The second last film fight of the year brings us another four slices of cinema.
Quantum of Solace fails to win over the audience in all the ways that Casino Royale, it’s immediate predecessor, managed to win so easily two years ago. The gritty realism is shattered by being dressed up in Jason Bourne clothes (no bad thing) and being made to dance for Hollywood physics (the fall from the plane, for example). More importantly it lacks a real plot, with action sequences falling one after the other in lieu of a real narrative. There are too many ideas here that are simply incongrouent to the world that we’re supposed to believe in. The work done so hard not so long ago has been undone. It’s not at Die Another Die levels of awful, but it’s getting perilously close. Avoid.
Kevin Smith has always walked the fine line between gross-out comedy, heartfelt characterisation and intelligent geek banter. Zack and Miri Make a Porno is, in a lot of ways, perfectly in the middle of those concerns, and now that he’s found this balance we realise it’s not exactly what we want. It’s not that Zack and Miri is a bad film; it’s sweet in places, very funny in others, and painfully bad in the remainder. The problem is that it’s not consistently funny throughout, and there are not enough laughs to hold interest. I like Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as the leads, but the chemistry between the two is a little forced. Of note, though, is Justin Long in an early film-stealing cameo. Like some of Smith’s earlier works, this is worth seeing but if you just want the gut laughs, I’d go look at Rogen’s back catalogue first.
Chuck Palahniuk’s excellent Choke has finally been adapted for the big screen (role on Survivor), but manages to disappoint in several ways. The director, rather than cut down the number of plot strands or increase the run time, has taken the bizarre decision to shove everything into the film and hope that it works. It doesn’t. Nothing really seems fully developed: not the relationship with the lead’s mother, not even the reason he chokes every night in the arms of a stranger. Everything is wasted. Stylistically, it’s beautiful. Artistically, Sam Rockwell puts in a very good version of Victor Mancini. Story-wise, it’s all technically there but, as a whole, it’s less than the sum of its parts. A shame.
Finally, The Changeling is the latest from Cliff Eastwood and the first time we’ve seen Angelina Jolie actually act since Girl Interrupted. It’s about a woman who has to fight against authority when they return the wrong boy when her son goes missing. As with all of Eastwood’s films, the cinematography is exceptionally well-done; big, bold, crisp art direction, beautiful lighting, and perfect costume and make-up. Where he falls down is trying to extend the material for a running time longer than it can take. There’s plenty of slack towards the end of the movie that can easily go. Although Jolie is fantastic here, a lot of the supporting cast are given less to work with. The third-tier characters are actually pretty one-dimensional, with tired stereotypes being trotted out a little too often (the hooker with a heart of gold, for example). Small niggles aside, the confident performances and top notch direction make this an excellent movie. Well worth seeing.
The winner is… The Changeling.