Review #1,434: 'The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence)' (2015)

When The Human Centipede was released back in 2009, it became an instant talking point with both gore-hounds giddy at the prospect of such a repugnant idea actually making its way onto our screens, and those concerned with the idea of cinema reaching the very bottom of the barrel for the last dregs of bad taste. Of course, the result was nowhere near as horrific as many had thought. While it may have featured a scene of characters passing faeces directly from bottom to mouth, the whole thing was rather amusing, if ineptly made. Director Tom Six was keen to ensure that the hype wouldn't die down for the sequel, and did so by creating one of the vilest and most humourless shockers in horror history, and undoubtedly one of worst excuses for a movie ever made. It's a relief that humour has found its way back for part three, as is the presence of the word 'final' in its title. But that's where the positives end, as this is yet another button-pushing, attention-seeking vanity-project for Six.

Psychopathic prison warden Bill Boss (Dieter Laser) rules over his inmates with an iron fist, punishing those that step out of line by breaking bones, removing testicles, and waterboarding with boiling water. With the violence spinning out of control, Governor Hughes (Eric Roberts) pays Boss a visit, informing the maniac that if he doesn't get a hold on things soon he will be fired and replaced. Having seen his brutal methods fail to bring the prisoners under control, Boss finally listens to his diminutive accountant Butler (Laurence R. Harvey) and his problem-solving idea. Armed with DVDs of The Human Centipede 1 and 2, Butler's scheme is to force the inmates to live out their sentences arse-to-mouth with their fellow incarcerates in one long, horrifying... well, you get the idea. With disgraced, struck-off prison doctor Jones (Clayton Rohner) on board in the hope of keeping his job, Boss and Butler even bring in Tom Six himself to discuss whether or not the director's claim of the procedure being 100% medically accurate is in fact correct.

It was admittedly an interesting move to make The Human Centipede 2 about a disturbed individual's reaction to seeing the first movie, but performing the same trick again simply reeks of narcissism, especially considering Six's decision to place himself within the narrative. While the second entry aimed to simply upset and disgust its audience with no trace of nuance, part three is all about the humour. Although rather than laughing, you'll be checking the running time to see how much you have left to endure. To Six, comedy is all about shouting, and Laser screams, rants and swears for the 100 minutes, stopping occasionally to munch on some dried clitorises imported from Africa or force his assistant Daisy (porn actress Bree Olson) to perform oral sex on him. Anyone voluntarily watching this film are here for one reason - to see the human centipede. It appears around the 85 minute mark, so there's a lot of arm-waving and general unpleasantness to get through before the big pay-off, which only appears on screen for about 5 minutes. I never thought I'd complain about the lack of poor souls being monstrously stitched together to form one grotesque digestive system, but that's The Human Centipede for you. Hopefully this series can now be laid to rest on the cinematic dung-pile.


Directed by: Tom Six
Starring: Dieter Laser, Laurence R. Harvey, Eric Roberts, Robert LaSardo, Bree Olson
Country: USA

Rating: *

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,415: 'Crimson Peak' (2015)

If you were to task both critics and general audiences with naming their favourite active directors, I would place a bet on Guillermo del Toro being the first name on the lips of many. The Mexican monster-lover has the unique ability to juggle both passion projects that clearly mean a lot to the filmmaker, and large-scale blockbusters to appease the studios, and this one-for-me, one-for-you approach has allowed to him to bring to the screen some incredibly personal stories which would have otherwise been left to linger in the director's imagination. So for every The Devil's Backbone, we got a Hellboy, and for every Pan's Labyrinth, we got a Pacific Rim. 2015's Crimson Peak was del Toro's first attempt at blending these two styles. Movie lovers could admire the breathtaking visuals and attention to detail, while the general audience could enjoy a juicy gothic mystery featuring some of the industry's most attractive stars. The result is a very mixed bag.

In turn-of-the-century New York, heiress Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) dreams of becoming an author, but finds herself dissuaded at every turn by the men holding the power. Her father, wealthy businessman Carter (Jim Beaver), is visited by English travelling salesman Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), who is seeking investment for his clay-mining machinery. The dashing bachelor is shut down by Carter, but catches the eye of Edith, and two begin a romantic affair. When Carter dies, Edith marries Thomas and travels to his home Allerdale Hall in Cumberland, a decaying mansion dubbed 'Crimson Peak' due to the red clay oozing up from the ground. Joining them will be Thomas' ice-cold sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain), who seems to harbour a resentment for her brother's new wife. But Crimson Peak has stories to tell, and Edith's unexplained connection to the spirit world means that she is frequently visited by hideous tormented ghosts carrying warnings. Back in the U.S., former suitor Dr. McMichael (Charlie Hunnam) is conducting his own research into the Sharpes and their shady history.

Del Toro has always excelled at building tangible worlds which seem to live and breath alongside the characters, and the rotting interiors of Allerdale Hall is one of the director's greatest achievements. Lush with exquisite detail, the house pulses with menace, tormenting Edith with locked doors and taps that spurt red before running clear. There's even a hole in the ceiling that allows snow to gather at the bottom of the main staircase, and the splashes of bold colour evoke the likes of Mario Bava, Dario Argento and Hammer. It's a feast for the senses, and it's just enough to distract from the mediocrity of the main story and the inclusion of CGI spectres. The mystery unravels quite beautifully, but the problem is that you'll already be two or three steps ahead. Nothing that happens in Crimson Peak will come as a surprise, especially after you've quickly realised that anyone with an English accent can't be trusted. The film loses its physicality somewhat when attempting to deliver the scares, as twisted ghosts crawl and squeal their way towards Edith. Computer-generated apparitions will never be scary, and Crimson Peak packs way more impact when catching you off guard with moments of extreme violence that will make you wince and cry out without averting your gaze. Rank this somewhere above Pacific Rim and below Hellboy II.


Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver, Burn Gorman
Country: Canada/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,376: 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' (2015)

One of the aspects of the Mission: Impossible franchise that really helps separate it from the conveyor belt of action/spy/thriller movies that hit our cinema screens and streaming services every year is the idea of introducing a new director for each new entry. Such an approach helps prevent fatigue from Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and whatever team he assembles, and gives each film its own feel without disrupting the flow of the series. Brian De Palma riddled his movie with unbearable moments of tension, while John Woo favoured slow-motion gunplay. J.J. Abrams introduced a darker tone to the proceedings, only for Brad Bird to lighten the tone while packing more of a physical punch. They aren't all great, but you can at least recognise a style. Christopher McQuarrie was the choice to envision part five, and with him he brings a bland, by-the-numbers style that infected his previous movie, the Tom Cruise vehicle Jack Reacher.

What also has helped this series to survive over the years are set-pieces built around real stunts and genuine danger. In this regard, Rogue Nation doesn't disappoint, although it clearly blows its load far too early. If you've seen the trailer, you'll know the film's signature jaw-dropping moment involves Tom Cruise clinging to the side of a plane as it takes off, the ground behind him shrinking rapidly with each passing second. Simon Pegg's Benji Dunn frantically bashes an iPad while Jeremy Renner's returning William Brandt barks panicked directions over loud-speaker, and it's all edited to guarantee maximum thrills. In fact, the entire first half of the film manages to maintain this exciting pace, delivering a high speed motorcycle chase and a stealthy mission in the Vienna Opera House. Plot has never been the strong suit of this franchise, and things grind to a halt when McQuarrie decides to slow things down for the finale. A plot involving the kidnapping of 'the British Prime Minister' (played by Tom Hollander) and a shadowy organisation called The Syndicate are plot devices straight out of James Bond, and it often feels like Rogue Nation is simply trying to be America's version of Britain's most popular fictional spy.

McQuarrie does have some aces hidden up his sleeve however, and the biggest of these is Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, a fellow spy working within the Syndicate for her own dubious reasons. While her character shares no chemistry with her lead co-star, she makes a fantastic impression in the action stakes as she repeatedly crosses paths with Hunt, and hordes of bad guys, in the field. Cruise does share great chemistry with Simon Pegg however, and although the Shaun of the Dead star is little more than comic relief and the guy who can push a few buttons on his laptop and open any door in the world, his screen time with Cruise helps to humanise Hunt, which is important in a universe looking to turn its hero into an unstoppable super agent. It's a perfectly passable two hours, but will likely fade from memory mere seconds after the credits have rolled. Unlike the lit fuse during the opening credits, Rogue Nation fails to explode into life, fizzling out when the film starts to think that this series can be anything more than a bunch of people chasing a McGuffin and having to retrieve a few things in spectacular fashion along the way. Woo's effort remains the worst in the series, but Rogue Nation lacks an identity. While the first hour is certainly fun, it often feels like McQuarrie is auditioning for a different franchise altogether.


Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hollander
Country: China/Hong Kong/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,277: 'True Story' (2015)

Based on the memoir of the same name by shamed ex-journalist Michael Finkel, Rupert Goold's True Story is a story of amazing coincidence and unexpected friendship, as two unrelated men from completely different backgrounds find their destinies intertwined. At its heart, this is a true-crime drama that flew under many people's radars, which is surprising given how audience interest in shocking tales of murder and the subsequent trials have been piqued by Netflix's many terrific documentaries. Yet the crime itself, which occurs before the film begins, isn't the main focus of True Story. Instead, we get a character piece centred on a busted writer who believes he has been given a second chance, and a man awaiting trial for the murder of his wife and three children.

The film begins with Finkel (played by Jonah Hill) in Africa, interviewing various victims of modern-day slavery. He is seen as a future Pulitzer recipient by his bosses at the New York Times, and has seen many of his previous pieces grace the front page. He is soon brought back down to Earth when his editors confront him about creating a composite character for his latest story, and is soon fired. Other papers want nothing to do with him, so when he learns that a man wanted for murder named Christian Longo (James Franco) has been using his name before finally being arrested, he sees it as his opportunity to drag his name out of the mud. A fan of Finkel's work, Longo grants him exclusive rights to the story, and in return Finkel will teach him out to write, and promise not to publish anything until after the trial. The two become friends, with Finkel going so far as believing they are some kind of kindred spirits.

A lot of time is spent with the two characters simply talking in a room, and it's a nice surprise that theatre director Goold manages to avoid a stagey feel. But what goes down within the prison's visiting room fails to convince as one would expect from such seasoned actors. Franco puts his half-closed eyes and charming smile to good use, but you rarely get the sense that Hill is a writer capable of reaching the dizzy heights of wunderkind status at the New York Times, and he always feels two or three steps behind. As Finkel's wife, Felicity Jones is given little to do at first but gaze at her husband with concern as he pours over documents and Longo's extensive letters, before she locks horns with the slippery inmate himself. Yet these later dramatic scenes seem inserted to add unnecessary emotional drive, or to give the talented actress something to do. Nevertheless, this is an engaging retelling of a fascinating true story which sizzles with tension until the very end. Unless you already know the outcome of course.


Directed by: Rupert Goold
Starring: Jonah Hill, James Franco, Felicity Jones, Ethan Suplee, Robert John Burke
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,274: 'Cartel Land' (2015)

The invention of small and easy-to-use digital cameras has had a massive impact on the documentary genre, with film-makers now able to throw themselves into the thick of the action without the worry of having to lumber around an arsenal of bulky and heavy equipment with an extensive crew. Matthew Heineman uses this new weapon to devastating effect in Cartel Land, closely tailing murderous members of the Knights Templar Cartel in Mexico while playing ride along with a vigilante group calling themselves Autodefensas. Heineman clearly possesses balls of steel, as we find ourselves witnessing first-hand explosive gun-fights in the streets and close-up vigilante beatings, all the result of society's reaction to living in fear of cartel violence. It's a scary portrait of a country seemingly locked in a cycle of corruption and brutality, and how its influence has spilled over to the borders of the U.S..

There are two stories in Cartel Land, with one understandably receiving more focus and screen-time than the other. In Michoacan, Mexico, surgeon and public speaker Jose Manuel Mireles - known as 'El Doctor' - has formed the Autodefensas, a group of citizens who have lived under the cartel's tyranny for too long. They move from town to town, successfully driving out the gang members and receiving the adoration and support of the residents in the process. The government has labelled them a dangerous vigilante organisation operating outside of the law, but in one scene they manage to drive away the military with the backing of fellow citizens as their power and influence rapidly increases. In the U.S., Tim 'Nailer' Foley heads the Arizona Border Retcon, another vigilante group with the task of stopping illegal immigration. As cartel violence spilled into their towns, their job became significantly more difficult, hampered further by the government's inability or unwillingness to help.

Despite your personal views on vigilante justice, Cartel Land begins with painting both Mireles and Foley as men with good intentions. They both live in a lawless land where the government have either abandoned them or actually contributed to the growing issues. Yet their actions also have consequences. Mireles' 'Robin Hood' persona soon starts to peel away with suggestions of infidelity and a ballooning ego, and the solidarity of the Autodefensas starts to wobble as in-group power plays and cartel infiltration emerge. The goals of Foley and the Border Retcon attract the most right-wing nutcases with questionable motives, and although he is happy for the help, it has led to the group being labelled an extremist organisation. There is an imbalance to the amount of screen-time given to these parallel stories, but Cartel Land succeeds as an honest and eye-opening account of how people can rally together when their supposed protectors have abandoned them, but also how vigilante justice amidst widespread corruption can have devastating consequences.


Directed by: Matthew Heineman
Starring: José Manuel 'El Doctor' Mireles, Tim 'Nailer' Foley
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,223: 'Cop Car' (2015)

For anyone with children of their own, Jon Watts' Cop Car may just be one of the most uncomfortable cinematic experiences you'll ever sit through, as it revels in putting its two young protagonists through hell as part of their unique coming-of-age. The two baby-faced runaways at the story's centre are played with incredible naturalism by James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford, which will no doubt make the movie all the more distressing for any doting parents. The rest of us can marvel at an incredibly well-constructed and tightly-wound thriller, which also ventures into neo-noir territory akin to early work of the Coen Brothers and, more recently and albeit with less blood, Jeremy Saulnier's Blue Ruin. It's a small piece of work that didn't escape the eyes of Marvel Studios, who quickly snapped Watts up for their delicate reboot of Spider-Man.

Opening in a vast field in the middle of nowhere, pre-teens Travis (Freedson-Jackson) and Harrison (Wellford) wander aimlessly practising swearing and sharing a Slim Jim. It's soon becomes clear that they have run away from home, but less clear is why and just how far they've come. Their boredom is soon relieved by the sight of an empty police car, parked suspiciously with keys still in the ignition and an empty beer bottle on the hood. Curiosity naturally gets the better of them and they are soon revving up the engine and teaching themselves how to drive. If anyone pulls them over, they'll just claim to be the police. We are then treated to a flashback, in which we learn that the car's owner, Sheriff Kretzer (Kevin Bacon), is not a very nice man at all. He strips to his vest, dons gloves, and proceeds to pull a body out of the trunk and buries it. When he returns to his parking spot and realises his grave error, he quickly starts to cover his tracks and hunt down the thieves.

The plot of Cop Car relies heavily on sheer stupidity. Kretzer, an experienced officer, should not have left the keys behind, or his gun, or the soon-to-be-discovered roughed-up criminal in the trunk (played by Shea Whigham). But many great thrillers are built upon the clumsy actions of the buffoons driving the action, and Cop Car is no exception. In keeping the characters backgrounds a mystery, they come unpredictable, and the film becomes increasingly intense because of this. Watts and Christopher Ford's screenplay carefully moves its small band of characters into place (including a nosy bystander played by Camryn Manheim whose good intentions seem to be destined for tragedy) for a thrilling finale that manages to keep you on the edge of your seat right up to the very last scene. Passed on for a cinema release, Cop Car is a fine example of the kind of surprises to be found with straight-to-DVD titles, elegantly combining action, dark humour, and a believable coming-of-age tale.


Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Camryn Manheim, Shea Whigham
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,147: 'My Scientology Movie' (2015)

It was only a matter of time before BBC documentary film-maker Louis Theroux made the leap from the small screen to the big. With his unique brand of investigative journalism and interview techniques, as well as a splash of oddball charm, Theroux managed to put his subjects at ease in his presence and allow them to reveal startling inner truths. Much like Werner Herzog, he is fascinated by the weird, and seemed to carry weirdness with him wherever he goes (within minutes, Theroux randomly comes across a bikini-clad Paz de la Huerta who offers her services for the film). So when he announced that his next focus would be on the closed-off world of scientology, it didn't come as much surprise. However, the timing of it did.

A decade ago, the majority of the general public may have only heard the term 'scientology' in relation to Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, but many were unaware of just how bizarre and brutal their beliefs and institutional set-up truly is. A hilarious and enlightening episode of South Park later, combined with Alex Gibney's revelatory and in-depth feature-length documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015), and the lid has been lifted on David Miscavige and his rule of tyranny. Does Theroux have anything new to say on the controversial 'religion'? Not at all. In fact, the only thing saving his debut feature from being a complete misfire is the way he approaches the subject, along with some genuinely spooky imagery.

Rather than regurgitating Gibney and with the knowledge that he was going to get nowhere with the incredibly secretive organisation, Theroux has chosen to hire actors to play out archive interviews of Miscavige and Tom Cruise in the hope of persuading former Scientology enforcer Marty Rathbun (who accompanies Theroux for most of the film) to open up about his experiences. This technique was so successfully and devastatingly used in Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing (2012), but Rathbun remains a frustratingly closed-off figure, and eventually flips when Theroux asks one probing question too many. The most entertaining scenes involve Theroux's clashes with various members of the group but they offer little other than to remind just how loopy these people are. John Dower's film is certainly funny and entertaining, but lacking originality and insight (although I feel I must highlight the performance of Andrew Perez as Miscavige, who is electrifying).


Directed by: John Dower
Starring: Louis Theroux, Marty Rathbun, Andrew Perez
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,137: 'Magic Mike XXL' (2015)

After the cult success of Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike (2012) - a loose adaptation of star Channing Tatum's experiences as a stripper (or male entertainer) early on in his career - it was of little surprise when a follow-up was announced. What made the first movie such a surprising success was the way it mixed the flashy dance moves with genuine character development, making for a touching and oddly sweet experience that also touched on themes such as the economy and the American Dream. For XXL, the focus seems to be solely on giving the audience what they want, and that means more abs, biceps and bulges.

However, this all means a half-arsed story-line that quickly finds a way to get 'Magic' Mike (Tatum) back with his gyrating buddies. The end of the first film saw Mike abandon the life he was never truly happy with and realising his dream of starting his own company selling custom-made furniture. The company is either struggling or about to take off, but it's clear that Mike is still unfulfilled, and when he receives a phone message from Tarzan (Kevin Nash), he is soon enough on the road to a stripper convention with 'Big Dick' Richie (Joe Manganiello), Ken (Matt Bomer), Tito (Adam Rodriguez) and Tobias (Gabriel Inglesias). That's generally it. Magic Mike XXL's main issue is that the story seems to fumble around trying to come up with interesting places to take its characters.

Very much a road movie at heart, the group find themselves encountering new characters along the way. With Cody Horn not returning (her disappearance is rather unconvincingly explained,) the love interest this time around is Zoe (Amber Heard), a gorgeous bohemian-type who doesn't seem to be put of by Mike's distinctly douchebag-y dress sense. There's also Andie MacDowell as a horny Southern lady who, along with her wine-guzzling friends, indulge in a private party. Mike also hooks up with his old friend/lover/colleague Rome (Jada Pinkett Smith), a sort-of stripper madame who hosts a house to entertain the ladies, and whose employees include the smooth-talking Andre (future young Lando Calrissian Donald Glover). There is sadly no return for Matthew McConaughey as Dallas or Alex Pettyfer as The Kid, who have apparently both eloped to Europe chasing a lucrative stripping deal. Gregory Jacobs also replaces Soderbergh as director.

The new characters provide to be little more than a distraction from the meandering plot, which forces Mike and his pals into a few moments of utter tedium. When the film stays with the guys and just allows them to shoot the shit, it's actually very funny, and leads to the best scene of both movies by letting a pilled-up Richie loose on a grumpy-looking gas station clerk. By trying to do more by giving each character their own emotional arc, it actually holds back a film that would be better served giving the audience even more of what they really came for, stripping. Even for a straight male, the dance scenes are electrifying, with the climax delivering an all-out dance-a-thon that allows each character their moment to shine. It made me smile between the dull moments, but this is ultimately forgettable stuff.


Directed by: Gregory Jacobs
Starring: Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Amber Heard, Adam Rodriguez, Kevin Nash, Jada Pinkett Smith, Donald Glover, Andie MacDowell
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,071: 'High-Rise' (2015)

J.G. Ballard's 1975 novel High-Rise in one in a long line of so-called 'unfilmable' works of literature, with British producer Jeremy Thomas having tried to get a project off the ground since the 70's with Nicholas Roeg originally attached to direct. The book's darkly humorous tale of social economics and bloody violence was deemed unfit for the big screen, that is until director Ben Wheatley stepped in to take the reign with his most ambitious film yet. I've enjoyed all of Wheatley's films, especially Kill List (2011), but the sense of claustrophobia and unease that was so prevalent in his earlier works goes missing in High-Rise, which quickly descends into incoherent anarchy.

The handsome and lonely Dr. Robert Laing (Tom Hiddleston) moves into a forty-story high-rise in the outskirts of London. Created by architect Anthony Royal (Jeremy Irons), the building is an innovative experiment in ultra-modern living. Complete with its own supermarket, spa, swimming pool and school, there's even little reason to go outside other than to earn money to support the lavish lifestyle. Living in the middle of the building, Laing quickly starts a relationship with single mother Charlotte (Sienna Miller), and makes friends with unhinged documentary film-maker Richard Wilder (Luke Evans) and his heavily-pregnant wife Helen (Elisabeth Moss). Soon enough, niceties are put aside as tensions mount between the different personalities and classes, and the corridors and elevators become blood-baths as the residents tear each other apart.

Firstly, High-Rise looks utterly splendid, with the 1970's setting providing a ghastly and grimy backdrop for the chaos that ensues and cinematographer Laurie Rose framing many of his shots with a steely perfection, matching the cold neatness of the film's passive yet curious protagonist. The performances are all top-notch too, with Hiddleston doing no damage whatsoever to the tiresome rumours of him replacing Daniel Craig as the next James Bond, and Evans bristles with anger and unpredictability. The film works very well for the first forty minutes or so, establishing the hierarchy within the high-rise and introducing a repulsive gallery of greasy-haired weirdos (Reece Shearsmith and Tony Way) and pampered toffs (James Purefoy and Keeley Hawes).

While at first Laing plays the role of the audience drinking in this madness, he almost becomes a supporting player from the middle-act, as Wheatley quickly loses focus and lets the chaos reign. There are too many characters squabbling over God-knows-what, and Wheatley struggles with translating the source material to establish a clear theme or message amidst all the barbarity on show. It shares much in common with 2013's Snowpiercer, and while Joon-ho Bong's actioner was heavily flawed, it managed to land it satirical punches far more convincingly. High-Rise seems too over-eager to bask in the violence, and gets so caught up in it that it forgets that it's also got a story to tell and characters deserving of more screen-time. I can certainly appreciate the ambition, but perhaps Wheatley wasn't ready to tell a story of such complexity.


Directed by: Ben Wheatley
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy, Keeley Hawes, Peter Ferdinando, Reece Shearsmith
Country: UK/Belgium

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,069: 'Blackhat' (2015)

With every aspect of our life now so tightly intertwined with the digital world, criminals in the action thriller genre, or at least the clever ones, no longer burst into banks guns a-blazing to steal their cash, but sit behind a desk and tap buttons on their keyboards. Film-makers now face the task of making such a dull activity exciting, and you would assume that if anyone can make nervous glances at a computer screen filled with coding babble at least interesting, it would be Michael Mann. Sadly, Mann has been on a drastic downward spiral ever since Miami Vice (2006) and continues this trend with Blackhat, an incredibly dull movie that died a painful death at the box office.

After a mysterious hacker causes coolant pumps to overheat and explode at a nuclear plant in China, Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang), a military officer in the cyber warfare unit, is assigned to find the culprit. He discovers that a Remote Access Tool (RAT) was used in the attack, and that the coding was created by himself and his former college roommate, Nick Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth), now serving a length prison sentence for an unrelated hack. Striking a deal with FBI agent Carol Barrett (Viola Davis) to release Hathaway in exchange for his assistance and expertise, their investigations lead them to Hong Kong, Jakarta and Malaysia in search of the elusive cyber criminal.

For years, Mann delivered some of the coolest films in cinema, effortlessly blending a steely-blue palette with a heightened sense of realism and backed by some memorable, intense scores. Ever since Collateral (2004), he's shot digitally, allowing the rough grain of the picture to complement a beautiful aesthetic. He does the same here, succeeding in finding interesting way to frame his characters, who are usually staring anxiously at a computer screen and talking about things I barely understood. That isn't a criticism - I've read that real-life hackers have hailed Blackhat as the most realistic depiction of their world yet - and I would much rather be immersed in a jargon-heavy world than have everything explained to me in clunky scenes of exposition.

The main issue with Blackhat is that it's utterly preposterous, while having the audacity to be somehow incredibly dull at the same time. Characters portrayed as possessing high intelligence repeatedly do stupid things and make inexplicable decisions (Hathaway at one point finds himself with millions in his bank account, yet chooses to take a clumsily hidden screwdriver to a potentially life-threatening situation rather than simply buying a gun). As much as I like Hemsworth, his leading man potential is dubious, with a string of flops now in his wake outside of his appearances as Thor. Here he makes for an unconvincing tech-genius, and the inclusion of Dawai's sister Lien (Wei Tang) seems to be little more than an excuse for Hemsworth to repeatedly flash his abs. With classics such as Manhunter (1986), Heat (1995) and The Insider (1999) under his belt, Mann should simply quite while he's still ahead, as much as it pains me to say it.


Directed by: Michael Mann
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Leehom Wang, Wei Tang, Viola Davis, Holt McCallany
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,061: 'Anomalisa' (2015)

It's been 8 years since Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, Synedoche, New York - that great but underappreciated little film about a man (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) who dreamed of building a scale model of New York in a warehouse. The critics seemed to like it but didn't voice their approval very loudly, and chances are many won't remember its existence. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, Kaufman's latest is a stop-motion collaboration with Duke Johnson, an animator probably most famous for his Adult Swim works.

Beginning with mundane chatter in mundane locations, Anomalisa is in no rush to hit you with any visual splendour, which tends to be the norm for animated films. Instead, we follow our miserable protagonist Michael Stone (David Thewlis), a British motivational speaker whose book on customer service is the handbook for those unfortunate enough to be in the business, as he lands in Cincinnati. He grabs a cab ride with an annoying driver who seems to be completely unaware of Michael's depressed, frustrated state, and insists he visit the zoo and tries to Cincinnati's famous chilli. He arrives at his hotel, the Fregoli, where he is unnecessarily escorted to his room by an over-friendly bell boy who informs him of the delights of his standard, mediocre room.

It's probably at this point that you'll realise you haven't been imagining that all the characters look and sound alike, and instead that this is a deliberate tactic key to understanding the mindset of Michael and the themes of the film. The name of the hotel is a clue, as the Fregoli delusion is a condition that causes a person to imagine everyone else to be the same entity in disguise with the sole purpose of inflicting torment on the sufferer. Here, everyone has the face of an adult white male (even the women and children) and has been blessed with the soothing, distinctive voice of Tom Noonan. It is only when Michael stumbles upon two women in his hotel who are there to see his speech the following day that this spell is broken. One of the two women, Lisa, has a barely noticeable facial disfigurement and sounds like Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Michael is enamoured.

Michael's relationship with Lisa, who be dubs 'Anomalisa', gives the film a much-needed heart, as this may have otherwise been an exercise in misanthropy. There's no fantasy romance here, but a dinner date where everyone involved drinks too much, Michael's awkward invitation for Lisa to accompany him back to his room, and a sex scene which is, ironically, the most realistic I've ever seen on film. Michael accidentally rolls onto her hair, she bangs her head, he asks her the awkward question of whether she's cool with oral sex - there's certainly no pan to a roaring fireplace,

You would think that the heightened sense of realism would make the choice to film this in stop-motion slightly redundant, but oddly, it makes the film even more human. It also allows Kaufman and Johnson to show much more of life's ugliness - we are treated to Michael's middle-aged stark naked body jumping out of the shower and the sight of a random man across the way getting ready to masturbate in front of his computer. It's often difficult to sit through. I work in customer services myself and can empathise with Michael's internal struggle of feeling trapped within himself and that others are barely distinguishable from one another. Don't expect any tidy resolutions either, Kaufman is intelligent enough to realise that the excitement of meeting an interesting girl is only temporary, and life will still go on. It's upsetting, certainly, but Anomalisa offers a real insight into the human soul and makes a lasting impression.


Directed by: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman
Voices: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,053: 'Green Room' (2015)

At the time of writing this review, it's been just over a month since the shocking and tragic news of gifted Russian-born actor Anton Yelchin's death in a freak car accident. He left behind a trail of films in his wake, and a few more to come (including his role as Chekov in Justin Lin's Star Trek Beyond), and it's quite astounding just how prolific an actor he was during his short career. One of his final films, released not long before his death, is also one of his best. Writer/director Jeremy Saulnier's follow-up to his critically-acclaimed Blue Ruin (2013) is a stunning exercise in survival horror.

It begins with the Ain't Rights, a punk band on their way to a gig that turns out to be a waste of time. After an uncomfortable social media interview, the band - consisting of Pat (Yelchin), Sam (Alia Shawkat), Reece (Peaky Blinders' Joe Cole) and Tiger (Callum Turner) - are thrown a gig at a dingy bar in small-town Oregon. It's the type of place adorned with Confederate flags and fascist graffiti on the walls, and, in true punk style, the band introduce themselves with a rendition of Dead Kennedy's Nazi Punks Fuck Off. After the gig, the group find themselves locked in a room holding an unlicensed gun after accidentally witnessing a brutal murder. The situation worsens when club owner and neo-Nazi party leader Darcy (Patrick Stewart) turns up to deal with the situation.

The events that follow are pure horror stripped down to the bone, sometimes literally. There's nothing supernatural or indeed unbelievable about the situation, just a group of inept youngsters facing off against a small army of bruising, well-organised skinheads armed with weapons designed to inflict grisly damage and a pack of trained pit-bulls. The violence is ugly and wince-inducing, with the awkwardness of the ones often inflicting the pain only heightening the sense of desperation and utter dread of the situation. The tension is only broken by the ramblings of a somewhat confusing sub-plot, which unravels itself through half-heard mumblings, and this only distracts from the immediacy of the central plot thread.

Saulnier asks quite a lot of his cast, as even the heroes of the story aren't the most likeable bunch. They steal petrol, drink beer, cause trouble - pretty much what you would expect from a real-life young band trying to make a buck. But Yelchin has always been especially skilled at eliciting sympathy from any character he has played. As he and his companion Amber (Imogen Poots) - a close friend of the murdered girl - fight desperately for their lives, you are willing them all the way, rather than becoming frustrated at their ineptitude. Stewart also makes an impression as the quietly menacing skin-head leader, a role played completely against type, and it's a shame he isn't given more to do. The actor said he knew he wanted to take on the role when he was left terrified at home after finishing the script, and no doubt you'll be making sure the doors are locked once the credits role too.


Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Patrick Stewart, Joe Cole, Macon Blair
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,022: 'Trumbo' (2015)

Jay Roach's Trumbo, like many recent biopics so accurately lampooned in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), plays like a film version of a Wikipedia page, covering all the necessary key events from the topic's life without so much as attempting to dig beneath the surface of the man at the centre of it all, ushering in actors to do their best impressions of famous people, a device that seems to serve as a 'spot the movie star' game for the audience as opposed to having much of an immediate effect on the story. You may leave the film a bit more educated on the subject of the infamous 'Hollywood Blacklist', but you'll learn little about Dalton Trumbo himself.

The film is far too polished to truly transport you back in time to the 1940's and 50's, failing to achieve a 'lived-in' sense of time and place. Beginning with Trumbo (played by Bryan Cranston) on the set of Our Vines Have Tender Grapes and on the verge of signing a contract that will make him the highest-paid writer in Hollywood, his affiliation with the Communist Party of the USA comes under scrutiny by gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) and actor John Wayne (David James Elliott), with the latter seen delivering a speech on the threat of communism. Trumbo, along with other screenwriters, are called to testify by the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and find themselves blacklisted from Hollywood when they refuse to answer questions.

What follows is little more than the key points in the history of this frightening abuse of free speech by a country that prides itself upon its democracy. It's a topic that will anger, confuse and frustrate you, but the film fails at doing the story any kind of justice by demonstrating a startling lack of emotion. Cranston, who somehow received an Oscar nomination for his efforts, seems to sleep-walk through the proceedings. Every line he is forced to deliver seems to be plucked right out of a Hollywood movie, almost as if it is destined to be someday carved into stone. Having loved Cranston since Malcolm in the Middle, I don't blame him for the limp performance. Director Jay Roach has made a career out of mediocre comedies, and he doesn't seem to possess the skill to convincingly juggle the facts with any resemblance to character development.

The people surrounding Trumbo are a collection of biopic archetypes and Hollywood celebrities. Trumbo's relationship with his wife Cleo (Diane Lane) predictably goes from solid to strained, as the lengths he must go to in order to find work begins to take its toll. On paper, Helen Mirren as Hedda Hopper seems like an Oscar in the bag, but her antagonist is painted in such broad strokes that she may as well have been called Rita Skeeter, On a positive note, the only character acting like a believable human being is Frank King, a larger-than-life B-movie producer played by John Goodman, who employs Trumbo, working under a pseudonym, to doctor his scripts. He arrives like a force of nature, breathing fresh air into a film so utterly devoid of life. For a more informative and intimate film on the subject of the genius Dalton Trumbo, check out the 2007 documentary, also called Trumbo, instead.


Directed by: Jay Roach
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Louis C.K., Elle Fanning, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alan Tudyk
Country: USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,016: 'In the Heart of the Sea' (2015)

When taking into account the reputation of Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick as one of the Great American Novels, it is surprising that so few directors have taken it upon themselves to adapt the epic tale of man against nature. The most famous and well-respected is John Huston's 1956 effort that starred Gregory Peck as the obsessed Captain Ahab and, dismissing the few straight-to-DVD efforts and TV movies over the past few years, it is really the only one of note. Ron Howard has also decided to side-step Melville's tricky beast in favour of the true story that inspired it, the sinking of the whaling ship Essex.

Almost as if Howard was afraid that the sight of a group of battered, starving sailors drifting would be too boring for the audience to stomach for two hours, the story begins with Melville himself (played by Ben Whishaw) paying a visit to the only remaining survivor of the Essex's doomed voyage, Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson). After a bit of nagging from his wife (Michelle Fairley) and the promise of whiskey, Nickerson soon begins spilling the tale he has kept bottled up for years, and reveals that it is not just a story of a giant, extremely peeved-off whale, but that of two men - first mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) and captain George Pollard (Benjamin Walker).

The men sitting behind the desks at the Nantucket whaling company view Chase, despite his impressive record at collecting whale oil, as a 'landsman' - someone born outside of the vast whaling family. Pollard is inexperienced and envious of Chase's reputation and popularity, and there personalities soon clash. Most is viewed through the eyes of the young Nickerson (played by Tom Holland, the new Spider-Man), and just when the two potential father figures reach a mutual understanding and finally discover whales after months at sea, they are rammed by a giant sperm whale and left hundreds of miles from shore with limited food, water and supplies.

You would think that a story so packed with sea-faring adventure and the promise of an unknown monster lurking beneath the surface would be effortlessly thrilling, but sadly In the Heart of the Sea is not. While certainly an overrated director, Ron Howard has made exciting films before, but here the action is so laced with obvious CGI that it makes it impossible to truly engage with the action. The film actually works best during its quieter moments. While peppered with survival-movie cliches and sluggish character development, its well-performed by the (mostly British) cast, particularly Walker, whose character arc pleasantly surprised me, and Holland, who is surely destined to be a star in the future. Still, we wait patiently for the film that does Meville, or the story behind his greatest work, justice.


Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw, Paul Anderson
Country: USA/Australia/Spain/UK/Canada

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,011: 'The Lobster' (2015)

Early in 2015, word-of-mouth was spreading from festival-goers that The Lobster was a strange masterpiece, a dark and bleakly hilarious portrayal of modern relationships that could even compete for the Oscars as long as the voters were not put off by the general weirdness. It however limped into cinemas with little promotion (that I saw), gaining positive reviews from the critics, but was notably absent during awards season. This may have been down to the film being simply too out-there, but I believe it's down to the fact that the incredible precision of the first act gives way to a depressingly bleak and rambling latter half.

The first half of the film is where Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos sets the scene for this not-too-distant living nightmare, where couples must either find a loving partner or face being turned into an animal of their choice. Sullen David (Colin Farrell) arrives at a hotel in middle-of-nowhere Ireland hoping to find a mate. The rules are simple - find love within 45 days or become a wild beast, and David has decided he is to be a lobster. Escape into the surrounding woods and you'll have your former buddies hunting you at night with a tranquilliser gun in the hope of gaining an extra day for each 'kill'. David tries courting the 'Heartless Woman' (Angeliki Papoulia), as she is billed, but things turn sour and he decides to make off into the trees.

The hotel scenes are mostly uncomfortably hilarious. David's new friend, 'The Limping Man' (Ben Whishaw), tries to find common ground with 'Nosebleed Woman' (Jessica Barden) by bashing his head against a wall to cause his nose to gush so they can share something in common, while the Lisping Man (John C. Reilly) is forced by the stern Hotel Manager (Olivia Colman) to put his hand in a toaster as a punishment for masturbating (which is strictly forbidden, while the inhabitants are forced to receive a dry humping from the Maid (Ariane Labed) without ejaculating every morning). Courtship here is routine and emotionless, likely commenting on the ridiculous state of modern dating, which is usually based on linking shared interests and statistics electronically. Whatever happened to a good old natural spark?

It's also depressing, but absorbingly so, but loses its pace once David is in the woods. He meets the leader of escaped hotel guests the Loners, played by Lea Seydoux, whose way of life seems even harsher than the hotels. Romance and sexual activity are punishable by violence and mutilation, but nevertheless David falls in love with the 'Short Sighted Woman' (Rachel Weisz). Once the focus shifts away from the Hotel and the bizarre hook of the films title, the film is just not as interesting while in the world of the Loners. The satire loses its edge and the story could have benefited from 15 minutes or so shaved off. Still, The Lobster is an oddball experience I would recommend anyone to sit through at least once, and features a terrifically restrained performance from Farrell, playing against type.


Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Ben Whishaw, Léa Seydoux, Olivia Colman, John C. Reilly, Angeliki Papoulia
Country: Ireland/UK/Greece/France/Netherlands/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,006: 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2' (2015)

One of the ugliest and blatant money-spinning schemes to emerge from Hollywood in recent years is the trend of splitting up the final entry of a successful book series unnecessarily into two parts. Although I wasn't overly keen on The Hunger Games' second entry, Catching Fire (2013), it was at least - along with the original 2012 movie that kicked off the successful movie franchise that helped launch Jennifer Lawrence into super-stardom - decently paced; a tight, nifty thriller with some enjoyable set-pieces. Part 1 of Mockingjay lacked anything in the way of spectacle, and while Part 2 certainly delivers on the action front, it still stutters due to stretching a pretty slim book into over 4 hours of screen-time.

Following a slow start during which we meet up with heroine Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) who is coming to terms with the horrors of war and the re-emergence of the emotionally damaged Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) in her life, things pick up when Katniss defies the orders of revolution propaganda chief Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and the increasingly shady President Coin (Julianne Moore), and forces her way to the front line. What Katniss and her team face on their way to assassinate President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is a city booby-trapped to the gills with giant machine guns, flamethrowers, and other imaginatively-designed instruments of death awaiting them at every turn. Circumstances have changed but the Games remain the same.

What Part 1 lacked most of all was the Hunger Games themselves, and here they are cleverly woven back into the story. As absurd some of the set-ups are (surely a couple of well-placed soldiers armed with walkie-talkies and sniper-rifles would have been more efficient and cost-effective?), they undoubtedly eject the film with the excitement it sorely needs. Mockingjay Part 2 is also extremely dark and violent, pushing its UK 12A certificate to breaking point. One set-piece set in a sewer that sees a horde of snarling monsters chase our heroes in a scene straight out of a horror movie and a genuinely shocking (if you haven't read the books) moment of brutality near the end prove to be brave and mature decisions. And why shouldn't young folk see death depicted without the usual padding or sentimentality?

I also applaud the story for taking an unconventional approach to the inevitable Everdeen-Snow showdown, but its here that events take a confusing turn as Lawrence's Everdeen is kept at an emotional distance that clouds her motivations without the aid of narration, and the movie struggles in the closing moments. It's also an ending that should have come the film before, with the slicing of the story resulting in Part 2 going out with a slight whimper when it could have been explosive. On a positive note, it seems that audiences are finally catching on to the kind of studio greed that forced them to watch the likes of The Hobbit for nine hours over three years, as Lionsgate's movie performed poorer than expected at the box office (though it still made a shed-load).


Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Elizabeth Banks
Country: USA/Germany

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,004: 'Room' (2015)

There has perhaps never been a more obvious metaphor in cinema for the loss of childhood innocence and the sudden arrival of the big, scary, grown-up world out there, but Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, who helmed 2014's magnificent Frank, translates Emma Donoghue's internal monologue-heavy novel of the same name with tenderness and care, successfully avoiding sensationalising the horror at its disturbing core. Room is one of the year's most complex and awe-inspiring films.

Five year-old Jack (Jacob Tremblay) has never left the place he knows as Room. To him, the tiny shed he has lived his entire life is the whole world, with the pictures on the television screen beamed in from some distant galaxy. He and his devoted mother Joy (Brie Larson) spend every day in a set routine, with Joy using every waking moment to tend to her son and shield him from the terrible situation they're actually in. We come to learn that Joy has been locked in Room for seven years, taken a long time ago by a man she only knows as Old Nick (Deadwood's Sean Bridgers), who routinely re-ups their supplies and rapes Joy while Jack peeks through the cracks of his wardrobe.

Larson won an Oscar for her performance here and rightly so. The relationship between Joy and Jack is more than simple mother-and-son, as it comes quickly to light that the boy is the only thing keeping her alive. Still, she struggles with his energy and growing curiosity of things he cannot comprehend, until one day she decides to tell him the truth and plans their escape. Her depression is becoming overwhelming, to the point where she may commit suicide, and then what then for her son? If you're unaware of the plot then don't read any further, for it is the moment Jack finally breaks free, followed shortly after by his mother, when the film moves into different territory altogether - Jack coping with this mind-blowing revelation. There now exists things he has never seen before, such as other people, other places, and the sky.

Tremblay is equally as good as Jack with arguably a more complex character. It's appalling that his name was missing from the Academy's line-up, as this is the finest male performance of the year (as lovely as it was to see Leonardo DiCaprio receive his long-overdue award). His experience of this new, massive planet is amplified by some intelligent camerawork from cinematographer Danny Cohen, who films in sparse wide-shots to heighten the scale, and employs intense close-ups during the early scenes in Room to almost offend your sense of space. Yet its the two leads and their natural chemistry that really assist Room in delivering its intended emotional wallop. Whenever they're apart, you feel the tear and their need for each other. This is powerful, intelligent film-making, with a real hint of the greatness that could come from Abrahamson in the future.


Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Joan Allen, William H. Macy
Country: Ireland/Canada

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie