Tangled

Golden and Charming

Despite being a 22-year old guy, every time the "Cinderella Castle" appears and the music that filled my childhood begins to play, I can't help but be reminded of all the memories Disney have given me over the years. Their casting of Robin Williams as Aladdin's Genie started my interest in acting, their collaborative work with Pixar's Toy Story began my love for film, and they also knew how to frighten the utter piss out of childhood me, be it via pink elephants with no eyes in Dumbo or gigantic and evil whale Monstro in Pinocchio (still to this day, probably one of the most disturbing childrens films ever!)

Last year in 2010, when Disney returned to their traditional 'hand-drawn Princess movie' with The Princess and the Frog, I was a little tentative, especially with the possible sloppy stereotypes into which Disney could have fallen. Thankfully the film worked and earned both praise and profit.  A Now with all the demographics represented, and since there hadn't been a white Princess since Belle in Beauty and the Beast (1994!), Disney have retreated to what they know best; Caucasian princess fairy-tales.

Tangled tells the story of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) and her incredibly long and magical golden hair. More in-depth explanation? Okay, there's an old woman who steals young baby Rapunzel from her King and Queen parents for her magical hair to keep her ever-youthful. She keeps her hidden in a tower and deprives her of knowing about the outside world. When Rapunzel runs into a dashing thief, Flynn Rider (Chuck's Zachary Levi), they team up to visit the kingdom she came from to realise her dream of seeing some lanterns. (Weak dream right? Don't worry, it works when you watch it.)

Occasionally computer-animated Disney films are themed around some technological advancement. For example, Monsters Inc. was able to look so realistic due to the groundbreaking advancements in creating the fur for Sully's and other monsters' bodies. The same goes for Finding Nemo and their realistic water animation, and now they have mastered the realistic look of a young girl's hair, and there is plenty of it in Tangled.

Tangled is Disney's 50th animated feature film, and they have gone all-out, spending $260 million on the development and promotion, making it the most expensive animated film ever, and second only to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for Most Expensive Film Ever Made. At the time of writing, it's also the second highest grossing animated film, having earned $537 million. Not too shabby, some would say the price-tag was worth it.

With all that money behind it, you can see the difference it made, as the film looks absolutely beautiful. The backgrounds and settings look like they have been painted and are incredibly detailed. The film also includes a sequence involving flying Chinese lanterns that I count as one of the best things Disney have ever done. It's magical, romantic, and overall, jaw-dropping when you see it.

The plot may be a little thin, but it is supported by well-written characters. An innocent and naive protagonist Rapunzel, the humorous and dashing rogue Flynn and the antagonist Mother Gothel who, despite her over-controlling possessive qualities, still loves and cares for Rapunzel. Rapunzel and Flynn have a realistic chemistry and interact well with each other. As the antagonist, Gothel especially stood out for me, with her evil qualities portrayed subtly and through passive-aggressive techniques (e.g. annoyance shown through sarcasm and snide remarks), and her overbearing being shown to be both selfish and caring.

However the characters don't go through much of an emotional arc, with Rapunzel's main life aspirations not being that unreachable, and the main revelation towards the end of the film is quite flimsy and quickly put-together. Plus with Gothel coming across as both caring and manipulative, and the secondary villains (the Stabbington Brothers) pushed to the side for most of the film, the film suffers with having no real villain and must leave children wondering who to hate.

All-in-all, it's a fantastically made film, with a witty and sharp script, if there are a few plot-holes here and there, but it's a fairytale after all! One of the best animations released in a long time, and very reminiscent of the Renaissance period of Disney's history when The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast were watched by the world's children. With Disney's re-resurgence, I can only hope for more films of this quality to come in the future.

Black Swan

The Lady In Black

I've been a fan of Darren Aronofsky since his debut in 1998 with π (Pi), a psychological thriller in which a number theorist obsesses and dedicates most of his adult life and fragile psyche to numbers. Despite π's modest budget, Aronofsky managed to create a complicated yet intriguing film with its basis being in quite a boring subject.

After π, Aronofsky created the more commerically-successful Requiem for a Dream (a film that will put anyone off drugs), the unsuccessful romantic-drama The Fountain, and the critically acclaimed The Wrestler. Aronofsky still had to create a film I disliked. So that's why I was quite confident when I saw the trailer for his newest psychological thriller Black Swan as well as their incredible marketing strategy.  Five different styles of posters, all classically made and aesthetically pleasing, all depicting a woman turning into the titular black swan. Despite the trailer showing more of a physical transformation, the film effectively treads the line between surreal and cerebral.

Black Swan tells the story of Nina Sayers, stunningly played by Natalie Portman in a career-high performance. Nina is a member of a prestigious New York ballet school who is picked to be the lead role in their new production of 'Swan Lake'. As the lead, Nina has to embody the dual roles of The White Swan (eloquent and timid) and The Black Swan (passionate and sensual), a task that director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassell) doubts Nina can do. Through Leroy's advances and encouragement from fellow ballet dancer Lily (Mila Kunis), Nina begins to tap into her sensual side, resulting in her protected and repressed life becoming more at risk.

Can I just say? Annette Benning, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence and Michelle Williams; don't practice your acceptance speeches this year. Natalie Portman is walking away with the Best Actress Oscar this year, hands down. Your work in your respective films may be very impressive, but no actress has performed with as much passion and enthusiasm as Portman does in Black Swan. Her transformation from a timid supporting-ballerina to a driven no-nonsense, obsessed performer is as mesmerising as it is disturbing. Her character arc is the most prominent I have seen in a while, and I was captivated by this one woman's change in personality and appearance.

Her co-stars are also brilliant for Nina to interact with. Mila Kunis plays Nina's enigmatic and spontaneous friend/rival Lily with lots of vigour and believability; Vincent Cassell confidently acts as the head of production Thomas, with his high expectations for Nina and guiding (and wandering) hands forming the mold; and Barbara Herschey chillingly plays Nina's mother Erica Sayers, a failed dancer turned amateur artist who tries to control much of Nina's life. All the cast add another layer to the film and to the breakdown of Nina's psyche, especially Herschey, who's performance more than deserves recognition from the Oscar committee, however like a certain Mr. Nolan, Herschey will have to go waiting.

Although it's not all about the actors. Everything in Black Swan feels as carefully choreographed as the ballet it portrays. The music by Clint Mansell is as beautifully constructed as any of his previous work, and he utilises the Swan Lake score masterfully. Aronofsky's direction has rightfully earned him an Oscar nomination, as his film tentatively plays with the surreal hallucination scenes, hoping the audience will stick with the film during these confusing moments. The ballet scenes also are poetically staged and arranged, as well as breathtakingly performed by Portman and Kunis. Their dedication can clearly be seen, and Portman's final performance as The Black Swan truly had me captivated.

Seriously, don't let the films surreal moments put you off watching this absolute masterpiece of a film. The performances from the cast, especially Natalie Portman, are worth the ticket price alone. Those combined with the amazing soundtrack, breathtaking choreography and truly twisted storyline all create a film that will definitely stay with you after the curtain is drawn.

Rating - 9/10

The Green Hornet

No Sting In The Tail

This is as 3D as the film gets...

The only things I knew about The Green Hornet film, radio serial and other incarnations before I watched the 2011 film were:

1. Seth Rogen had slimmed down a tremendous amount to star in this film, so I knew that his performance would have some passion and enthusiasm behind it.
2. Bruce Lee had starred as the original Kato, so Jay Chau had some big shoes to fill as far as fans of the originals went.
3. Michel Gondry was directing. Although an odd director/film combination, I expected the personal touches he had brought to films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep; such as handmade props, innovative and alternative camera angles and with 3D technology at his disposal, utilising that to the best of it's capabilities.

I, and many of the general public, didn't really know the storyline apart from what was told to us through the trailer and advertising for the film: Rogen plays Britt Reid, a rich playboy son of a newspaper tycoon (Tom Wilkinson). When his father is murdered, Britt inherits the newspaper and tries to take on the crime in the city with his sidekick/butler Kato (Jay Chau) by posing as criminals to get closer to the criminal kingpin Chudnovsky (Christoph Waltz). Along the way, he is assisted by his secretary Lenore Case (the terribly-miscast Cameron Diaz).

Bit convoluted, but as far as origin stories go, it's pretty simple. As Reid wastes his life partying, his father's death brings him to realise his and Kato's full potential. However, with both Britt and Kato's relationship with Reid Snr. being the main reasons behind their catalyst, we don't learn much first-hand, as Reid Snr. is killed in the first ten minutes, and the relationships between the two anti-heroes and Mr Reid are simply told to us through anecdotes. Maybe Mr Wilkinson could only work for one day?

Rogen obviously has the passion for the project as he seems to be enjoying himself throughout the film, and Chau effectively shows off his extensive knowledge of martial arts and his athleticism but, the partnership between the two never feels even, which is actually addressed during the film. Whilst Kato is rightfully labelled a “human Swiss-Army knife', Britt doesn't really bring anything to the team, requiring him to use weapons, and not always to the best outcomes. Britt often calls Kato his 'sidekick' but Kato seems to be the only member of the team that realistically could be a crime-fighter. Britt can't even fight hand-to-hand against a ordinary gang member without requiring Kato to step in and help him. Despite the origin of their friendship being slightly rushed and unexplored, as well as the uneven feeling to it, the two have a realistic chemistry and win over the audience quite quickly.

Although, a hero is just as good as his villain, and The Green Hornet's villain is crime kingpin Chudnovsky, played by the brilliant Christoph Waltz, made famous by his Oscar-winning performance in Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. In Inglorious, Waltz steals every scene he is in through his impeccable delivery and charming persona.

However in Hornet, he seems relegated to a storyline about how he can make himself more villainous to keep up-to-date with today's society. Whilst this identity crisis might be a new approach to handling a villain, his first scene sees him told a laundry list of reasons why he's not imposing or threatening, thanks to an impressive cameo from James Franco. Not the great start to a “Hero vs. Villain” narrative. His character barely interacts with The Green Hornet and so the hero/villain dynamic is never established. The Hornet seems to be fighting the concept of local crime, with Chudnovsky merely an example of it.

Also I was quite disappointed by Gondry's lack of personal input in the film. It is by far his most main-stream film, which I suppose it needed to be with The Green Hornet being quite a low-key franchise. But if the studios wanted a pretty “safe” film with few surreal moments or innovative camera angles etc, then why employ a director known for such trademarks? The 3D is hardly utilised as well, with more of the impressive visuals appearing in the credits than the actual film.

Despite my nitpicks about the storyline being a bit thin and Gondry playing it safe, the film is entertaining and the banter between Rogen and Chau constantly makes you smile and enjoy the ride. Honestly, I don't see a franchise coming out of this release, but it is nice to see quite obscure material being brought to the Silver Screen rather than the already-famous comic-books or television shows being remade.

Rating - 5/10

The Next Three Days

Law-Breaking Gladiator

I'm steadily becoming less interested in Russell Crowe. He seems to be bringing less to the acting table every time I watch him. He started off very well, appropriately playing the Australian tough-man Hando in Romper Stomper, earned a place within my Favourite Actors with his role of 'Budd' White in L.A. Confidential, and was on top of the acting world when he won the Best Actor Oscar for his role of Maximus in Gladiator, which he fully deserved.

However, nowadays, with his partnership with Ridley Scott bordering on Burton/Depp, his roles seem to be becoming blander and blander, with a possible exception being his role in American Gangster. They even decided to re-release Gladiator under the title "Robin Hood" to remind us of how well he could act. Unfortunately the role was undercut with a dreadful accent, resulting in me and other people not being able to take him seriously.

His latest role in The Next Three Days has him playing husband to a wrongly-imprisoned wife, father to a motherless son, and he will break her out of prison. In the next three days, or the next after that!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Crowe plays John Brennan, a high-school teacher who's wife (Elizabeth Mitchell) is imprisoned for the murder of her boss, although she implores her innocence. She gets sentenced to life imprisonment so the level-headed teacher decides the only logical reaction is to break her out of prison in a very intricate and difficult method.

Along the way, he gathers help from a three-minute cameo of Liam Neeson, Olivia Wilde in a fine twin example of pointless casting and misused talent, as well as his father (Brian Dehenny). The fact that the most screen-time any of these fantastic actors gets is about five minutes lets you know this film is incredibly Crowe-heavy. Unfortunately it's these moments of interaction where the most interesting dynamics appear, and then Crowe retreats into his 'single-father/genius-escapologist/loner' mode to bore us once more. Again, this might just be my personal feelings towards Crowe, but I would have much rather seen Neeson in the title role, as I felt he could have brought some of the personal revenge performance that made Taken such a underrated thrill.

The entire film is built up to the titular “Next Three Days”, however they aren't given enough screen-time and don't deliver much pay-off. More attention is given to “The Last Three Years” and then “The Last Three Months” to focus on how Crowe's character carefully plans his scheme. When discussing this film with a friend, they brought up the similarities the film has with another 'broken-man-turned-intricate-genius' film; Law-Abiding Citizen.

Citizen features another determined father using three years to his advantage to plot an incredibly over-the-top revenge scheme, with fantastic and entertaining results. Whilst the plot-lines don't exactly follow suit, there is a feeling throughout The Next Three Days that we are watching the bits that Citizen felt were too boring. Whilst it is interesting to see how Crowe discovered some of the methods he tried and failed with, we were shown a poster of Crowe and Mitchell running, with the promise of it being a 'thriller'. Crowe breaks out Mitchell in the last quarter of the film, run a bit, then it's over. Hardly as thrilling as Gerald “It's gonna be biblical” Butler's shenanigans.

In short: looking for a thriller where a father gets revenge on a travesty of justice, and the results are heart-pounding and impressive, if a little unrealistic? Watch Law Abiding Citizen.

Looking for a drama where a father plots an escape for a long three years for it to unravel in quick three minutes? All for a woman who may be guilty and deserving? Watch The Next Three Days.

Rating – 4/10