Very loosely based on Arthur Schnitzler’s 1900 play La Ronde, Fernando Meirelles’ movie tells a series of interconnected tales, stretching across the globe, all of which are loosely ties by looking at sexual politics and the ties of human connections, no matter how brief.

Meirelles showed his skill with complex ensemble tales with City Of God, but 360 is a slower affair, more meditative than the driving energy of his Brazilian favela movie. Amongst the many stories are Jude Law and Rachel Weisz’s married couple, who both find themselves in adulterous situations. Anthony Hopkins is an older man looking for his lost daughter, who makes a random connection with a young Brazilian woman. Ben Foster is fresh out of prison after a six-year stretch for paedophilia, trying to withstand the temptations and distractions of the outside world. There’s also a prostitute sent to an appointment with a brutish Russian businessman, while her sister makes friends with a man outside, whose marriage is on the rocks.

360 is the sort of film some will love and others will loath. If you like films where stories are neatly wrapped up, loose ends are tidied away and motivations are clear and concise, this isn’t the film for you. The movie instead meditates on things, positing possible meanings and thematic ideas without ever leading the audience by the hand. Running through the film are some interesting ideas about sex and love. The opening mini-stories present sex and human connection in essentially economic terms, and it’s through that prism we then view the rest of the movie.

Things start out being literally about money – a pimp taking erotic pictures and blackmail over a business transaction due to knowledge of a sexual indiscretion. However the rest of the film is less about cash, but is still interested in the ‘payment’ for human connection. What does an old man get out of making friends with a young woman, and vice versa? When do the benefits of a loveless but safe marriage stop outweighing the uncertainty but possibilities of a new life?

It’s all rather intriguing but with each character given little screen time, none of the stories really go anywhere, leaving everything up to the audience a little too much. The result is that while the film constantly seems to be searching for something profound to say, characters leave just before it actually gets there. The brevity of each story also tends to give the impression that the connections between the characters are a little arbitrary and convenient, simply so that it can move smoothly from one to the next.

A lot of the reviews of 360 have been pretty harsh, but I think the problem is that many people looked at the cast, director and the fact that it has a script by Peter Morgan, and expected it to be something different to what it is. Perhaps with slightly lowered expectations and the realisation that this isn’t just about human connections of all types, but also the connections the audience themselves can make in what’s going on, they’d have realised there’s actually a fair amount to take away from 360. It’s by no means a masterpiece, and sometimes could do with picking up the pace, but it’s still a worthwhile multi-narrative film.

Overall Verdict: An intriguing multi-strand, globe-trotting movie that suffers from the fact each story is so short but still offers some interesting thoughts on sexual politics and the economics of human connections.

Reviewer: Tim Isaac

With expectations sky high and delirious anticipation hanging heavy in the summer air, Christopher Nolan’s third and final Batman movie finally closes the curtain on his Dark Knight saga. The film’s not perfect, but there is plenty of bangs for your buck in this bombastic comic book caper.

Many years have passed since the events of The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne (Bale) has hung up his cape and become a recluse. Jim Gordon (Oldman) is enjoying a time of peace in Gotham while the rest of the city celebrates and remembers the false idol that was Harvey Dent.

Gotham is never too far away from violence and destruction however, and a storm starts to brew in the form of a masked terrorist named Bane (Hardy), a man obsessed with giving Gotham back to the people by unleashing hell throughout their not so fair city. Meanwhile, a slinky cat burglar named Selina Kyle (Hathaway) intrudes on Bruce’s isolated self-imprisonment at Wayne Manner and eventually leads the Dark Knight to the city’s new nemesis. As Gotham comes under siege from Bane and his army, The Batman must come out of retirement and save his city.

Of course, The Dark Knight Rises was never going to live up to its predecessor (it had the best Batman villain after all). Heath Ledger’s performance and subsequent death gave The Dark Knight direct legendary status, but the film raised the bar for comic book movies across the board, from its dark and menacing tone to its breath-taking action.

The Dark Knight Rises tries to reach those same highs, and sometimes it does. But despite the grand scale bombardment of deafening action and special effects-laden warfare, The Dark Knight Rises still feels a bit underwhelming.

Plot wise, the film suffers similar problems to Nolan’s previous Batman films. It’s convoluted, there are subplots that are dull and unnecessary and dialogue that’s questionable at best. But while Begins had the newly-introduced dark and brooding tone to see it through its shortcomings, and The Dark Knight had the charismatic Joker to keep things sparkling, Rises has neither the freshness nor the fascinating characters to disguise its bloated approach.

As a result, Rises feels painfully overlong at times. The first hour or so is particularly hard going as the film finds its feet, but even when things build towards the final act, where Bane unleashes chaos and destruction on a scale that the Joker could only dream of, things still feel a bit underwhelming, and the long-winded climax doesn’t deliver a finale as exciting or as engrossing as its predecessor.

But that’s maybe because Bane isn’t nearly as interesting as Joker. Hardy does a terrific job in the role and radiates an unsettling madness behind the mask. He has a villain’s voice (though sometimes difficult to understand) and a complex backstory to boot, which makes him a fine final villain for Batman to contend with. That said, there’s only so far you can go with a masked bruiser, (as Bale’s Batman proves) and after the epic build up, Bane just kind of fizzles out.

Anne Hathaway has a few good lines and looks predictably sexy and sultry in the cat suit, but she makes for a pretty dull Catwoman; not really that interesting nor indeed crucial to Nolan’s saga. Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings a human element to the proceedings as rookie cop John Blake, and fans may balk in terror or wet themselves with excitement at the character’s last-minute surprise.

Old pros Bale, Oldman and Freeman hold their own and Sir Michael gets in a few more lip-quivering speeches to Master Wayne before the day’s out, while Marion Cotillard, the new shady love interest for Bruce, is just one character too many in the already-overloaded roster.

As a standalone film, The Dark Knight Rises gets the job done and has more than few great moments, but it’s seriously flawed. As part of the big picture though, it works a lot better, coming full circle and bringing Nolan’s saga to a close in loud and proud fashion. You’ll want to revisit Begins and Dark Knight after watching this, and it’s when watching Rises as part of one gigantic, multi-layered story arc that you get a sense of how ambitious, impressive and important Nolan’s saga has been for the Batman character. Indeed, an epic Batman tale for our times.

Overall Verdict: The final instalment of the saga may have its flaws, but it brings Nolan’s Dark Knight saga full circle and closes the book on Bale’s Batman with style.

Reviewer: Lee Griffiths

An asteroid heads towards Earth, giving the planet’s inhabitants just three weeks to say their goodbyes to loved ones and wrap up any unfinished business.

When his wife leaves him upon hearing the catastrophic news, Dodge (Carell) goes about his daily business, attending his day job and spending his final days in indifferent isolation. Until, that is, Dodge finds an unlikely companion for the end of the world in kooky neighbour Penny (Knightley), who encourages Dodge to seek out a former lover and embark on a road trip to find ‘the one that got away’.

Lorene Scafaria’s movie follows a similar narrative to her former penned feature, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, in which the protagonists wander from one scene to another, interacting with the occasional oddball before eventually discovering love. The problem is, where Nick and Norah had the very charming and very sweet duet that was Michael Cera and Kat Dennings, Seeking a Friend has the very charming and sweet Steve Carell and a very miscast Keira Knightley.

Tapping in to eccentric kooks that came before her (Eternal Sunshine’s Clementine comes to mind), Keira has neither the acting chops nor the girl next-door charm to pull this off convincingly. Her performance, plum-mouthed and eloquently British, just doesn’t sit well with the rest of the picture, and it certainly doesn’t conjure up any sort of chemistry with her leading man.

Knightley’s miscasting jars in those quieter scenes when things could have proved profoundly moving, and the total lack of chemistry essentially makes for a wholly unbelievable love story (on top of the asteroid/end-of-the-world plot that is).

But it’s not all Keira’s fault. The script generally lacks laughs and an emotional punch (two essential ingredients for an apocalypse rom-com) and the final act descends into sentimental nonsense. Still, a very funny turn by Cloverfield’s T.J. Miller and some heavyweight assistance by Martin Sheen nearly very nearly makes witnessing the end of the world worthwhile.

Overall Verdict: Turns out Earth’s final days aren’t that emotional or indeed that funny.

Reviewer: Lee Griffiths

 

When I first saw the adverts for Magic Mike, I thought, ‘Oh no, it’s Showgirls meets The Full Monty’, however I was perplexed somewhat that Oscar winning director Stephen Soderbegh was at the helm. He’s delivered some brilliant films over the years, including Traffic, Erin Brockovich and Solaris, although his work of recent has not been as impressive, namely Haywire and Contagion.

However, with Magic Mike, he has given us is a crowd pleasing, energetic, realistic behind-the-scenes look at the glamorous but shady lives of the stripping community, in a tight, well scripted gem of a movie.

The premise: Channing Tatum plays Magic Mike, the lead of a troupe of strippers in the nightclub Xquisite. He takes The Kid (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing, and introduces him to the owner of Xquisite, played energetically by Matthew McConaughey. The story is simple – it’s three months in the journey in the life of two of the strippers, as well as the obligatory romantic interest. Tatum’s Mike, in his 30s, is desperately trying to be the entrepreneur he wants to be, and is having difficulty in reaching his goals. The Kid, who has now been opened up to a whole new world of stripping, falls into the trappings the lifestyle offers – namely the depravity and excesses of both sex and drugs. At the heart of the film though is The Kid’s sister Paige, played by Cody Horn, who is excellent as the grounded and often disapproving sister, concerned about her brother’s behaviour.

From the opening scene, temperatures rise as McConaughey parades in leather on stage to a bunch of hungry women, introducing us to the rules of Xquisite. It’s a bit like the rules of Fight Club, but in many ways very different! The next scene is again a very gratuitous bedroom scene with Tatum and a friend, shortly after we are given a hilarious ‘pumping’ scene featuring the incredibly handsome Joe Manganiello (from True Blood), who plays Big Dick Richie. You should be getting the picture by now – lots of nudity and muscle to please gay men and straight women alike!

The film also gives us many crowd pleasing dance/stripper routines, including strippers dressed as cowboys, doctors, Tarzan, police and fireman. Not only does the film deliver on this level, but the underlying theme of debauchery and sleaziness behind-the-scenes of the club is evident. Drug taking and dealing are in abundance, where those living the lifestyle believe it to be glamorous and wonderful, whilst those on the outside see the truth and emptiness behind it. The film also has sharp dialogue and many of the conversations seem real rather than scripted.

This film is Tatum’s journey. Whilst he is mentoring The Kid he starts to realise that he is living an empty, vain and self-destructive lifestyle and needs to make the decision of settling down and basically grow up, thanks to the sobering influence of Paige.

At one point the film does seem to be losing direction, as the mood suddenly becomes much darker, but it all falls back neatly into place with a good rounded but predictable ending.

One of the funniest scenes is where McConaughey is teaching Pettyfer how to work the stage with various thrusting methods, genius! Channing Tatum struts and dances around the film looking very buff and square jawed as he steals most of the scenes he is in. Not only is he very pleasing on the eye, but this film (along with 21 Jump Street) should propel him to leading A list status. He is an amazing dancer, has great comic timing, and also gives his character depth. Tatum also produced this film, as it’s partly based on his own experience as a young man working as a stripper.

Overall Verdict: A great little film, whilst the men and boys are off to see Batman and Spiderman, the gays and girls will be flocking to the cinema in droves for this, just as they did for Sex and The City.

Reviewer: Stephen Sclater

V/H/S aims to combine the old fashioned horror anthology film with the modern – and now possibly over-familiar – found footage movie. Anthology films such as Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath and Amicus Productions’ Tales from the Crypt gave audiences value for money by presenting a series of short, chilling tales, often bookended with an overarching story linking them all together.

This is the case with V/H/S; to begin with we’re watching the self-recorded VHS footage of a group of whooping morons who are vandalising houses, assaulting women and generally doing things which make you want them all to die as soon as possible. It’s never actually explained why they’re using VHS, as this part of the film doesn’t take place in the past, but in this age of pristine digital recordings there is now something inherently creepy about the grainy visuals and muffled sound of the obsolete format. After spending some time with this group and growing to hate them, we learn that they’re planning to break into a reclusive old man’s house in order to steal a VHS tape that could be extremely valuable. Of course once they’ve broken into the house and found it more or less deserted they decide to stay and watch the tape because, as I said, they’re morons.

We’re then presented with six fun-size found footage horror films from directors including The Innkeepers’ Ti West and I Sell the Dead’s Glenn McQuaid, all but one of which has a supernatural element, including ghosts, succubi and Satanists. Obviously the problem with any anthology film is that some sections will be more effective than others; one of the stories fizzles out anticlimactically just when it’s getting interesting and another, involving a girl living alone skyping with her boyfriend is laughably not-scary and its inclusion doesn’t actually make any sense, since the characters specifically state that their conversations aren’t being recorded. So how they end up on a VHS tape in a creepy old house is anyone’s guess.

But after a while it becomes obvious that V/H/S isn’t all that concerned with being logical, or with providing the kind of deep, disturbing scares of truly effective horror films like The Exorcist or Don’t Look Now, like the unsettlingly creepy trailer suggested. Instead its intention is to be a thrilling, ghost-train of a film with plenty of jumps and shocks and it’s largely successful. The found footage genre is getting a little tired and films like the seemingly everlasting Paranormal Activity sequels have driven the gimmick into the ground. But these quick-and-to-the-point vignettes manage to make the trope interesting again as each one is different enough, and over quickly enough to keep them interesting.

Overall Verdict: Blending classic and modern horror conventions, V/H/S is a horror film that isn’t afraid to have fun and although it’s inconsistent it’s an enjoyably visceral ride that is best seen with a game audience.

Reviewer: Adam Pidgeon

Frank is a minor London drug dealer, coasting by in life, selling to habitual users and nightclub patrons. When an opportunity for a huge, one-time deal arises, Frank spies a chance to make a killing with little effort and takes a large shipment from his supplier. When things go awry and Frank is left with no drugs and no money, he ends up resorting to drastic measures to pay back his huge debt in the unforgiving timeframe he is given.

Pusher is a remake of the 1996 Danish film of the same name, whose success effectively launched the careers of director Nicolas Winding Refn and supporting star Mads Mikkelsen.

If there is anyone for whom Richard Coyle still remains ‘Jeff from Coupling’, Pusher will drastically alter their perceptions. In place of the Welsh cloudcuckoolander is a man calm and stoic when unprovoked but violent when necessary. Instead of the ruthless sadist that dealers are often portrayed as, Frank is a three-dimensional character with hopes, ambitions and fears. Indeed, part of the plot involves his plan to elevate himself from the small time via a large drug shipment from Amsterdam, which inconveniently ties up his finances at the exact point he needs them the most.

Rounded personalities also extend to the nominal villains. Serbian drug lord Milo (Zlatko Buri?, reprising his role from the original trio of films) is pleasant and friendly when things go to plan, but will not hesitate to turn hostile if he feels he has been crossed. Likewise, his enforcer Hakan is no stranger to violence, but speaks of it matter-of-factly and takes no joy in inflicting it.

The supporting characters of Frank’s world add degrees of realism to proceedings. Tony is Frank’s somewhat gormless sidekick. Acting mostly as comic relief – mainly due to his being nowhere near as tough or sexy as he thinks he is – his practical use as Frank’s assistant is somewhat dubious. A touch of heart to the gritty underworld is added by Flo, an exotic dancer who also acts as Frank’s banker. Although the precise nature of their relationship is unclear, it’s obvious they share some degree of intimacy.

As the week of Frank’s life speeds by and his plans to fix his myriad problems start to crumble, his desperation becomes ever more palpable. The lengths that escalating events force him to resort to in order to ensure his continued survival elicit increasing sympathy. That the film can make you care about a criminal whose career is pretty much unjustifiable is the mark of highly skilled storytelling.

Overall Verdict: Short, fast and brutal, Pusher pulls no punches and offers no apologies. Few remakes stand up to comparison to their source, but happily this is in the minority of exceptions.

Reviewer: Andrew Marshall