Rate That Movie 2!: Electric Boogaloo

[englishozzy]

In Time

Three whole weeks without going to the cinemas, i was starting to get withdrawal symptoms. Unfortunately my anticipation turned to disappointment when i arrived with the choices i actually had. A choice between The Inbetweeners Movie, Breaking Dawn, The Santa's Apprentice (wtf?) and In Time didn't exactly tickle my fancy. Anyway, i ended up with a film i could of been quite happy to wait until the DVD release. Once i found myself ignoring the performance from Justin Timberlake and the incomprehension of Olivia Wilde being his mum, i quite enjoyed the premise of the film. Cillian Murphy is a standout as the Timekeeper assigned to capturing the lead characters before they create economical damage on the entire system. Not bad for a night out and it did somewhat help towards the pain of not watching a movie for nearly three weeks, only its Hayley's choice next week and we all know what she's going to choose.

==6/10==

[Chienfantome]

Cillian Murphy and his character are the only satisfying things in In Time. The premise is good, but once you realize it's a poor man's Hollywood remake of Gattaca, you're disappointed. I was.

[BigBruno]

timberlake is de best actor of 2011 he has bad teacher now in time. only daniel craig is better. he has cowboys and aliens and soon he will have girl with the dragon tatoo. maybe will be very good in next bond

[Buscemi]

Brad Pitt was better.

[Chienfantome]

I still don't buy Timberlake as an actor. His 3 performances this year, Bad Teacher, Friends with Benefits and In Time were very flat. His pairing with Seyfried in In Time drags the film down.
Brad Pitt is one of the most memorable actors of the year, I agree with you Boosch. His turns in Tree of Life and Moneyball were memorable.

[Buscemi]

Timberlake isn't a good actor to me either. He isn't bad as a voice actor though.

[englishozzy]

He has a bit of a comedic streak but apart from that there is nothing much there

[Chienfantome]

Yeah he can be funny on SNL, but apart from that, he hasn't really showed any cinematic evidence.

[numbersix]

A few films I've seen over the past few days...

The Deep Blue Sea: 6/10
A film that certainly channels the melodramas of the 1940s and 1950s. Rachel Weisz is the best part of this movie about a married woman who embarks on an affair with a man she feels "passionate" about, but when she follows her heart she finds her life torn apart. A good movie that's somewhat slow, but very well directed by Terrence Davies. It's only a shame the story itself is a little dull and indistinct.

Wuthering Heights: 6/10
A bit of a disappointment, considering how promising Andrea Arnold's last film, Fish Tank, was. She certainly gives the film a fresh angle by making it very much about our connection to nature. Gloomy hills are beaten by strong winds and heavy rain. The first half of the film deals with the childhood of the two main characters, and this is the strongest part of the film, as they draw closer to each other through their connection with the ground (no matter how muddy it gets). But the problem with the film (and the novel, I imagine), is that the second half portrays how nasty and bitter they both get after events conspire against them. It's hard to really invest emotionally when they're so horrible to themselves and everyone around them. Again, like The Deep Blue Sea, I felt it was a case of strong direction battling uphill against a poor story. I should also note that the film only covers about half of the novel.

Take Shelter: 7/10
A film I both liked and had problems with, but ultimately I found it to be rewarding. The two leads were superb. Shannon was great at underplaying his role and he made it utterly convincing and not too over-the-top (until his big moment at the dinner event, which was chilling) and Jessica Chastain was astounding as the caring wife. I suspect kudos should be directed at the writer/director himself for avoiding the cliches of dramatic conflict (screams, tantrums, running away, etc). But the film is about trust and faith in each other, an interesting antidote against what tries to make us think is a pre-apocalyptic story. I had a few qualms about the ending (and the trick it tries to play with the audience), but nevertheless it came across as a well-made and moving film. I'll certainly be checking out Shotgun Stories.

[Buscemi]

An Arnold film not taking place in a council estate (write what you know, I guess) makes me a bit skeptical but I did really like Fish Tank, so I'll give it a go.

Two new reviews...

Johnny English Reborn ***/****

I probably liked this more than the first one. Combining elements of the classic Bond films and the new reboots, Atkinson's comedic ability sells the film and makes it a laugh riot. The entire sequence in China and the MI-7 vs. Johnny in a souped-up wheelchair make it worth the price of admission.

Arthur Christmas (in 3-D) ***/****

A nice return to theatrical films for Aardman after spending five years mostly in television. James McAvoy plays the lowly, mailroom boy son of Santa very well and Bill Nighy is hilarious as his grandfather. In her second animated feature this year, Ashley Jensen shines as the companion elf who's really into her job as a gift wrapper. You also get some surprising appearances by Laura Linney and Michael Palin and a cute little reindeer who accompanies Grandsanta. The 3-D on the film was about average though and you don't lose much in a 2-D screening.

And last: did Sony really need to include a Justin Bieber video before the movie? It has little to do with anything (other than it's Christmas-themed and has a few short clips from the film) and feels like it was included solely to get that crowd to see the film. This should have stayed on MTV where it belongs.

[Chienfantome]

Johnny English Reborn was actually funnier than I expected.

[Buscemi]

Everyone in the theatre enjoyed it. I was a bit surprised that the second-run house playing it pulled it after a week since it had a decent crowd for a weeknight.

[becs]

Finally got back to a theatre.

Hugo 3D - 10/10

Freaking loved it! The first really amazing use of 3D I've seen, everything from the intro fly-through in the train station to the depth it adds to artistic shots of gears/clockworks throughout.
The story stayed fairly true to the book, I was pleasantly surprised by what a good adaptation it was, to me the only thing lacking was the exploration of the true depth of his near obsessive belief and hopeless desire that the automaton have a message from his father.
Overall a beautiful film, beautiful story, really phenomenal.

[Chienfantome]

Can't wait to see Hugo. It opens wednesday here. Go see Tintin when it opens, Becs, you'll see another great use of 3D

[Chienfantome]

The Descendants 8.5/10
Alexander Payne may take some time making his films, but if all his films ends up that delicate and human, it's worth the wait. This is one of the most subtle and sensitive films I have seen about the parent / child relationship, what bonds us and tear us apart. This is a film about how life shatters us, but out of the pain and loss something manages to blossom inside us all. What a great film this is, so beautifully melancholic and yet full of life. Payne has a talent for writing characters with a lot of depth and surprises no matter how big or small they are. He can make you laugh and cry in the course of a scene. Did I only give it an 8.5 ? It probably deserves a 9.
I had the chance to see it at an advance screening introduced by Payne himself. The film only opens in two months in France, the screening was badly promoted, and in the end, the screening room was half empty. A shame.