Film Review: MR. NICE (2010)

Director: Bernard Rose
Writers: Howard Marks (book), Bernard Rose (screenplay)
Running time: 121 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Biography/Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 8^th October 2010

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 9^th February 2013.

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

I can’t claim to have known too much about this one before giving it a look; I have seen/heard Rhys Ifans interviewed quite a few times and this is one of his films that gets a lot of mentions. On the strength of this I decided to give it the once over. Not the best production ever, but quite a compelling (true) story nonetheless. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Based on his book, we are told the story of Mr. Nice; a.k.a. Howard Marks (Rhys Ifans). From his humble beginnings in a small town in Wales, on to Oxford University and then into the world of international drug smuggling. On the way he meets his wife, Judy (Chloë Sevigny) and is involved with an IRA arms dealer, Jim McCann (David Thewlis). He is recruited by MI6, lies in court but is eventually brought to justice. It’s quite an enthralling tale but one I ultimately found was very unbalanced (more on that later).

I don’t know whether it was deliberate or not, but I found the picture quality very poor. It may have been to make it look more like a period piece, but more likely it was the best the budget would allow. I thought Rhys Ifans did an excellent job, although he never seems to age all through the film! I loved the small part David Thewlis played; the mad-cap Irishman was just brilliant. As to the plot; well I found it far too sympathetic to Marks; not surprising since it was based on his book I hear you say. But I would have thought the filmmakers would have put a little balance in there; what effect did all the drugs he sold all over the world have? How many innocent lives were affected? All this seemed inconsequential and probably explains why, despite some excellent performances, the film didn’t perform very well both at the box office and also critically. For me, whilst I enjoyed the performances, I found it a little too self-indulgent.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED (…Just)

My score: 5.8/10.

IMDb Score: 6.3/10 (based on 3,571 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1183911/?ref_=sr_1

MetaScore: 60/100: (Based on 14 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 55/100 (based on 44 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 43/100 (based on 3,776 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mr_nice/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Howard Marks: A dealer is really just someone who buys more dope than he can smoke. And I have to say, I'm ashamed, I tried to smoke it all. There was just too fuckin' much of it.

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

Film Review: WAR HORSE (2011)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers (Screenplay): Lee Hall & Richard Curtis
Writer (Novel): Michael Morpurgo
Running time: 146 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Drama/History/War
UK Release date: 13^th January 2012

Watched at the cinema Tuesday 17^th January 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Ever since I first saw ‘Jaws’, ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ and E.T.’ I have been a fan of the work of Steven Spielberg. He is an excellent storyteller and I love the look and feel of his films, particularly those made for a broader audience. After the disappointment I felt after seeing ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ (I hadn’t seen ‘The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn’ at the time of writing so couldn’t comment on that one), it was with a little trepidation that I entered the cinema to see his latest offering. I shouldn’t have worried; the critics had given it a warm reception and I have to say they were right. With ‘War Horse’ Spielberg hits all the right notes! I will give you my thoughts on it after this brief summary.

We start before the outbreak of World War I, young Albert lives with his parents Ted and Rose on a small farm on Dartmoor (that’s in Devon, England for those that don’t know). Ted has always been a drinker and one day he comes back from the local horse auction with a thoroughbred colt. Rose is not best pleased but Albert promises to break him and that he will even get him to plough their field. This he does, but as war breaks out Ted has to sell the horse, called Joey by the way, to the army. Albert is heartbroken not only because he is losing his beloved horse, but also because he’s too young to volunteer so he can be with him. He vows that they will be together again as they part company. We now follow Joey and his trials and tribulations in the war. He ends up seeing things from both the British and German side and even spends some time in the care of some French civilians. I will not say any more here because I really don’t want to give the game away… or have the Spoiler Police riding after me again.

Beautifully shot with some quite stunning scenes; I really love the cinematography on this one. This is all backed up with a really great score by John Williams, he has collaborated with Spielberg for many years and I think this is one of his finest pieces of work to date. As for performances, well nobody put a foot wrong; Jeremy Irvine did a great job as Albert Narracott, as did Peter Mullan as Ted and Emily Watson as Rose. Also worthy of note were Niels Arestrup as Grandfather, David Thewlis as Lyons, Tom Hiddleston as Captain Nicholls, Benedict Cumberbatch as Maj. Jamie Stewart and Celine Buckens as Emilie. Finally, of course, I cannot end this section without a mention for the horses that portrayed Joey in the movie; they all did a tremendous job, as did their trainers.

Before seeing this film I had talked to several people about it; many of which stated that they couldn’t watch a film like that in the cinema, it would be too upsetting. I admit, yes, there are some upsetting moments in the film, but I didn’t find it all that bad. I may have reacted differently watching it at home alone, but I don’t think that would have affected my enjoyment of it in any way. There are many plusses in this film that outweigh the few minuses; yes, it’s a bit on the sentimental side, but it’s still a beautifully made sprawling epic and well worth a look (IMO)… Recommended.

My score: 8.6/10.

IMDb Score: 7.4/10 (based on 9,616 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1568911/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 78/100 (based on 188 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 76/100 (based on 23,610 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/war_horse/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Albert Narracott: We will be together again.

Major Jamie Stewart: Gentlemen, it is an honor to ride beside you. Make the Kaiser rue the day he crossed swords with us. Let every man do himself, his King, his country, and his fallen comrades proud. Be brave.

Grandfather: Can you imagine flying over a war and you know you can never look down? You have to look forward, or you'll never get home. What could be braver than that?

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

Film Review: LONDON BOULEVARD (2010)

Writer (Screenplay)/Director: William Monahan
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance
UK Release date: 26^th November 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 13^th November 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember when this came out it didn’t make any big ripples in the pool of critical acclaim. Just another British gangster movie was the vibe I got from various sources. Even so, when it recently aired on TV I decided to give it a look. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised to find a very understated, but at the same time, quite violent film that I quite enjoyed. It does have its faults though; I’ll get to them after this very brief summary.

When Mitchel is released from prison having done a three year stretch for an assault he finds it all too easy to slip into his old ways. An old friend, Billy Norton, sets him up with somewhere to live and takes him out collecting protection money in the high rise flats. It’s not what Mitchel wants though and he is tempted with an offer of a job looking after reclusive actress, Charlotte. Her assistant (for want of a better word) Jordan shows him the ropes but he is always being dragged back into the world he is trying to escape. A big crime boss, Gant, wants him to steal from Charlotte, but he has become very attached to her. Can Mitchel get away from the life that sent him to jail or will he be sucked back into that life to protect what he holds dear? There is much more to it than that but the Spoiler Police have threatened to take away my PC if I say any more.

A very well made film with some interesting performances. I thought Colin Farrell did a decent job as Mitchel, although I did find his English accent a bit odd. Keira Knightley also put in a decent turn as the slightly paranoid Charlotte. David Thewlis as Jordan and Anna Friel as Briony (Mitchel’s sister) were excellent. Finally, Ben Chaplin as Billy Norton and (of course), Ray Winstone as Gant both did excellent work also.

I found the film quite confusing at first, there were many threads that started and didn’t really seem to go anywhere. Once the Mitchel/Charlotte storyline gets established though, it does become more coherent. As I said at the beginning, it’s quite violent and so maybe not one for the more squeamish. Rather a lot of time is spent on establishing Mitchel as a gangster and not enough on his blossoming romance with Charlotte. This meant that I ended up not really convinced by their relationship in the end and so it didn’t quite work (for me). It is still worth a watch though and I’d still deem it… Recommended (just).

My score: 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 6.3/10 (based on 13,450 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1213648/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Mitchel: You don't want me to be a gangster. Nobody wants’ me to be a gangster, 'cause I could not stop if I started.
Mitchel: You'd be the first to die.

Charlotte: If I fell in love with you, what would you do about it?
Mitchel: Everything.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/london-boulevard
Trailer:

Film Review: THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS (2008)

Directors: Mark Herman
Running time: 90 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

UK release date: 12th September 2008

Watched on DVD Monday 16th August 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having heard quite a few good things about this film I was quite keen to see what all the fuss was about. I wasn’t disappointed, it’s a very though provoking and, at times (for me at least), a very emotional experience. The setting is Germany during World War Two where a family live in Berlin.

Eight year old Bruno is quite happy living in Berlin, he has many friends to play with, a sister, Gretel, a loving mother and his father is a soldier. When father gets a promotion, however, things are about to change dramatically for the boy. They move to a big house in the countryside where Bruno is initially not happy. He spots what looks like a farm from his bedroom window. All the people working there seem to be wearing striped pyjamas. He asks his mother about it and at first she seems ok with him making new friends, but once she learns the nature of her husband’s new job she changes her mind. Eventually Bruno becomes bored and goes off to explore. He finds his way through the woods until he comes across a high fence behind which is a boy of his own age called Shmuel. Returning often, Bruno soon becomes friends with this strange boy. But all is not what it seems, and things are about to take a very drastic turn for two friends.

Even though it has quite a slow pace I found this film quite absorbing. The music, under the direction of music editor Dick Bernstein, is excellent and fits the mood quite perfectly. Great performances from both Asa Butterfield as Bruno and Jack Scanlon as Shmuel. Also very creditable performances from Vera Farmiga as Elsa (Mother), David Thewlis as Father, Rupert Friend as Lieutenant Kotler and David Hayman as Pavel.

I found it quite a difficult film to watch, but given the subject matter it was never going to be an easy watch. Having said that, the film did portray the innocence of youth very well which is all credit to all involved. The ending is quite dramatic and not for the feint hearted. So, over all, this can be a difficult film to watch, but ultimately it is worth the effort. Recommended.

My score: 8.4/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0914798/
Official Site (UK): http://www.thefilmfactory.co.uk/boy/
Official Site (USA): http://www.boyinthestripedpajamas.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi751566873/