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Reviews
Mr. Turner (2014)
We all live in amazing times..
Let me start by saying that I greatly enjoyed this film. That's not to say that I don't agree with some of the other reviews that say it's over long because it probably is. I also felt that the film lacked a central theme, or more likely had too many running in parallel as it tried to incorporate too many diverse aspects of Turner's life. However I deemed this film to be exceptional for three reasons.
Firstly it is intrinsically beautiful. Each scene is perfectly framed, coloured and lit. It's done in a way that I felt I was seeing what Turner would have seen and what inspired his painting.
Secondly the cast in the main give an excellent performance, Timothy Spall and Dorothy Atkinson in particular were both superb.
The third and main reason why I enjoyed the film so much is admittedly towards the end of the film where Turner reflects on the amazing times in which he lived and his hope for the future. Surely we all live in amazing times but he marveled with some trepidation at the arrival of photography and the railway and pondered deeply on how it would affect society. This really struck a chord with me reminding me that we all live in amazing times, whenever they are.
Locke (2013)
A masterclass of creative and original thinking
Firstly I have to say I am a huge fan of Steven Knight films. I like them because they contain accurate detail and they are relatable even when they are outside of my/your usual experience. It's the accurate detail that makes everything else so believable.
Locke is like watching a masterclass in how to write and how to deliver a story. Tom Hardy holds it all together as the lead character but for me the story and the way it's presented is the high point of the film. I learned more about concrete than I ever needed to know, but as I said earlier it is precisely this attention to detail that makes the other elements of the story so believable.
The film kept me engaged throughout and I liked the way that the action happens in almost real-time when considering the journey being made.
I hadn't heard much about this film before seeing it but was pleasantly surprised.
Now You See Me (2013)
Good Trailer, Poor Film
I'm not wholly sure why I don't like this film, but I really don't. I think that it tried too hard to be clever, and I clearly didn't 'get it'
There is nothing wrong with the cast, I like them all and there's no one I would single out as having an 'off day' or providing a poor performance. There are many twists and turns in the script, which I would normally approve of but I'm not sure that the lack of a story is the problem. The main story is unnecessarily convoluted with a condescending need to re-cap events and explain how you were misdirected the first time you saw this. When the director keeps showing me something and then saying that wasn't what happened it doesn't take long for me to stop caring about what just happened. The result is a film that's much too long and takes far too long to get to the point so that when the final twist did happen I just didn't care anymore.
I was intrigued by the great trailer for this film, but it over-sells the actual film which was very disappointing.
The Internship (2013)
Don't think about it too hard
Some times you just want entertainment. I saw this film at an advance preview showing and had low expectations.
However, I really enjoyed the film. The story kind of goes the way you would expect and there's no great message or life lesson in the film but it did have a lot of well observed old fashioned comedy which had me laughing out loud.
The film has a good script and some hilarious physical comedy too. It's a predictable "underdog" story but don't be put off by that. Don't over- analyze the script or the cast, just let it all happen and enjoy it.
Allow yourself to be entertained and marvel at this well crafted and very funny film
Hummingbird (2013)
Good people doing bad things
I saw this film on the strength of Steven Knight being the writer and director.
As with two of his other films (Dirty Pretty Things and Eastern Promise) it provides a dark view into the London that you always suspected might be there but prefer not to think about. I went with an open mind because I'd not heard of Agata Buzek and I'm no fan of Jason Statham, but this is a truly superb story and the delivery by all of the cast is excellent.
What Steven Knight does so amazingly well in all of his films is show us essentially good people struggling to do the right things because of their personal circumstances. Both Statham and Buzek are flawed characters. They both know how they should behave but somehow can't live up to that ideal. The strength of the film is in watching the internal anguish of these characters as they try to overcome their current situation whilst at the same time both are looking for some form of 'redemption' for their past actions.
The other 'star' of the film, for me, is the location. Knight clearly has a thorough knowledge of London and the Covent Garden setting is well thought through in the way that it fits with other aspects of the film (Stathams 'employment' and Buzeks lifelong obsession are both within easy walking distance).
I'm not sure this film would make my top 10 list, but it definitely gets into the top 50.