Post Christmas/New Year Movie Catch-up

It's been a while since I wrote anything, so I thought I'd do a quick catch-up.

Child 44

An adaption of the book by Tom Rob Smith. Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy), a former Soviet war hero and working for State Security, tracks down a child-killer while trying to save himself from an ambitious colleague (Joel Kinnaman).

Not as good as it could have been, too much of the plot revolves around Leo and his wife trying to avoid the Gulag and, when he does catch up with the villain, it's almost an afterthought. Not bad, but might lead to better sequels.

Noah

Based on the book of Genesis characters, Noah (Russell Crowe), the last descendant of Abel, is tasked by God to save the creatures of the Earth at the cost of the human race, which has become corrupt and barbarous.

Despite a faintly ridiculous plot, it's a reasonably coherent film, marred only by it's length.The acting is good enough, even from Ray Winstone as Noah's nemesis, but it's only an average pizza movie. Ray Winstone as God might have been entertaining, though.

The Wolf of Wall Street

A story of greed and excess from Martin Scorsese, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), an out of work trader, realises there's a clever way to separate the unsuspecting from their money...

Can't say I like it, 'cause I don't. It's puerile and hollow, a pale shadow next to any of his previous films, even Goodfellas.

Taken 3

The latest of the Taken series sees Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) framed for the murder of his ex-wife, kill a load of Russian gangsters and finding out it's her new husband wot done it. Or something. I am past caring.

Birdman

Winner of this years Oscar for Best Film, beating Grand Hotel Budapest, Selma and The Imitation Game, Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), a has-been actor used to super-hero roles, tries to stage a play on Broadway.

I'm not quite sure how this got onto the list, but it must have seemed a good idea at the time. A gesture to stepping outside the comfort zone, perhaps. It does seem like a film that actors, especially film actors, would understand, a sort of in-joke. It left me feeling a bit cold, however, with the mix of fantasy and reality recalling Terry Gilliams The Fisher King, without any of the latter's charm. Played straight, it might have worked.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I got to see the latest Star Wars and jolly good it is too. Abrams hasn't disappointed. The production is slick, with unobtrusive CGI. The plot, while including elements of the original, is workman-like and has enough twists and turns to make it enjoyable. The best parts for me, however, are the knowing nods to the fans (I especially liked the Millenium Falcon with a tarpaulin over it). Above all, there was no cuteness in it: no Ewoks or Jar-jar. And the Stormtroopers still can't shoot straight.

Rather than show yet another trailer, Disney are promoting Star Wars: Rebels, which is worth a look:

Have a happy New Year, everybody.

Movie Hardmen - Riddick, The Gunman and Run All Night

In a bit of a movie update, first the belated and imaginatively titled third instalment of the Riddick series.

Our eponymous hero, having grown slipshod in his security arrangements as leader of the Necromongers, finds himself stranded on a hostile planet, pursued by two groups of bounty hunters.

Other than money, it's difficult to see why this film was made, as it's just a rehash of the first film, with bits of the second thrown in for good measure. Mr. Diesel looks like he had fun, and it's all workman-like, just... why bother?

Much better is Sean Penn's attempt at the tough-guy genre with The Gunman. Jim Terrier (Penn), a mercenary working for an NGO in Africa, searches for who sent a hit squad after him.

With a good plot, if a bit slow, and a decent supporting cast including Javier Bardem, Ray Winstone and Mark Rylance, Penn's able to hold down the hard-man role pretty well, and there's plenty of bangs and crashes. It's different enough to be an above average pizza movie.

Lastly, the latest Liam Neeson vehicle. Burn-out gangster and estranged father, Jimmy Conlon, is given a chance at redemption when his son Mike (Joel Kinneman) witnesses a murder.

Neeson seems to be picking better films to do between Taken sequels at the moment, and this is no exception. It's plot keeps a decent pace, if a little predictable, and there's a great supporting cast with Ed Harris as the former friend turned Nemesis. And just in time for Christmas.

The Sweeney - "You're Nicked!"

Part of my LoveFilm subscription, this is a remake of the 70's cop show. Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) and George Carter (Ben Drew) investigate the robbery of a jewellers where an innocent bystander was killed.

Hmmmm, not sure. I don't think it would be a particularly good cop drama were it not for the connection with the TV series. Ray Winstone's ok (he's no John Thaw, but you'd make allowances for that), but Ben Drew was a bit wooden for my liking. There's some good set-pieces, especially one in an underground car park but, overall, it just seemed like thugs chasing other thugs. Compare this to a similar film, Michael Mann's Heat, with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, which had two class players and a good plot. Maybe American's do this kind of thing better (more money, probably), but it says something about us when the final car-chase involves a Ford Focus in a caravan park.