Another month, another 4 films…
Iron Man is the first film in Marvel’s attempt to reboot their film universe, after some fairly awful entries. The failings of this film are the same for most Hollywood action films: they’re made for what is expected to be the lowest common denominator (that great, traditional cinema has a more universal appeal is a debate for another post, but think of something like Goodfellas). The plot is fairly moronic, being nothing more than an attempt to tell the origin story quickly and get onto a series of CGI action sequences and cameos (for other Marvel characters). Big, loud, and fast. As the genre goes, it’s not a terrible entry: Robert Downey Jr. is an inspired choice, even if Tony Stark has gone from obsessive alcoholic genius, the prototypical flawed hero, to brash-but-brilliant, crowd-pleasing asshole. Where it lacks good storytelling, it makes some inroads with the action. Watchable.
The quiet, British indie film, Cashback, has a decent premise: an art student obsesses over the female form (while working in a supermarket), often stopping time to fully indulge his compulsion. It’s left purposefully opaque as to the extent and reality of this talent, flipping back and forth between assuming it’s real or just his imagination. That’s fine though: the frozen time scenes are merely a mechanism for exploring the character, and on that level the film is a success. Cashback suffers from being stretched too thin (perhaps as a result of being an expanded version of a short film) as some of the other characters and the plot lines are shoe-horned in or lack depth, notably his best friend. Still, it’s a decent enough film when it focusses on it’s stronger parts.
Here’s a concept: a horror film where it is abundantly clear that the nemesis, whether ghost, monster or zombie, has the main characters in a place where it can’t be stopped, hurt or, for the most part, seen. Outpost is that movie. You may think that this would make for quite a dramatic, fraught, survival piece but the opposite is true: it lacks tension or scares, and sadly lacks a coherent plot. For some reason, the Nazi ghosts are murdering a group of soldiers who stumble upon an abandoned bunker, making for some of the most conveniently capricious baddies you’re likely to see. They can kill everyone at any time, but stick with one at a time kills until the plot calls for more. There are some decent elements (the creepy pale man) but they’re never utilised as fully as they could be. Relatively weak.
Finally, the much awaited Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull shows that even the relatively sacred Indiana Jones franchise is capable of producing an absolute stinker. There is little to like about this film. The story is nonsensical, fan-pleasing hookum in the worst sense. It reads like fan fiction. You expect the author’s favourite band to turn up and high-five Shia LaBeouf (who is awful in this), it’s honestly that bad. The fun, family adventures (occult themes not withstanding) have been replaced by farce. The impeccably solid stunt-work has been replaced by piss weak CGI and ludicrous ideas. The evil ants climb up each other like a cartoon? Shia LeBeouf becomes Tarzan? That accent was supposed to be acting? Tragically bad, and not so tragic that it’s funny either.
The winner for May 2008 is Cashback. It wouldn’t have won in many other months, but it’s core is a good enough film to warrant a watch.