Resident Evil

In my mid-teens, when moving into a new house with my parents, I decided to spend the first few nights in the house by myself. Seems a foolish move now with all the knowledge I have gained since but at the time it seemed like a great idea. I was about 30 minutes into my longed for freedom when it became clear that I wasn't alone in the house. I could hear footsteps upstairs and I don't just mean 'oh, was that a noise', I mean FOOTSTEPS. With the knowledge that there was nobody upstairs (who would be attempting to rob this empty house anyway?) I phoned my friend (Chris Tarrant wasn't involved) and he came round to help me investigate. The 5 minutes between putting the phone down and his chap at the door was probably the most scared I have ever been. Anyway, we ventured upstairs and found that there was nobody there. Now remember there is nowhere for anyone to hide, it is an empty house. I sought refuge in my friends house a few streets away for the next two nights. Just to be safe. The footsteps continued until I moved out but that is a story for another blog.

The Resident deals with the issue of struggling for the alone time required to wind down after a long day in the emergency room. Hilary Swank is  a doctor who happens upon an under-priced New York apartment with a great view and an extremely accommodating landlord. Being a horror film and all there has to be something wrong with the picture. Swank's character Juliet unfortunately does not find her Romeo but has in fact just separated from her cheating boyfriend. Sounds like a good time to meet a new man and the handsome landlord in most circumstances would be perfect if it was not for the fact he is slight disturbed. From this circumstance ensues scenes of stalking, voyeurism and date(implied)rape. The occurrences begin to impact upon Juliet's working/romantic adventures and her suspicions are awakened by comparison of her current state with that of her usually well organised, pre-relocated self.

I am torn when it comes to considering the fact that I just came home from watching a Hammer film starring Christopher Lee. A few years ago it didn't even cross my mind as a possibility (unless as part of a horror/classic film fest) but as pleasing as that may be it does certainly raise the stakes and leads to a little disappointment at just how formulaic The Resident is.

It's tough for me to be objective when it comes to Christopher Lee. From Dracula to The Wicker Man and beyond Lee is so dignified in his appearance and performance that it is difficult to criticise. There isn't anything to criticise about his performance in The Resident. Lee is in a total of about 5 minutes film in the movie but in that time delivered a few memorable quips and continued to tread that line between gentleman and danger. I am able to ignore how frail Lee looks as I am all too aware that he is a member of the undead and it will take more than mere age to remove him from our screens.

The Resident does well to build a feeling of unease and the claustrophobic nature of the voyeurism adds to the feeling of being watched throughout the film. The film is well shot and the performance for the most part are strong; particularly Hilary Swank's. One of the main problems I found was in the performance of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Max (the pervert... imagine his billing was Max The Pervert; we could have had a proper exploitation flick on our hands). Morgan is excellent in his role as nice guy but struggles to create the intensity required for his role as voyeur. I felt sorry for Max more than I felt scared by Max. If his grandfather had been in a position to give him a good talking to then I feel this could all have been resolved over a (non-spiked) bottle of red wine.

That aside, The Resident is worth seeing, probably as a Friday Night date movie because you know your girl isn't going to want to be sleeping alone with the thought of someone under the bed licking her finger. We will just try and overlook the fact that it turns into A Nightmare on Elm Street for the last 15 minutes.

Official Site - http://www.facebook.com/theresidentmovie

Teenage Wasteland

Richard Ayoade's character Moss is one of my favourites from any British sitcom in recent years. Appearances in The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace further cement his position at the forefront of what is good about British comedy. This was enough to get me interested in his first feature, Submarine, for which Ayoade acts as writer and director.

Executive produced by Ben Stiller, Submarine is the tale of Oliver Tate, a more than slightly awkward 15 year old facing the usual teenage problems of girls, parents and sullen self importance . Played by Craig Roberts, Oliver is out to impress classmate Jordana; by any means necessary. In the circumstances, Oliver makes it clear that he will stop at nothing, adjustments to character included. Oliver's relationships with his peers are strained; ranging from bullying to friendship and back as the story unfolds. The film is split into prologue, parts and epilogue, all of which deal with Oliver's struggles to gain/maintain young love and to solve the mystery of his parents relationship. Originally agreeing with his parents that the dissolution of his first love would be forgotten in later life, Oliver realises through his observations that this is not the case and sets about correcting the wrongs with varying degrees of success. Encounters with mystic ninjas, teachers and girlfriends parents all pepper the path of the young man who couples a strange life experience with the delusions of the teenage mind. Foray's into French crooner's, Nietzsche and JD Salinger will be all too real for many of us.

I am going to overlook the Rushmore comparisons as they have almost become a shortcut to actual debate over the merits of Ayoade's debut film. We all have influences, whether we choose to acknowledge them or not makes little difference to our output. Derivative or not... it doesn't really matter for the purpose of 97 minutes enjoyment. If you feel differently then most of the other reviews I have read of Submarine cater just for you. Instead I am going to compare the film to the more recent Youth in Revolt. Although Submarine is altogether more British, the comparisons fall within the first person delivery of an often third person narrative and also in the protagonists struggles to balance love and family. Oliver's quirks are slightly more manic than those of Michael Cera's character. The parental investigations and letters are a particular source of humour throughout.

One of the main successes of the film is in the characterisation which is comedic enough in its delivery to keep you laughing (sometimes uncomfortably) but also human enough to allow projection of yourself into Oliver's shoes, burnt leg hairs and all. Submarine probably gives the closest on-screen representation of my childhood that I have seen committed to film since The Omen. The daydreams and fantasies of the actions of your country in the event of ones death are particularly nostalgic.

I have to admit to not being a huge fan of British comedy in general and although I would not label Submarine as an out and out comedy film I can't recommend it enough. While the film clearly won't suit the tastes of everyone it is, in my opinion, the best British film since Made in England. The film is refreshingly funny, and dry enough in its humour to elevate it above any kind of awkward rom-com status.

One slightly disturbing addendum came on exiting the screening when an older lady declared that, although she felt the film was great, and that Ayoade would struggle to make better, she felt that the film was very much like The Hangover. Yup, the Bradley Cooper Vegas caper. This has got me a bit worried. I am no longer sure I saw the right film. I did have a wee nap before it started and may have dreamt the whole thing. If that is the case then my apologies for wasting your time. If, as I expect, the comparison was slightly stretching we must remember it is easy to confuse the industrial wastelands of Wales for the casino's of Las Vegas.

Official Site - http://warp.net/films/submarine

Drugs on Wall Street

Directed by Neil Burger, whose previous output includes The Illusionist, Limitless is based on a book by Alan Glynn. The film sees Bradley Cooper as vagabond writer Eddie Morra; struggling with writers block and  an ending relationship. Morra crosses paths with an old acquaintance who offers the opportunity to overcome these problems through the power of an experimental drug called NZT. The drug increases brain capacity to 100% and allows the user full access to memories, capability and hidden knowledge. Morra uses this new -found competence to impress his on/off girlfriend, landlords wife and employers among others but things take a turn for the expected when Morra notices he is being followed by a cast of undesirables. As his encounters with this bunch become more and more worrying Morra's supplies run low and the reason for their connection moves towards revelation in intriguing fashion.

Robert De Niro also stars as ruthless businessman Carl Van Loon. Another below par performance which is almost what we have come to expect in recent years. A character who should have been menacing was instead mildly assuming; like an unreasonable father in law or strict headmaster. Van Loon is a Gordon Gekko-lite who is focusing on furthering his commercial interests. The problem is that De Niro is not able to recreate the impact of Michael Douglas' character. Shia Labeouf was originally cast in the lead role which would have lead further to the feelings that Limitless is only slightly more than Wall Street on drugs. Wall Street 2 suffered from its poor timing meaning that it missed the recession boat and Limitless struggles with the fact that we don't hate Eddie Morra as much as we do the bankers.This is due to Morra's human side coming through throughout the early stages of the film. Although he is sucked into the 'high-life' we retain some glad tiding towards the protagonist as it is easy to follow his decision making process and relate it to our own.

Cooper's portrayal of the protagonist, although convincing, does lack the manic paranoia of the drug addict, particularly during the stages of withdrawal. Since his breakthrough performance in The Hangover, Cooper has become a box office draw, following up his initial success with The A Team amongst others. Cooper is capable of portraying both the down and out writer and high flying financial adviser with equal success.

Limitless lacks that smartness and sleekness the NZT has given Eddie Morra and, although the fish eye lenses and clever shots of the city are impressive to the eye, there is not much to stimulate the brain. Feeling at times like a diluted Inception, Limitless would have benefited from a more intricate plot with further twists and suspense but thats just my opinion and others may enjoy the easily followed narrative.

The film moves along almost exactly as you would expect. The only surprising factor is the lack of a moral conclusion. Instead of leaving the cinema with an understanding that if something seems too good to be true it probably is, I left wondering how long it would be before NZT would be available to you and me. Just think how many film reviews I could get through in a day.

Limitless? I would say limited but enjoyable.

Official Site - http://www.iamrogue.com/limitless/fullsite/

Driving Mildly Frustrated

Drive Angry is the story of John Milton, played by the unpredictable Nicolas Cage, an escapee of hell on the trail of a satanic cult who have kidnapped his granddaughter. With a young female sidekick in tow, Milton sets out on a trail of ultra-destruction which includes sex, gun-fights and muscle cars. Hot on the heels of the odd couple is The Accountant, an excellent outing for William Fichtner, a bounty hunter tasked with returning Milton to his hellish surroundings. Milton's granddaughter is to be sacrificed at the sight of a full moon by the satan worshipping cult responsible for the death of his daughter. The story plays out in a surprising linear sequence of chase and fight with an unfortunate lack of deviation into the absurd.

I never disrobe before gunplay. 

The recent mini-renaissance of exploitation cinema results in satisfaction levels being raised and raised high. A film that would have interested fans of the genre in years gone by now appears diluted alongside recent contemporaries. The problem is that Drive Angry sits closer to Piranha 3d than it does Black Dynamite or Death Proof in the pantheon of this nu-exploitation.  This is to be his expected when considering director Patrick Lussier's earlier outing as director of the My Bloody Valentine reboot. Drive Angry rarely gets out of second gear (oh dear) due to its unwillingness to fully commit to its exploitative nature. Cage seems somewhat imprisoned in the role although it is this character type that usually sees Cage's best work (see Bad Lieutenant or Wild at Heart). Usually we can assume that the crazier the film or character the better the performance but the difference in this instance is in the quality of script. Cage's deadpan delivery is not exploited to its fullest due to the lukewarm nature of the humour which rarely stretches far beyond the odd questionably timed 'mother-f**cker'. Lynch and Herzog have displayed an enhaned capability for working to Cage's limited strengths which are not utilised with the same vigour here. 

Drive Angry does make good use of  3d, a cinematic craft not yet mastered in my opinion, and the action sequences are enhanced by this presentation. The days of a films release in 3d being enough to guarantee an audience are past due to the sheer volume of these being issued every month.  Drive Angry has received a 'mixed' reception, to put it respectfully, and looks like it may to struggle to recoup the $50million budget put into its production.

Unfortunately it seems that I have been writing about my disappointment at films not living up to my expectations a lot lately. I really expected Drive Angry to be an all-out exploitation film which would see Cage at his manic best. Instead Drive Angry decided not to enter the overtaking lane, happy enough at it's own pace under the speed limit.

Official Site - http://www.driveangry3d.com