February Flies By

Nearly a third of the way to my target of 150 films of the year so far, with thanks to the spectacular Glasgow Film Festival. So I may need to up the ante and make that target a bit higher, we'll see how things go. The films of the GFF have already been reviewed day to day during the festival itself, so I don't need to say anymore here - follow the links though to travel straight through the interwebs to the review of that specific film!

I, Frankenstein 3D
Lone Survivor
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Grudge Match
Beetlejuice
American Hustle
Mr Peabody and Sherman 3D
The Invisible Woman
RoboCop
The Lego Movie 3D
That Awkward Moment
The Monuments Men
Her
The Lego Movie
A New York Winter's Tale
Only Lovers Left Alive

And from the Glasgow Film Festival - follow the links to find their reviews

The Girl From The Wardrobe
LFO
A Long Way Down
The Congress
The Lunchbox
Exhibition
Metalhead
Drew: The Man Behind the Poster
Unforgiven
Concussion
Almost Human
Benny and Jolene
Glasgow Film Festival Digest – a round up of all films



So here is a rundown of February's films.

I, Frankenstein 3D — a modern update on the tale of Frankenstein and his monster, this time with some extra demons and angels added in for good measure. The computer graphics weren’t too bad but nothing could mask the unremarkable characters. Why was Terra, played by Yvonne Strahovski, okay with what was happening? As a scientist surely she would be ridiculing the whole idea and as a person, shouldn’t she be scared? Bill Nighy and Aaron Eckhart, excellent as always but their talents are wasted here.

Lone Survivor — there were some strong and courageous performances from the main four actors – Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch – which gave me an even deeper respect for Navy SEALs. The plot is simple enough and never requires you to stretch the imagination, it does make you think about the right/wrong moral dilemmas that must be put upon soldiers – or SEALs in this case – in a war zone. However it was a quiet beginning with a lot of uninspired dialogue.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit — this was an almost-action-packed, fun film. The generic bad guys and predictable plot points made it overall forgettable though. Everyone put in their best, and it was nice to see Keira Knightley back on the big screen, but there was nothing they could do to make this shout at you. Nice if you’re in the mood to not think too hard about it.

Grudge Match — old men boxing, not a good look. The plot ambles along with the predictable twists and un-evolved dialogue to no great effect. There are some fun one-liners and stand-offs which try to distract you from the overall basic plot. Nice little part for Jon Bernthal, after his Walking Dead stint, who turns out to be the only one to make an effort.

Beetlejuice — what can you say about Beetlejuice? All I can think is 'still got it!' This wacky, wonderful trip still grabs you start to finish and spins you round showing off the talents of Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Winona Ryder. Michael Keaton's best role? Most likely, with his crazy magnetism here jumping off the screen. A great little jaunt back to one of the best films of the 80s.

American Hustle — see January's review.

Mr Peabody and Sherman 3D — this was a fast paced, bright and loud kids film – and I say kids, not family. As much as the lights and sounds will keep the kids entertained, there’s not much for the adults. Only a few jokes got the giggles from the oldies! It does its best to be educational but I would say you get about as much historical accuracy as Bill & Ted films.

The Invisible Woman — long and filled with characters that are relatively unlikeable. Felicity Jones and Ralph Fiennes' lead characters are well acted, however the plot drags and ultimately it doesn't feel like there was much of a point in the lacklustre affair. It feels like there should be bounds of overflowing passion and longing between the two leads, but it is nowhere to be seen.

RoboCop — I didn’t expect much from this remake but was pleasantly surprised. As expected with a 12A certificate, the grittiness and balls-to-the-wall mentalness is toned down to the extreme from the original 1987 version. Instead there is a new Hollywood-type gloss to everything, from the shiny skyscrapers and TV studios to the battle scarred robots in use elsewhere. The character of RoboCop though is given much better depth and understanding, making him much more relatable. The score plays with the original theme which is a nice touch.

The Lego Movie 3D — fun, fast, complex and imaginative – there is something there for both the kids and adults to enjoy. The all star voice cast – including Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks and the exceptional Liam Neeson – brings life to the everyday toys which have become a household name and clearly have fun with it. There is a distinct change of tone in the third act and almost derails the stellar work so far, however by the end it is all wrapped up nicely and makes complete sense. Highly recommended!

That Awkward Moment — another rom-com the only difference being that it comes mostly from male perspective. Turns out they are all still big girls! It starts with the girls completely against stereotype, inevitably though the last act sees them all return to type for the glorious happy ending. The three main guys have all shown some great acting skills in other films, time for them to step away from the generic rom-coms though and prove their worth.

The Monuments Men — this film with its starry cast was overly long and a rollercoaster ride of different tones throughout. Was it a drama? Was it a comedy? Nobody could really decide. The plot and characters were good but not big enough to capture your imagination or throw you into the action with gusto. There were a couple of deaths that were not expected, but other than that it was pretty dull.

Her — an interesting and contemporary concept which is beautifully shot and ruefully romantic, unsettling at times and close. I found relief from constantly staring and Joaquin’s face when he interacted with real people, but I guess that’s the point – who needs real people anymore? With that in mind, I felt there could have been other, just as interesting, subplots to this making the two hour running time worthwhile.

A New York Winter's Tale — a bit soppy and romantic but overall pretty enjoyable, even if the plot is predictable in places. Some beautiful sets and super landscapes create a magical feel which is appropriate for the plot, although things get iffy when Will Smith shows up as some sort of judge from the underworld! This may not be a choice part for Colin Farrell but he steals the show anyway, with his downtrodden but loveable Irish scamp playing off against the villain Russell Crowe.

Only Lovers Left Alive — took the chance to go see this hypnotic and beautifully constructed world again with its general release. See January’s preview review.