The Cinemasitter

Category: The Digital Fix

  • Review: Before Midnight (2013)

    It might seem something of a paradox that cinephiles – people who generally prefer sitting in absolute silence with a room full of strangers to making idle conversation – have fallen so hard for a trilogy of films which consist almost entirely of two people talking to each other. Just talking. Not even talking about big, important things necessarily (though it does cover these), but every day stuff too. Yet such is the case with Richard Linklater’s rambling Before… series, of which Before Midnight is the latest entry. What is perhaps more astounding is that all three films – beginning with 1995’s Before Sunrise and continuing with 2004’s Before Sunset – should be so compellingly written and performed. This new instalment is every bit as beguiling as its predecessors, as it progresses the central relationship between Jesse and Celine to an older, more mature, yet no less problematic phase.

    Full review: Before Midnight | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: Man of Steel (2013)

    Zack Snyder’s mega-hyped Superman reboot arrives burdened with great expectations. Not only must it win over audiences disappointed by 2006’s Superman Returns; not only does it have to measure up to its billion dollar stablemate, the Dark Knight (as interpreted by Christopher Nolan, here wearing his producer’s hat); but it has also been tasked with establishing a cinematic universe comparable to its Marvel competition, allowing other characters and franchises to launch from its muscular shoulders and finally giving DC a chance to catch up. Not surprisingly, Man of Steel doesn’t quite succeed in delivering the knockout punch that Warner Bros might have wished for, but there’s still plenty to enjoy here, and, crucially, further sequels are an attractive prospect.

    Full review: Man of Steel | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: Populaire (2013)

    After a cavalcade of mediocre rom-coms from the other side of the Atlantic, it falls to France to beat the Americans at their own game. A winning homage to the Technicolor delights of Hollywood’s golden age, the beautifully coiffed Populaire might have been a vehicle for Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in a parallel universe. But stars Romain Duris and Déborah François are more than acceptable replacements, and the plot is every bit as enjoyably predictable (and predictably enjoyable) as its forebears.

    Full review: Populaire | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

    Bringing new meaning to the word ‘dumb’, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is as much of a disappointment as its predecessor, though in a completely different way. Where Stephen Sommers’s CGI-orgy of futuristic action provided plenty of visual razzle-dazzle but little excitement, director Jon M. Chu’s sequel changes tack by ditching the gadgets and technology, replacing them with old school pyrotechnics and patriotic flag-waving. And while this approach does raise the pulse a little more, the laughably lazy plot and dialogue make it impossible to enjoy even on a superficial level of escapism. Maybe it will be a case of third time’s the charm.

    Full review: G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

    Bryan Singer fee-fi-fo-fumbles the ball with Jack the Giant Slayer, a lifeless CGI-soaked fantasy adventure that manages to make an invasion by giants seem an entirely pedestrian event. One of those projects that was probably misconceived from the very beginning (how DO you make an epic adventure out of what is essentially a silly fairy tale?), the various ingredients fail to gel into a satisfying whole. A weak script, miscast stars and uneven tone result in a stodgy pudding with too little excitement to sustain its high concept. With any luck this is a brief misstep in the careers of all involved, who are capable of far, far better than this.

    Full review: Jack the Giant Slayer | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

    Disney’s return trip to the wondrous world of L. Frank Baum’s Oz, as laid out in MGM’s classic 1939 adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, is a well-judged one, and certainly a lot more commercially sound than its ill-fated 1985 attempt, Return to Oz. In Sam Raimi’s hands, the tale of a circus magician who inadvertently precipitates a civil war in a magical land somewhere over a rainbow delivers a ravishing and emotionally satisfying adventure. This is a prequel of course, which means there’s little doubt over what the outcome will be, but the journey is sufficiently different from – and faithful in spirit to – its illustrious predecessor as to feel quite fresh. All things considered, it just about manages to have its cake and eat it.

    Full review: Oz the Great and Powerful | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: Side Effects (2013)

    Steven Soderbergh’s final film (allegedly) before he puts his feet up with pipe and slippers, Side Effects is a dark Hitchcockian game of smoke and mirrors, and is certainly up there with the director’s best work. Beginning as a medical drama in the vein of his 2011 flick Contagion, the story takes a left turn into conspiracy thriller territory while asking some pretty searching questions about the drugs industry. By the end though, these have been more or less been forgotten in favour of the conventional thriller format, but you’ll be too engrossed in trying to figure out what on earth is going on to mind too much.

    Full review: Side Effects | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: Cloud Atlas (2012)

    Exactly what is Cloud Atlas? That would be telling, but it’s a mystery well worth making the journey to discover. It’s certainly one of the most ambitious tales to be tackled on the big screen in recent memory; a sprawling, staggering epic that steadfastly refuses to collapse under its own weight, despite a near-three hour running time. On the contrary, it dances through its multiple plots and time periods with a lightness that belies its complexity. It’s unlikely to shift The Matrix from the top spot of most people’s favourite Wachowski films, but it’s almost certainly bound to reward multiple viewings, something you’ll be keen to do as soon as possible.

    Full review: Cloud Atlas | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: This Is 40 (2012)

    Judd Apatow’s latest comedy drama, spun off from his 2007 hit Knocked Up, is a long and extremely bumpy ride across the well-worn turf of the mid-life crisis. Funny only in fits and starts, it is likely to infuriate and entertain in equal measure – those with low patience thresholds need not apply. The increasingly vocal grumblings about whether Apatow should spend longer in the editing suite before releasing his films are not entirely without merit. Yet there’s fun to be had too, thanks to a pair of enjoyable lead performances and a sprinkling of comedic highlights which rubs shoulders (occasionally uneasily) with more serious-minded drama.

    Full review: This Is 40 | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: Les Misérables (2012)

    Tom Hooper’s take on the evergreen West End musical blockbuster Les Misérables tests the boundaries of how radical a film adaptation can be in approaching material that is, at least for many, very familiar. Far from delivering a safe, faithful retelling that recreates the experience of the show, the King’s Speech director opts to do something quite different; he dials up the emotional intensity of the story by, quite literally, zooming in on the characters. Yes, the production has been opened up a bit, swapping small stages for a few widescreen vistas; but as the A-list cast sing their songs, there is no escaping their characters’ pain and suffering, and the effect is surprisingly powerful.

    Full review: Les Misérables | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix