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Carnage (DVD) – Facades fade away and tensions break in this realistic comedy

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After two boys get in a violent confrontation their parents meet up to discuss what to do. Initially cheerful proceedings slowly descend in to chaos as each of their true sides starts to be revealed and they all come to hate one another.

The film succeeds when the comedy is kept realistic, which is helped by it being set in real time and all in one location. The vomit scene is probably one of the only scenes to not make me laugh, but even then the events that result from it make it worthwhile. The slow burn of some of the jokes is particularly brilliant (especially the phone joke).

At its heart, Roman Polanski’s film is really a character piece, so its success or failure is on the cast’s head. Thankfully the four leads (and only characters) are all excellent, each having their own distinct personality and mannerisms.

Jodie Foster starts off quiet and reserved before revealing a deep political agenda. John C. Reilly appears to be whipped by his wife, but then reveals a deep seated hatred for her. Kate Winslet goes from mediator to a little psychotic, while Christoph Waltz stands out as the best of the quartet, getting the wittiest lines as the straight man of the lot but even his mood darkens. The ways these characters eventually snap is very lifelike, each having their own breaking point before admitting this is the worst day of their life.

In terms of special features all you get are four interviews with the cast analysing the film, which while interesting are a bit too long. There’s also the original trailer.

Overall Verdict: A great character piece about stretching people to the breaking point that is surprisingly funny.

Special Features:
Interviews with each of the cast analysing the film.

Reviewer: Matthew Mallinson

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Revolution: The Director’s Cut (DVD & Blu-ray) – A revolution, a new turn

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Well, this is a rarity. A film I’ve never heard of! It stars Al Pacino and Donald Sutherland and on first impressions seems to be one of those 80s historical epics which should have won a bunch of awards. However it was rushed and became a global flop, which was slammed by critics upon release.

This film is a BFI (British Film Institution) edition and I am a fan of what they do. Enclosed in the package are both DVD and Blu-ray editions the film, as well as a booklet with extensive essays, but also has a spoiler warning on the first page. Guess I’d better watch it first!

The plot sees Tom Cobb (Al Pacino) and his son Ned sail into New York to sell furs during the start of the American Revolution against British rule. Ned is pressganged into joining the war and Tom is forced to sign up in order to protect his only son.
What follows is the journey of father and son throughout the war and seen from Tom’s point of view.

They encounter Daisy McConnahay (Nastassja Kinski), a rich aristocrat who abandons her family to help the war effort, and Tom falls in love with her for her sacrifice. At one point Ned is captured by the British and Donald Sutherland is good, portraying the stern Sergeant Major Peasy. They travel, meet some Indians and survive the war together.

Now this film wasn’t an easy to watch and didn’t grab me at all, despite being a completely rejigged Director’s Cut, overseen by Pacino and director Hugh Hudson, which attempts to address some of the issues with the original release. It’s overlong, has bad acting, shoddy camera work and an annoying soundtrack. It uses many long takes (which in my general opinion adds realism) but unfortunately in this case it makes some scenes drag. It also has many shaky handheld shots (a la Paul Greengrass) but this makes the film feel a little amateurish, with the camera bumping around the actors. Don’t get me wrong though, as there are many fantastic shots of the American landscape. These, ironically, were actually filmed in England.

However the first thing I noticed about this film is the terrible ADR (voice dubbing) sound mix. Some actor’s lip syncs are terrible and distracts from what they are saying, as well as the movie in general. However the dirty sets, costumes and actors add a sense of realism and I’m glad this film isn’t blindly patriotic, showing the struggle Americans went through to achieve independence. It shows the dark, muddy side with little hope for survival or glory.

There are many things I like about war films and I’m pleased to say that this film has them. Revolution was made to show the war from the point of view of the poor – from the gutter if you will. The soldiers fighting weren’t told what they were doing and neither is the audience. The first firefight is presented as a battle of statistics, with formation and calculated shooting being the winning factor. It shows the futility of war and how the government will always screw over the little man who fight and die for them. They always send the poor and the poor suffer for the rich.

Daisy is an interesting character, as she has a choice between living in a rich family and aiding her country’s blind fight for freedom and ‘liberty’; a word used for men to enter their graves. She is shown as the Good Samaritan and fortunately isn’t one dimensional. By contrast the British are shown as the generic bad guys and stereotypically personified by Richard O’Brian’s Lord Hampton, who has got to have the most annoying accent I have ever heard in a film!

Al Pacino is great as his was in this era, but he needs a bit more to work with. His narration (newly added for this Director’s Cut) adds depth and history to a country which is changing into a nation.

On the special features front, the DVD has the standard trailer which, unlike the film, made me interested in watching it. However it is full of spoilers and features a synthesiser heavy 80s soundtrack.

The release also has some excellent content looking back at the film. ‘Re-cutting Revolution’ shows side-by-side comparisons of the original theatrical version and the shorter Director’s Cut, with interesting and insightful commentary from director Hugh Hudson. He himself admits that some scenes and shots drag on, so they trimmed a lot to make it tighter, snappier and as Hudson says, ‘modern’. This extra reveals amongst other things that this film was indeed rushed for Oscar season and as such suffered. He wanted to re-edit this film to his original vision, and I am glad he had the chance. For this 2009 cut Hudson did indeed get his ‘new turn’.

Other extras include ‘Hugh Hudson on Revolution’ and ‘Revisiting Revolution: a conversation with Al Pacino and Hugh Hudson’. Here we discover some fascinating insights into the production, funding and reception by audiences and critics alike. Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were sought after for the role of Tom, which I believe would have been fatal although may have made more money at the box office. During the 80’s there was a huge influx of Reagan-ist films, where one muscle-bound solider disposed of the faceless enemy all for the glory of America. This film is the opposite and I’m glad Pacino got the job.

Like the revolution itself, this production seemed to be a battle with America who, for example, wouldn’t let them film there, then complained when it was filmed in the UK, as well as casting a British man as George Washington and various distribution and critical issues.

SPOILER ALERT: Although this film is British, Warner Brothers only agreed to fund the film if it included a happy ending where Daisy meets up with Tom and we presume they live happily ever after. Like the similar ‘happy ending’ attached to the theatrical version of Blade Runner (1982), this ending was omitted from the Director’s Cut as Hudson hated it. I agree, as the bleak ending matches the tone of the film and make us remember that even after the horrors of the world, life goes on. END SPOILERS

Ultimately this film is a father and son journey across America and its history. Tom’s struggle is long, but he relates to the land and its people and wants to fight for not only the future of himself and his son, but also for the future of the nation. The ending hints that he has endured and will now do great things, possibly become a congressman, but I was left with the sense that this was just another mans story in a world where he will never be remembered.

Overall Verdict: Just like Tom, this film drags you through the mud, leaving you careless of every other character and wanting to move onto something better. Ultimately I found that in a film with this much scope, not a lot happened and this seems to be another bad thing that history has swept under the rug.

Special Features:
Optional presentation of the original theatrical version of Revolution (Blu-ray only)
‘Revisiting Revolution’ (DVD only) Documentary
‘Hugh Hudson on Revolution’ Featurette
‘Re-cutting Revolution: the Deleted Scenes’ (DVD only) Featurette
Original theatrical trailer (DVD only)
Extensive booklet with essays by Nick Redman, Philip French, John Corigliano, Michael Brooke; reviews and a director biography

Reviewer: George Elcombe

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The Woman In Black (DVD) – Daniel Radcliffe gets all ghostly

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It’s surprising it’s taken 30 years to turn The Woman In Black into a movie. Susan Hill’s novel has sold millions of copies, and a stage version has been running in the West End since 1989, becoming the second longest-running non-musical production ever. Now Hammer has finally managed to get it onto the screen, with Eden Lake’s James Watkins directing and Daniel Radcliffe starring.

Radcliffe plays young lawyer Arthur Kipps, a man still reeling from the death of his wife during childbirth. Having rather neglected his work, he’s given one final chance by his firm, which involves going to the remote Eel Marsh House to sort through the papers of the recently deceased owner. When he arrives in the nearby village, the locals seem singularly unwelcoming and don’t appear to want him to go to the house.

Once at Eel Marsh House, strange things begin to happen, with odd noises and things moving by themselves. Then the lawyer sees a ghostly woman in black. As Arthur attempts to do his job, the eerie things begin piling up until it becomes clear something supernatural is happening, which may be responsible for multiple child deaths and is tied to terrible events from the past.

It’s actually a relatively standard ghost story set-up, but as with the book and play, Watkins’ film realises is that it’s the way it’s told that’s important. The Woman In Black is a long exercise in the creepy, quickly building an unsettling atmosphere and then endlessly going in for the kill with jumps, shocks and horror eeriness. As the 12 certificate attests, it’s singularly lacking in blood and guts, and proves that you can put the willies up people without needing to gross them out. It should be added that just because it’s a 12 cert doesn’t mean you should automatically let your youngsters watch it, as I can imagine is causing many sleepless nights (and not just for the under 18s).

The Woman In Black superbly evocative and while the story is actually relatively slight, it works extremely well to draw you into what’s going on, with some attention also paid to ensuring you care about the characters as well. Although Radcliffe doesn’t stray too far from the rather straightforward style he honed during the Harry Potter films, he’s an effective presence at the movie’s heart. Acting honours must go to Janet McTeer though, as a woman who’s never gotten over the death of her son.

There were admittedly moments where I worried things were going to get a bit too silly, with Arthur Kipps in danger of turning into a dumb horror protagonist, who seems to be actively seeking out the most dangerous, creepiest situations to get himself into. However it’s nice they added in a bit of an explanation as to why he would run towards banging noises and ghostly apparitions rather than just getting the hell out of there.

With an almost ridiculous amount of make-you-jump moments and a plot that keeps you hooked in, The Woman In Black is great fun. It’s one of those films that makes you realise how lacklustre most other horror movies are, as without ladling on the blood and guts it can hook you in through great storytelling and technical expertise. If you saw it in the cinema (which you may well have done, as it’s the highest grossing horror film ever in the UK), you may have worried whether it translates to the small screen, but there’s no worries on that score. Indeed, as it’s largely set within a creepy house, as afterwards you’ll be jumping at every noise in your own home.

There’s also a pretty good selection of special features that take you behind the scenes of the production. Daniel Radcliffe is on hand to talk about why he was attracted to the film, while everyone else is keen to talk about how great he is. However it’s not all about Harry Potter, as director James Watkins and screenwriter Jane Goldman also talk about how they approached the adaptation. With various other bits and pieces, including the winning ghost story from a YouTube competition, the features really add value to the disc, which is becoming ever rarer.

Overall Verdict: A great ghost story that sucks you in and makes you constantly jump for an hour and a half. Daniel Radcliffe proves he’ll have a career long past Harry Potter.

Special Features:
‘Inside The Perfect Thriller: Making The Woman In Black’ Featurette
‘No Fear: Daniel Radcliffe As Arthur Kipps’ Featurette
Interview With James Watkins and Jane Goldman
Interview With Daniel Radcliffe
Ghost Story Competition
Trailers
Galleries

Reviewer: Tim Isaac

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Colin Farrell Will Be Saving Mr. Banks – Joining Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson

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Saving Mr. Banks got off the ground with a strong cast already attached, as Tom Hanks is set to play Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as Mary Poppins author PL Travers. Now Colin Farrell is in negotiations to join the Walt Disney Pictures film, according to Deadline.

The film is about Travers and shifts between her childhood days in early 1900s Queensland, which helped inform her creation of Mary Popping, and her experiences in the 1960s, negotiating with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) for a big-screen adaptation of her books. She long held out from Disney’s advances, but eventually sold the rights (although she wasn’t happy with the resulting film).

Colin Farrell will play the author’s father, a banker who starts drinking heavily after going through some hard times financially. His hardships had a profound effect on her writing and it was him who Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins was based on.

John Lee Hancock is directing from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel, with shooting scheduled to begin in the autumn.

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Noah Oppenheim Takes On 1984 – The Ron Howard movie gets a screenwriter

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1984 may have been 28 years ago, but Ron Howard thinks George Orwell’s novel of the same name is still prescient enough to make a new film version out of. Howard’s Imagine Entertainment has hired screenwriter Noah Oppenheim (The Secret Life of Houdini) to adapt the book into a screenplay, according to Deadline.

The book follows Winston Smith, a man who works at the Ministry of Truth, literally rewriting history as it unfolds. He tries to rebel against this totalitarian society – and the all-seeing Big Brother – by falling in love, which is strictly forbidden.

Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Julie Yorn are producing for Imagine Entertainment. A director has not been attached yet, although there’s a possibility Howard will helm himself if the script is right (and The Dark Tower doesn’t move forward).

Oppenheim is becoming a bit of a remake/adaptation specialist, as he’s also working on new versions on War Games, and a remake of Daniel Espinosa’s Snabba Cash.

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Ninja Turtles Reboot Gets Delayed – Script issues push the shoot back

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A few months ago Paramount Pictures set a December 25th, 2013 release date for their new live action Ninja Turtles reboot. However that’s now been pushed back until at least May 16th, 2013, according to THR, in order to work out issues with the script. Only last week plans were moving ahead to shoot the film later this summer, so this is a bit of a last minute move.

The studio has laid off pre-production staff members, with the start of production postponed for at least 10 weeks. The screenplay by André Nemec and Josh Appelbaum is said to be the primary reason for the production shut down. It isn’t known if Paramount is seeking new writers or if the guys responsible for the script will get a chance to iron out the problem.

Jonathan Liebesman is still attached to, with Michael Bay producing through his Platinum Dunes production company. This is the third major production that Paramount has delayed in the past few months. Last month G.I. Joe Retaliation was bumped nine months from June 29th, 2012 to March 29th, 2013 to be converted into 3D. World War Z has also been pushed from this December into the summer of 2013, to accommodate extensive reshoots.

Don’t be shocked if there are even more delays to Ninja Turtles, especially as initial reports said the movie had been put on indefinite hiatus rather than just being delayed by 10 weeks.

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