| |
Cinderella
Man
Cert: 12A
Starring: Russell
Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Craig Bierko, Paddy
Considine, Paul Giamatti, Bruce McGill
Director: Ron
Howard
Running Time: 144
minutes
|
 |
Just
prior to the Wall Street crash that kick-started the great American
depression, James J Bradock, played here by Russell Crowe, is an
up-and-coming star in the world of boxing. However, four short
years later and it’s a different story: a fatal combination
of injury and bad luck have seen his career decline massively.
Things soon go from bad to worse – he loses his license to
fight, and as a result of which, Braddock struggles to support
his wife Mae (Renée Zellweger) and their three children.
One day, a long-overdue lucky break surfaces in the form of an
ex-manager, bringing along with him the offer of one last make-or-break
fight.
The major triumph in Cinderella Man is unquestionable the fight
sequences. They are as brutal as they are realistic, and never
once have to rely on the way-over-the-top action seen throughout
the Rocky series. Another major element of interest throughout
is Bradock’s life: it was remarkable enough to form the kind
of story you usually only expect to see in the movies. By all accounts,
director Ron Howard has kept the film as close to real events as
possible, which hardly comes as a surprise, judging by the man’s
elaborate history.
Russell Crowe is extremely convincing as a boxer, both physically
and emotionally, and although Howard may have not placed as much
of an emphasis on Bradock’s personal life as it perhaps warranted,
there’s no doubting that this is a solid, well acted, and
extremely rewarding film. An early contender for big Oscar nominations. |
The
Dukes of Hazzard
Cert: 15
Starring: Ray Liotta, Jason Statham, André Benjamin,
Vincent Pastore
Director:Guy Ritchie
Running Time: 115
minutes
|
 |
Oh
dear. Oh dear oh dear. By the time you read this, you may well
have already heard the vicious slating Revolver has managed
to earn itself by the British media. I for one was willing
to give it a shot: after all, the guy who directed the excellent
Snatch is surely capable of making at least one more decent
movie, right? Er, right? Anybody?
Anyway, here’s the ‘plot’ -- Jake Green (Jason
Statham) is a masterful gambler who gets mixed up with a gangster,
Macha (Ray Liotta), some triads and a super-powerful crime
boss called Mr Gold. Events become increasingly unlikely (and
needlessly complicated) as various criminal factions cross
and double-cross each other. Poor ol’ Jake Green apparently
understands even less than the audience, and feels it necessary
to share his confusion by the way of a highly irritating voice
over.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, the entire film
is dotted with ‘borrowed’ ideas, shamelessly nicked
from other far superior pictures (The Usual Suspects and Kill
Bill being 2 that spring to mind), and then has the audacity
to question its own highly flawed logic: Does Mr Gold really
exist? Is Mr Green actually Mr Gold? Once you get half way
through, you’ll neither know nor care.
After watching Revolver, you have to wonder whether anyone
will ever let Guy Ritchie direct another film. Judging on the
basis of this, I can only hope not. Incoherent, pompous, unoriginal
and, most criminally of all, just plain bad. Avoid like the
plague. |
Wolf
Creek
Cert: 18
Starring: John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath,
Kestie Morassi, Nathan Phillips
Director: Greg McLean
Running Time: 99
minutes
|
Wolf
Creek tries to portray the isolation of the Australian outback,
creating a hellish world where crazed killers can go about
their business without anyone noticing. A nice idea, although
it only partly succeeds.
Sydney boy Bazza is driving across his homeland with two English
travellers, Kristy and Liz, when their car breaks down by a
meteor crater called Wolf Creek (a real-life location, Wolfe
Creek, actually exists in the Australian outback). In the middle
of the night, an apparently friendly local turns up and offers
them a lift. No prizes for guessing what his intentions are.
As a result, things get nasty – very nasty – but
it’s never all that tense. You kind of get the feeling
that this might be another attempt to make something that feels
very real and un-movie-like but, if this is the case, it definitely
backfires.
A slow build-up, a not particularly frightening middle and
a substandard ending. |
Land
of The Dead
Cert: 15
Starring: Simon Baker, John Leguizamo,
Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy
Director: George A. Romero
Running Time: 93 minutes
|
 |
 |
George
A Romero is the granddaddy of the zombie genre, no questions
asked. Since his original 1968 classic, Dawn Of The Dead, Romero
has been admired the world over for pioneering one of cinema’s
bloodiest movements.
So, 38 years down the line, is it all still relevant? And is
this, his purported ‘masterpiece’, actually any
good? Well, despite lacking the pace and flair shown by Zack
Snyder's recent remake of the original Dawn Of The Dead, yes
it is.
Here, zombies have taken over the planet, and the last few
humans are holed up in a city which is protected by rivers
the zombies can’t cross. The rich people live in a skyscraper
owned by the pantomime-nasty Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), while
the poor struggle in the streets. Riley (Simon Baker) leads
a team of scavengers who go out in a big lorry/tank called
Dead Reckoning and look for supplies for the city folk in the
towns occupied by the zombies. On one such mission Riley notices
that the zombies are getting steadily smarter.
This, however, is where things start to go a little downhill
(not to mention confusing). Rather than needlessly complicated
plot devices, Romero could have instead included more gore,
more action, and indeed, more zombies – after all, this
is what his hardcore contingent of fans will be expecting from
a movie entitled The Land Of The Dead.
The special effects and make-up are very decent indeed, and
there are a few laughs to be had along the way, but there is
often a distinct lack of tension and excitement. Ultimately,
the below-adequate acting gives the whole thing a little too
much of an old-school, B movie feel.
It’s fun, but it’s hardly likely to win over many
new fans.
|
|
|
