Argo review

 Number 445 on the top 1000 films of all time is the historical, dramatic-thriller, Argo, produced, directed and starring Ben Affleck.

Based on the true story of the Canadian Caper, Argo follows CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) as he launched a daring scheme to rescue six escapees of the 1979-1981 Iran hostage crisis. He is aided by his boss Jack O'Donnell (Bryan Cranston,) Oscar-winning make-up artist John Chambers (John Goodman) and movie bigwig Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin.)

Right from the start, we knew this was going to be an intense film. Argo opens with supposed archival footage of the real storming of the US embassy in Iran. The footage wasn't real, but it didn't make it any less scary. The fear was palpable as the employees desperately shred paperwork and wait for the police who we know aren't coming. When the Iranians eventually storm the embassy, I was wondering whether they would just shoot everybody. Obviously, I know that this didn't happen in real life, but that fear was always at the back of my mind. In the chaos, six of the diplomats escape.

Enter Tony Mendez who suggests extracting the diplomats under the guise of filming a science-fiction movie called Argo and having the escapees pose as crew members. To help him, he enlists Chambers and Siegel. Goodman and Arkin played well off each other and provided a lot of much-needed comic relief. While Argo was intense, Goodman and Siegel stopped it from becoming too dark.

Everything culminates in an extremely dramatic if over-exaggerated ending. At the airport, Mendez and the others are pulled aside and interrogated by security. The Iranians call to verify their story and Chambers does so, right at the last minute. They allow the Mendez and co to board the plan, but then realise their mistake and they send the army chasing after them. Just when it looks like they could be caught, they escape just in time. Interestingly, none of this happened in real life. The employees boarded the plane at 5.30am without much incident. But I guess this wouldn't make as much of a thrilling ending.

I may argue that Affleck was better at direction than acting. Mendez wasn't a character with a lot of depth. He's your run-of-the-mill dark, brooding hero with a drinking habit, a divorced wife and a kid he sees once a year. beyond that, there isn't a lot more to him and Affleck added little else to the part.

Yes, the ending with the medal ceremony and deafening ending was pretty cheesy, but this was an enjoyable view. Just wear your seatbelts as it's a hell of a ride.

The Be All and End All review

If you're a long-time reader of my blog, you would know that I am working through the top 1000 films of all time. However, this film doesn't appear on this list, so why am I reviewing it?

The Be All and End All was written by Steve Lewis and Tony Owen who wrote the indie comedy-drama, and one of my personal favourites, Three and Out. They stumbled upon my review and sent me the link to their next film 'The Be All and End All.'

Robbie (Josh Bolt) and Ziggy (Eugene Byrne) are two fifteen year old boys and best friends in Liverpool. When Robbie is diagnosed with a terminal heart condition, he asks Ziggy to help him fulfil his dying wish: to not die a virgin.

At heart, this is a coming-of-age film about the bond between these two best friends. It was darkly comic, but also tragic and touching. Robert has a goal, which is relatable for teen boys everywhere, regardless of whether they're dying, and Ziggy's efforts to help him, leads to some of the film's funniest moments. He takes Robbie to a brothel, which, of course, is promptly raided by the police. Ziggy has to carry the virtually naked Robbie back to the hospital.

One of my film's favourite scenes is when Robbie is approached by a lady who works for something similar to the Make-a-Wish foundation. She wants to help him realise his final goals whether that's swimming with sharks or meeting the Avengers. When he snaps that he wants to lose his virginity, she suggests going to Disneyland instead. This character was a great example of the cliched, well-meaning, but misguided people who are always wanting to help. I work in an old people's home and I've lost count of the amount of do-gooders suggesting nice, but completely impractical things for the residents to do. 

I also loved the scene where Ziggy stands up to the school bullies making fun of Robbie's heart condition. It was very satisfying to see them get a punch to the nose.

As well as being a good comedic actor, Josh Bolt was also great at the sadder scenes. In a confrontation with Ziggy, he breaks down saying that "he doesn't want to die." And for how the film is laden is with sexual innuendo, I did like how they underplayed the ending. Robbie loses his virginity to his old flame Sophie in a simple fade-to-black. This leant a nice elegance to the scene. It was all we needed to see. But I was a little puzzled that despite how Ziggy organised for this, he also went ahead in organising a prostitute for Robbie as well.

Steve Lewis explained that the film was made on a time budget. Sometimes this isn't a bad thing like in the Irish romantic-comedy Once. However, it did look like that director Bruce Webb shot the film using natural lighting, lending a dark, subdued tone to most of the film. While this might be appropriate for the subject matter, it also did make it difficult to actually see everything.

There was a subplot of Ziggy trying to reconnect with his errant father. It didn't receive the same importance as the main plot, so it didn't land for me. In the ending scene, we see him finding and embracing his father in a big hug. I'm not sure how believable I find that considering their fractured relationship.

It was also highly unlikely that a nurse such as Tina (Liza Tarbuck) would ever have the time to help Ziggy and Robbie, but I think it worked for the purposes of the film.

All in all, while being far from perfect, I did enjoy the film. It was a charming British indie film. Word of warning though, if you do watch it, then be prepared for the Scouse accents. They are thick. 

Ferris Bueller's Day off review

 Number 425 on the top 1000 films of all time is John Hughes's teen comedy drama 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off.'

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is a high-school slacker. He fakes illness to skip school for the day joined by his best friend, the neurotic Cameron (Alan Ruck) and Ferris' girlfriend (Mia Sara.) In the meanwhile, he is relentlessly pursued by his high school dean Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) who is determined to prove that he is up to trouble. He is also separately pursued by his sister Jeannie (Jennifer Grey) who similarly believes that Ferris is faking his illness.

To say that Ferris Bueller has had a massive cultural impact would be an understatement. It's constantly parodied and referenced in popular culture. Deadpool parodying the famous end scene is just one of the million examples. Part of its cultural legacy comes from the film's intertextual humour. Ferris constantly breaks the fourth wall by directly addressing the audience and explaining his inner thoughts. This was a great insight into the character and it provided a lot of the film's humour.

But Matthew Broderick was also great at physical comedy. The famous scene of Ferris  lip-syncing and dancing in the parade was so much fun to watch. It was made even better by virtue of how that was filmed in public and contains unscripted dancing of genuine members of the public. Another great scene is when Ferris is rushing home so as not to be caught out by his returning parents.

But I think another reason it was so popular was how relatable it was. I feel at that age we all have dreams of skiving off school and getting into trouble. We all have fantasies of what we could do if we had the chance. Granted it probably wouldn't be as anything as fantastical as what we see here. I certainly would not be lip-synching on a parade float, but at least I would be out there enjoying life as a teenager rather than being condescended to by a passionless teacher. It depicts a very romanticised view of a more innocent time and it provides a nostalgic lens for modern audiences to look back on.

I just wish that we could have focussed a little more on Cameron. He was the foil to Ferris' carefree ways. Against Cameron's wishes, they drive to downtown Chicago in his dad's vintage Ferrari before leaving it with a parking attendant. Ferris promises that they'll return it undamaged before Cameron's dad even notices. We get glimpses that Cameron's dad is this hard-arse, over-bearing father who projects fear. Cameron is very wary about upsetting him. Yet we never see any of this first-hand. I think something like this could have really helped to flesh out his character, but perhaps it would have been too dark for a comedy.

But overall I really did enjoy this film. It was a funny watch and in lieu of any profound concluding remarks, I'll quote the film's key lesson "life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you'll miss it."

The Fighter review

 Number 408 on the top 1000 films of all time is David O'Russell's biographical sports drama The Fighter.

Micky Eckland (Mark Wahlburg) is an up-and-coming boxer coached by his brother, famed ex-fighter Dicky (Christian Bale) and managed by his mother Alice (Melissa Leo.) With the help of new girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams) Micky aims to make a name for himself.

Since starting this challenge, I have watched a lot of boxing films: Rocky, Raging Bull and Million Dollar Baby. And I didn't like any of these films, because I don't care for boxing. The Fighter was no exception. As I don't care for boxing, I couldn't get invested in the film. For me, there was no tension or stakes. I couldn't give a damn if Micky won his fights or not and I certainly didn't care if he became the champion of the world. And considering that's what the film was building to but that didn't make it very interesting for me. And I know the film is all about boxing, but the boxing montages were very boring. I know this is a very subjective take - I'm sure boxing fans would love this film, but I didn't.

What's more objective is Mark Wahlburg's performance. I don't particularly like him as an actor or a person. He always takes the same roles, generally as the tough guy hero with the emotional range of a block of wood. Considering the film is called 'The Fighter,' he is weak-spined. Obviously he's a boxer who could quite easily knock me out, but why couldn't he have done the same to his manipulative, conniving mother and seven sisters? They were the very definition of toxic.

Dicky wasn't much better, leeching off of his brother's achievements, because he couldn't quite reach those heights himself. In fact, the only likeable character was Charlene, because she is one of the very few who had Micky's best interests at heart. All credit to Amy Adams for a great performance.

If you're a boxing/Mark Wahlburg fan, you'll probably love this film, but I am neither, so I did not. And, finally, there are lots of strange accents in the US, but Massachussetts has to be one of the strangest.

Silver Linings Playbook review

 Number 420 on the top 1000 films of all time is David O'Russell's romantic comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook.

Patrizio Pat Solitano Jr (Bradley Cooper) is sent to a mental hospital after he beats his wife's lover half to death. In hospital he is diagnosed with Bipolar disease. Upon his release, he returns to live with his parents Pat Sr (Robert De Niro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver) all while scheming to win his wife back. Part of his scheme involves entering a dance competition with the unstable Tiffany Meadows (Jennifer Lawrence.) Chris Tucker also co-stars as Pat's friend Danny Mcdaniels.

Any film that focusses on mental illness will be a tough watch and Silver Linings Playbook was no exception. It was intense with most of the characters suffering from some type of mental illness: Pat Jr has bipolar, Pat Sr has OCD, Danny and Tiffany both have undeclared illness, with the latter theorised to have BPD. On a number of occasions, tempers frayed as the characters spoke over and screamed at each other. But if that's what it's like in real life, can you imagine what it would be like inside their heads?

Silver Linings Playbook was released in 2012 and, even then, mental health wasn't as well understood or respected as it is now. There is still some stigma attached, but it was much worse over a decade ago. And when you don't fully understand something, it is easy to misrepresent or mischaracterise it. It's all too easy to have characters defined by their mental illness rather than characters who happen to have mental illness. Granted, I don't have mental illness, so I don't know what it's like, but I think Silver Linings was very respectful to all involved.

Pat has bipolar. He is erratic, intense and unpredictable. Yet he is also scared, vulnerable and anxious. And that was down to Bradley Cooper's very nuanced portrayal of him. He brought the character to life rather than making him a caricature. Similar Pat Sr has OCD and requires everything to be in the perfect place. But he truly does care for his son, helping to turn him into a real person.

The same applies for Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany. Although it's never confirmed, it's generally believed that she has BPD. From her volatile nature to her blunt way of talking to how she goes quiet when things become heated, Lawrence captures the mannerisms perfectly. She really earned the best actress Oscar. Just like Bradley Cooper, she brought a sensitivity to the role without reducing it to a gross parody.

If I were to criticise the film for anything, it would be the amount of time spent on American Football.  This was a personal preference and I know playbook is in the title, but I didn't care at all. All of the weird schemes and gambling that bookmaker Pat SR was involved in, went right over my head. As this comprised a large part of the film, I did miss a lot. I know that American football is like a religion to most Yanks, but I'm a Brit who hates most sports, including regular football, so I didn't care for it.

Overall, I did enjoy this film. Sure it was intense with lots of shouting, but the two leads performed admirably. Just less American football, next time, please.

Carlito's Way

 Number 412 on the top 1000 films of all time is Brian De Palma's 1993 crime drama 'Carlito's Way.'

Former crime kingpin Carlito (Al Pacino) is released from prison back into his New York neighbourhood. Determined not to go back, he resolves to go straight, but when his best friend/lawyer Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) rips off the Italian mob, he find going straight will be harder than he thought. Luis Guzman, Penelope Ann Miller and Viggo Mortenson all co-star.

I love a good redemption story. Take a bad man, a ,man who knows he's made mistakes and have him repent? I'm all for that. Plus it's a great source of conflict. It's no secret that America has an awfully high recidivism rate with 2/3 released prisoners  going onto reoffended. Once released, convicts find it difficult to leave their old lives. The transition is no easier for Carlito.

Upon release, all he wants is to earn enough money to retire to the Bahamas but it isn't that simple. His cousin Guajiro takes him to a drug deal with his supplier, butt he deal is a set-up and Carlito only escapes with his life. Later on, he refuses multiple offers to go into business with the young, hotshot gangster Benny Blanco from the Bronx. When Benny later crosses a line, Carlito has a chance to kill him, but instead sets him free. To see Carlito wrestling with his true nature made for delightful viewing and pushed the narrative along.

Loyalty is a key theme of the film and is Carlito's fatal flaw. His best friend is the unstable, coke-addicted Kleinfeld. Kleinfeld is very much the foil for Carlito's character; always causing problems and upsetting his plans to go straight. And nowhere is this more obvious when Kleinfeld steals a million from the mob. The mob promises to forgive the debt if Kleinfeld breaks mob boss Tony Taglialucci out of Riker's Island prison. And who does he ask for help, but Carlito who reluctantly agrees. But, of course, things go wrong. The whole breakout plan is a setup for Kleinfeld to kill Taglialucci and his son. Realising the truth, Carlito severs ties with his former friend. But the loyalty he shows Kleinfeld is not reciprocated. The feds later pick up Carlito and explain that Kleinfeld is prepared to testify against him. Considering how much of a slimy worm he is, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody but Carlito who has been blinded by loyalty.

I also want to give a quick shoutout to Viggo Mortenson who is always great. Although he only appears in one scene, it is one of the film's best. He plays a former associate of Carlito, Lalin Miasso, who is rendered wheelchair-bound after he was shot in the back. But it is revealed that he is wearing a wire. Breaking down in tears, he confesses that since he was shot, he has no life. He can't walk or have sex. he has to wear nappies. It was a powerful and surprising way of humanising a morally bad character. While Carlito should kill him for his betrayal, he lets him live, showing how much he wants to change. Any other crime boss would not suffer a rat to live.

Although there is one big plot hole that I would like to address. When the feds tell Carlito that Kleinfeld has betrayed him, they also tell him that his bodyguard Pachanga (Luis Guzman) has betrayed him and is now working for Benny Blanco from the Bronx. Despite knowing this, he still entrusts the safety of his girlfriend Gail (Penelope Ann Miller) to Pachanga. Lo and behold, right at the end, just as it looks like Carlito has won, Benny Blanco shoots him dead - thanks to Pachanga's devious ways. There was no way Carlito was ever going to walk off into the sunset, but his death was unrealistic. He is far more sentimental and trusting than any gangster has any right to be, but you think he would be more careful when it came to Gail. Especially when he knows that Pachanga has betrayed him.

But that notwithstanding, I did enjoy this film. It was the perfect telling of a redemption arc and it has a surprise standout performance from Viggo Mortenson. 

The Iron Giant review

 Number 388 on the top 1000 films of all time is Brad Bird's 1997 animated adventure: the Iron Giant.

Set in 1950's America, 9-year-old Hogarth (Eli Marienthal) befriends an alien that resembles a giant metal robot, voiced by Vin Diesel. However, the robot is being hunted down by paranoid government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher Mcdonald.) With the help of beatnik artist Dean McCoppin (Harry Connick Jr,) Hogarth must protect the Iron Giant from falling into the clutches of the government. Jennifer Anniston also stars as Hogarth's mum.

This film couldn't be a better allegory of Cold War paranoia if it tried. The iron giant was the communist running away from the Mcarthy-esque Kent. The Red Scare was little more than a witch hunt and the feelings of distrust easily spilled over into this film. The humans hunt down the iron giant because they don't understand him and because they're afraid of him. You can argue it's not the most original or complex of concepts, but it is certainly a powerful one.

 And that was down to the animation and Vin Diesel's voice performance. As the Iron Giant looks like a robot, it is easy to forget that he is a sentient being. The animators did well to convey every ounce of hurt and anger that he felt especially during the ending when he fights his true nature. And, even though, Vin Diesel has a reputation for playing action heroes, he is entirely capable of playing softer, more sensitive characters. When the Iron Giant asks Hogarth about death, Hogarth explains it is when the body dies, but the soul lives on. And a soul is exactly what Diesel gave to the Iron Giant.

Although I did think that at nine-years-old, Hogarth was a little too young to be a hero. Sure, at that age, you'll be more trusting then you be as an adult, and, of course, this is a cartoon, but I think it would have been better if he were a few years older.

But I did enjoy the film's dissection of American culture. At the film's conclusion, the Iron Giant goes on a rampage, causing the army to fire everything at him: guns, tanks, fighter jets and even a nuclear missile. I would argue it's just typical of Americans to shoot at something they don't understand.

Critics and audiences lauded this film, but due to a lacklustre marketing campaign by Warner Bros, it severely underperformed at the box office. Warner didn't see the value in animation films at the time. Considering how popular the film has become, I bet they're sorely regretting that decision now.

Halloween Review

 Number 411 on the top 1000 films of all time is John Carpenter's slasher-horror classic 'Halloween.'

In 1963 Illinois, six-year old Michael Myers stabs his older sister to death. Fifteen years later, he escapes from his psychiatric institution and begins hunting down a group of high school students including Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis.) This is all while he is being pursued by his psychiatrist Dr Loomis (Samuel Pleasence.)

There is definitely something to be said about modern horror films over-relying on tacky CGI and jumpscares to terrify their audiences. The 2018 It Chapter Two was particularly guilty of this. However, John Carpenter was far more subtle. Instead, he made brilliant use of silence and a brilliantly simple piano score to boost up the tension. And similar to what Spielberg did in Jaws, Carpenter made careful use not to show Mike Myers too much. He only appears when he is needed and yet his menace is felt throughout the film. A simple shot of him staring at Laurie by a car is far more effective than him going on a ten-minute killing rampage. 

And, of course, Mike Myers, spends the entire film in his trademark grey boiler suit and white, expressionless mask. This anonymity only made him all the scarier. It could be anybody hiding behind those clothes, even a seemingly invincible serial killer. Despite how Laurie supposedly kills him twice, he comes back every single time with a vengeance. His only weakness comes at the film's conclusion where in Laurie's desperation, she tears off his mask. He scrabbles to replace it, distracting him enough for Dr Loomis to shoot him. But not even this is enough to kill Mike Myers.

Although despite being so invincible, Mike Myers isn't the most effective of slasher horror villains. Okay, he kills his sister and Laurie's friends, but despite getting the jump on Laurie on many occasions, he botches it every single time. But how else would Halloween fit the "final girl," horror film trope? Also I'm not really sure why Myers waited right until the film's climax to try and kill Laurie, but I guess it was nice that he made sure he tried to kill her at such a pivotal moment.

Those small quibbles aside, I did enjoy this film. John Carpenter put forward a truly scary ninety minutes, not with a million jumpscares and tacky CGI, but by creating an atmosphere worthy of Halloween night.

Once review

 Number 349 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Irish musical romantic comedy Once.

A busker in Dublin only known as Guy (Glen Hansard) meets a Czech lady (Marketa Irglova) who is a musician as well. Through their shared love of music, they start a budding relationship.

I know that in my  'the Notebook' review that as a rule I don't like romance films. Once is the exception to that rule. The main reason is its simplicity. Cillian Murphy was originally set to play Guy, but after he pulled out, so did most of the film's investors. Director John Carney had little choice but to produce this film on a shoestring budget. He gave his salary to Hansard and Irglova, filmed at friends' houses, used natural lighting and filmed in Dublin's busy streets without a permit.

Seeing this simplicity was refreshing compared to the standard American high-budget production. And it gave the film a lovely sense of authenticity. These are struggling musicians and it makes perfect sense that they would do everything on a budget. Further, everything felt more natural. As Hansard was filming in Central Dublin without a permit, he had to use a long lens. This often led to Hansard and Irglova forgetting that they were being filmed, allowing them to adlib and feel more natural with each other.

A great example of ad-libbing comes when Guy and Girl are on a bus. Guy sings a joke song explaining why he and his ex girlfriend broke up. Hansard improvised the expletive-filled ditty and you can see the other passenger's genuinely amused reactions.

Hansard and Irglova were great as the two leads. They had great on-screen chemistry, probably due to how they dated while filming, and that made Guy and Girl's relationship all the more believable. They were adorable together especially when Girl tells Guy "Miluji Tebe," but coyly refuses to translate what she means. Although I think it's pretty obvious. This was another ad-lib, this time completed by Irglova.

Both Guy and Girl were estranged from their previous partners and it seemed like the two of them would end up as a couple. There were multiple moments where I thought a kiss was on the cards, but it wasn't to be. Once ends with Guy flying too London to win his girlfriend back and Girl reuniting with her husband. Both of them have happy endings, just not with each other. And I liked this. Having the two end up together would be too obvious and predictable and I'm glad they went their separate ways.

Having said that, the film was far from perfect. I know Once is about music with most of the storytelling done through singing, but the musical numbers dragged on for a bit. I would also argue that at times Hansard's singing bordered on screechy, but, then again, I'm tone deaf. It also made no sense that they were still using cassette tapes. This isn't the eighties, it's 2007 where CDs were in full swing with digital streaming and downloads not far behind. On a similar note, why were the characters using payphones and not mobiles? This was strange too.

But, ultimately, I did enjoy Once. The simplified, stripped-back story made for a refreshing and sweet watch.

The Notebook review

Number 346 on the top 1000 films of all time is the romantic drama: The Notebook.

Duke (James Garner) is a resident at a care home. He is friends with an elderly woman (Gena Rowlands) who is suffering from dementia. To comfort her, Duke reads her a story from a notebook. The story is about the romance between Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams,) a young couple who fell in love in 1940's South Carolina.

As a rule, I am generally not a fan of romance films. I find them slow and saccharine. The Notebook was no exception. Part of that was down to the characters of Noah and Allie. This is, of course, no comment on Gosling and McAdams' acting abilities. I've seen Rachel McAdams in True Detective as the tough-as-nails police detective 'Antigone Bezzerides.' She was far more of an interesting character than Allie who was generic. There was no depth to her character other than being a Southern belle. It was a simple portrayal of a simple character and there wasn't a lot McAdams could do to change that.

Initially Allie spurns Noah's advances, but is eventually won over by his roguish charm. However, her snooty high-class family don't approve of Noah's working-class roots and forbid her from seeing him. When all seems lost, the power of love brings them back together. Noah was also generic. He's your run-of-the-mill cheeky chappy who holds a torch after his heart is broken. It's a storyline I've seen before and it wasn't any different here.

What I found much more interesting was the framing story. This actually had some conflict I was invested in. I was interesting in learning the answers to the questions they were raising. Who was Duke? Who was the woman he was reading to? What was wrong with her? Why was Duke reading to her? Why was he reading that particular story? These questions all culminate in a genuinely tragic way that did tug at my heartstrings. I'll leave you to find out the answers to these questions for yourself. But this framing narrative was far more intimate and stripped back compared to the grandiose 'Noah and Allie' love story, which is why I preferred it.

While the Notebook might be considered one of the best romances of all time, it was not for me.