This homage to silent films is a visually stunning Argentinian fantasy that harks back to the golden era of cinema when actors were seen but not heard. Film fans will enjoy recognising the scenes taken from famous movies by auteurs such as Chaplin, Lang and Lynch, whilst those unversed in cinema will still be mesmerised by the fantastical world that Esteban Sapir has created.
In a city without a voice, an evil villain controls its people by using the only TV station to broadcast hypnotic images that subdue the speechless population. A tight-knit family become unintentionally involved in a sinister plot after uncovering Mr TV's evil plans of domination, and soon become embroiled in a number of perilous situations.
I am genuinely surprised by the lack of people I've encountered who have seen this wonderful film, it is clearly the director's love letter to cinema but far from being the pretentious mess it could have been La Antena transcends its influences to bring fresh ideas to a forgotten genre. With The Artist currently winning over the festival crowds, I'm excited for the future of silent films as sometimes acting can be far more powerful and heartfelt when words are replaced by a fitting score. I cannot recommend this film highly enough, and if anyone has seen any films that are even remotely similar I would be very interested in hearing from you.
Ever since the fateful day when I met Gerard Butler on a plane back from New York (he's quite a nice chap), I've kept a close eye on his acting career, and although he's made some questionable choices, he never fails to entertain, especially in his typecast as a strong stubborn man who usually has a lot of inner turmoil. His latest film is no different in this respect, with Butler portraying a troubled individual that heads down the path of righteousness.
Gerard Butler is Sam Childers, a born again Christian who is seeking to distance himself from his former life as a drug-addled biker, and he takes it upon himself to visit Sudan where he feels compelled to aid the innocent children caught up in the war. Machine Gun Preacher tackles a difficult subject, namely the persecution of children in Sudan, and as this is based on a true story, Marc Foster was faced with the unenviable task of creating an engaging film that stays true to real life events.
There is no denying that the events depicted in the film are inspirational - Sam Childers has clearly made a positive impact with his work in Sudan - however, the transition to screen does not serve the story justice, with certain scenes that appear to have been included solely to emphasise the 'Machine Gun' aspect of the title. Sam seems to have a knack of turning up to gunfights at the perfect moment, some of which are unintentionally hilarious, and this clearly serves to glorify his actions but in doing so it also diminishes the power of the true story; this is a real person, not John Rambo.
A number of characters feel one-dimensional, with not enough screen time given to their development, which is surprising when you consider a running time of over two hours, and in turn the emotional angle that Foster is aiming for just doesn't work. Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon do a reasonably good job of grounding the story with their portrayals of Sam's wife and best friend but the real star of Machine Gun Preacher is the blistering soundtrack, with a number of scenes set in dingy looking bars that are the perfect setting for Chris Cornell's dirty rock n'roll.
Hopefully this film will increase awareness of the events in Sudan but I am fairly certain it will be forgotten about in a few years time. There are numerous films out there that focus on real life atrocities, the majority of which are far more powerful than Machine Gun Preacher, and it is a shame as Childer's story could have been adapted into a thrilling piece of cinema. Fans of Butler will probably not be disappointed, and whilst this film does have its moments, it is unlikely to invoke an emotional response from the majoirty of the audience.
6/10 -Just pray that Butler doesn't turn up at your local church
If you like this you will enjoy these:
Blood Diamond
The Last King Of Scotland
The Constant Gardener
Having heard that the Help was a hot contender for the Oscars I decided to avoid reading any press about the film and even ignored the trailers. For the first few minutes I was slightly concerned that I had inadvertently turned up to a screening of the latest chick-flick but thankfully the female heavy cast did a fantastic job of bringing me round to the story, and the film managed to live up to its reputation as an Oscar contender as well as engaging my attention for the best part of two and a half hours.
Based upon the novel of the same name, The Help explores the lives of a number of African American maids in 1960s Mississippi as they encounter a young aspiring journalist who endeavours to document their hardships in order to combat the prevailing attitudes of racism and prejudice. It's hard not to read that sentence without the words 'Oscar-bait' popping into your mind, and true to form, this story tugs at the heartstrings with brilliant performances from all involved. It has already received comparisons to last years surprise hit The Blind Side but that is doing The Help a great disservice as it is far more accomplished and involving than the film which gave Sandra Bullock an Oscar.
Emma Stone has been slowly honing her craft as an up and coming actress with a number of star performances that vary enough in style to avoid her being typecast, with roles in Zombieland and Easy A standing out amongst her best. Here she is given a challenging role, but manages to succeed in portraying the hard-working writer with enough gravitas to make her motivations entirely believable. Nicknamed 'Skeeter', Emma Stone's character is a young lady on the outskirts of her social class due to her passion for work as opposed to the goal of finding a husband, which most of her peers have already succeeded in. When Skeeter finds a new job working as an agony aunt for a newspaper column that provides cleaning tips to its readers, she consults the local maids for assistance, and soon strikes up an unlikely friendship that proves beneficial to both parties.
Although at its core The Help is a heartfelt drama, there is enough humour throughout to lighten the tone, with a key scene involving a pie coming close to the hilarity of the infamous American Pie scene for its audacity and daring. Whilst there are upsetting scenes, they serve a purpose, which makes it all the more difficult to leave the characters behind as the credits begin to roll.
A film focusing on the Civil Rights movement cannot be complete without a message and thankfully The Help manages to avoid the obvious cliches whilst still remaining relevant. The message is obvious without being obtrusive and the depth of the story means that audiences will be able to connect with the characters no matter their age, gender or race.
An exceptional emotional roller-coaster of a film, The Help is a must see for pretty much everyone. It certainly impressed me enough to seek out a copy of the book, and it is definitely worth catching on the big screen. With the current trend of pointless remakes and mindless action movies battling it out for your hard earned cash, do yourself a favour, and buy a ticket to watch The Help instead. You won't be disappointed.
8/10
If you like this, you will enjoy these:
The Colour Purple
Mississipi Burning
Made In Dagenham
The Blind Side
Being born in 1987, I was far too late to latch on to the cheesy brilliance of the original Footloose, but after watching it recently, I found myself succumbing to its charms and would definitely class it as a guilty pleasure. The ridiculous storyline follows the arrival of a new teen in Bomont, and his discovery that due to a horrific car crash a few years ago, dancing has been completely banned. It is not long before he drums up support from his peers in order to turn this law around, resulting in excessive amounts of dancing from all involved.
Bearing in mind that the remake of Footloose is not a film I would usually watch I was pleasantly surprised with the film's direction, whilst some scenes were almost identical to those featured in the 1984 version, there is enough new material to make it relevant to today's generation without straying too far from the storyline in the original.
Kenny Wormald was fairly watchable as Ren McCormack, and whilst his appearance reminded me more of Johnny Depp in Cry Baby than Kevin Bacon's previous interpretation of the character, he provided Ren with enough charisma to keep the audience routing for him. Willard is played brilliantly by Miles Teller who has a fantastic comic timing and deserves to go on to much greater things. Although he had a lot to live up to stepping in the late Chris Penn's shoes, he somehow manages to improve on the original role by channeling what I can only describe as the characteristics of everyone's favourite horror rednecks,Tucker and Dale, into Willard - a naive innocence that shines in his key scenes.
A big disappointment with this remake is the soundtrack, and whilst the majority of everyone's favourite songs make a return, a large number of them are remixed or rehashed into almost unrecognisable melodies. I was pleasantly surprised to hear a Smashing Pumpkins song make an appearance - Billy Corgan must be losing the plot if he's allowing his songs to be used for a Footloose remake - but that was the only redeeming feature of the soundtrack, with the decision to alter Bonnie Tyler's classic being a huge disappointment.
Fans of the original will be well aware of the scene involving a certain Bonnie Tyler song, which for me transcended pure cheese to become an utterly ridiculous yet somehow brilliant moment in the film. Unfortunately, whilst we still have a head to head between Ren and Chuck as they fight for the affections of a young lady, it has been altered for a modern audience, and the lack of an adrenaline fuelled game of Tractor Chicken certainly hampered my enjoyment of the remake.
It's not going to win awards, and it's not going to impress fans of the original, but this remake of Footloose is not entirely pointless. Younger generations are bound to latch on to the charismatic characters and frenetic dance moves which I only hope will lead them to seek out the charms of the 1984 version. Everyone else should probably steer clear.
6/10
If you like this, you will love these:
Footloose (1984)
Pump Up The Volume
Grease
American Graffiti
