Film Review: Vice

Writer-director Adam McKay’s mission is clear with Vice. The film works for the most part, thanks in large part to its cast and the filmmaker’s palpable conviction.

Spurred on by his wife Lynne, Dick Cheney rises through the ranks in Washington. From assistant in the Nixon administration to Vice-President under George W. Bush, Cheney changes the US and the world…

Following 2015’s The Big Short, writer and director Adam McKay returns with another target in his sights. Vice is a biopic, but one with a heavy slant. McKay’s message is clear; he is going to lay out exactly why Dick Cheney is responsible for so many of the terrible things in recent US politics. Nevertheless, the film is more nuanced than a hit piece. 

From early on in proceedings, Cheney is depicted as a villain. In some ways, Vice could be seen as a super-villian origins story; the film does show the rise of character who goes on to do substantial damage. Yet the portrayal is more nuanced than this, depicting a family man as well as a political player.

Vice flits between comedy and drama for a good portion of the run time. The tone is sometimes uneven; the abruptness of which the film jumps from the humorous to the deadly serious is striking. However this seems to be McKay’s point, indicating the farcical nature of the various administrations, and the very serious consequences. Pacing in the film can seem languid at times.

Christian Bale delivers a most excellent performance as Cheney, proving once again that he is one of the very best actors in Hollywood today. Amy Adams delivers fantastic support as Lynne, and Sam Rockwell is wonderful as George W. Bush.

Vice is an imperfect picture. Nevertheless, Adam McKay wins viewers over with his clear passion and the great performances from his cast.

Film Review: The Big Short

Adam McKay’s The Big Short focuses on a very interesting subject matter. Although this may have functioned better as a documentary rather than a fiction film, The Big Short is still entertaining and informative.

Michael Burry, an eccentric hedge fund manager, is first to spot that the US housing market is built on a bubble that will explode. Others, such as jaded Mark Baum are told about the investment opportunity. With the big banks believing that the housing market will never fail,  it is the outsiders who are seen as the naysayers…

Directed and co-written by Adam McKay, The Big Short tells the story of the men who predicted the housing bubble crash and subsequent economic meltdown of 2008. The different narrative strands of the film sometimes entwine, but always head towards the same goal.

The roster of players that feature in the film include the insightful vanguard Michael Burry, the shrewd Jared Vennett, and the paranoid Ben Rickert. The film is an ensemble piece, slotting different elements of the history together. Some of the more prominent characters are given some backstory, but the focus remains on the affairs rather than the personnel.

Adam McKay makes something of a comedy out of what could have been rather dry source material. The tone of the film shifts from amusing to educational at varying points in the film. Although there are plenty of jokes, The Big Short attempts to stick to the condemnation of banking practices. In breaking the fourth wall, various narrators tell the audience that the depictions may not be accurate. Moreover, there are some amusing breaks in which well-known faces explain some of the financial jargon. This adds to the feel of the film lending itself to the documentary style. Christian Bale offers an excellent performance as Burry. Steve Carell is also on good form, and Charlie Geller and Finn Wittrock add enthusiasm in smaller roles. Ryan Gosling does a decent job as the unscrupulous narrator.

The Big Short is a film that will most likely be applauded for making the complicated comprehensible. The fact that it entertains as well is also worthy of praise.

Film Review: Daddy’s Home

Director and co-writer Sean Anders’ Daddy’s Home is very much in the same vein as his other comedies. Will Ferrell fans will find laughs, but there is little here that is unpredictable.

Brad loves being a stepdad to his wife’s two children. Brad is finally winning the children round, when their real dad decides to visit. The freeloading Dusty forces Brad to compete for the affection of the kids…

Daddy’s Home is a sufficiently entertaining comedy, as may be expected from the crew behind Step Brothers, The Other Guys and more. This latest Adam McKay-produced film offers a formulaic premise. Viewers are likely to know exactly what kind of film it will be from the first five minutes. The dependable stepdad is upstaged by the exciting real dad returning after an absence.

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play the exact roles expected of them in Daddy’s Home. There is no twist of assumptions as provided by The Other Guys, for example. In this latest film, the leads play to type. The wafer-thin characterisations leave plenty of room for comedy.

Daddy’s Home relies on the same style of humour as many of Ferrell’s other films. The film mixes slapstick with bawdy humour. This works to the same extent; some jokes hit whilst others miss the mark. Nonetheless, the film entertains overall. There are some decent parts, such as the anecdotes of Brad’s boss Leo (played by Thomas Haden Church). Will Ferrell goes through the motions as Brad; there is no stretch for the actor in this role. Likewise, Wahlberg is cast in a familiar fashion. Hannibal Buress is underused as Griff; the comedian is not given enough decent material.

Daddy’s Home is a diversion; audiences are likely to chuckle during the 1 hour 36 minute run time. Nevertheless, there are not enough belly laughs for the film to be memorable.

Ant-Man Press Conference

Last week, director Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Michael Peña sat down for the Ant-Man press conference in London. They discussed influences on the film, how Ant-Man was conceived, and future Marvel movies…

On Edgar Wright’s involvement…

Peyton Reed: I think it’s fair to say that none of us would be here, and there might not be an Ant-Man movie if it weren’t for Edgar and Joe [Cornish]. The idea to make Ant-Man a heist movie structure was all Edgar and Joe. The idea of Hank Pym and Scott Lang as mentor and pupil, again that was all their’s. I came on at the same time that Adam [McKay] and Paul [Rudd] were starting to do re-writes on the draft. There was some elements that had been in the comics but had not made their way into the script, that we wanted to bring into it.

On inspiration for their characters…

Michael Peña: As far as I know, there is no comic book called ‘Luis’. I am portraying someone that actually lives in Chicago, he may or may not be a criminal. He may or may not be in jail, I cannot say.

Paul Rudd: The idea of Scott doing everything that he does for his daughter is from the comics. That’s the imprint we used for the film. When we were working on the movie and writing the script… both Adam [McKay] and I felt that we never veered too far from something that doesn’t make sense in the Marvel universe, or something that isn’t true to the comic.

Michael Douglas: I was never a comic kid growing up. They were kind enough to send me the script of the Ant-Man along with a leather-bound copy of two years of the comics. There was more backstory for Hank Pym than any of the so-called ‘reality’ movies that I might done. So I had a pretty good blueprint to follow.

Michael Douglas on starring in a comic book movie…

Michael Douglas: I was very excited about this opportunity when they came to me because I never had really done anything in this milieu. My entire career is contemporary-based, not by choice, just by characters. All the things I’ve done in forty years, except for one, is contemporary, never did an effects movie. I was also a producer, so I was really curious about how this whole thing went together. I have tremendous respect for Peyton in keeping all these pieces together. I enjoyed the experience, and I also have a great appreciation for actors who work with green screen, because there ain’t anything there.

On genre in Ant-Man…

Peyton: I think Marvel have always done these sub-genres. I think that’s one of the things that keeps the Marvel movies so interesting. When you look at last year, Captain America: The Winter Soldier owes to a sort of 70s political thriller, a paranoia thriller. And Guardians of the Galaxy is this crazy Gonzo space opera. Our movie happens to have the structure and feel of a heist movie.

On the future of Ant-Man…

Paul: I have no idea what the future holds. I’m excited about it, I’m interested in playing this part in whatever way Marvel sees fit I suppose.

Peyton: If we’re fortunate enough to make another Ant-Man movie, I think there is a lot of story left to tell with these characters. I think there is a freedom at Marvel to kind of tonally do whatever we think is best, what serves the story best.

On filming Captain America: Civil War…

Paul: It was weird; it made this whole thing seem real in a way that it wasn’t even real for all of us. I think we were kind of shooting in a bubble when we did this [Ant-Man].

Ant-Man is released in cinemas on Friday 17th July 2015.

Film Review: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

A belated follow-up to the much-loved Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is an entertaining affair, even though it does not match the laughs of the original.

It’s the 1980s, and Ron Burgundy is a successful news anchor with his wife Veronica Corningstone. When Ron is asked to front the first 24-hour news channel, he sets about assembling his old team…

The fact that director Adam McKay and the main cast have returned for the sequel gives Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues a sense of credibility that other sequels lack. Some aspects of the film work well, whilst others fall flat.

The narrative of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues feels a bit slack. The film’s central premise of the 24-hour news channel is a good one; there are numerous jokes surrounding this. The film does meander a bit, producing good scenes as well as duds.

Just shy of two hours, Anchorman 2 is rather long for a comedy. The second half of the film feels a little bloated, although Anchorman 2 recovers from this.

The humour in McKay’s film does work for the most part. The jokes are frequent, although perhaps not as funny as the writers think. Jokes or situations that were memorable from the first film are slightly overplayed in an attempt to replicate the humour.

The camaraderie between Will Ferrell and the rest of the main cast is evident, with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd reprises their roles well. There is an overload of celebrity cameos in one particular scene, but other than this the new additions to the cast do a decent job.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues will certainly attract fans of the first film. The sequel will also satisfy to a certain extent. Anchorman 2 does not manage to replicate the humour of the first, although it gives a good effort.

Film Review: The Other Guys

The Other Guys is not as funny as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. That is not to say it isn’t a decent comedy, but merely that it does not reach the peaks of hilarity of Adam McKay’s 2004 film. Contending with the likes of Date Night and Dinner for Schmucks, however, The Other Guys becomes one of the better comedies of 2010.

Detective Terry Hoitz is sick of doing paperwork for hero cops Highsmith and Danson. When the opportunity arises, Hoitz and his reluctant partner Allen Gamble attempt to fill their shoes, but things don’t go according to plan…

 The Other Guys combines elements of the buddy cop movie, comedy and action to produce a very entertaining film. Whilst the narrative is linear and fairly predictable, the film amuses sufficiently so that this is not a problem. For example, juxtaposing a headstrong, aggressive cop with a goofy and more placid partner is not highly original, yet the relationship works due to a good script and chemistry between the pair.

The Other Guys is successful because of the various strands of humour at play. On a surface level, the antagonism (intentional or not) of Gamble towards Hoitz, and Hoitz reaction to this is a great source of amusement, particularly in the first half of the film. Elsewhere, the humour is sometimes juvenile but good fun nonetheless. The multiple references featured in the film (everything from Derek Jeter to Enron to Star Wars) are also a site for comedy, although sadly a number of these may be lost on some audience members. Finally, The Other Guys works well in the way in the way it skewers the conventions of the action and crime film. Hardened cop Hoitz has become adept in ballet only to make fun of the kids who took ballet, whilst Captain Gene Mauch also works a part-time job in retail.

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg work well as the odd couple, with Wahlberg sending up his alpha male image. Eva Mendes performs well as Gamble’s unlikely wife. The Other Guys provides a welcome return to the mainstream for Michael Keaton, whose flair for comedy remains as strong as ever.

Coming at the end of a season bereft of good comedies, The Other Guys is an excellent caper; perfect if you want to switch your brain off and have a few laughs.