Film Review: MARGIN CALL (2011)

Writer/Director: J.C. Chandor
Running time: 103 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

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

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 3^rd March 2013.

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

This is a film I have wanted to see for some time now. Critically acclaimed on release, I decided early on it had to go on ‘The List’. It finally aired on TV this week and so ‘The List’ became one shorter (although there are still plenty on there). For a film that is very plot driven I found the performances really stood out, which, I guess, is testament to the acting talent on view. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Set around the time of the 2008 financial crash, this film documents the goings on in one investment bank in New York. When the head of risk management, Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci), is made redundant, he passes what he has been working on to his colleague, Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto). Dale looks worried as he hands it over and warns Sullivan to be careful. Sullivan looks at the information and fills in the gaps. What he finds will change the financial market forever. He call in his boss, Will Emerson (Paul Bettany), who is out drinking with another colleague, Seth Bergman (Penn Badgley) at the time. Emerson takes one look and calls in his boss, Sam Rogers (Kevin Spacey), and so it goes on… Rogers boss Jared Cohen (Simon Baker), Sarah Robertson (Demi Moore) and Ramesh Shah (Aasif Mandvi) are all called in and it’s decided they have to call in the head of the company, John Tuld (Jeremy Irons) and the executive board to make a decision. They even bring a reluctant Eric Dale back in to prevent him telling anyone about what he’s discovered. All this occurs in one night and what happens the following day sows the seeds of the financial crash.

On the face of it, this film does not appear to be the kind of thing to inspire an audience. I’m here to tell you that is far from the truth; I found it very compelling and a great eye-opener to the mechanics of the financial crash. Great performances all round with top honours going to Jeremy Irons and Kevin Spacey; both really excelled in this one. I think it’s a film I’d like to see again because the details of the reasons behind it all are quite complex and I’d like to get a better handle on that. It does lose a little momentum in the final quarter but it’s certainly worth investing the time to watch.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 8.1/10.

IMDb Score: 7.1/10 (based on 46,919 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1615147/

MetaScore: 76/100: (Based on 38 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 88/100 (based on 150 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 74/100 (based on 14,990 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/margin_call/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
John Tuld: There are three ways to make a living in this business: be first, be smarter, or cheat.

Eric Dale: I run risk management... it just doesn't seem like a natural place to start cutting.

Will Emerson: Jesus, Seth. Listen, if you really wanna do this with your life you have to believe you're necessary and you are. People wanna live like this in their cars and big fuckin' houses they can't even pay for, then you're necessary. The only reason that they all get to continue living like kings is cause we got our fingers on the scales in their favour. I take my hand off and then the whole world gets really fuckin' fair really fuckin' quickly and nobody actually wants that. They say they do but they don't. They want what we have to give them but they also wanna, you know, play innocent and pretend they have no idea where it came from. Well, that’s more hypocrisy than I'm willing to swallow, so fuck em. Fuck normal people. You know, the funny thing is, tomorrow if all of this goes tits up they're gonna crucify us for being too reckless but if we're wrong, and everything gets back on track? Well then, the same people are gonna laugh till they piss their pants cause we're gonna all look like the biggest pussies God ever let through the door.

Sam Rogers: You are panicking.
John Tuld: If you're first out the door, that's not called panicking.

John Tuld: Maybe you could tell me what is going on. And please, speak as you might to a young child. Or a golden retriever. It wasn't brains that brought me here; I assure you that.

Sarah Robertson: We were wrong.
Jared Cohen: You mean *you* were wrong.
Sam Rogers: I'm heading for the conference room.
Jared Cohen: I want you to hear this.
Sam Rogers: I don't want to hear this. How do you think I've stuck around this place so long?

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margincallmovie
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/margincallmovie
Official Site: http://www.margincallmovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: PRIEST (2011)

Director: Scott Charles Stewart
Writers: Cory Goodman, Min-Woo Hyung (graphic novel series “Priest”)
Running time: 84 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Action/Horror/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 6^th May 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 5^th February 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is one of those films that got slammed by the critics and didn’t do all that well at the box office. I did still want to see it though. Having never read the graphic novels I was totally open to what the film had to offer; I knew there was a sci-fi element to it (very obvious from the trailer) and I guess it is that which attracted me. Anyhow, having watched, and enjoyed, it I’m very happy to add it to my growing list of ‘guilty pleasures’. I will tell you more after this brief summary.

Set in a future where the world had been overrun by vampires and the only weapon humanity had was ‘The Priests’, a group of people with super-human abilities that match and surpass those of the vampires. When the war was won and the vampires locked away the church disbanded the Priests and took away their status. After his niece, Lucy, is kidnapped by a renegade band of vampires one of these priests disobeys his superiors and goes out into the wastelands to find her. He meets a law man, Hicks, who knows his niece and wants to come along to find her. The priest agrees and they are soon on the trail. They discover the vampires have been busy in the wastelands and they are more of a threat than they ever were. They have a new leader, a former Priest, Black Hat, who is something very different and very special. A priestess is sent out to find our priest and bring him back, but she ends up joining their fight. Will they find Lucy before it’s too late? Well, you probably guessed I can’t answer that one here or the Spoiler Police (Priest Division) will be setting their sights on me (again).

A well made film with some very nice CGI and gadgetry, a lot of care obviously went into this aspect. Performance-wise, well everyone was pretty good actually; Paul Bettany was as good as ever as Priest, Karl Urban was mean, moody and menacing as Black Hat, Cam Gigandet did a decent job as Hicks and Maggie Q was also good as the Priestess. Honourable mentions go to; Lily Collins as Lucy Pace and Christopher Plummer as Monsignor Orelas.

There is a very good animated sequence at the beginning of the film that nicely sets up the history behind the storyline. I thought it was very well done and saved a lot of time in the narrative of the film itself. Talking of time, I thought the length of the film was just right; at just under 90 minutes there’s not enough time to get bored as the action does move along at a decent pace. One thing it did suffer from though was its 12 (or 12A in cinemas) certificate, I don’t see how you can make a half-decent action movie and keep the violence down to that level. For me it tamed it down a little too much and I would have liked to have seen at least a 15 certificate version. I watched it in 2D, 3D is lost on me… I don’t see the point of it I’m afraid. I have no religious affiliations and so was not offended by references made to the church. I know some might be, so please bear this in mind if you feel inclined to watch it. Over all, despite a few niggles; I quite enjoyed this film and would happily watch it again at some point. For me, it’s recommended, but I know there are many out there who may disagree.

My score: 6.8/10.

IMDb Score: 5.7/10 (based on 39,510 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0822847/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 17/100 (based on 90 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 37/100 (based on 48,431 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009274-priest/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Black Hat: [With an evil smirk] After all, if you're not committing sin... you're not having fun.

Priest: [Hicks has finally grown a pair and saves Priest's life] You would have made a good priest.
Hicks: Thanks!
Priest: [Small pause] Don't let it go to your head!

Hicks: [Priest is carving crosses into bullets] What's with all the bullets? I thought priests didn't use firearms.
Priest: We don't. They're for you.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/priest/
Official Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/PriestMovie
Official Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PriestMovie?sk=app_107916972622270
Trailer:

Film Review: THE DA VINCI CODE (2006)

Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Akiva Goldsman (Screenplay), Dan Brown (Novel)
Running time: 149 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Mystery/Thriller
UK Release date: 19^th May 2006

Watched on DVD Tuesday 27^th December 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Whilst visiting some friends this film came up in conversation for some reason, I can’t exactly remember just why now, but needless to say, a viewing was hastily arranged. Having previously read the book I had a pretty good idea about the storyline and so settled down to enjoy Ron Howard’s interpretation. I will give you my thoughts after this very brief summary.

A murder has been committed at the Louvre museum in Paris; an eminent professor has been killed, but he has left clues to the identity of his murderer. Robert Langdon, an expert in symbology is called in by the police… but do they have an ulterior motive? The victim’s granddaughter, cryptologist Sophie Neveu warns Langdon that he is in danger. They manage to fool the police into thinking they’ve escaped and take to opportunity to look for clues. What they find leads them to a revelation that, if made public, would blow religion wide apart! To this end, they are also pursued by an agent of the church, Silas, a cold blooded killer… I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police will have me clapped in irons (again).

This is a very well made film that looks great on the screen; you can tell there was a good chunk of money thrown at the project. The music, by Hans Zimmer,was also great and fitted the visuals perfectly. As far as performances go, well I thought the best performance came from Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing, for me he stood out. Honourable mentions must go to; Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu, Jean Reno as Captain Bezu Fache, Paul Bettany as Silas and Alfred Molina as Bishop Manuel Aringarosa.

In scanning through other reviews, the phrase, ‘not as good as the book’ seems to come up quite a lot, and I must say I agree, the book is better. Having said that, I did find that, although it is very long, the time passed pretty quickly due to the fast-paced storytelling. The problem with this is that it’s quite easy to miss a vital piece of the puzzle and that can be annoying. For me, it was a decent effort to put on the screen quite a complicated tale. Unfortunately if falls down because there are just a couple too many coincidences that work out. A blind alley here and there might have helped (IMO). At the end of the day, if you haven’t read the book it’s still an entertaining watch and one that may well spark a little debate. (It certainly did with me and my friends!)… Recommended (just).

My Score: 6.5/10.

IMDb Score: 6.4/10 (based on 147,704 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0382625/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 25/100 (based on 220 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 64/100 (based on 682,325 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/da_vinci_code/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Silas: Stop now. Tell me where it is.
[removes hood]
Silas: You and your brethren possess what is not rightfully yours.
Jacques Saunière: I don't know what you are talking about.
Silas: Is it a secret you will die for?
Jacques Saunière: Please...
Silas: As you wish.
[cocks gun]

Robert Langdon: It's an old wives' tale.
Sir Leigh Teabing: The original one, in fact!

Robert Langdon: The ancient male symbol was the blade, it's a basic phallus. It's still used today on military uniforms.
Sir Leigh Teabing: Yes, and the more penises you have, the higher your rank. Boys will be boys!

[last lines]
Robert Langdon: She rests at last beneath starry skies.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/davincicode/international/
Trailer:

Film Review: THE TOURIST (2010)

Co-Writer/Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Crime/Thriller/Romance
UK Release date: 10^th December 2010

Watched on Sky+ Monday 14^th November 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Although this was never going to be a film that would win any great praise from the great and the good (professional film critics to you and me), I found it still had some good points. I remember it getting a pretty luke-warm reception when it came out and so I was never tempted to part with my cash at the box-office. So it was a TV viewing for me, which was adequate enough for a film that suffers slightly from ‘style over substance’. More of my thoughts after this brief summary.

Interpol are watching the beautiful Elise Clifton-Ward in Paris. She is being watched because of her association with one Alexander Pearce who is wanted in several countries. Elise receives a note from Alexander telling her to board a train to Venice and find a man of his height and build so the police would follow him when they got off. She chooses an American tourist, a mathematics teacher called Frank Tupelo. They get talking and have dinner together and when it comes time to leave the police already have his picture… Also hot on Alexander’s tail is a gangster he stole money from, Reginald Shaw, and he’s not one to be trifled with… I’ll leave it there or the Spoiler Police will be distributing my picture across Europe.

It’s all beautifully shot, but with locations in both Paris and Venice you can hardly fail to get some great shots though. The performances were all pretty good without anyone particularly standing out; Johnny Depp was pretty good as Frank Tupelo, as was Angelina Jolie as Elsie Clifton-Ward. Paul Bettany as Inspector John Acheson and Timothy Dalton as Chief Inspector Jones also did a decent job. Finally, Steven Berkoff was suitably intimidating as Reginald Shaw.

There was a bit more humour than I was expecting with the best one-liner being given to Timothy Dalton at the end (sorry I can’t put it in the review it might give too much away). Of course there also has to be a little slapstick from Johnny Depp; a chase sequence that wouldn’t have been out of place had he been wearing a pirate uniform springs to mind. I guess where the film falls down though is a rather weak plot that doesn’t really tax the little grey cells too much. I must admit I expected more from a stylish thriller of this type. As far as the music goes, well there’s not really much to talk about until the closing credits where they use a song by, the rather excellent, Muse. Over all though, a little too much style over substance… Ok for a TV viewing but I wouldn’t spend any cash on the DVD or Blu-Ray.

My score: 6.6/10

IMDb Score: 5.9/10 (based on 57,046 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1243957/

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

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Frank Tupelo: My name's Frank.
Elise: That's a terrible name.
Frank Tupelo: [shrugs] It's the only one I've got.
Elise: Perhaps we can find you a new one.

Frank Tupelo: Why is everyone trying to kill me?

Hotel Waiter Guido: Bongiorno!
Frank Tupelo: Bon Jovi!

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thetourist/
Trailer:

Film Review: LEGION (2009)

Co-Writer/Director: Scott Charles Stewart
Running time: 96 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Adventure
USA Release date: 5th March 2010

Watched on DVD Sunday 22nd May 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This film has attracted some really bad reviews but I decided to see for myself just what everyone was getting so het up about. Well, although it’s not the best film in the world, it’s far far better than many would have you believe. Yes, the premise is pretty preposterous, but I like the execution and I like the performances and so it turned out not as awful as I feared. I should say for the record that I’m not a religious man as so wasn’t offended by the use of religious iconography in this film.

A waitress, Charlie, who works in a diner on a deserted road in the Mojave Desert is heavily pregnant. She is looked after by Jeep Hanson and his father Bob, who owns the diner. It’s a typical day with the usual comings and goings, but there’s something in the air. And when a sweet old lady tells Charlie her baby is going to burn before going crazy and trying to kill everyone, they all know something is seriously wrong. Then a stranger arrives, he is heavily armed and ready for a fight. He calls himself Michael and claims he is a fallen angel. He has come to save Charlie’s baby from the coming apocalypse as he is the only hope for mankind. More people arrive, but they are possessed and have only one thing on their minds. Many are killed but they are soon beaten back. Can this small band hold out until the baby comes, or will the possessed return to take the baby? A tough one I know, but I’m not going to tell you here.

The film is pretty well made with some nice special effects and some decent performances. It is let down by a rather weak story that could have been done with much more mystery than it was. Decent performances all round; Paul Bettany did a good job as Michael, although I felt he wasn’t really stretched, although he did have some of the best dialogue. Lucas Black was ok as Jeep Hanson and it was nice to see Dennis Quaid as his father Bob. Tyrese Gibson was also good as the reformed bad guy Kyle Williams and Adrianne Palicki was ok, without being spectacular as Charlie. Finally a mention for Charles S. Dutton who did a good job as the chef, Percy Walker.

It very much put me in mind of the 1976 John Carpenter film, Assault on Precinct 13 with the quite claustrophobic feel of it. It’s just a shame that the premise behind the storyline wasn’t better thought out, or that the character of Michael didn’t have more mystery about him. As I said at the beginning though, I think it was well produced and there were some decent performances. I know many won’t agree, but I didn’t dislike it all that much… I won’t recommend it, but neither will I consign it to the reject pile, with this one I’ll give you a free choice.

My Score: 5.2/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1038686/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/legion_2010/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/legion/
Trailer: