New releases - January 2015

The Theory of Everything

4/5
Director: James Marsh | Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones | Running time: 123 mins | Certificate: 12A

I think this was a very good film. While I would have preferred a film about Hawking showing what a brilliant genius he is rather than this story focused on his relationship with his wife, I enjoyed the aspect of the story about him coming to terms with his disability and how the character retained a lot of Hawking's qualities, like his sense of humour. Eddie Redmayne did a great job playing Stephen Hawking. You actually believe he is disabled and slowly losing the ability to do anything, while also conveying genuine emotion. The directing is pretty generic, compared to the year's more visually inventive directors like Grand Budapest's Wes Anderson or Birdman's Alejandro González Iñárritu who actually play around with the camera. Overall, it is worth watching for Redmayne's performance, but not much else.

Birdman
5/5
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu | Starring: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis | Running time: 119 mins | Certificate: 15


Everything about this film was great. The cast was phenomenal (Michael Keaton and Edward Norton particularly), the writing was enjoyable as it was darkly comic and also gave an interesting character study of a failed actor and a mid-life crisis, and the direction and editing made the film seem like one seamless shot, which was definitely fun to watch. Definitely not one to miss. (Also, without giving too much away, my theory is that the ending didn't actually happen. It was all in Riggan's head during the last shot before it. Watch it and see if you agree with me.)

Taken 3

2/5

Director: Olivier Megaton | Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace | Running time: 109 mins | Certificate: 12A

The trilogy that made Liam Neeson an action star reaches its conclusion with a sloppy, lazy mess following Bryan Mills on the run after being framed for the murder of his ex-wife. The action that was once exciting in 2008's original Taken is now silly, such as driving a flaming car into a lift shaft, because the original was an extreme hardcore 18-rated thriller, and toning it down to a childish 12A has taken away all the impact. Neeson is a terrific actor, but the rushed camera movements and choppy editing cut up all his dialogue to the point you can hardly make out what he's saying. There are many inconsistencies and plot-holes, which drag down the realism that once existed, and LA does not make as compelling a setting as Taken's Paris or Taken 2's Istanbul. Bryan and his daughter riff on the idea of being "predictable". They also call the pot black. Long story short, if you thought Taken 2 was bad, get a load of this.

American Sniper
5/5
Director: Clint Eastwood | Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller | Running time: 132 mins | Certificate: 15

This is certainly a film with some wow factor. Despite some problems with the editing that don't make the difference between flashbacks and present day abundantly clear (like Lost does), Clint Eastwood directed a fine movie. There's a theory that he's trying every genre from boxing films (Million Dollar Baby) to westerns (Unforgiven) to musicals (Jersey Boys), possibly to find his calling. Well, he may have found his calling in directing scenes of war. He makes such powerful visuals and captures the actors' emotions so well that his battle scenes here are all at once visceral, poignant, breathtaking and moving. Bradley Cooper is perfectly cast as Chris Kyle, dubbed the "most lethal sniper in US military history." The amount of weight he gained shows his commitment to the role, which he plays fantastically in making us feel sympathy for a killer. Sienna Miller is annoying as his wife and the film seems over-long despite Eastwood succeeding in creating an interesting and engaging story from start to finish because the climax comes to soon. Otherwise, this is a brilliant film, especially because of Cooper's award-worthy performance.

The Gambler

1/5

Director: Rupert Wyatt | Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson | Running time: 111 mins | Certificate: 15

Good actors like Mark Wahlberg and John Goodman have been wasted here. We're supposed to feel sympathy for this guy who isn't likeable at all and was stupid enough to get himself into debt, but there's no real threat because he's a spoilt rich kid sitting on a massive inheritance nest-egg that he just has to get his mother (played brilliantly by Jessica Lange) to give it to him early, which she does. Just don't waste your time and leave this one well alone.

Big Hero 6
4/5
Director: Don Hall | Starring: Ryan Potter, Jamie Cheung | Running time: 102 mins | Certificate: PG

Big Hero 6, loosely adapted from the little-known Marvel comic, follows the story of a young boy as he teams up with a loveable robot to avenge his brother's death. It's a lovely story, and another delightful animation from Disney. Like the best animated films, such as Bambi, it is in equal parts funny, touching, cute, and sad, and plays with these emotions naturally. It's never forced. If it's funny, it's funny for a reason, and if it's sad, it's sad for a reason, so the film and its characters are all the more relateable. Baymax steals the show, the "huggable" robot who is programmed to be so kind and good-natured it is impossible to dislike him. This is a terrific film to be enjoyed not only children but their parents as well.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

4/5
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Starring: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton | Running time: 129 mins | Certificate: 15

In Kingsman: The Secret Service, director Matthew Vaughn once again proves that he excels in taking well-established -- one might even say tired -- genres and tropes and reenergizing them with his patented blend of wit, reverence for what has come before, and hyper-violence. The film is a love letter to old-school spy movies, but one that's modern and smart, subverting the clichés and shocking the audience at times. The cast is fun and gives good performances, Samuel L. Jackson in particular making an evil megalomaniac with a lisp bent on world domination both devilish and likeable. Vaughn directs some fine stylised action sequences and the film is designed well. Overall, Kingsman takes the super-spy genre of yesteryear and reenergizes it with wit, reverence, fun and hyper-violence. Warning: might offend some.