Writer/director Jeremy Saulnier's anticipated follow-up to disingquiet revenge thriller Blue Ruin gets off to a similarly low-key start, with a colour-palette stripped of all warmth and with a faint air of restless dissatisfaction. And that's the way it'll stay throughout this nihilistic road-trip movie...
Young garage-punk band, The Ain't Rights are gigging their way across America, trying to build enough funds on the way to pay for some studio time. An interviewer who owes them a favour sets them up with a show in backwater Oregon, which turns out to be a neo-Nazi hangout. When the group witness a murder after their set, it becomes apparent that the venue's owner has no problem in ensuring they won't tell anyone about what they've seen.
Anton Yelchin and Alia Shawkat quickly take the lead as the band's two primary members, their affectation of post-modern lethargy giving way to adrenalised naivety as Patrick Stewart roams around outside giving orders*1 to his own private army of shaven-headed goons. This will get messy. It should also be said that this film is an 18 certifcate for a reason. The BBFC title card warns of "strong bloody violence, gore" and that's not an exaggeration. Saulnier doesn't rely on the effects and they're fairly sporadically used, but when it's time to release the dogs (literally as well as metaphorically), he doesn't hold back.
The strongest point in the film's favour is that it doesn't build to the climactic showdown which any other movie would go for. Instead we get a relentlessly grim dusk-'til-dawn tale of uncertain survival horror where all bets are off when it comes to who'll see the credits roll. As a story, Green Room has all the urgency of Blue Ruin, but not the emotional desperation. As a result, it doesn't feel as focused as its predecessor. Although as cinematic odes to punk go, I suspect that's all entirely intentional.
For anyone who's winced and face-palmed throughout a 'music based' movie like Begin Again, Green Room is the dirty, overdriven antidote...
Loses a point for mumbled dialogue, though. Come on sound-department, it's not difficult.
Blue Ruin, maybe even a bit of Hostel (although nowhere near as exploitative, obviously).
The shootings and stabbings will look meatier on the big screen, but it's not essential.
It does.
Cast, possibly; director, not quite.
I won't.
There isn't.
Level 1: Ironically enough, the sound department for this film (yeah, the one I've just had a pop at) features Justine Baker and Tyler Newhouse, both of whom worked on the audio for The Force Awakens.
*1 With, it has to be said, an accent that comes with a self-deprecating sub-heading of "New York • London • Huddersfield". It's never at Colin Farrell-level, but I was having a hard time working out if his character had moved to the States from the skinhead scene in the UK, or he just had a multiple-personality disorder…
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Need For Speed (3D)
Cert: 12A / 132 mins / Dir. Scott Waugh
I know I probably shouldn't expect too much from a game-to-movie conversion where the plot has always been secondary at best, and I didn't expect too much. Let's just say that the most impressive thing about Need For Speed is that screenwriter George Gatins has engineered an impeccable formula for storytelling…
It's that simple, I'm afraid. The race/chase sequences are nicely shot and efficiently edited*1, and I'm very aware that those are exactly what the film is for, but each of the first four are relatively brief (with the finale being a decent length, at least), and too much of the film is reliant on weak writing, terrible scripting and atrocious acting. Aaron Paul and Dominic Cooper look embarrassed to be on set most of the time; a trait which seems to have bypassed Michael Keaton who filmed his segments in a completely different time and place, barely interacting with any of the characters as he hosts some sort of under-explained live video podcast centered around illegal street-racing which only five people watch (none of whom are the police. Which is odd, because this is exactly the sort of free up-to-the-second internet-based evidence service that they could use in this film).
Elsewhere, Imogen Poots initially arrives as a smart, sassy car-expert, subverting our heroes expectations by not being a giggling ditzy blonde, then proceeds to spend the rest of the film becoming a giggling ditzy blonde and shrieking in the passenger seat, while Scott Mescudi plays the black-guy who's good at cracking jokes constantly and stealing aircraft. Constantly. By the time you've added that to the main thread about Tobey (Paul) and Dino (Cooper)'s mumbly rivalry, you begin to long for the driving setpieces, if only because they're largely free of dialogue.
The important part (I assume/hope) is that the races look good. The 3D's not too shabby, either. The screening I attended had ghosting all over the shop, but the depth was there when it mattered (oh, plus that bit where the homeless-guy nearly gets killed by Tobey's car, and his shopping-trolley full of stuff comes flying at the camera. The only pedestrian in the entire film, almost vapourised, but it's okay for everyone to laugh about because he's just a homeless guy, whereas 'Little Pete' is a tragedy because he was driving an illegal 300mph car without a seatbelt on. You stay classy, Gatins.)
If you're watching Need For Speed because you like cars, you're going to be a little disappointed. If you're watching it because you like action-thrillers, you're going to be quite disappointed. If you're watching because you're the four guys two rows behind me, who whooped and hollered every time a car flipped over, then you'll be in your element. Then again, they found the EE promo before the film quite hilarious, too.
It is, sadly.
Not nearly enough.
Crucially, NO.
If you're going to see it, it may as well be big and loud in the cinema, I'll give it that.
A bit, yeah.
Not likely.
There isn't.
Aaron Paul. What's he for, exactly?
*1 With the exception of the one point where I swear we see The Yellow Car™ taken out of the final race, only to see it briefly in an aerial shot 30 seconds later. I'm pretty certain that happens, but let's be honest: I'm not going to watch it again to confirm.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
So, I wouldn't go so far as to call the novelunfilmable, but when I heard Irvine Welsh's horrifying helter-skelter of a book was being adapted to the screen I remember thinking 'Filth? …Filth, Filth? How the hell are you going to make that?. Fast-forward many months later, and I've got my answer: ^ Like that ^. Screenwriter and director Baird has grabbed the bull by both horns, and translated a version that's very largely faithful to the original, while still having its own light to shine. I don't mean to be one of those book>film pedants, but there really is a lot to live up to here, and the film really does manage it.
James McAvoy is shaping up to be one of this generation's most versatile actors, and he positively embraces the chance to play alcoholic, coke-addled sociopath Bruce Robertson, and a large amount of screen-time is spent in his head, living the world through his hallucinations and splintered world-view. Truth be told, the entire cast throw themselves fully into the fray, because there's really no other way to approach this. As Bruce's habits and their respective tolls escalate, everyone around him gets to twist the proverbial knife, and the adaptation from page to screen meant that even I was wondering how far things were going to go.
I do think certain aspects could have been handled better. Without being spoilery, there's a huge amount of effort expended on making Bruce an unlikeable character, but he never quite earns the pity of the viewer, no matter how pathetic his actions. In order for the film's punchline to work, you really need that pity, otherwise it comes off as flippant, and that's not what I took from the book. I think an extra fifteen minutes or so exploring Bruce's inner psyche with a calmer tone would have worked wonders. But there, I've become the kind of book>film twat I mentioned earlier. Ah, well.
Short version: If you enjoyed the more hallucinogenic aspects of Trainspotting, you'll get a lot out of Filth. Welsh proves once again that you can be flexible with your linear narrative if you throw enough fucked up situations at the reader/viewer and a few crowning reveal shots. Given the scope of the project, Filth is nothing short of magnificent. A version incorporating deleted scenes would be perfect, thank you.
Almost.
I did.
Very nearly almost. It should certainly be commended for what it does achieve..
If you can see it in a cinema, do, but it should be every bit as fucked up watching at home.
Quite possibly.
Fuck yes.
There isn't.
I'd like to see MacAvoy in the new Star Wars films. Tell me why I'm right, please…
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
