Well, I’m happy to stand corrected, once again. This Saturday schedule-filler was a last-minute addition to round a day’s viewing out to ridiculous levels, and one I’d previously avoided, its trailer having put me off with character-models I couldn’t warm to and a showcasing of the film’s cheesiest comedic moments, stripped of context. But as pretty much everyone else has already noticed, Early Man is far, far better than its promo-material. It also wasn’t lost on me that although I watched this in the company of four other people, Aardman’s animation was in its fifth week of release - so the same numbers I’d shared a room with for Gringo on its opening day. But I digress...
Nick Park brings the fun once again in a tale of stone-age cavemen who find they’ve got to battle invading bronze-age pioneers by challenging them to a game of football. At its heart, this is the archetypal British underdog movie, with all the wit and charm we’ve come to expect from the Bristol’s finest. I also love that the word ‘crap’ has found its way into a PG movie, with precisely the correct colloquial usage and intonation. We need more of this.
A fantastic voice-cast (led by Maisie Williams, Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston) commit to their roles unreservedly, indicating the high esteem in which Aardman is held. There are near-constant smiles, chuckles and laughs, both scripted and visual, and the density of writing should reward re-watching for some time to come.
That said, I didn’t quite find the wry silliness of The Pirates! here, nor the timeless, silent-movie magic of Shaun The Sheep. Although given that this might be the first time I’ve tolerated extended exposure to football since I was about twelve, it’s entirely probable that the sporting-core of the movie was never going to fully connect. Best case example: I got the arch subtext about the corporate nature of European soccer, I’m just not bothered about that either way.
But above all else, it’s just awe-inspiring that feature length stop-animation still exists and is created with such painstaking passion and precision. The scale of the production here (both organisationally and physically) is nothing short of astounding.
Early Man may not be their best work, but Aardman’s Sunday-players are still in a league of their own.
The other Aardman animations, including their TV work.
Well, I imagine you've probably seen it by now as everyone was on-board except me.
This will be a good rainy-day DVD.
In all fairness, it's not.
Nope.
There isn't.
Level 2: This film features the voice of Mariam Margolyes, who was in the Black Adder episode 'The Queen of Spain's Beard' along with Brian 'Boss Nass' Blessed.
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.
The Double Cert: 15 / 93 mins / Dir. Richard Ayoade
There's a disconcerting feeling early in Richard Ayoade's Dostoevsky adaptation that you've seen half of this film before, and that so far, the other half has been all but pencilled in. That feeling isn't eased as time passes. The non-location-specific, non-time-specific setting of the story, with a mix of British, American, and indeterminate European accents, looks and feels like Blade Runner reimagined by Terry Gilliam and set in Hackney. The Double is initially intriguing until we find out that the blanks of the surrounding world won't be filled in, largely because they're unimportant to the narrative, and the blanks of the narrative won't be filled in, largely because the themes are more important. And then the themes are handled with a shrug as the film seems to look over its glasses at you and ask if you understand what's going on and shouldn't you be in the screen down the corridor watching Liam Neeson punching people on a plane?
Reverse film-snobbery, I know, but I engaged with The Double less and less as it went on. The fragile sense of surreality falls further apart as Eisenberg's Simon James becomes embroiled with his titular-double and all-round nemesis, James Simon, but no great sense of meaning (or god-forbid, explanation) takes its place. The deeper and more metaphorical the revelations between the two become, the more apparent it is that the film is flawed on a physical-story level, and would be better suited to animation, where the viewer can let go of reality more easily. By the end of the film, we're not being asked to imagine that these events are happening to a real person, but we're not really offered any alternative, either.
From a more technical viewpoint, I don't believe that Eisenberg was the best choice for the dual-role of Simon/James. The neurotic introvert is a part I've seen him play before, so I now associate that with earlier roles of his, and the forceful bully side of his personality never comes across as convincingly as it needs to. I think he performs them well, but he's just not right for them. Mia Wasikowska also plays admirably as Hanna, the love-interest/foil in the tower-block opposite Simon's, even if her American accent is all over the place (shades of Sam Worthington. No, really).
Self-indulgent to the point of conceitedness, it's not that The Double isn't as clever as it thinks it is, it's just not as meaningful. Meticulously constructed and presented, I didn't believe in any of the characters, so couldn't engage with anything that happened to them. Really interesting, but the trailer looked like it was offering so much more. If ever there was a film where a suitable pull-quote for the poster would be "Really not for me ~ WorldOfBlackout", this would be the one.
It's a sad day when the short cameos by Chris Morris and Tim Key are the things keeping me entertained in a film.
Yes and no.
Only in the first act.
I honestly don't know.
I honestly don't know.
Nah. I won't understand you, though.
Doubtful.
I don't think there is, no.
Oh, it's okay, I know you think differently, and I want you to explain why.
Either here or on the Facebook page.
Go.
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, a straight 100 minute, cookie-cutter comedy about a group of underdog outsiders who band together for a greater cause, and at the same time overcoming their own individual hangups? Three American stars, each with a frankly hit-and-miss record when it comes to being a comedic lead, and the addition of a British actor who only seems to have one persona to his belt? No notable cameo appearances to speak of, but a range of incidental characters who frequently upstage the stars with their wit, timing or sheer absurdity? A wandering direction which seems to forget its own main narrative and wander down Subplot Alley for extended periods of time? A surfeit of knob-jokes, with enough language thrown in to ensure that crucial 15 Certificate?
All of these…
The Good: I can't work out if it's in spite of the laundry-list up there, or because of it that I really enjoyed The Watch. The formulaic framework (courtesy of Seth Rogen) made it a lot easier for me to take the movie at face-value. Which is a nice way of saying 'just enjoy the jokes'. I chuckled frequently throughout and guffawed three or four times, and the audience around me did the same, so it was doing something right.
With one exception, it's been beautifully cast, and everyone is on great form with characters they're suited to while not seeming to be overplayed (yet, anyway). That exception would be Mr Stiller, by the way. He's perfectly acceptable as Evan, the uptight founder of the Neighbourhood Watch, but he doesn't bring anything unique to the part. As I mentioned above, it's the likes of Will Forte as the sarcastic police officer, and Billy Crudup as Evan's flirting neighbour than steal their scenes completely. It's worth pointing out that the film is more about the aliens than the trailer would suggest. I thought they were going to be thrown in half way through, but that's not the case. And although the design of the creatures is a little generic, they're executed well enough, given the type of film you're watching.
Other than that, The Watch is a comfortably predictable (but no less funny, for it) frat-boy comedy, with shades of Paul and Attack The Block, wrapped up in Superbad. Frequently crude, but always good-natured.
Oh, and there's one c-bomb (to snare the aforementioned 15 cert), and for once it's delivered magnificently. Bonus points for that.
The Bad: The film does try its hand at having a subtext about duty, friendship, and relationships. It's probably best if you ignore this, as it's been done so much better in the past by other movies. But at the same time, bonus points go to them for attempting it. Without that second layer, what are we left with? Lesbian Vampire Killers, that's what...
The Ugly: At least one glaring spot where bad editing has Ben Stiller completely jump from one mark to another between cuts, only to deliver a line which makes absolutely no sense, because the rest of that conversation strand has been excised. I'm intrigued to know how much of this movie is on the cutting-room floor, because there's no gag-reel or extra scenes at the end, and there are a few lines in the trailer that don't make it into the final theatrical cut.
All in all: I found The Watch to be very, very likeable. More than anybody else, if online ratings are anything to go by. If you don't make it to the flicks for this one, it'll make a good night in with friends and beer. Just don't expect anything other than a noisy, silly comedy.
DISCLAIMERS: • ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• 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.
