2012: A Year in Review

2012: A YEAR IN REVIEW

By Alex Watson

It has been an interesting year for film, and we have seen all kinds such as Tom Cruise belting out Bon Jovi in Rock of Ages and climb the Burj Khalifa single handed in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. We’ve also been witness to a magnificent viral campaign for Prometheus where the result didn’t properly match the hopes for Ridley Scott’s return to the Alien Universe and we’ve also delved into dark territory in Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss. There was a sad end of one saga in Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises and the triumphant beginning of another in Avengers Assemble. But overall there has been some magnificent viewing in 2012, here is my end of year review.

 

TOP 10 FILMS OF 2012

1.   Argo (USA/Dir: Ben Affleck): This year the former Bennifer truly shed his past and delivered us the most exciting and nerve jangling thriller of the year. Set against the backdrop of hostile 1979 Iran, this gave us the story of one man and his bold idea to make a fake movie so real, it would save the lives of six others. Thanks to Affleck’s stunning direction we had a movie with a heart and determined soul!
2.  The Raid (ID/Dir: Gareth Evans) The combination of Welsh director Gareth Evans and Indonesian martial arts star Iko Uwais gave us the most entertaining and pure thrilling action film of the year. When a team of cops in Jakarta become trapped in a drug lord controlled tower block, they discover all 30 floors are filled with blood thirsty killers, the adrenalin rush goes into overdrive and this never relents. We have a fascinating new pairing on our hands.
3.    Sightseers (UK/Dir: Ben Wheatley): Up and coming British director Ben Wheatley gives us the most raw and funny picture this year and through the brilliant naturalistic performances of star Steve Oram and Alice Lowe we were given the British equivalent of Badlands, just remember who you tick off when visit your next campsite- it can be fatal!
4.   The Imposter (USA/France Dir: Bart Layton): This film was 2012 most shocking documentary and we were given the story of a French con man who out of desperation pretended to be the missing teenager of an American family and was readily accepted! Watch it and let your jaw hang loose while this unbelievable tale is played out!
5.  Shame (UK/Dir: Steve McQueen): The first film ever reviewed on Closer to the Edge was also the most explicit and heartbreaking of the year. With great performances by Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, director Steve McQueen gave us a powerful example of  a sex addict who is struggling with his compulsions and gradually his perfect world is coming apart.
6.  Silver Linings Playbook (USA/Dir: David O Russell); Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper both give charming performances in one of 2012 most offbeat comedies. David O Russell skilfully masterminds the theme of mental illness and gives us a brutally funny and also heart warming tale of two troubled folks who find love in the strangest possible circumstance!
7. 7.       Skyfall (UK/USA Dir: Sam Mendes): Of all the blockbuster’s filmed this year, Daniel Craig’s return as 007 was the most entertaining of them all and gave us some the year’s best action set pieces (including a thrilling opening ride through Istanbul). But of all the recent Bond film this one had the most emotionally driven core and we got to see Bond at the crossroads of life. With a great Baddie turn from Javier Bardem, this made for compulsive viewing.
8. Rust & Bone (FR/Dir: Jacques Audiard): One of the year’s top foreign films boasted a stunning central turn from Marion Cotillard as a woman whose live is changed forever and find solace in the most unlikely man possible. With top support from Matthias Schoenaerts and Jacques Audiard’s brilliant directing, we are given one of the years strongest films and contains a passionate love theme that pulls our heart strings hard.
9. Looper (USA/Dir: Rian Johnson): The hype about Rian Johnson’s follow up to Brick was one that was truly worth it, because the man has produced the most intelligent and thought provoking sci-film of this decade so far, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis excel as the junior and senior versions of the same man who are both trying to atone for past and future mistakes they have made. This will require numerous viewings to understand its concept and they will all be worth it because this one of cleverest films your likely to find.
10. The Master (USA/ Dir: P.T Anderson): After a long wait, PT Anderson finally made his return to the screen and along with him so did Joaquin Phoenix- and it was worth the wait! Anderson brings us one of the most stunning visual films of 2012 about a disturbed man trying to find his way, and ultimately falling into the wrong crowded. With superb performances by Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, it was a welcome return for Anderson!

BEST OF THE REST

• The Dark Knight Rises (USA/UK Dir: Christopher Nolan) The finale of Chris Nolan’s Batman saga was a truly worth one and featured Christian Bale at his very best and also gave him a tough test in Tom Hardy’s hard as nails villain Bane. The thrilling battle of Gotham finale presented us a blood pumping last act! I wish the best of luck for the next man who is brave enough to reboot this series!
• Marley (UK Dir: Kevin MacDonald): A fascinating view of the life of one of music’s best loved stars, Bob Marley. Your knowledge of the man is regardless because we are given a brilliant account of his hard up bringing in Kingston, Jamaica and his rapid rise to top of music. If you’re not singing ‘No woman, No Cry’ by the end credits then hang your head in shame!
• Avenger’s Assemble (USA/ Dir: Joss Whedon): Another of the yea’rs most entertaining films and a pure fanboy’s delight as Marvel’s finest came to together to stop the tyrannical evil of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo among others made an awesome team- come back soon fellas!
• The Hunger Games (USA /Dir: Gary Ross): Jennifer Lawrence shines in the Gary Ross’ adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ beloved children’s novel. Be warned- Twilight this film isn’t and the theme of a society desensitized to violence as kids from different districts fight for survival is as shocking as it is entertaining. This is probably the closest we’ll get to a western Battle Royale.
• Anna Karenina (UK / Dir: Joe Wright): The adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s 864 page novel could have been one of years hardest viewings. But instead we are given a visual stunning and heart rendering film, with a star turn from Keira Knightley as the doomed Anna as she sets tongues wagging in Imperial Russia as her sordid affair with Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Vronsky plays out.

 

MALE STAR OF THE YEAR- TOM HARDY: This year the British actor took centre stage and delivered us a series of memorable turns in This Means War, Lawless and became Bruce Wayne’s biggest problem in The Dark Knight Rises. With his roughish charm, Hardy is an actor of multiple talents and has a presence of screen that is undeniable, it would seem we have a new star in waiting.

FEMALE STAR OF THE YEAR-JENNIFER LAWRENCE: With her stunning and tough performance in The Hunger Games and her bizarre yet endearing turn in Silver Linings Playbook are evidence enough that this woman is the most exciting young female talent in film today and this year she has stolen our hearts. No doubt the awards season will see her name mentioned numerous times and in future this will be a name to get used because Lawrence is going to be a woman to beat!

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR- GARETH EVANS (THE RAID): The Welshman grabbed our attention for all the right reasons with his breathtaking execution of Indonesian film The Raid and his skilful handling of proceedings gave us one of martial arts’ future classics. His next film can’t come soon enough and you have to wonder what him and star Iko Uwais are capable of next?

Scene of the Year- Stephanie Connects with her Killer Whale (Rust & Bone): The simplest yet heart rendering moment of 2012 came as Marion Cotillard gestured to an orca whale. Action here spoke loudest of all and the longing for Stephanie to return to her former life broke our hearts in two!

Hooray! It’s a Holiday: Review of Sightseers

EXCLUSIVE

Sightseers

Director: Ben Wheatley

By Alex Watson

When people think of a typical serial killer film, they tend of think of it being a very grizzly and unpleasant experience where there will be bullets and blood by the bucket load. But no one ever think that it could be in the least bit funny and that humour can be found in even the most bizarre circumstance. This week we turn to Ben Wheatley’s follow up to his already cult classic Kill List, where he gives us a very British view on murder mixed with a caravan holiday in Sightseers. This week I was privileged to catch an exclusive screening at the Cornerhouse Cinema in Manchester!

Tina (Alice Lowe) lives with her domineering mother who still blames her for the death of their beloved dog Poppy. Desperate for an adventure and to escape her mother’s grasp, Tina takes off on a romance caravan holiday with her new boyfriend Chris (Steve Oram). As the pair views the countryside, a darker side to her man appears and very soon a series of nasty deaths will take place with various tourists who ‘ruin their holiday’ all the while testing the relationship.

Sightseers is a film of rare quality and it is brought to life through the brilliant direction by Ben Wheatley and the script by stars Lowe and Oram shines brightly! Through its very unusual premise, the laughs keep coming by the bucketful. But it’s the casual depict of violence that makes this film really shine. However, it’s the fact they are merely killing people who have annoyed them is such minor ways which provides the laughs. In particular when Chris bludgeons a man to death after he ticks them off for not picking up their dogs ‘excrement’ he justifies his bloody demise with “He’s not human… he’s a Daily Mail reader!”

At its centre, there is a very British feel to it as the pair visits such odd tourist spots as the Crich Tramway museum and Ribblehead Viaduct. With its road trip feel and a female who is desensitised to violence, this is almost like the British version of Badlands!

But like Wheatley’s predecessor Kill List, the film also possesses a surreal edge to it and this is exemplified in a quite disturbing dream sequence where Chris chases after a woman in white which then hints at some potentially life changing events. It almost seems like the after events of the ending of Kill List. When the death scenes come they are indeed shocking and often gruesomely played out, but there is such a gleeful and upbeat feel to them which gives these moments a

The development of Chris and Tina as a couple gives Sightseers its beating heart. Tina is a woman who is trapped in life by her bulling mother (who openly tells her she was accident!) and at first she seems to relish the freedom. But even in the face of the terrible deeds that Chris does, she seems to be drawn to it. The parallels between the two are what draw us to them; Chris simply wants his perfect holiday to run on schedule and tends to lose his rag when people spoil it. Tina’s character goes from simply hitching a ride, to stacking up a body count of her own!

As the pair nitpick about their attempts to outdo one another it provides for some classic British film moments because these two are like so many couple’s we have met while camping and after this we will always be suspicious of who we let in our caravans! Though their ending will divide viewer because much like the end of Kill List- more questions remain!

Oram and Lowe make for a compelling pairing in Wheatley’s film and their unusual chemistry stands out. Already well known on the comedy circuit, the two use their skills to give us one of the best and most humorous scripts of the year. Hopefully we will see them on the BAFTA list come next year!

I cannot praise this film highly enough and I can simply finish by saying- Please See This Movie! Ben Wheatley is one of the most offbeat directors that Britain has and we can only wonder what he has in store for us next, Sightseers is probably the best British film we will see all year will also be the most unusual yet painfully experiences you will ever have in cinema. Remember when going on a road trip, always pick up your litter because you never know who may be paying attention!

Place Your Bets: Jackpot Review

Jackpot

Director: Magnus Martens

By Alex Watson

Earlier this year I gave a review of the adaptation of Jo Nesbo’s slick thriller, Headhunters; a film that gave us a deception of the ultimate price of maintaining the perfect life. This week we turn to Norweigen writer’s second outing in cinema with Jackpot. Here expect the gloss of Headhunters to vanish swiftly as we are dragged into the Scandinavian underworld. Expect violence, double crossing and extreme psychopaths! Oh and I forget to mention Christmas is around the corner too!

Sat in a Norwegian police station, Oscar (Kyrre Hellum) has to explain to a disgusted officer how he has ended up as the sole survivor in a brutal shootout in a Swedish strip club! Working as a foreman in a factory that employs mainly ex cons, Oscar had gone in with criminals Billy (Arthur Berning) and Thor (Mads Ousdal) on a soccer bet to win big bucks. But upon claiming their winnings a series of unfortunate events will unfold for the trio leading a bloody resolution!

Jackpot is a very unique film in its own right, its blend of shock humour continually surprises us throughout. In some ways with its scenario of the hapless idiot who stumbles across big money and the grizzly violence that ensues (a wood chipper scene thrown in for good measure) this could almost be the Norwegian version of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. But in other ways it is like the flipside of Headhunters- but here we are thrown into a far seedier place where friendships come second to a bag of cash.

The opening scene sets the gruesome tone for the film. Four happy-go-lucky (and also very drunk) young men enter a strip club and are immediately blown to pieces by gun fire! This one moment sets off the chain events for luckless Oscar and is guaranteed to make you sit up and pay attention!

When the violence does arrive it both appals us and makes us laugh out loud. If you thought some of the violence in Headhunters was hardcore- then you haven’t seen anything yet! The villains in this piece like to get messy, in particular when they decide to dismember their dead friends corpse in the middle of Oscar’s living room and then have a furious debate about whether to slice him at the neck or the stomach? Claret is imminent here and expect it by the bucketful!

But the principle strength of Jackpot is in the continually twists and turns given to us by director Martens. We learn from a very early stage that Oscar is a very un-reliable narrator and that when a plausible scenario is played out to us that we must completely disregard everything we have seen. Throughout the film this effect keeps the audience hooked because we begin to wonder if this apparently law abiding citizen is really all he seems.

As the incident prone Oscar, Kyrre Hellum gives a great performance. His sheer humanity makes us initially care for Oscar and we hope that we will be found innocent. But as Jackpot goes on, Hellum gives his character an element of mystery to him. Because of this his true story remains in question until the final shot!

As his friend Thor, Mads Ousdal is also very engaging. Thor is a very aloof man who changes alliances like he changes his shirt, very soon Oscar is in trouble as a result! Arthur Berning also terrifies and charms us as recently paroled mad man Billy, a kid who can go from zero to crazy in the touch of a button. His un-predictability gives some of Jackpot’s most chest tightening moments!

It seems that Jo Nesbo’s thrillers are the new hot thing for European cinema at the moment and it doesn’t seem surprising as he is a writer capable of churning out solid stories. But it isn’t him that we extend our gratitude to here, it is the brilliant combination of Martens and Herrum that make this movie so memorable.

Jackpot is odds on to be one of the funniest foreign films from this year and I hope it can make cult status because with its stunning blend of laughs through violence it certainly deserves it! For a very different kind of viewing experience- check this out now. But always think before you place a bet, because you never know what consequences it can have!

Vampire Weekend: Review of Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows

Director: Tim Burton

By Alex Watson

 

Everyone can tell a Tim Burton movie when it is showing, his unique blend of dark humour and quirkiness has won him many fans over the years. Ever since taking the helm in Batman in the early 1990’s his work has evolved produced many fine pieces of cinema such as the strange yet heart-warming Edward Scissorhands and his fine homage to cinema’s worst director in Ed Wood . For his latest piece Burton chose to adapt the television series Dark Shadow’s, a soap opera created by Dan Curtis that ran from 1966 to 1971. This show has gained a cult following in the US since its creation, but in the United Kingdom, it remains largely unknown. Can Tim Burton bring it larger attention?

The story begins in Maine, New England in 1752 where local business giant Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) rejects the love of witch Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). As a punishment she sends Barnabas’ love Josette (Bella Heathcote) to her death by making her leap off a cliff and turns Barnabas into a vampire so his suffering will be permanent. Also as a final insult Angelique has him buried alive! But Barnabas awakes in 1972, he finds the world has become a very different place and his once great family, led by Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer) have been reduced to nothing! Barnabas now re-united with his love ones, vows to restore his family to glory.

Dark Shadows certain has the Burton feel surrounding it and his usual dark blend fits the feel of the picture. For the most part, Dark Shadows works well and it provides us with as many giggles as it does shocks. The 1970’s setting is a great ground to showcase Barnabas’ misunderstanding of what it means to be human. As re-awakens he finds himself spooked by such things as lava lamps and a massive McDonald’s sign. His struggle to adapt to the world provides the comedic element of the film.

But aside for the funny moments, this film also has a dark and sinister edge to it and we forget for large periods that Barnabas is indeed a vampire.  When he murder’s his victims it does give us a soft shock. In particular when he is sat quoting Love Story at length to a group of free loving hippies and the people are fascinated by him, then he coolly announces “However, it is with sincere regret that I must now kill all of you. “ In this moment we don’t know whether to laugh or let out jaws drop.

But although it feels typically Burton, it doesn’t feel like vintage by any means. The story line of Dark Shadows doesn’t feel like a hard stretch for either Burton or Depp. The other family members feel underused in the story and the feud between Barnabas and Angelique feels over cooked and you feel less would have been more.  Things aren’t helped by a very strange and clumsy third act where the story takes a turn into more gothic territory. Collins is an interesting character but he doesn’t quite hold our attention throughout.

Johnny Depp is as usual very watchable; a big fan of the show in real life, Depp brings his creation of Barnabas to life and gives a brilliant, charismatic performance. Eva Green is a good choice as Angelique and she does well as the ruthless witch, even though her American accent does need a little work. But the other members of the Collins family (Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Grace Moretz and Jonny Lee Miller) don’t get the screen time they deserve and because of this we never get to properly know they family and we wonder why Barnabas would come back to them?

Although Dark Shadows may not prove to Burton’s greatest work, it is still proof that him and Johnny Depp work best together. The two have given us some many memorable pieces and it is safe to assume they aren’t going to stop any time soon.