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127 hours (2010)

Review BY 

VICKI ISITT

 – NOVEMBER 30, 2010

Release Date (UK) – 7th January 2011
Certificate (UK) – 15
Country – USA-UK
Runtime – 94 mins
Director – Danny Boyle
Starring – James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Clémence Poésy

127 Hours marks Danny Boyle first film since the success of Slumdog Millionaire (2009), and stars James Franco as Aron Ralston, an extreme sports enthusiast who goes to Utah for the weekend to re-explore Blue John canyon, one of his favourite places in the world. Based on a true story, Aron parks his car on the outskirts of the canyon and cycles twenty miles inwards towards Blue John, bumping into two girls (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara). After some fun and frivolity the two girls head off and Aron continues to explore, until when down in the canyon a large boulder dislodges, and traps his arm.

127 Hours is one of the hardest films to watch, largely because of the anticipation. You know what’s coming (or you should), and in every scene you’re looking out for that exact moment when it happens, and even after his arm becomes trapped you sit wishing, hoping that he manages to escape despite knowing he won’t. ‘That scene’, which the film builds up towards is incredibly difficult to watch, not only because the image makes you want to shut your eyes, and the piercing sound makes you want to cover your ears, but the personal connection you’ve developed with this character makes it excruciating. Once Aron traps his arm, the only other characters are those of his imagination, and with the dialogue being mostly Aron talking to his camcorder, combined with Boyle’s close up camera angles, the audience very quickly develops a close relationship with him.

Initially when the boulder traps his arm Aron isn’t too worried, surely it’ll be easy to move. He tries manual force, a pulley system, carving away at the boulder…but nothing works. Once nightfall begins to settle in you can see his confident smile fading as the temperature drops, and we feel his dreading realisation as his food and water supplies start to dwindle. He hasn’t told anyone where he was going, and no one is expecting him back until the middle of the following week.

There’s a reason Oscar buzz is surrounding James Franco and it’s definitely warranted. Franco is exceptional in portraying Aron’s personal transformation and journey from the cocky guy we meet at the beginning to someone telling his parents goodbye on camcorder. One of my favourite and most powerful scenes in the film is when Aron interviews himself, imaging himself as both the host and the interviewee, discussing how much longer he might survive and the number of days until someone finds his body. For those that have seen Requiem for a Dream (2000), the final scene where Sara Goldfarb, high on painkillers after having ECT for anorexia imagines appearing on her favourite game show, is very similar (although less affective).

127 Hours has Danny Boyle stamped all over it, so you’d better be a fan of his work if you intend to enjoy the film. Both the style of editing and the camera angles are examples of Boyle’s previous cinematography, and A.R. Rahman joins him again to supply some wonderful original score music.

127 Hours is a must-see and brilliant film, however those not fond of James Franco or Danny Boyle might not find as much enjoyment in it. What makes it fantastic though is the anticipation, the tension and the build up, so I’m not sure how it would hold up to a second viewing. However, if that’s the only fault you can find in a film, something’s gone right.

http://www.letmewatchthis.ch/watch-2533599-127-Hours

Beastly (2011)

Review BY 

CHARLOTTE QUAMINA

 – MAY 2, 2011

Release date (UK) – 22 April 2011
Runtime – 86 mins
Certificate (UK) – 12
Director – Daniel Barnz
Country – USA
Starring – Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer, Mary-Kate Olsen, Neil Patrick Harris

Beastly, based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Alex Flinn, is the modern retelling of the classic, Beauty and the Beast. Set in present day New York, it tells the story of the handsome and wealthy Kyle (Pettyfer), who believes that good looks and popularity are the only keys to success. Enter Kendra (Olsen), a witch determined to teach Kyle a lesson about his arrogant beliefs, she curses him, transferring the ugliness that lies inside him onto the outside. Disgusted by his appearance, Kyle is hidden away from the world by his father and left to live a lonely life with his tutor (Harris) and housekeeper (LisaGay Hamilton), until, that is, he meets Lindy (Hudgens) and she sees the beauty within him. With only a year to break the curse, Kyle must change and find someone to love him for who he is on the inside, but will true love find him in time?

The main elements of the original story are clearly visible in this retelling which is a pleasant surprise. The modern representations are well thought out and the characters (ironically all attractive people) are easily relatable for most teenagers up to a point – not including the witch. The plot surrounds the moral of the story, never judge a book by its cover, which is an excellent lesson for all who watch it. However, towards the end, there is still an obvious desperation for Kyle to return to his handsome form which begs the question, has he truly learnt anything from his experiences?

Unfortunately the acting is appalling. Even Pettyfer who has a number of films under his belt which have been bearable, is unable to draw from any real emotions for this part (apparently being ugly is not even something he can pretend to be). Alongside this is Hudgens, who isn’t believable in the least, especially when she utters the line ‘I’ve seen worse..’ in reaction to Kyles witchy makeover. The saviour of the film is Neil Patrick Harris, although why he appears in this film is a little unclear. However, he holds it together and doesn’t take his cheesy lines too seriously, making it a lot more enjoyable. Olsen as a witch is another good casting, however she doesn’t see nearly enough screen time.

What really lets this film down is the scripting. Caught between its moral message and being ‘down with the kids’ it ends up being hollow and keeps the characters unintentionally one-dimensional. Littered with one-liners rather than hearty dialogue, the story drags on at a very slow pace,made especially painful by the fact that you more or less know what is going to happen from the start of the film anyway.

Overall the Hollywood take on this tale seems to favour pretty, glossy visuals as opposed to shots with any meaning and substance. The real issue with the film is that Kyle isn’t really a ‘beast’ just a bald-headed, tattooed guy with a few bits of metal here and there. The make-up department should have come up with something much more realistic in order to really get the message across.

In all honesty, it feels as if Kyle just resigns himself to being ugly, believing that no one can love someone who isn’t attractive on the outside, rather than deciding that looks are not everything and continuing to live life to the full. It isn’t until Lindy comes along that Kyle even considers that it’s what’s inside that matters more. By this time, he has been transformed back into his handsome self and the message suddenly changes: even if a guy is a horrible person who treats people badly and bullies those less fortunate than himself, with the time and love of a nice girl, he can be transformed into the perfect man. Perhaps not the best message for teenage girls, but if you enjoyed Twilight and Red Riding Hood, this adaptation is one for you.

http://www.letmewatchthis.ch/watch-1783567-Beastly

Forget Me Not (2010)

Review BY 

ANDREW JONES

 – FEBRUARY 23, 2011

Release Date – 6th May 2011
Certificate – TBC
Country – UK
Runtime – 91 mins
Directors – Alexander Holt & Lance Roehrig
Starring – Tobias Menzies, Genevieve O’Reilly and Gemma Jones

Forget Me Not opens with a man singing and playing guitar in a bar. Relaxed environment though this may be, when we follow him home where he runs a bath he grabs a razor blade and some pills and contemplates suicide. A cross between Once and Before Sunrise but set in London between midnight and midday, Forget Me Not wears it’s forefathers on it’s sleeve, and unfortunately only ever makes the audience fondly remember those films in comparison.

Our male and female leads get together due to the forgetting of a guitar, need for alcohol and a drunken bar patron who is a bit too ‘handsy’, and just like that, the two walk London, from party to mini-cab offices, talking, relaxing, and forming a bond, albeit one that has it’s ups and downs.

Tobias Menzies and Genevieve O’Reilly are easy to watch throughout the film, they have a good chemistry and handle the dialogue well enough. However, the film’s script falls down far too often; Dialogue can range from heavy-handed anecdotes about family, life and love to quick wit and snappy comebacks, but it lacks both the emotional punch and realistic edge for the former and real humour and great characters to work around the comebacks for the latter. Though one scene near the end, featuring a devastatingly brilliant Gemma Jones, slowly but thoroughly hits you hard. A test for Alzheimer’s (Thus the title of the film), which Eve (O’Reilly)’s grandmother fails, with a scene of painful truth that really is exceptional. Alas, this is a rare moment and the only time the script truly shines.

Thankfully though the two directors, Alexander Holt and Lance Roehrig, have added a lot to the film’s visual look. It stands out and has many well placed shots, great camerawork, some amazing bursts of colour and interesting use of depth of field which definitely separating it from other films of the same ilk. A visually stunning little film that manages to capture both the real London and some postcard shots too, such as a visit to the London Eye at about 6 in the morning, or walking down Whitehall at 7am and it being entirely empty, if only. When Forget Me Not works, it shines admirably, but when it doesn’t, the film can become tedious and the choice to add a twist at the end detracts from the rest of the film, as does it’s oddly dark opening. Whilst the film may be trying to separate itself from other similar features it manages to distinguish itself for the faults it creates in the process rather than what could have been a small but solid comic drama, with some grand moments of inspired emotional connection to the audience.

One hopes that the directors can move on and work on films that aren’t dragged down by a limp, often lifeless script, in the future and instead make a film that has the depth in drama that can go with the visually inspired way they work, but Forget Me Not isn’t a film that would ever be considered required viewing. Even for the moments that it works, the film can’t quite add up to a great series of filmic events in a dull film, which is the saddest thing about the whole affair.

http://www.letmewatchthis.ch/watch-2317611-Forget-Me-Not