Review #1,365: 'Isle of Dogs' (2018)

Fans of American writer and director Wes Anderson are in for a treat with his latest picture. Returning to stop-motion animation for the first time since 2009's Fantastic Mr. Fox, Isle of Dogs is the auteur's most Wes Anderson-y film to date. Set in Japan 20 years into the future, it tells the story of a pack of dogs left to fend for themselves on 'Trash Island', an expansive dumping ground that looks like the type of place WALL-E would feel right at home in. You don't have to be a fan of canines or Japanese culture to enjoy this tale, although it may help. Anderson peppers the film with his trademark deadpan, straight-to-camera sense of humour, and frames every shot with even more attention to detail than his 2014 masterpiece The Grand Budapest Hotel. Children may be put off by the film's idiosyncratic approach, but Anderson followers will indeed be appeased and then some.

The planet is under threat from dog flu and snout fever, both timely reminders of the recent swine flu 'epidemic' and the dangers of fake news. The mayor of Megasaki City (voiced by co-writer Kunichi Nomura), who is part of a dynasty of long-time cat lovers, puts forward a decree to banish all dogs from the mainland and transport them to Trash Island, despite claims of a breakthrough to cure the animals' illness. His ward, a young boy named Atari (Koyu Rankin), is having none of his caregiver's authoritarian attitudes, and travels to the human-less island in order to find his beloved dog Spots (Liev Schreiber), the very first mutt to be dismissed. Atari steals a plane and crashes it into the wasteland, and comes across a pack of mostly former domesticated canines led by the incredibly democratic Rex (Edward Norton). The rest of the gang consists of Boss (Bill Murray), King (Bob Balaban), Duke (Jeff Goldblum), and the only stray in the group, Chief (Bryan Cranston).

Chief is the beating heart of the film, and the character through which Anderson explores most of the film's themes. The black, scruffy dog is proud to be from the streets, and is quick to admit that he's a biter. He's the only one to refuse to sit for Atari, but nevertheless agrees to go with the majority vote and assist Atari in helping his track down his lost friend. From here on in, it's very much an A-to-B adventure, but Anderson and his co-writers (Nomura, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman) ensure that the journey is anything but formulaic. Along the way, we meet the likes of Oracle (Tilda Swinton), Nutmeg (Scarlett Johnansson), Jupiter (F. Murray Abraham) and Gondo (Harvey Keitel), with even Yoko Ono thrown into the mix. Things aren't made easy by the fact that the Japanese actors speak in their native tongue without the assistance of subtitles (although Frances McDormand occasionally pops up as an enthusiastic translator), but this highlights the communication barrier between owner and pet, as well as falling in line with the film's themes of migration and social integration.

Anderson packs in more shots than is usually expected from animation, particularly in the painfully slow process of stop-motion. Rather than accepting this as a limitation, he uses animation as a tool to bring his vision vividly to life with more freedom allowed by live action. The visuals are even more luscious that in Grand Budapest, with the animation retaining a rustic, old-fashioned quality that makes it feel as if you could reach out and actually touch the dog's hairs as they ripple in the wind. As soon as the Taiko drums start to thud on the film's glorious soundtrack, Anderson's love of Japanese cinema can be sensed immediately. The influence of Akira Kurosawa can be felt throughout (a status of Toshiro Mifune appears at one point), but the precision of the framing is pure Ozu, and Tristan Oliver's cinematography relishes exploring what was perhaps Japan's greatest period for cinema. The mediocrity of 2004's The Life Aquatic must have been a wake-up for the filmmaker, urging him away from his comfort zone and towards more unexplored territory. Anderson continues to amaze, amuse and baffle, and has emerged as one of the most important, original voices in American cinema. I fail to see how anyone could not be utterly enchanted by Isle of Dogs.


Directed by: Wes Anderson
Voices: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson
Country: Germany/USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,098: 'The Infiltrator' (2016)

Faring far better as a big-screen leading man than he did in last year's disappointing biopic Trumbo, Bryan Cranston brings a slightly grizzled decency to his role as U.S. Customs special agent Robert Mazur in Brad Furman's The Infiltrator, a by-the-numbers, if suitably engrossing, fact-based drama. Mazur decides that his final operation before retirement will be to go undercover to infiltrate the criminal organisation headed by one of the key figures in helping turn Miami into a bullet-ridden, cocaine-fuelled war-zone during the 1980s, Pablo Escobar.

Mazur is a mild-mannered, if fiercely intelligent, family man, who must transform himself into a slick money launderer that will somehow talk his way into Escobar's inner circle, befriending one of the drug baron's top lieutenants - Benjamin Bratt's Robert Alcaino - in the process. Similar to Walter White's transformation from passive high school teacher into a mass-murdering, downright evil bastard in Breaking Bad, Cranston is again required to undergo a complete character change throughout the course of the story (albeit here as an act). Yet while Walter White was given 5 years to convincingly develop his arc, Mazur's seduction by a more dangerous way of life isn't given the attention it deserves.

Cranston is still terrific however, as are the supporting cast. A slip of the tongue means that Mazur's alter-ego Bob Musella also has a fiancee, so fellow agent Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger) is called in, and the relationship between the two secret agents, both professionally and the obvious sexual chemistry between the two, is one of the more interesting aspects of the movie. Also assisting Mazur with the sting is Emir Abreu, played with wide-eyed, jacked-up intensity by John Leguizamo. Abreau is a fellow agent whose motivations may rest more with the adrenaline rush that naturally goes with living constantly on edge than a desire to see justice served, and many of Leguizamo's best scenes are in those moments when you feel everybody is about to get rumbled.

It's interesting, no-nonsense stuff, but sadly doesn't strive to be anything but that. Hints made at Mazur's inner-conflict and the finer details of the case itself are left relatively unexplored, so anyone hoping for a deeper experience than your standard genre movie will no doubt be left disappointed. The Infiltrator is instead happy to sit within the comforts of cliche, covering everything from the concerned wife at home (played by Juliet Aubrey) to the criminal who is actually quite nice deep down. But to give the film it's credit, it does the cliches very well, successfully building tension and delivering the occasional heart-in-mouth moment when called upon. Cranston has done his inevitable ascension to the A-list no harm either, and Leguizamo proves why people really need to take him seriously as an actor again.


Directed by: Brad Furman
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Diane Kruger, John Leguizamo, Benjamin Bratt, Juliet Aubrey, Amy Ryan, Joseph Gilgun, Jason Isaacs
Country: UK

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,052: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' (2016)

It seems that whenever an animated film is a hit nowadays, a sequel is a given and the idea of a franchise gets the studio heads salivating. The quality tends to decline as the movies go on, with the exception of the Toy Story films, yet as long as the money piles up they'll just continue to churn them out - the increasingly unbearable Ice Age franchise being the worst offender. It was never in doubt that the hugely successful Kung Fu Panda (2008) would get a sequel, and when it came it was surprisingly good; a feast for the eyes backed by Gary Oldman's fantastic vocal performance and a serious undertone of genocide. It's taken 5 years for number 3 to finally arrive, so was a third instalment truly justified?

Well yes and no, with a lot more emphasis on the yes. The series' strongest suit has always been the visuals, and the explosive, exciting action sequences here are some of the best in animation history. But the ideas running through the first two films were more or less 'stay true to yourself' and 'follow your dreams', and here it seems to be highlighting the importance of family, themes which are interchangeable and simplistic. So more of the same then, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Picking up the story not long after the events of Kung Fu Panda 2, Po (Jack Black) is still juggling his time between his adoptive father Mr. Ping (James Hong) and his noodle stand, and training with Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and the Furious Five.

While Po is viewed as a hero and seems to be enjoying his celebrity status a bit too much, Shifu reminds him of his position as the Dragon Warrior, and feels it is time that the chubby panda takes on more responsibility by training his friends Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross) in the art of kung fu. Meanwhile, ancient warrior Kai (J.K. Simmons) battles his former friend Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) in the Spirit Realm and steals enough of his chi to return to the Mortal Realm. Using the chi of defeated masters in the form of jade warrior soldiers, Kai hopes to seek out Po and defeat the famed Dragon Warrior. However, Po is somewhat distracted by the return of his actual father Li (Bryan Cranston), a jolly panda who hopes teach his son the delights of being a panda.

Despite Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh's third instalment sharing a lot in common with the two that came before both thematically and story-wise - despite the introduction of the ingenious jade warriors and equipping Kai with a sense of humour, the film is again about Po tapping into unknown powers to defeat an evil baddie - it retains the series' effortless charm. Black is again on form as, well, Jack Black, and his distinctly American brand of humour at odds with the more straight-faced bad-asses surrounding him is one of the key aspects to these movies' success. But the real plaudits must go to the visual effects department, who have stepped up their game no end to create a truly wonderfully realised world. Dreamworks apparently have plans to make six Kung Fu Panda films, and although I'll certainly watch them if they're made, this trilogy-capper seems to be a fitting closure.


Directed by: Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh
Voices: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, J.K. Simmons, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu
Country: USA/China

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 #781: 'Godzilla' (2014)

Flicking the memory of Roland Emmerich's disastrous 1998 Godzilla movie away with it's mighty finger, Gareth Edwards' 2014 re-imagining is an altogether mightier and maturer beast. The biggest question stemming from message boards and critic reviews alike, is whether the colossal lizard is seen, or even glimpsed, enough. Anyone who saw 2013's incredibly dull monster/machine pile-up Pacific Rim will surely be aware that more is not necessarily better, and CGI is soulless without a heart. So my answer to that question would be a yes, as although Edwards teases us perhaps one time too many, when the beast finally roars, it's spine-tingling.

The screenplay by Max Borenstein, based on a story by Dave Callaham, opts not to have the King of the Monsters the result of nuclear testing, but one of many ancient creatures laying low, feeding on the energy from the Earth's core. In 1999, scientists Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) discover the skeleton of a giant creature in a collapsed mine, and two pods. One pod has broken open and left a trail leading into the sea, and the other remains dormant. In Japan, unusual seismic activity causes a nuclear power plant to leak radioactive steam, killing the wife of plant supervisor Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston). Fifteen years later, Joe's son, bomb disposal expert Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), returns to Japan to find his father still obsessing over the unexplained events that led to his wife's death.

This sounds like a lot of plot for a movie primarily about giant, rampaging creatures. The director previously made Monsters (2010), a low-budget, very human drama about a world facing an alien invasion, only the focus was on the romantic relationship between it's two leads. Edwards clearly isn't interested in simply blowing shit up for our amusement, he wants us to care for the people dodging the flying cars and falling skyscrapers. It's an admirable approach, and is careful not to serve up stock chin-stroking villains or supporting characters you are waiting for to croak, but does make the mistake of offering one-dimensional archetypes as our protagonists. We have our square-jawed lead, our brilliant but possibly mad scientist, and even an expository ethnic character to make sure we're keeping up with the plot.

There's also the problem of Taylor-Johnson, who although is a perfectly likeable actor, does not have leading-man chops. This combined with his thinly-written character makes it incredibly difficult to get caught up in his long journey back to his loving wife (Elizabeth Olsen) and child (Carson Bolde). But while the film may often move at a snail's pace, it is never boring. Though the titular giant takes his time before popping his head up out of the water, there's two other bat-like creatures causing havoc, usually seen from the ground-up or on news reports, heightening the tension by creating a sense of realism. It's a very modern-day Gojira, developing it's own mythology yet appeasing fans of the beast's many incarnations, and no doubt frustrating those wanting to see an epic CGI smack-down. For a truly satisfying experience, just check out Ishiro Honda's 1954 original.


Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Juliette Binoche
Country: USA/Japan

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #568: 'Argo' (2012)

The Pentagon and C.I.A have been inextricably linked to Hollywood since the 1920's, offering their "advice" and influence on many productions. According to a spokesperson for the intelligence agency, Todd Ebitz, the C.I.A. even post story ideas on their website. Usually their collusion with the film industry is a propaganda tool to promote ideologies, or to glamorise, and mystify clandestine organisations. In Ben Affleck's Argo, a declassified (in 1997) narrative develops in a secret collaboration between wily Hollywood producers, and the Central Intelligence Agency, in an effort to rescue six diplomats from Iran, during the 1979 to 1981 hostage crisis. Whilst the story used in the film is a footnote to the eventual complexity and over-long nature of the whole event (which lasted for 444 days, with 54 American hostages in total), it could be argued that this "little moment",  is more enticing as a narrative about organisations (whether political, ideological or mass media), and the power of western (specifically Hollywood) popular culture around the world.

In 1979 the pro-American Shah of Iran (Mahammed Reza Pahlevi) was forced to flee into exile after a series of increasingly violent protest against his regime, by Islamic fundamentalists. The US embassy in Tehran was targeted by the revolutionaries after Jimmy Carter saluted the exiled Shah in a toast, stating that Pahlevi was a friend of the nation. Argo opens as the embassy is stormed, paper documents are frantically shredded, computer files hammered into fragments. Six diplomats exit and find refuge in the Canadian Ambassador's home. C.I.A. agent, Tony Mendez (Affleck), determined to extricate the escapees, is enlightened with an idea to create a fake Hollywood science fiction film, create false identities for the six, and act as a film production, scouting for locations in Iran. Mendez's connection to Hollywood, is special effects veteran, John Chambers (John Goodman), who is most famous for designing the simian prosthetics for Planet of the Apes (1968). Along with ageing, and out of work, director, Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), - who might or might not be Don Siegel, I'm not sure - they create a script and concept artwork for a "cheap science fiction Star Wars rip-off", with the title Argo (a reference to the ship in Greek mythology, sailed by Jason and his Argonauts).

I'm not a particular follower or fan of Affleck the actor, finding his abilities to be somewhat one-dimensional, but it is always an intriguing prospect when an actor makes the move to directing. This is my first experience of this with Affleck, having never seen Gone Baby Gone (2007) or The Town (2010), but I have heard encouraging things about his previous films, so I was looking forward to watching how he worked with other actors. Whilst not a great actor himself, he understands the acting process, and casts brilliantly, particularly the very undervalued Bryan Cranston. Chris Terrio's dialogue is sharp, effective and referential (with many nods to contemporary sci-fi, to salivate the generation that Affleck is a part of). Science fiction aside, Argo is a project that understandably fell into the hands of an actor/director (even George Clooney co-produces with Affleck), much of the mid-section of the film is about the acting process, the six escapees having to become the fictionalised characters that might get them back to America. When it's a life and death proposition, this process seems excruciatingly hard. To fully portray these people, they have to become every aspect of that person.

Throughout the film, systems of hierarchy and levels of bureaucracy are eluded to, from the offices of the C.I.A., through the dealings with Hollywood, to the levels of security and multitude of check points found when attempting to leave a fragile, destabilised country. The latter of these systems is used to great effect towards the end of the film, where the Mendez-led "film crew" pass through increasingly excruciating encounters with Iranian security at an airport. Argo juxtaposes the machinations of the openly narcissistic Hollywood industry, with the more secretively narcissistic C.I.A., whilst they are inextricably linked to the heightened processes of government, these intelligence agents almost appear comical at times, unstable, with a tendency towards incompetence. The audacity of Mendez to assume he could pull off a legitimate looking fake film, shows this innate narcissism, and Chambers even relates the concept when asking him, "So you want to come to Hollywood and act like a big shot, without actually doing anything?" When told yes, he says "You'll fit right in."

Of course Afflect's character is morally stable, but an ineffectual sub-plot involving an estranged wife and son, is like an unnecessary, staid, use of cheap emotional manipulation. Towards the end it becomes uncomfortably saccharine, the image, music and text utilising generic, over indulgent climacti-wank, using the common signifiers of the worst kind of Hollywood drivel. However, this is a very small indiscretion in a smart and enjoyable political thriller. Frightening Argo also highlights the fact that the west's relationship with the middle-east has changed very little, with heightened hatred of the west from Islamic fundamentalists, and the nature of terrorism having not altered significantly with the current hostage crisis in Mali. But then again, bully's (i.e. the United States), eventually fall through retribution.


Directed by: Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Marc Ivamy

Review #296: 'Drive' (2011)

Sarah Deming, a resident of Michigan, took legal action against the producers of Drive, as she was expecting a Fast and the Furious (2001)-type action movie. Bizarrely she is also claiming that the film is anti-Semitic, but on the former, she has a bit of a point, as the trailer does focus mainly on the driving element of the film, which there is very little in comparison to the aforementioned piece-of-shit franchise, making the trailer a little misleading. This ludicrous story aside, the film does use many of the iconographic elements that make a good driving/action film: Ryan Gosling's character, simple named Driver, wears the sports jacket made famous by the likes of Steve McQueen, Ryan O'Neal and Paul Newman, made iconic in 1960's and '70's cinema.

Driver is a stunt man for the film industry, and makes extra cash as a transporter of people in heists. He meets his neighbour, Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son. Eventually her partner is released from prison, and is conned into doing a robbery, to pay back money for services whilst in prison. Driver, having a strong connection with Irene, wants to help him out. As this is a set up, things go terribly wrong. Albert Brooks gives a superb performance as gangster Bernie Rose, along with smaller - but no less brilliant - performances from Ron Perlman and Bryan Cranston (who was the main reason that I ever watched Malcolm in the Middle).

Nicholas Winding Refn's first American film, sees him riff on many classic films - of particularly the 1980's. The lush look of LA is captured in all it's neon-lit beauty and reminded me very much of the iconic Michael Mann aesthetic. Also there are some protracted, and audio-specific moments of violence that offered that same kind of eeww-factor that you get in a David Lynch moment of violence. Gosling has to beat a guy in a lift, and the sounds are very reminiscent of the opening scene in Wild at Heart (1990), where Sailor crushes someones head against a stairwell banister.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this piece of stylish cinema - and fortunately it is not a case of style over substance, that is so prevalent today. This film has strong emotion, even with Gosling's incredibly laconic performance. I had a conversation with a friend about this film. As I was saying how "cool" it was, my friend turned to me and said he had started watching the film, but switched off half way through as he found it boring. This brings me back to the first paragraph of this review. He also believed the film to be of action orientation. So, is everything about this film misleading? Well, no.


Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Marc Ivamy