Two For Tuesday: Mandela: A Long Walk To Freedom / The Butler

FREEDOM WRITERS

The world has been in a state of mourning recently at the tragic, yet ultimately predicted, death of Nelson Mandela, a key inspirational and controversial figure in the apartheid struggles of 20th century South Africa.  Coincidentally, a recent biopic of the famous freedom-fighter was made just before his death, and it's release has since been rescheduled and previewed early, most likely to cash in and take advantage of grieving cinema audiences.

I was in one of those early-previewed audiences, filled with people wearing rose-tinted glasses about the man they thought only as a 'kindly grandpa' figure, sporting tufts of white hair, often wearing pyjamas and meeting Prince Charles and the Spice Girls back in the late 1990's.  I was treated to gasps of shock and horror as the people around me learnt what violent acts that sweet old man had endured and carried out during his rise to power.  A lesson was certainly learnt in the auditorium that night, if only the art of the timely cinematic release date.

Mandela: A Long Walk To Freedom recounts the major events in the life of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, a man born within the Xhosa tribe of South Africa.  As he begins his adult life as a lawyer defending the abused and mistreated black citizens of South Africa, Mandela joins a freedom-fighting 'terrorist' movement, leading to his eventual incarceration and *SPOILER ALERT* election to become the country's first black President.  

Idris Elba delivers an incredibly powerful performance as Mandela and this is entirely his film.  His power and pathos draws the audience's attention and won't let it go no matter what.  Elba's South African accent may waiver at some times but you forgive it as you entirely lost in the other facets of his performance.  Naomie Harris also performs admirably as the tortured soul of Winnie Mandela, but it will be Elba that is remembered for this film.

In attempting to recreate most of Mandela's major life events, and twinning the events with the background of racial segregation and apartheid, Long Walk To Freedom draws some parallels with Lee Daniels' recent pseudo-biopic The Butler.  The Butler is a curious film as it depicts events during the race riots and freedom demonstrations of 1960s America, yet shows how it affects a fictional character, the titular butler Cecil Gaines

Gaines is based upon Eugene Allen, the real-life butler who served inside The White House under several different American Presidents, such as Carter, Reagan and Nixon.  What I, as a viewer, did not understand was why did you create this character of Cecil Gaines' instead of using the real life inspiration for him, Eugene Allen?  

During the anti-segregation demonstrations, Gaines' son meets the infamous freedom-fighters Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. and stages rallies with them and risks his own life for his beliefs.  Yet we know this man we have become accustomed never really met these people and didn't exist.  Therefore are the situations we see him endure fictionalised too?  Did Malcolm X really torture his own followers to prepare them for the hardships ahead?  Were The Black Panthers that violent in their behaviour?  Did Oprah Winfrey really sleep around?

Both films attempt to feature many key points in the history of black oppression, but Mandela handles it in a much more understandable way.  Whilst the film tries to fit in as many milestones in Mandela's life as physically possible, they are properly explained with context and are allowed to breathe.  This can't be said about The Butler, which just throws scene after scene at you, with various famous actors portraying famous politicians (Cusack as Nixon, Rickman as Reagan etc.) and none of it is allowed to sink in to the audience's understanding.  Mandela also treats their shared subject matter of the history racial tension with a certain brutality and frankness that was refreshing after watching The Butler's sporadic protest montages.  These montages of the first Black American students taking a stand against the segregation do leave an impact, as they do depict horrible torturous scenes, but they are only a fleeting backstory instead of being at the forefront, like Mandela's.

Don't get me wrong, you will get a history lesson from both of these films, and rightfully so, as the message is one that needs to be remembered.  However, I would rather my lesson be taught by such a powerful and determined individual that my attention is stuck on the screen, than someone who makes me question their own research.

Does that metaphor work?  Perhaps not.  Screw it; go see Mandela, leave The Butler on the shelf.

FLAWLESS VICTORY

Until next time folks, thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed what you read and you'd like to be kept more up to date with my posts, I can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Dunn-Reviews and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeDunnReviews - if you want to help the site grow, give them a 'Like' or a 'Share'!

Top Five Friday: Paranormal Activities

Do you remember back before handheld horror films were the norm?  Back in the days when you heard from your friend about some little independent film from America called The Blair Witch Project.  And then you found a copy of VHS (or DVD if you're a little older) and you were scared shitless by this incredibly realistic, low budget film that came out of nowhere?  Somewhere in the back of your mind, you wondered if those people could still be in those woods and if the Blair Witch was even real... oh my God, she's behind me right now isn't she?!?

Anyway, skip forward 15 years and here we have the latest instalment in the Paranormal Activity cash-cow, The Marked Ones.  Now, I hold the Paranormal Activity franchise quite highly in the diluted stagnant waters of the 'found-footage' horror film, among those such as [REC] and The Bay, and I thought I'd analyse the five films to see if there is any life in this ghost story saga after all.

He always took Connect The Dots to the extreme...

5) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4

Now, to start, Paranormal Activity 4 is a fine example of how this series can be handled poorly, and how the found-footage genre is sometimes filled with pointless nonsense.  The film is slower than the rest and filled with hardly any tension or frights.

The only saving grace is the interesting use of night vision and Kinect.  During the film, the young girl utilises the handheld camera's night vision mode whilst playing on the Xbox Kinect.  This allows her to see the tiny dots the Kinect uses to detect motion, and the dots pick up something invisible that should not be there...

This playful use of modern technology is fun for a while, but the film falls prey to the standard pantomime conventions of "It's behind you!" whilst our heroine is Skype-ing away.  By far, the worst one of the series.

4) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2

The original Paranormal Activity gained so much interest and surprise when it was released, that the sequel released the year after was bound to disappoint.  After initial screenings, people seemed annoyed that they weren't as shocked or terrified as much as they had been the previous year, but I found it as terrifying as the first.  A certain scene with opening cupboard doors frightened pretty much everyone in the auditorium when I saw it, especially one low-voiced man who bellowed in pure agonising terror, causing a lot of amusement for everyone else...

Terrorising ghost or barking Alsatian...
I don't know which is scarier...

The only disappointment I had was in the continuity of the film, as it was technically a prequel, and yet aspects of the storyline didn't match up, such as why does the demon bother going through 20-odd nights of teasing 'experiments' in Katie and Micah's house?  Why doesn't it start by terrorising Katie in the daytime like in Kristi's home?

These sequel/prequel confusion plot-holes and a lack of originality in the jump-scares mean it's only #4 on my Top Five Friday.

 

3) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES

Not the Deathly Hallows?
Well, JK Rowling gonna sue somebody...

Now we come to the current release, The Marked Ones.  Released as a spin-off to the main storyline and dubbed a 'side-quel' by some critics, the story surrounds two young Latinas, Jesse and Hector, who are targeted and 'marked' by a witch who lives in their apartment block.  As strange things begin to happen, Jesse and Hector must figure out what is happening to their lives, before it is too late...

Whilst the original storyline was a nice change of pace, rather than focus on the Katie/Micah original storyline, the narrative takes on a investigative edge, having the characters speak mainly in exposition throughout the film, meeting random characters, explaining the plot and then moving on.  The best sections are before Jesse and Hector realise anything is wrong and act like regular people.  They manage to actually make you care for these characters by making them relatable, before dragging them through a world of hurt.

Like always, the film-makers use interesting and clever techniques to show the other-worldly presence at work.  This time a Simon Says electronic game working as a Ouija board provides most of the dread, as a demonic force answer green for yes, and red for no.

A worthwhile effort, but not justifying another instalment in the series.

2) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3

I really thought this was going to be a disappointing and cheesy prequel where the screenwriters were going to focus on 'creepy little girls' and nursery rhymes to freak me out.  However, they avoided cliches by introducing The Midwives and the storyline of how this 'Toby' demon has been around since the sisters had been young girls.

ARGH!  Good.  God.
Look at that pink top.

Set in the 1980s, this prequel to Paranormal Activity 1 and 2 still managed to deliver the typical Activity tropes, such as video cameras monitoring the house, even in a technologically inferior time.  Katie and Kristi's mother dates a wedding video-maker who owns his own video camera!  Perfect!  Of course she does!  Then he adapts a rotating fan to scan and videotape the entire kitchen!  Genius!  Explains the situation brilliantly!

Little ideas like this really made me warm to the film, as it seemed every part was thought through thoroughly.  Sections featuring the playful side of the ghost, like shown in the picture above, filled me and the entire audience with slow, creeping dread.  And THAT is the sign of a good horror movie, and not "cattle-prod cinema".

1) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

"You really expect me to sleep on this side?"

The film that started it all.

A fantastic marketing strategy of showing test audience reactions as trailers and a campaign of 'DEMAND THIS FILM' made this little unknown horror almost a status symbol if your town or city's cinema managed to get the film shown.

When it was released, the wave of positive (and similarly negative) word-of-mouth made it a number one at the UK box office for weeks and rightfully so.  The film blew me away; as an amateur film-maker as well as an amateur film critic; the concept was so simple and the budget so minuscule, I was impressed as much as I was frightened.

The scares are slow at first, but that is the beauty of it.  The dread and unsettled atmosphere creep in, rather than are thrown at you.  You get to know the main couple, Katie and Micah, and wildly theorise why this malevolent spirit is targeting them.  In a way, I think you can watch this film without the knowledge of what follows it and feel unburdened.  You just spend 90 minutes watching two people get terrorised and you just sit there thinking "Thank the Lord that's not me!"

The effects are subtle yet terrifying, the acting is realistic and believable, and the effect is incredibly memorable.

Until next time folks, thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed what you read and you'd like to be kept more up to date with my posts, I can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Dunn-Reviews and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeDunnReviews - if you want to help the site grow, give them a 'Like' or a 'Share'!

Succinct Sunday: 2013 - The Ones That Got Away...

So as usual, my first post of a new year is looking back over the previous one, and I thought I'd quickly summarise the films I didn't get chance to review when they were released.  Trust me, there are films in here to which I'd rather give the full review treatment, and I might do so when I'm travelling around Asia in the upcoming few months, but for now, here are my thoughts...

Hitchcock

Anthony Hopkins delivers a fantastic performance as the iconic director struggling with movie studios to direct Psycho, his most iconic film.  Yet the Hitchcock's screenwriters fudge facts to create a more interesting story when the truth is interesting enough!  A certain misuse of Helen Mirren’s potential and under-utilisation of Scarlett Johansson’s talent hampers the drama, but it is a decent film all the same.

Mea Maxima Culpa - Silence In The House of God

A powerful documentary that is not for the faint-hearted.  Surrounding a grand conspiracy within the Vatican itself, child abuse within the priesthood especially a priest assigned to a school for deaf children in the 1960s USA, Mea Maxima Culpa raises important questions about a topic all too ignored within the Vatican.  The personal accounts of the deaf adults recounting their childhood equally heart-breaking and eye-opening.  

The Bay

A rarity in today's cinema – a found footage horror film that entertains and actually works!  Set amongst a small American fishing town on the Fourth of July, local residents begin to act erratically before mysteriously dying. Turns out, it's the doing of horrible water-borne parasites that begin to infest people bodies.  This film will truly disgust, horrify and repulse you.  You thought Jaws made you stay away from water?! You ain't seen nothing yet.

Oz - The Great and Powerful

This prequel to the original Wizard of Oz is disappointing and then some.  OTGAP features some interesting scenes of potential horror and dread, helmed with delight by Evil Dead director Sam Raimi, but the rest fails to work, attempting to be whimsical and magical.  A poor man's Alice In Wonderland.  Although Mila Kunis proves she is attractive no matter what appearance she has.

Dark Skies

Aliens terrorise a debt-plagued family and the results are eerie at best.  As a person often brought to pants-wetting by alien films, this left me gasping at very few points, relying on loud noises and people acting strangely to frighten the audience.  Admirable in places but nowhere near the terrifying Signs or The Fourth Kind.

Evil Dead

Pointless remake of the 1980s “video nasties” classic, in which Jane Levy attempts to overcome drug addiction with the help of family and friends, resulting in an evil incantation being spoken, blood raining from the sky and limbs being cut off.  Original was iconic, however the remake is simply pointless violence.  Levy delivers an impressive lead performance and the effects are horribly fantastic, but a poor film otherwise.

The Purge

An interesting premise of a single night in America where all crime is legal to keep everyone ‘sane’ for the other 364 days.  Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey provide decent lead performances, but the film is filled with so many flaws and plot-holes that they become distracting after a while.  The film's main threat is memorable but not much else.  Obviously though the premise is spawning sequels, so hopefully things will improve.

Before Midnight

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reprise their roles from the previous Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, now struggling with married life and the pressures of responsibility and age.  The fluid improvisational conversations are mesmerising and the characters feel just as realistic as they always have.  A definite recommendation.  Not just this film, the entire trilogy.  Go watch it.  Now.  Go on.

World War Z

Brad Pitt’s hairdo vs. mindless CGI zombies.  The film's box-office takings might tell you that people went to see this CGI-laden, globe-travelling mess of a film, but that doesn’t mean it was any good.  A proper adaptation of Max Brooks’ book would have been fantastic, but instead we have several loud and confusing set-pieces followed by an hour of Mr Pitt creeping around a Welsh laboratory.  Yawn.

Despicable Me 2

Gru, the world’s greatest villain, is back with his horde of farting, one-eyed minions.  The original Despicable Me surprised me back in 2010, leading to high hopes for the sequel and it did not disappoint, as it was wittier, gave extra dimensions to the characters and overall, was funnier.  Plus, more minions?  You can’t go wrong.

Monsters University

Speaking of high hopes, none were as high this year as for the sequel to Pixar’s Monsters Inc.  Whilst the film still did retain some of Mike and Sully’s chemistry, the University aspect and the Scare Games they had to complete bored me and made the film seem laborious and repetitive.  Pixar is still Pixar so I had fun, just less than I expected.

 
Blackfish

One of the most powerful and striking films this year.  The story behind one of SeaWorld’s prized orca/killer whales is a terrible tale of torture, deception and scandal, even if it is a bit one-sided.  The footage taken of these beautiful but dangerous fish as they turn on their unfortunate trainers will certainly leave you speechless.

The Lone Ranger

I watched this with an open mind, having heard a lot of negative reviews and apparent justification for it being one of the biggest flops in cinema history.  Honestly, I didn’t mind it.  Yes, it may be an hour too long, but it is a valid attempt at trying to make westerns appeal to the younger generation, and they tried their hardest.  But Johnny Depp ain’t no Comanche.

 
Insidious Chapter 2

Back in 2011, I didn’t think the original Insidious deserved all the hype and praise it received.  Fair enough, it was scary in places, but it was derivative and nothing we hadn’t seen before.  Now here comes Chapter Two and we are treated to the same kind of jumpscares and cattle-prod cinema from the first chapter! Something new, please.

Prisoners

An interesting story about how far parents would go to discover what really happened to their children if they were in grave danger.  The film offers an intriguing premise and hints at interesting theories throughout, then ruins it in the final third when all the plot strands start to unravel.  Despite this, Jackman and Gyllenhaal are fantastic as ever.

 
Captain Phillips

Back in July I predicted this as being one of the top upcoming films of 2013, and thankfully, I was not wrong.  The true story of the merchant mariner and his crew being taken hostage by Somalian pirates is as exhilarating as it is draining, and the newcomer Barkhad Abdi who plays Muse, the lead pirate, does incredibly well.  The final scene has stayed with me to this day and cements Hanks as one of acting’s living legends.

Philomena

This is such a heartfelt and inspiring story that completely took me by surprise.  I thought this story of a woman trying to find her long-lost son with the help of a down-and-out journalist would be easy Sunday-afternoon watching, but it was a tour-de-force rollercoaster, one that I feel I lived through with Judi Dench’s Philomena Lee.

 
Gravity

Quite simply, an astonishing piece of cinema that makes me reconsider the impact of 3D technology.  Whilst Hugo and Avatar utilised the 3D aspect better than most, Gravity took it into orbit.  The simplistic storyline and sparse use of music gave the film such incredible impact; I was blown away several times during its duration.  Might not impress as many on DVD, but absolutely amazing in the cinema.

The Butler

The Butler details the life of a fictional black butler who works at the White House during several Presidencies.  Cecil (played by Forest Whitaker) is a fictional character, yet loosely based on the real life of Eugene Allen, a White House butler.  So why not just make the film around the real Eugene Allen?  Did these interactions between Cecil/Eugene and LBJ/Nixon/Reagan really take place?  Did he have a son in the Black Panthers?  Did Oprah seriously get nominated for a Golden Globe for her role?!  I'm so confused.
 

Oldboy

Remake of the Korean film and coincidentally one of my favourite films of all time.  Josh Brolin is Joe, a man who is imprisoned for 20 years without no reason, and released with the task of finding out why.  Pointless remake for subtitle-scared audiences.  Tries to take alternate avenues to differentiate from the original, but just becomes worse as a result.  Although I watched it with a friend who had never seen the original and he rated it very highly, despite the film’s dark conclusion.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Incredible continuation of The Hobbit trilogy, with Bilbo and the Dwarves trying to return to their old home.  Some pointless segues and distractions on their journey slow the pace, but the film culminates with an incredible mix of special effects and motion-capture performance by Benedict Cumberbatch, creating the immensely impressive villain of Smaug The Dragon.  Cannot wait for the final instalment.

And with that, we finish with 2013, and focus on the future with 2014.  Some really exciting films are being released this year and I will try to watch them all to let you know whether they are worth your hard-earned cash!

Until next time folks, thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed what you read and you'd like to be kept more up to date with my posts, I can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Dunn-Reviews and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeDunnReviews - if you want to help the site grow, give them a 'Like' or a 'Share'!