in them. The ones in the Iron Mans are pretty short and not particularly inspired.
Craig’s Jake Lonergan wakes up suddenly in the desert with a metal attachment on his wrist. Some ne’er-do-wells try to capture him for bounty on the assumption is he is a wanted man. Lonergan quickly shows he is someone not to be trifled with; spending most of the film Jason Bourne-like, a lethal amnesiac. Lonergan and us quickly discover that metal thing is a hugely advanced weapon; the only thing standing between humans and alien invaders. As the story unfolds more questions are raised then answered. If he got that laser gun thing from the aliens, why don’t the aliens carry them as well? If she is an extra-terrestrial, why did she turn up in the eighteenth century as a very hot woman who no-one will take seriously and not, say, someone that looks like Clint Eastwood? How come the aliens can cross space, yet seem so unintelligent? Hugely unsatisfying.
Craig’s Jake Lonergan wakes up suddenly in the desert with a metal attachment on his wrist. Some ne’er-do-wells try to capture him for bounty on the assumption is he is a wanted man. Lonergan quickly shows he is someone not to be trifled with; spending most of the film Jason Bourne-like, a lethal amnesiac. Lonergan and us quickly discover that metal thing is a hugely advanced weapon; the only thing standing between humans and alien invaders. As the story unfolds more questions are raised then answered. If he got that laser gun thing from the aliens, why don’t the aliens carry them as well? If she is an extra-terrestrial, why did she turn up in the eighteenth century as a very hot woman who no-one will take seriously and not, say, someone that looks like Clint Eastwood? How come the aliens can cross space, yet seem so unintelligent? Hugely unsatisfying.
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SATURDAY 13TH AUGUST 2011
NICK GILLARD
A talk with the brilliant stuntman and stunt coordinator. Gillard was the stunt coordinator on Wanted, and choreographed the light sabre battles in the Star Wars prequels. He had so many great anecdotes; from leaping the equivalent of 40 stories in Seven Years in Tibet, to having to burst a blister with a pair of scissors, after being burnt, on the set of Interview with a Vampire. Gillard started in the circus, and as a young man was on the set of the original Star Wars and Superman. You have to be an instructor in six sports and do an apprenticeship to be a coordinator. Wow! He doubled David Bowie in Labyrinth and Tom Cruise in Legend – he thinks it’s a shame that it is not watched anymore. I agree. Gillard doesn’t believe CGI is a death knell for stuntman, it’s a fantastic tool.
Specifically asked about the Star Wars prequels, George Lucas told him to come up with something new. Don’t worry about what’s come before. These are young Jedi in their prime. Lucas’ five year old judged the test fight. Gillard’s thought process was, why would someone choose swords in a land of laser guns? They better be good. So they would’ve learnt every style. It’s a dance, all about the feet. He reports Lucas is easy to work with when you get to know him; he’s a quiet, intelligent man who wants to make a good movie and tell a good story. Talking of working with Steven Spielberg on Empire of the Sun and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, it is a pleasure when someone knows their job.
Asked if he had a Jackie Chan-style list of injuries, Gillard stated you’re doing it wrong if you get hurt; though there can be equipment failure. One of the big gasps from the audience, apart from all the other gasps about the stuff he’s done, came when he ruefully admitted turning down The Lord of the Rings. And his proudest moment was jumping a power boat over a bridge. Exactly! WTF!
Specifically asked about the Star Wars prequels, George Lucas told him to come up with something new. Don’t worry about what’s come before. These are young Jedi in their prime. Lucas’ five year old judged the test fight. Gillard’s thought process was, why would someone choose swords in a land of laser guns? They better be good. So they would’ve learnt every style. It’s a dance, all about the feet. He reports Lucas is easy to work with when you get to know him; he’s a quiet, intelligent man who wants to make a good movie and tell a good story. Talking of working with Steven Spielberg on Empire of the Sun and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, it is a pleasure when someone knows their job.
Asked if he had a Jackie Chan-style list of injuries, Gillard stated you’re doing it wrong if you get hurt; though there can be equipment failure. One of the big gasps from the audience, apart from all the other gasps about the stuff he’s done, came when he ruefully admitted turning down The Lord of the Rings. And his proudest moment was jumping a power boat over a bridge. Exactly! WTF!
ROLAND EMMERICH
The director of Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and 2012 was primarily here to talk about his new, much smaller film, Anonymous (a period conspiracy thriller) and his career. Anonymous concerns his belief that Shakespeare didn’t write his own plays. Evidence points to someone in the upper classes.
Emmerich talks about 3D – mostly not useful, but did think it was done well in Avatar and the latest Transformers; though he does like digital projection. He has a sense of humour. When on tour promoting a film, people always ask why he didn’t blow up their city; his response, “I’m a filmmaker, not a terrorist”. There is also some self-deprecation. He admits to making Godzilla too fast, but also says people were ready for him to fall. Emmerich came across as charming and engaging.
Emmerich talks about 3D – mostly not useful, but did think it was done well in Avatar and the latest Transformers; though he does like digital projection. He has a sense of humour. When on tour promoting a film, people always ask why he didn’t blow up their city; his response, “I’m a filmmaker, not a terrorist”. There is also some self-deprecation. He admits to making Godzilla too fast, but also says people were ready for him to fall. Emmerich came across as charming and engaging.
How entertaining? ★★★★☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
This is akin to Cloverfield, but on a way smaller budget; and instead of a malevolent, indestructible monster, we have something more unusual – fairytale creatures but shorn of malice. Troll Hunter is a Rec.-style faux documentary. Three students (Thomas, Johanna and Kalle) are making a film about the illegal killing of bears in the Norwegian countryside, and they trail the suspect Hans as he goes about his mysterious business. Through their tenacity they manage to convince him to let them tag along with whatever he’s up to. They are pretty flippant, and the film is humorous in a Tremors sort of way (not as good as that modern classic though!). They and we are inducted into the world of trolls.
The film is cleverly constructed. It feels like a long time before we meet one, and it is not disappointing. The special effects are Monsters good; seamless and believable. Also, like Gareth Edwards’ film we are introduced to this world with titbit after titbit of information, like an old dot-matrix printer slowly revealing the whole picture. The lore of Troll Hunter is built with a real eye for detail. What makes the movie stand out is that it isn’t humans versus trolls, or humans needing to survive (à la Jurassic Park), it is something I guess more complicated – like they are an endangered species.
The budget doesn’t stretch to enough trolls for my tastes, but the resources seemed to have been marshalled well. The focus is on credible characters interacting in engaging ways. This is not really a spoiler (as hopefully it’ll add to your anticipation during your viewing); I enjoyed the fact when one of the students falls prey, camaraderie seems forgotten and they are just replaced, with the film carrying on - reflecting a wicked sense of humour and what the audience is really interested in.
The film is cleverly constructed. It feels like a long time before we meet one, and it is not disappointing. The special effects are Monsters good; seamless and believable. Also, like Gareth Edwards’ film we are introduced to this world with titbit after titbit of information, like an old dot-matrix printer slowly revealing the whole picture. The lore of Troll Hunter is built with a real eye for detail. What makes the movie stand out is that it isn’t humans versus trolls, or humans needing to survive (à la Jurassic Park), it is something I guess more complicated – like they are an endangered species.
The budget doesn’t stretch to enough trolls for my tastes, but the resources seemed to have been marshalled well. The focus is on credible characters interacting in engaging ways. This is not really a spoiler (as hopefully it’ll add to your anticipation during your viewing); I enjoyed the fact when one of the students falls prey, camaraderie seems forgotten and they are just replaced, with the film carrying on - reflecting a wicked sense of humour and what the audience is really interested in.
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How entertaining? ★★★☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
Having Julianne Moore, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in a picture is usually a stamp of quality. Their choices seem discerning and interesting. All three in the same film surely counteracts the presence of Steve Carell, who delivered not one, but a trio of duds last year (Dinner for Schmucks, Despicable Me and Date Night). A title like Crazy, Stupid, Love could fill those queasy about Hollywood rom-coms with trepidation. However, that fear is quickly allayed. The opening sequence is at a restaurant between husband Cal (Carell) and wife Emily (Moore), where both say what they want at the same time; he says “crème brûlée”, she says “divorce”. This is also from Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who wrote and directed the excellent I Love You Phillip Morris, and wrote the awesome Bad Santa. Exactly! This could be fantastic right? They might even bring Carell back to his best stuff – Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Little Miss Sunshine and Get Smart.
Most of the film is a joy. Cal leaves Emily when he finds out she slept with her colleague David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon). He is shluby and comes into the sphere of serial womaniser Jacob (Gosling), who Mr. Miyagi-like transforms Cal from a one-lady-only man into a playa; one conquest includes Marisa Tomei’s Kate. Added into the mix is Cal’s son Robbie, who is in love with his babysitter Jessica, who in turn is in love with Cal. Meanwhile Stone’s Hannah is being persuaded by her BFF that she is slumming it by dating Josh Groban’s Richard. What a cast right!
A big coincidence in a film, especially of the mainstream variety feels lazy as the tool is used to often. Crazy, Stupid, Love has a host of them, and works them well into the plot for laughs and awkwardness. At times there is a screw-ball element which adds even more energy. I thought where is this going? As well as “Please don’t drop the ball! Please don’t drop the ball!” They drop the ball. The ending is so neat with a cringey, crappy climax. And not in a good way. While it doesn’t derail the pleasure from someone looking for a bit of fun from a movie, it certainly makes it a little too forgettable unfortunately.
Most of the film is a joy. Cal leaves Emily when he finds out she slept with her colleague David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon). He is shluby and comes into the sphere of serial womaniser Jacob (Gosling), who Mr. Miyagi-like transforms Cal from a one-lady-only man into a playa; one conquest includes Marisa Tomei’s Kate. Added into the mix is Cal’s son Robbie, who is in love with his babysitter Jessica, who in turn is in love with Cal. Meanwhile Stone’s Hannah is being persuaded by her BFF that she is slumming it by dating Josh Groban’s Richard. What a cast right!
A big coincidence in a film, especially of the mainstream variety feels lazy as the tool is used to often. Crazy, Stupid, Love has a host of them, and works them well into the plot for laughs and awkwardness. At times there is a screw-ball element which adds even more energy. I thought where is this going? As well as “Please don’t drop the ball! Please don’t drop the ball!” They drop the ball. The ending is so neat with a cringey, crappy climax. And not in a good way. While it doesn’t derail the pleasure from someone looking for a bit of fun from a movie, it certainly makes it a little too forgettable unfortunately.
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SUNDAY 14TH AUGUST 2011
GARETH EDWARDS
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The director of the excellent Monsters talked about his path. He studied filmmaking at university, but that didn’t lead to anything. Edwards’ flatmate was doing a course, and he was intrigued by it; so he stacked shelves at Marks & Spencer at night while learning about computer software during the day. Impressive and inspirational!
He says there are two rules:
1. Never put your own money into the film;
2. But be willing to.
Edwards’ heard the rumour that Monsters cost 15 grand, but that’s not true; probably £250,000 to make, and another 250 to do the Dolby mix, grade and print to 35mm. So about half a mill. It was a very stressful shoot. If it had been his money he would have pressed “eject”.
Asked about the new Godzilla, Edwards says it too early to say anything; just at the discussion stage, not been green-lit yet. He does talk about the greatness of collaboration and not being in control, except with the final story. He was funny and articulate.
He says there are two rules:
1. Never put your own money into the film;
2. But be willing to.
Edwards’ heard the rumour that Monsters cost 15 grand, but that’s not true; probably £250,000 to make, and another 250 to do the Dolby mix, grade and print to 35mm. So about half a mill. It was a very stressful shoot. If it had been his money he would have pressed “eject”.
Asked about the new Godzilla, Edwards says it too early to say anything; just at the discussion stage, not been green-lit yet. He does talk about the greatness of collaboration and not being in control, except with the final story. He was funny and articulate.
MEMORIES OF ALIEN
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Ivor Powell (line producer), Jon Sorensen (stills photography, miniatures) and Dennis Lowe (special effects unit) discussed the seminal film. They were interesting, ranging across how they got involved, their opinion of director Ridley Scott, budget, Sigourney Weaver, H.R. Giger, production design and the upcoming Prometheus. Very enjoyable.
How entertaining? ★★★☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆
I have to put this out there, the new version of Conan was going to have to be something special to impress me. I am a massive fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s original. The Robert E. Howard source stories are a weird combination of at-times-offensive, and cracking yarns. Conan the Destroyer was weak, so I was hoping the filmmakers learnt from that. When I heard that journeyman hack Brett Ratner might be directing this remake my heart sank. Marcus Nispel, director of the execrable Pathfinder, took the helm; and... it turned out quite fun.
The opening had me hooked, and I thought could this be the sword and sandals fantasy pic I’d been waiting for? Taken from Howard, we are shown Conan born on the battlefield, as his father Corin (Ron Perlman) cut him from his dying mother. Then we meet Conan as a pre-teen on a manhood initiation with his peers. They have to do a massive run with an uncooked egg in their mouth. The first to return with it unbroken is the winner. As the group tussle their way along, they are attacked by another tribe. Conan is the only one to remain and fight after the others flee; and in a bad-ass sequence he takes them all out. Wow! Unfortunately the rest of the film is never as good. There is the typical tale of revenge, which none of the Howard works deal with, and also a story of uniting a dark magical mask that will resurrect the dead, which seemed a bit silly.
Jason Momoa had massive shoes to fill, and doesn’t have the charisma of an Arnie for such a role. Who does? He can act though. As can Rose McGowan, who makes for a sexy and nutty baddie. The rest of the cast is nondescript, given not enough to work with. Conan does hark back to the 1980s with its violence and nudity, it’s just not as crazy and adventurous at it should’ve been.
The opening had me hooked, and I thought could this be the sword and sandals fantasy pic I’d been waiting for? Taken from Howard, we are shown Conan born on the battlefield, as his father Corin (Ron Perlman) cut him from his dying mother. Then we meet Conan as a pre-teen on a manhood initiation with his peers. They have to do a massive run with an uncooked egg in their mouth. The first to return with it unbroken is the winner. As the group tussle their way along, they are attacked by another tribe. Conan is the only one to remain and fight after the others flee; and in a bad-ass sequence he takes them all out. Wow! Unfortunately the rest of the film is never as good. There is the typical tale of revenge, which none of the Howard works deal with, and also a story of uniting a dark magical mask that will resurrect the dead, which seemed a bit silly.
Jason Momoa had massive shoes to fill, and doesn’t have the charisma of an Arnie for such a role. Who does? He can act though. As can Rose McGowan, who makes for a sexy and nutty baddie. The rest of the cast is nondescript, given not enough to work with. Conan does hark back to the 1980s with its violence and nudity, it’s just not as crazy and adventurous at it should’ve been.
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How entertaining? ★★★★☆
Thought provoking? ★★☆☆☆
Thought provoking? ★★☆☆☆
“We are not animals. Remember what we are, and what we are not”, David.
There is something so satisfying in a Nazi-hunter film. Bringing to justice “the slime of humanity”, to quote Henry Jones (Sean Connery) in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Real life heroics can be seen in the documentary I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal. Here, we have a thriller from director John Madden, and writers Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan. Madden is a safe pair of hands (Shakespeare in Love, Mrs Brown), Vaughn and Goldman are coming off X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass, and Straughan wrote the screenplay for The Men Who Stare at Goats. There is some strong filmmaking pedigree. Couple that with a striking cast: Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Jessica Chastain, Ciaran Hinds, Sam Worthington and Marton Csokas. There was much to anticipate. And largely The Debt delivers.
There is something so satisfying in a Nazi-hunter film. Bringing to justice “the slime of humanity”, to quote Henry Jones (Sean Connery) in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Real life heroics can be seen in the documentary I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal. Here, we have a thriller from director John Madden, and writers Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan. Madden is a safe pair of hands (Shakespeare in Love, Mrs Brown), Vaughn and Goldman are coming off X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass, and Straughan wrote the screenplay for The Men Who Stare at Goats. There is some strong filmmaking pedigree. Couple that with a striking cast: Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Jessica Chastain, Ciaran Hinds, Sam Worthington and Marton Csokas. There was much to anticipate. And largely The Debt delivers.
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The film jumps between 1965 and 1997, with the audience viewing the older and younger Rachel (Mirren-Chastain), Stephan (Wilkinson-Csokas) and David (Hinds -Worthington). The catalyst for retrospection is a book from the daughter of Rachel and Stephan about the trio who found and killed the “Surgeon of Birkenau”, Dieter Vogel – a Nazi sadist who experimented on concentration camp detainees. The film opens with Rachel killing him on New Year’s Eve after he gave her that scar on her cheek. And that is the major theme of the film; scars on a racial, national and individual level. In 1965 these three agents of Mosad were given a mission to enter East Germany, verify Vogel and bring him back to Israel for trial. It seems that they were unable to do the last part, but were lauded for attaining justice none-the-less.
The film then reconstructs events, while showing the three in 1997 and explaining their deeply sombre demeanour. The Debt then mixes in themes of truth and self-knowledge, with a twist revelation that was unexpected and interesting. The acting brings the film to life, even the wooden Worthington doesn’t derail proceedings – the film playing to his taciturn strength that Somersault also did. Mirren and Wilkinson scene-chewing together is a joy to watch. It made me wonder what’s happened to Madden’s other film, Killshot, made in 2008.
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As you can see a hugely entertaining and busy three days; roll on next year!
