Film Review: LONE STAR (1996)

Writer/Director: John Sayles
Running time: 135 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama/Mystery/Romance
UK Release date: 11^th October 1996

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 28^th September 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I knew very little about this one on the way in and so it was a bit of a revelation to me. I’m not awfully big on Westerns but this modern take on the genre with a huge dose of noir was a nice surprise. Some great performances with the likes of Chris Cooper as Sam, Elizabeth Peña as Pilar and Kris Kristofferson as Charlie Wade all putting in some great work. The story revolves around the recently returned Sherriff, Sam who becomes embroiled in investigating the conduct of his father (the previous Sherriff) when a body is found in the desert outside the town. Set in southern Texas, there are many threads that are woven in this complex tale of corruption and intrigue. There are many flashbacks that help the audience to understand the characters and the various motivations of those being investigated.

If anything I found this one a little too complex; there were several threads that seemed totally unrelated to the main thrust of the story. It’s also, I felt, a little too long; the filmmakers are asking quite a lot for an audience to concentrate for two hours and fifteen minutes. It is slow paced, but I didn’t particularly mind that; I’m used to the noir style and it is usually quite a slow burner. Some great performances with Chris Cooper coping well with the leading role and Kris Kristofferson playing the villain of the peace with gusto. Also we have Elizabeth Peña, who did an excellent job as the female lead and a small part for Matthew McConaughey as Buddy Deeds. Although it does have its problems I still found it an excellent watch; definitely one to look out for for all you noir fans out there.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.5/10.

IMDb Score: 7.5/10 (based on 18,083 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116905/

MetaScore: 78/100: (Based on 22 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 93/100: (based on 41 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 44/100 “Want to see”: (based on 8,927 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1074022-lone_star/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: THE MUPPETS (2011)

Director: James Bobin
Writers: Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller, based on characters created by Jim Henson
Running time: 103 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Genre: Comedy/Family/Musical
UK Release date: 10^th February 2012

Watched on Sky+ Wednesday 26^th December 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I can’t say I was ever the greatest fan of the Muppets, however, I will admit to admiring their artistry and I did like their particular brand of comedy. Baring this in mind I decided to take a look at ‘The Muppets’. I must say I was pleasantly surprised! Despite a couple of schmaltzy musical numbers I quite enjoyed this one! Here’s a very brief summary before I tell you why.

Walter, (voiced by Peter Linz) and Gary (Jason Segel) grew up together and Walter is a huge fan of The Muppets. When Gary decides to take his girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams) to Los Angeles to celebrate their tenth anniversary together; he asks Walter to come along too so he can see visit the Muppet studios. Unfortunately the studios are a mess and whilst there Walter overhears an evil developer, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), plotting to knock it down. Walter implores Gary and Mary to help him find Kermit and the rest of the Muppets so they can save the studio. All they need is ten million dollars by midnight on Friday! But can Kermit get the old gang back together, get the backing of a studio and find a celebrity guest in time!?... Sorry, my lips are sealed.

Very well made with some very funny comic moments throughout. If I’m honest, I have to admit I found it did lose a little momentum in the middle third. Some nice musical numbers with the stand-out being ‘Man or Muppet’, I’m sure those who have seen it will agree. All the performances were very good and the puppeteering top notch, as we’ve come to expect from the guys behind the Muppets. I must also give credit to the voice talents of; Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman & Matt Vogel who provided the voices of all the major Muppet characters. There were also quite a few cameos featured (I’ll leave you to figure those out for yourselves). Over all I found this quite enjoyable, if a little schmaltzy here and there, but still well worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.3/10

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 46,410 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1204342/

MetaScore: 75/100: (Based on 37 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 96/100 (based on 202 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 82/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 81,860 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_muppets/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Fozzie Bear: Wow, that was such an expensive looking explosion! I can't believe we had that in the budget.

Veronica: I'm gonna shoot straight: you guys aren't famous anymore.
Fozzie Bear: Yeesh. I wish she'd shot a little more curvy.

[repeated line]
Tex Richman: Maniacal laugh... maniacal laugh...

Animal: No drums! No drums! Jack Black said no drums!

Kermit the Frog: What? You kidnap Jack Black? That's illegal!
Fozzie Bear: What's more illegal, Kermit: briefly inconveniencing Jack Black, or destroying the Muppets?
Kermit the Frog: Kidnapping Jack Black, Fozzie!

[singing]
Walter: Am I a Muppet, or am I a man? If I'm a man, that makes me a Muppet of a man.

Gary: So you guys aren't getting back together?
Kermit the Frog: [sadly] No.
Mary: This is going to be a really short movie.

Statler: If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were reciting some sort of important plot point.
Waldorf: I hope so. Otherwise I would've bored half the audience half to death.
Statler: You mean half the audience is still alive?

Uncle Deadly: How charming, a finale.

LINKS:
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/MuppetsStudio
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muppets
Official Site: http://www.disney.co.uk/muppets/
Trailer:

Film Review: THE COMPANY MEN (2010)

Writer/Director: John Wells
Running time: 114 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama
UK Release date: 11^th March 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 26^th February 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember when this film came out it caused a few ripples in the pool of critical acclaim. Not enough for it to be a massive hit, but enough for me to take notice. Of course it got added to ‘The List’ and the long wait for a TV airing began. It finally landed on my TV screen this week and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It turned out far better than I was expecting; quite a convoluted plot with several threads that have to be followed. I must say I did find it quite an enjoyable watch after a while. I will tell you more after this brief summary.

When three men get made redundant due to companies down-sizing after the financial crash they each deal with the fallout in different ways. We first follow sales executive Bobby Walker, in his mid-thirties with a young family. He seems to spend a long time in denial; convinced he will find another job in a few weeks. When, eventually the hard truth hits him, he finds it hard to adjust. His brother-in-law, Jack Dolan has to help him out by offering him a job and teaching him a few life-lessons on the side. We next follow Phil Woodward, a senior executive who is older and finds it even harder to adjust. Finally there’s Gene McClary, a CEO who tries his best to save jobs when all around him are acting ruthlessly. Of course, eventually he becomes a victim of it himself, but is he made of sterner stuff? I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police will be writing up my redundancy notice (again).

Very well made with some really good, if understated, performances; not least was Ben Affleck, whose portrayal of Bobby Walker hit the mark, but I didn’t feel he really shone. Tommy Lee Jones was great, as ever, as Gene McClary, as was Chris Cooper as Phil Woodward. I must also give honourable mentions to; Maria Bello as Sally Wilcox and Kevin Costner, who I felt was a bit underused, as Jack Dolan.

Having been made redundant twice in my lifetime I know just what these characters were going through. Although I did find it a little hard, at first, to empathise with a Porsche driving, golf playing executive; I work in a lab calibrating moisture measuring equipment when I’m not reviewing movies. However, when I saw the impact his predicament had on his family life I began to understand. It is a film of two halves, I found. The first dealing with the initial shock of events and the second dealing with how they’re going to cope with it and the impact it has on their lives. It’s not a particularly easy watch with quite a complicated plot and several threads to follow, but well worth a look if you stick it out to the end… Recommended.

My score: 6.7/10.

IMDb Score: 6.8/10 (based on 15,101 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1172991/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 67/100 (based on 156 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 55/100 (based on 30,577 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-company-men/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Phil Woodward: You know the worst part?
[a beat]
Phil Woodward: The world didn't stop. The newspaper still came every morning; the automatic sprinklers went off at six. Jerry next door still washed his car every Sunday.
[then]
Phil Woodward: My life ended and nobody noticed.

HR Director: I'm confident all these dismissals will stand up under legal scrutiny.
Gene McClary: What about ethical scrutiny.
HR Director: We're not breaking any laws, Gene.
Gene McClary: I guess I always assumed were trying for a higher standard than that, Paul.

Phil Woodward: Dress code pretty lax around here?
Bobby Walker: You should see casual-Friday...

[last lines]
Bobby Walker: We work as hard in here every day as we did when we were trying to get a job, we'll be alright. What's the worst thing they can do, fire us?

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.companymenmovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: ADAPTATION (2002)

Director: Spike Jonze
Running time: 114 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Writers:
Susan Orlean (book)
Charlie Kaufman (screenplay)
Donald Kaufman (screenplay)

Genre: Drama/Comedy/Crime
UK Release date: 28th February 2003

Watched on Sky+ Tuesday 24th May 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I went into watching this without really knowing much about it. I knew who was starring in it and I knew it had picked up some awards. Other than that I really didn’t know very much about it at all. Having seen it and having done a little research I can see why it has got the notoriety it has. It’s a very clever plot that’s quite quirky but always keeps the audience engaged and guessing what the next twist will be. Of course Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman are the pair behind the excellent (IMO) 1999 film, Being John Malkovich.

Ok, to the plot… You may recognise one or two character names here. Charlie Kaufman is a bit of a timid individual who happens to be quite a successful screenwriter. He has been commissioned to adapt a book by Susan Orlean called "The Orchid Thief". The trouble is, he’s finding it almost impossible to adapt. To add to his pain, his twin brother, Donald, who is much more outgoing, has decided he wants to be a screenwriter too. He has some great ideas and is always pestering Charlie just when he’s struggling with his work. We are told (by flashback) the story of “The Orchid Thief”, an individual known as John Laroche who lives in Florida and makes a living from taking rare plants, particularly orchids, from the various parks and reserves in the area. It may seem that there isn’t much to get your teeth into here, but believe me, that’s just the bare bones of it. I really don’t want to say too much more, I believe it’s best if you watch this one for yourself.

As I said at the beginning, this is quite a quirky film with quite a few plot twists. I found it very enjoyable, if a little too long. It’s topped off by two great performances; firstly from Nicolas Cage who plays both Charlie and Donald Kaufman, he is really excellent. Secondly, we have Chris Cooper as John Laroche who really earned his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (IMO). Also of note was Meryl Streep as Susan Orlean, I thought she was pretty good without being stretched too much. There was a small part for Maggie Gyllenhaal as Donald’s love interest, Caroline Cunningham, and it was nice to see a brief cameo from Brian Cox as screenwriting guru, Robert McKee.

I quite enjoyed this quirky comedy/drama, it kept be interested all the way through and I found it quite entertaining. I did feel it was a little too long and tended to drag a bit towards the end. Other than that, a fine piece of work with a very clever plot and one I have no problem in recommending to you.

My Score: 7.5/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0268126/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1118700-adaptation/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/adaptation/index.html
Trailer: