In Brief: Film Reviews For Birdman, Exodus And Unbroken Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) (2014, Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu, USA) (Cert: 15/R) **** Starring: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone Being hyped as the comeback for Michael Keaton, who I thought never really went away, Birdman follows actor Riggan Thompson (Keaton) an actor best known for playing the superhero Birdman now looking to make a comeback adapting, directing and starring in a broadway play. Falling somewhere between mainstream comedy and bizarre art cinema, Birdman is commentary on the nature of celebrity and admiration in the modern world as well as something of a take on the current superhero movie trend. This is after all, a film starring Batman (a magnetic Keaton) alongside The Incredible Hulk (a brilliantly off-kilter Edward Norton) and Gwen Stacey (a more grounded but still impressive Emma Stone). A percussive score underlines the film as a sort of jazz cinema. The film is free-wheeling as actors play off of eachother and showcase their skills. The film also continuously dives between reality and (probably) fantasy. Whilst the film may be a little too odd for some tastes and it the conclusion does drag, Birdman is a very impressive artistic achievement that also manages to be genuinely funny and entertaining. Exodus: Gods And Kings (3D) (2014, Dir. Sir Ridley Scott, Spain/USA/UK) (Cert: 12a/PG-13) ** Starring: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Isaac Andrews Ridley Scotts take on the story of Moses is definitely not lacking in scale and definitely wants to have some grandeur, but it mostly fails to live up to the potential to be something more than a bland ancient history movie beyond a large scale (here in an admittedly depth-enhancing 3D). Some of the old Ridley Scott magic is present (a shot of white horse racing against crashing waves of the parted Red Sea is the kind of stuff Sir Ridley does best) and the film takes an interesting stance on the nature of God and morality, but the a-list cast seem to pulling in different directions, adopting wildly different accents and approaches (Bales Moses seems to have a hint of De Niro to,it, oddly) with the unexpected casting choice of John Turturro being the only real highlight. As a fan of Ridley Scotts early work, I hope he can turn this downward spiral of quality back. Unbroken (2014, Dir. Angelina Jolie, USA) (Cert: 15/PG-13) *** Starring: Jack OConnell, Domhnall Gleeson, Takamasa Miyavi Ishihara The directorial debut of Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie, this film on the struggles of Olympic athlete and World War II prisoner Louis Zemperini (played by Jack OConnell) shows certain promise from Jolie and her ability with aesthetics, comparable to Clint Eastwood (Jolie having starred in Eastwoods Changeling (2008)) but suffers from lagging action sequences and a scale of hardship difficult to capture on well on film given that long periods focus on both drifting in a lifeboat and suffering in a POW camp. Both make for good material individually, but need trimming when stacked together. The films also awkwardly structured, especially at the beginning. Not bad for a first shot as director, and Jolie certainly can direct actors, but perhaps a little too ambitious and without enough discipline making the film ultimately, a bit of a slog.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 08:35:13 +0000
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