A Single Man

Image courtesy of starworksny.com

What: Film.

Director: Tom Ford.
Actors: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode.
Where: Curzon Mayfair Cinema, London.

It's hard to look past the immaculately dressed cast, the beautiful Mercedes Coupe, the delicately coloured cigarettes and the perfectly prepared Tanqueray Gin and Tonics to give an objective opinion on this film. However, once you can find a way round the effortless chic, the latest output of the Tom Ford product range has got a lot of soul.

Colin Firth deservedly picked up the best actor award at the BAFTA's on Sunday night for this performance as the gay college lecturer tormented by the death of his lover. And although Jeff Bridges' lifetime contribution to film will probably mean that Hollywood give him the nod at the Oscars this Sunday, Firth is funny, passionate and beautifully depressing in this career-defining role.

Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode and Julianne Moore provide an excellent supporting cast. Although Moore doesn't quite hit the heights she did in Boogie Nights she is still irresistible as a middle-aged ex-lover and friend to Firth's character. Hoult exhibits the perfect mix of behaviour you'd expect of his college student character. His youthful personality frustrates against Firth's maturity which reminds the viewer of his performance in About a Boy but later the bravado he demonstrated in Skins becomes evident. This won't go un-noticed in the Hollywood studios.

There's no doubt that Tom Ford has a future in the film industry. Let's face it, he has film starstatus himself and if Firth's BAFTA acceptance speech was as genuine as it sounded, he's the kind of guy that everyone wants to be around.

This is a season of Mad Men squeezed beautifully into 2 hours. And like Mad Men it's not just people who love TV and cinema that are going to take to this. The fashionista crowd are going to be all over it. I can see them now heading for the beach at Cannes come festival time, Tom Ford shades glinting in the sun and a not-so-well thumbed copy of Isherwood's A Single Man tucked under the arm.

Rating: 8/10

Comments: A beautiful story, beautifully acted and it all looks so Tom Ford-beautiful.

The Hurt Locker

Image coutesy of impawards.com

What: Film.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow .
Actors: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce.
Where: At home on DVD.

With the BAFTA ceremony this Sunday and the Oscars following quickly behind everyone is talking about the Avatar v The Hurt Locker and more interestingly, the Cameron v Bigelow dual that pits the former husband and wife head to head. Which of the two will Hollywood, well accustomed to a high profile divorce, side with?

Despite losing momentum towards the middle of the 131 minutes, The Hurt Locker, blasts back with one of the most interesting accounts of war in recent years. What really sets this film apart through is Renner's interpretation and Bigelow's direction of the main character, Sergeant William James and, more importantly, the regular appearances of his alter ego.

Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes make high profile cameo appearances which work well and add weight to this feature without overpowering it. We only see Pearce's character for the first scene in the film but he seems to perfectly handover to Renner's character as the later plays the formers replacement. Perhaps it's Pearce's familiarity that works so well to position his character as a straight, good guy against what comes after him.

Not taking too much away from the majority of the film it's the first and last 15 minutes that really define the film. The start sets the scene and the ending not only caps this film off but leads the viewer to think more generally about war and everyday lifel. It will leave you still mulling things over weeks down the line.

Making a decision on this film after and hour would be taking everything away from this work which could be arguably be described as both an anti and pro war film. Bigelow leaves it late and forces the viewer into an opinion on the central character just before the credits roll. The music score (Ministry's 'Khyber Pass") of the final scene only helps to blow you away.

Rating: 8/10

Comments: The finale pushes this from a decent war thriller past Avatar into 'classic' territory.

Avatar 3D

Image courtesy of collider.com

What: Film.
Director: James Cameron .
Actors: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver.
Where: Holloway Road Odeon, London.

It’s epic, it really is. It’s two and a half hours of distraction from everyday life by means of travelling to another world (literally). It’s got morals and it’s got a clear message directed at the human race. The fact that nearly the whole of the human race has seen it reaffirms the old saying ’you get what you pay for‘. It’s also a clear step forward for Hollywood blockbuster films and CGI film-making. People will always remember the whole Avatar package. The hype, the product and the legacy.

But how many directors could do as well as Cameron with the same budget? How many could produce something as entertaining for 2.5 hours of viewing? About 25 - 50 I reckon. That’s taking nothing away from him. He’s done his job, in fact he probably even did a bit of overtime.

When someone’s spent this much money on the film you can’t help but consider was it good value for money. It’s not as good a value as Cameron’s dark thrillers The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day but probably better value than Titanic. This is the thing, because it’s broken all the records, you can’t help but compare Avatar to everything that’s ever gone before.

So it’s epic and decent value for money. Definitely those two. What else is it? I think that’s it. I couldn’t see a stand out performance in the film but this was always going to be more a Director’s film than an actors stage to shine. No-one’s watching the acting when strange plants and animals surround you and your 3D glasses.

Maybe a top performance would have pushed it closer to the real benchmark: Star Wars: A New Hope. I’m sure that cost a lot of money too but it was also clever. It was the Eric Cantona to Avatar’s Andy Cole. More iconic, more classy and a wider appreciation but don’t get me wrong, Avatar still knows how to put the ball in the onion net. It’s just that there’s an edge that’s missing. It’s an edge he had with the Terminator films and Aliens.

You won’t think too much about this story for a while after you’ve seen it. It won’t blow you away like the ending of, for example, the beautiful 2007 Oscar winner The Lives of Others (which I only managed to see late last year). It won’t make you want to go out and buy an Otis Redding album like watching Tony and Carmela Soprano make love to My Lover’s Prayer does. There’s no performance anywhere near what Carey Mulligan gives in An Education.

Image courtesy of slashfilm.com

This isn’t as much of a life changer as the money might suggest. But it wouldn't be undeserving of best film at this years Oscars after all it’s better than Chicago or Slumdog Millionaire. Maybe it’s the fact that I thought I’d seen snippets of this film before. In fact, I’m sure I’ve spent night’s out and mornings hungover with some of the cast. No hold-on, that was Aquaman and the (virtual) success of everything that surrounded that was down to the fact that no-one took themselves too seriously. Maybe a cameo from Johnny ‘Drama’ Chase was the finishing touch that Avatar needed.

Rating: 8/10
Comments: An epic blockbuster and a step forward for Hollywood film-making.

Preview: Mad Men Series 3

Images courtesy of amctv.com and theguardian.co.uk

What: TV Series.
Created/Produced: Matthew Weiner.
Actors: Jon Hamm, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss.
Where: Wednesdays, 10pm, BBC4 (from 27th Jan 2010).

Reality isn't what it used to be. We're nearly a month into this new decade and nobody can come to an agreement as to what we should call the last one! There was a time when this would never be a problem. It was a time before politically correct and my god this time was special.

The BBC have offered us a chance to get out of 2010 and go back to these 'glory days' as tonight they begin screening an episode of Mad Men Series 3 every week until we've seen all 13 episodes. To say I'm excited is a huge understatement.

I wanted to go into this new series fully detoxed and fighting fit. That went out the window when the second series was screened again earlier in January. The Habitat sale sold out of whiskey glasses within 40 mins and once we'd bought all of those we were straight down the 7-11. "A bottle of JD and 20 Marlboro Lights please". We were still spotting decor and subtle clothing accessories we'd missed on the two previous viewings. How much depth can 1 TV series have?

And then, just when we'd thought we had calmed down a little Christina Hendricks rocks up to the Golden Globes last Sunday 100% in character. There's no way she lives in the 21st Century, it's no where near cool enough.

So enjoy. The guardian recently voted this the 4th best TV series ever. I'd have it a little higher. For me, there is no better getaway than Madison Avenue in the (supposedly unfashionable) early 1960's. This is the real Sex and the City but with cigarettes, whiskey and er....more cigarettes.

Up in the Air

Image courtesy of truetwilight.com

What: Film.
Director: Jason Reitman .
Actors: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick.
Where: Tottenham Court Road Odeon, London.

Last Sunday in the Observer Philip French described this not only as Clooney's 'best role' but also his 'best performance yet.' Big praise indeed and not far from how TGD viewed the work of the lead actor in this amusing and entertaining directional follow-up to Juno for Jason Reitman. Even the stiff seats and this drab cinema couldn’t put us off this one.

Many (including the Coen Brothers) may argue that Clooney’s involvement in O Brother, Where Art Thou? should feature as high on his list of best performances. Anna Kendrick supports superbly as a colleague and fellow 'Corporate Downsizer' who travels around the US with Ryan Bingham (Clooney) sacking people.

Although the two start as enemies they grow closer after Kendrick’s character begins to realise what’s involved in the soul destroying occupation and also experiences some personal heartbreak of her own. Happy singleton Bingham starts to fall in love with a women who seems to be his female equivalent and they continue a casual relationship meeting in hotels in various parts of the country.

Although the film ends with clips suggesting that however bad life gets, you can get by with a little help from your friends (or your family in this case), it’s not necessarily a parable that solely reinforces the strength of married life. That might be too one-dimensional for Reitman and in a couple of scenes the sour side of married life is left exposed for all to see. With this in mind, casting George Clooney as the successful, but also sensitive, bachelor is the real master-stroke here.

Rating: 8/10

Comments: Not quite of the standard of Juno but a great follow-up. It's impossible not to enjoy Clooney's interpretation of this character.

A Prophet

What: Film.
Director: Jacques Audiard.
Actors: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif.
Where: Curzon Renoir Cinema, London.


Image courtesy of incontention.com

Since A Prophet received the Grand Prix prize at last years Cannes Film Festival the hype around both the film itself and the performance of it’s star, Tahar Rahim, has been huge. This kind of praise can work both ways and watching films on the sun drenched Riviera after a champagne fuelled lunch in May is never the same as watching a film in Olde London Town in January.

The Renoir cinema in Bloomsbury however, provides a great setting all year round and with the sun making an appearance on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, Cannes didn’t feel all that far away.

The viewer warms instantly to Rahim’s credible character and remains attached to him and understanding of the decisions he makes throughout the film. This is the real achievement of this work and despite some hard-hitting moments it’s impossible to shift allegiance as you watch him play out his 6 years in this Parisian prison.

This isn’t always the case with Vincent Cassel’s character in last years Jacques Mesrine films which is the obvious recent comparison to A Prophet. Niels Arestrup plays the leader of a Corsican gang who run the prison with almost equal intelligence.

As a film, it’s not as glossy or entertaining as the Killer Instinct or Public Enemy No.1 but the acting and the film score is superb. We‘ll be seeing more of Tahar Rahim and, during one scene, ‘Bridging the Gap’ by Nas works perfectly as a backdrop to this iconic gangsters contemporary look.

Rating: 7/10

Comments: The latest confirmation of the current strength of French gangster films.

The Road

What: Film
Director: John Hillcoat

Actors: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron.
Where: Curzon Soho Cinema, London

Transforming what many believe to be 'the book of the last decade' into a feature film comes with it's obvious advantages but, on the flip side, you can't avoid the comparisons with the original text. However, the screen version of The Road fights hard. It stirs the darkest emotions with it's epic, bleak and, at times, chilling portrayal of a dark, deadly world. It grabs hold of you and doesn't let go for 110 minutes.

It centres around the journey of a father and his son through a dying world torn apart by a mysterious disaster. The film assumes the worst in human nature as the majority of the other survivors embark on a anarchic, murderous spree where rape and cannibalism come hand in hand.

Hillcoat's creation pushes the viewer to examine their own world and it's interesting how everyday sights and sounds can provoke extreme emotions in this hostile environment. The introduction of dogs, for example, causes panic and reassurance in equal measure at various stages of the film.

In a brief spell of comfort and feasting for the pair, the man enjoys a Jack Daniels with a cigarette to the boys bemusement. 'You think I come from another world, don't ya?' claims the man. Coming of age is a short process for this boy and it isn't long before he is thrown head-first into this very adult world.

Rating: 7/10

Comments: Mortensen and especially Smit-McPhee shine in this spectacular but depressing, grey creation.