Film Review: TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE (2012)

Director: Robert Lorenz
Writer: Randy Brown
Running time: 111 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Drama/Sport
UK Release date: 30^th November 2012

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 15^th September 2013.

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

Now baseball is not big here in the UK, in fact, other than it’s a bit like rounders and it’s really big in North America and the Far East, I know little about it. So why watch a film about it; well, I have seen a few films centred around the sport before and I’ve always found them quite interesting, so I thought I’d give this one a go. The fact it’s also got Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams in it, two of my favourite actors, is just incidental (honestly). I will give you my thoughts after this very brief summary.

When ageing scout Gus (Clint Eastwood) discovers his sight is failing him his estranged daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams) decides to go with him on a scouting trip to help him out. Mickey has a high powered job and is up for a promotion and so this trip could not have came at a worst time for her. Gus has issues with her coming along, apart from him being fiercely independent, he still sees her as a little girl sometimes. Whilst on the trip they meet Johnny (Justin Timberlake) who is a washed-up player who it trying out as a scout for another team. Johnny and Mickey eventually hit it off but it’s her relationship with her father that is important. Will it survive this trip or have those bridges already been burned?

Well made with many baseball references that went well over my head but that didn’t matter. The film isn’t about that, it’s about relationships and as such I found it an engaging watch. Both Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams were excellent in this; I admire them both as actors and they didn’t disappoint. Justin Timberlake gets better each time I see him, I just wish he’d stop making those awful records! (It’s a joke folks). Also worthy of note were Matthew Lillard as Phillip Sanderson, Robert Patrick as Vince and John Goodman as Pete Klein. It’s not a tear-jerker or a heart rending tale but I found it did strike an emotional chord with me. If, like me, you admire Eastwood and Adams then it’s well worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 8.1/10.

IMDb Score: 6.7/10 (based on 28,479 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087075/

MetaScore: 58/100: (Based on 40 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 52/100: (based on 182 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 66/100: (based on 41,982 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/trouble_with_the_curve/

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)
Official Site (US): http://troublewiththecurve.warnerbros.com/dvd/
Trailer:

Film Review: THE MASTER (2012)

Writer/Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Running time: 131 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama
UK Release date: 16^th November 2012

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 7^th September 2013.

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

This is a film that the critics really liked; however, it’s one that failed to impress the public to a large extent. Of course critics, being the kind of animals they are, can sometimes be a little off the mark when it comes to what will work in theatres. This is precisely why this one ended up on my list; well, to be fair, I loved Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Magnolia’ and many of his works prior to this as well. So, to ‘The Master’, well, without wishing to be unkind (I’ll save that for later), it didn’t quite hit the mark for me either. I will tell you why right after this very brief summary.

At the end of World War II a troubled seaman, Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is released into society. He seems to have little purpose and stumbles around from job to job but his drinking always brings him trouble. One night in 1950 he stumbles aboard a yacht and stows away. The man hosting a party on the yacht is the charismatic Lancaster Dodd (The Master) (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who has some pretty strange ideas, and he takes Freddie under his wing. The Master’s wife, Peggy (Amy Adams), accepts him at first but this will change over time. We follow The Master and his group around various parts of the USA and witness as some of his theories are put into practice. We also see how he tries to rehabilitate Freddie, not always with great success. I guess that’s about all I can say without giving too much away.

The film is beautifully shot, making full use of the various surroundings they find themselves in. The use of music from the period was quite effective also, not always to my taste, but it seemed to fit pretty well. As to performances, well, all the major parts were excellently portrayed with Philip Seymour Hoffman standing out. I found I really paid attention to every scene he was in; without him, meaning no disrespect to the other actors involved, it kind of fell flat. I though Amy Adams was excellent too, although I felt she was underused. There appeared to be an awful lot of improvisation, particularly from Joaquin Phoenix and I found these scenes very hit and miss. I sometimes felt like I was watching an acting class. As far as the narrative goes, well I found it meandering; it was very slow (not that this is always a bad thing) and when we did get to a point it would then go off in a totally different direction. Over all, it didn’t stand out as the particularly outstanding work the critics seem to think it is; but then again, I don’t have to watch all the dross they have to on a day to day basis. Maybe I have to watch a lot of really bad films and then watch this one again, but for now it’s ‘Recommended’, but only just.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 6.1/10.

IMDb Score: 7.1/10 (based on 55,365 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1560747/

MetaScore: 86/100: (Based on 43 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 85/100: (based on 233 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 60/100: (based on 43,007 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_master_2011/

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)
Official Site: http://www.themasterfilm.com/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMasterMovie
Trailer:

Film Review: MAN OF STEEL (2013)

Director: Zack Snyder
Writers: David S. Goyer (screenplay/story), Christopher Nolan (story), Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster (Superman created by)
Running time: 143 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy
UK Release date: 14^th June 2013

Watched at the cinema on Friday 14^th June 2013.

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

With a surname like mine I really couldn’t miss out on a film that is, after all, named after my family (at least the male members of it). It’s a film with plenty of pedigree with David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan involved and I have no problem with Zack Snyder directing (so long as he doesn’t give us another ‘Sucker Punch’). It covers well trodden ground with the origins of Superman having been portrayed many times before whether in comic book, film or in prose. I was interested to see how it would be dealt with this time around. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

We begin on the dying world of Krypton, Superman’s home planet, where his father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) is at odds with General Zod (Michael Shannon) over how to preserve their civilisation. To this end Jor-El steals the codex which holds the genetic codes of the entire race and sends it to earth, along with Cal-El, his baby son. Zod, having failed to topple the ruling council is condemned to be frozen and exiled, along with his followers. Flash forward and Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) has caught the attention of reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) when she follows him and discovers some of his powers. She digs deeper and finds that he was brought up on a farm in Kansas by his adoptive parents; Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane). Jonathan had always taught the young Clark to do the right thing; he knew he was special due to the circumstances that brought him to them. When General Zod comes to the earth looking for the Codex, and Cal-El, Clark decides it was time he made himself known to the world and Superman makes his entrance.

The opening sequence on Krypton is quite spectacular with some truly stunning CGI and some great dialogue. It sets the scene for the entire story and I think it was just about as perfect a beginning we could possibly have had. We then come down to earth (literally) where we find Clark Kent discovering who he is and coming to terms with his powers and what a responsibility that places on his shoulders. Much of this is told in flashback with some great fatherly advice from Kevin Costner. It’s a section of the film that may have lost some (probably due to the lack of explosions) but I really enjoyed it as it gives us a chance to get to know what motivates Clark/Superman, and just what makes him a superhero. The third act, however, is where I had the most trouble. The plot wasn’t hard to follow and the acting was great, particularly Michael Shannon, no, all that was great. The problem was with the fight scenes; why is it necessary to topple skyscrapers and destroy entire city blocks. It put me in mind of climactic battle in ‘The Avengers’ movie; I had the distinct impression I had seen it all before. Yes, it was quite a spectacle but I would have liked something a little more original. But don’t let that distract from the fact it is still a very good film and one I would happily watch again. Top performances, well everybody really but Michael Shannon really does stand out; definitely worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 8.3/10.

IMDb Score: 8.4/10 (based on 27,531 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/

MetaScore: 55/100: (Based on 45 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 57/100 (based on 207 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 82/100 (based on 81,641 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman_man_of_steel/

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)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManOfSteelUK?brand_redir=1
Official Site: http://manofsteel.warnerbros.com/index.html?home
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 FIGHTER (2010)

Director: David O. Russell
Running time: 116 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Biography/Drama/Sport
UK Release date: 2^nd February 2011

Watched on DVD Sunday 2^nd October 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Since several friends of mine have recommended this movie, and since one of them even leant me the DVD, I thought I’d better give it a look. Well, it makes a nice change to say they were correct on this occasion, it’s a tremendous film! I really enjoyed it and have no problem in recommending it (yes, I liked it that much I’ll recommend it in the first paragraph). I’ll tell you why after this brief summary.

Micky Ward is a boxer, not a very successful one when we meet him, but a boxer nonetheless. His half-brother, Dicky Eklund, on the other hand, once had a fight for the world title against Sugar Ray Leonard. As we begin, Dicky is supposed to be training Micky, but he’s late… he’s always late. A film crew are making a documentary about Dicky, a documentary about the effects of crack addiction. Yes, Dicky has a habit and yet none of his family is prepared to do anything about it. His mother, Alice, who runs the family with an iron fist, refuses to recognise it, as does her husband, George Ward and his many sisters (too many to mention). Micky meets a girl, Charlene Fleming and they start to see each other, she is strong-willed, just like his mother, and you can see conflict coming. When Dicky gets locked up Charlene persuades Micky to go with a different manager and trainer. It pays off and Micky gets on the road to success… but how will his family react? I’ll leave it there because I don’t want the Spoiler Police breaking my fingers.

The plot of this film is a great family drama, and what makes it better is that it’s based on a true story. The critics were all over Christian Bale’s performance and he did indeed walk away with the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of Dicky Eklund. Also worthy of note was Melissa Leo who also won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her take on the domineering mother, Alice Ward. Personally, I was surprised that Mark Wahlberg didn’t even get a nomination for his role of Micky Ward and I have to also give a mention to Amy Adams as Charlene Fleming, who I thought was also great.

I find that sometimes films based on true stories tend to over-dramatise events and in doing so lose the essence of the story. I don’t think that is true in this case, they are very much ‘larger than life’ characters and that’s just how they are portrayed. I did find it ironic though that ‘Irish’ Micky Ward had to fight an Irishman for one of his big fights. I noticed the filmmakers made him a not very nice Irishman though. But enough of that, I found the film very uplifting and quite inspiring. As I said at the beginning, I have no problem in recommending this one… If you haven’t seen it, please do, it’s well worth the time.

My Score: 9.2/10

IMDb Score: 8.0/10 (based on 77,231 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0964517/

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91/100 (based on 225 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-fighter/

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Mickey Ward: Alice, this is Charlene.
Charlene Fleming: Hi.
Alice Ward: I've heard a lot about you.
Charlene Fleming: Really? I've heard a lot about you too.
Alice Ward: What's that supposed to mean?
Charlene Fleming: Same thing you meant.

Mickey Ward: I'm the one who's fighting. Not you, not you, and not you.

Dicky Eklund: Are you like me? Was just good enough to fight Sugar Ray? Never had to win, did I? You gotta do more in there. You gotta win a title. For you, for me, for Lowell. This is your time, all right? You take it. I had my time and I blew it. You don't have to. All right? You fuckin' get out there, and use all the shit that you've been through, all the shit we've gone through over the fuckin' years, and you put it in that ring right now. This is yours. This is fuckin' yours.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.thefightermovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: JULIE & JULIA (2009)

Director: Nora Ephron
Running time: 119 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

UK release date: 11th September 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 14th November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I wasn’t quite sure I would like this film, for a start I have never heard of Julia Child, but I guess few people outside the USA that are not all that into food have. Don’t get me wrong, I like to cook, it’s one of those survival skills you pick up. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m not what you might call a foodie. So I’ll begin with a very brief summary (summary haters please look away while I type the next paragraph… you can rejoin the group after).

Two stories are told in parallel. First the story of how famous food writer Julia Child got her love of cooking, and how she came to write the well known book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. Julia’s husband, Paul, is a diplomat who is stationed in Paris in the late 40’s early 50’s, and this is where Julia, needing something to do, decides to learn to cook. She meets two French ladies, Louisette Bertholle and Madame Brassart who are writing a French cook book for Americans. After their publishing deal falls through they ask Julia to help out, which she does and, after many years they finally get it published. The second story is that of Julie Powell who needs a focus in her life. At the suggestion of her husband, Eric, she decides to cook every recipe in Julia Child’s book in one year. Not only that, but she will write a blog about her experiences. There are many highs and lows, but she eventually achieves her aim, which brings other, greater rewards.

I found this film a little hard to watch, the constant jumping from one story to another got a little distracting at times. However, the scenes when Julia was in Paris really took me back. At one time I had a French girlfriend and we had some good times in Paris… but I digress (again). I hear that Meryl Streep’s performance as Julia Child is spot on. I’ll have to take that on trust never having seen the original to compare. There were also good performances from; Amy Adams as Julie Powell, Stanley Tucci always good value as Paul Child and Chris Messina as Eric Powell.

At the end of the day, yes, I did enjoy this film. Despite the slightly distracting jumping from story to story, I found it quite engaging. Although it’s not the best film ever made, it is still pretty entertaining, and you can’t ask for more than that. Over all a quite endearing film with some good performances. I find films based on fact are often quite interesting and this one is no exception… recommended.

My score: 7.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1135503/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/julieandjulia/
Official Blog: http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/2002/08/25.html
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi77595161/

Film Review: SUNSHINE CLEANING (2008)

Director: Christine Jeffs
Running time: 88 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK release date: 26th June 2009

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 23rd October 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

The title of this movie gives very little away. We know it’s about a cleaning company, but that’s about it. Well, the company specialises in crime scene clean-ups. That’s all the mess that’s left after the body has been removed and the police have finished their investigation. This engaging independent film tells how two sisters in New Mexico got into the business and what happened as a consequence.

The sisters in question are Rose and Norah Lorkowski. Rose has a son, Oscar and Norah still lives with their father, Joe. Oscar gets expelled from school and Rose has to make more money to get him into another one. She is having an affair with a cop, Mac, who suggests she goes into the lucrative crime scene clean-up business. Having looked into it she ropes Norah in and they start cleaning up after all kinds of deaths, quite badly at first. Then they meet Winston who runs a store that sells cleaning supplies. He takes pity on them and helps them with paperwork and the like. During this tale we learn a lot about the girls and their lives and some of the reasons they turned out the way they did.

This is a pretty well made film which has quite a slow pace. It does tend to wander off on a tangent now and then, but I didn’t find that too distracting. Excellent performances all round, particularly from Amy Adams as Rose, Emily Blunt as Norah and Alan Arkin as Joe. Honourable mentions should also go to; Jason Spevack as Oscar, Steve Zahn as Mac and Clifton Collins Jr. as Winston.

Over all I found the gentle pace of this film quite refreshing. It allows the audience to absorb what’s going on rather than have it thrust at you like some crazy 3D piranha. The film is very much about feelings, sorry, no blood and guts here, unless it’s already on a wall, of course. I guess it will be enjoyed more but female viewers, but still, as a male in touch with his feminine side (she made me say that), recommended.

My score: 7.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0862846/
Official Site: http://www.sunshinecleaning-themovie.com/#/home
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi144572953/

Film Review: DOUBT (2008)

Director: John Patrick Shanley
Running time: 104 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 31st January 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

First of all, I am not a Catholic and so I never went to a Catholic school. My only knowledge of such institutions has been gleaned from films, TV and news reports. I mention this so you know that I’m looking at this film with the eyes of an outsider. The film is based on a play written by the director and is set in a Catholic school run by nuns in The Bronx in 1964.

The priest, Father Brendan Flynn is a forward thinking man who wants to update the teaching practices at the school. Sister Aloysius Beauvier is the principal and is somewhat resistant to his proposals. Another teacher, Sister James, likes Father Flynn’s ideas, but is subordinate to Sister Aloysius. Things come to a head when the only black child in the school is singled out for special attention by Father Flynn. One day the boy is called to the Father’s office from Sister James’s class and when he returns the acts a little strangely. Sister Aloysius takes this as a sign that there has been something inappropriate between the two. She accuses Father Flynn and he explains that the boy had been caught drinking communion wine. The Sister is not satisfied with this explanation and goes out of her way to prove otherwise. I’ll leave it there as I’ve given enough away already!

First of all, great performances from all of the leading cast. Special mentions must, without doubt, go to, Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius Beauvier, Philip Seymour Hoffman as the charismatic Father Brendan Flynn and Amy Adams as Sister James, all put in tremendous performances. A really well made film that kept me engaged all the way through, although I felt it did get a little bit bogged down towards the end.

I’ll admit to having been a bit of a fan of the work of Philip Seymour Hoffman since I first saw him in Magnolia way back in 1999. The combination with Meryl Streep worked perfectly in this context. Over all, a well directed and very enthralling drama with some truly excellent performances, recommended.

My score: 8.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0918927/
Official Site: http://www.doubt-themovie.co.uk/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi2652373017/