Film Review: White House Down

Roland Emmerich’s tongue-in-cheek blockbuster is throughly entertaining. White House Down works because of the humour, which cannot be anything but intentional.

John Cale dreams of working for the Secret Service, protecting the President. On the day of his interview, he decides to take his daughter along so that she can go on a tour of the White House. Unbeknownst to Cale, an armed group are ready to overtake 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…

After the perplexing Anonymous, director Roland Emmerich returns to the kind of film which made his name. Like his last film, there is plenty to laugh at in White House Down. However this time the humour is intentional.

White House Down follows the formula of an action blockbuster. The archetypal characters are present here. Every twist seems to be signposted early. When the reveal comes, it is delivered with a straight face which adds to the overall humour.

The situations that Emmerich’s film showcases are so absurd that it is difficult not too laugh. White House Down plays these up. The film has the requisite action and big set pieces required for this kind of blockbuster. This aspect is executed well.

Despite the outlandishness of some of the action and plot twists, White House Down feels very contemporary in its representation of the political. The overall motivation behind the coup is boiled down to its basics. The fetishisation of President Obama, depicted here from Jamie Foxx’s President Sawyer, sadly does not match the ideological reality.

Performances in White House Down are decent overall. Channing Tatum is a good fit for John Cale. The character is a cross between an experienced soldier and a reluctant hero, and Tatum plays this well. Jamie Foxx is well cast as President Sawyer, whilst Joey King offers a good performance as young Emily.

White House Down is often silly, but always entertaining. A fun popcorn flick.

Film Review: Anonymous

Flick to the cinema section of the Hot Mess dictionary, and there you will find an entry for Anonymous. Roland Emmerich’s hymn to ludicrousness is a camp fiasco.

In Elizabethan London, William Shakespeare is an actor, performing in the plays of others. Edward, Earl of Oxford is a secret playwright, looking for an anonymous way for to make his plays public. Initially recruiting Ben Jonson to act as author, William Shakespeare happily plays the part when Jonson shows reluctance…

The problem with the Anonymous is manifold. Firstly, there is the absurd narrative. While it is not inconceivable that Shakespeare’s works were written by another, the story descends into farce while most of the cast try to keep a straight face. Taking liberties with historical fact, Emmerich has created a Tudor melodrama, with its ever so earnest heroes and comedy villains.

Perhaps the problem is that William Shakespeare is a much loved and respected icon. Making a mockery of the man was always likely to go down badly among sections of the audience. If the film had tried to retain a shred of realism, perhaps it would not have been so offensive. Instead, the film becomes more and more absurd as it progresses.

The character of Shakespeare in the film is unfathomable. To portray him as a bumbling idiot would be one thing. Instead, Emmerich has taken it to a whole other level with Rafe Spall’s Russell Brand impersonation. It seems as if Spall is almost playing for laughs, and makes the film an experiment in high camp.

Performances in Anonymous are generally subpar. Sebastian Armesto, Helen Baxendale, Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Hogg and Rafe Spall all play as if the film was a soap opera. As Earl of Oxford, Rhys Ifans is the only one who appears to be taking things seriously. There is some nice staging but at times locations and sets look terribly artificial. Production values are otherwise fine.

Taken as a serious drama, Anonymous is an awful film. As a farce, Emmerich’s film is rather enjoyable as you anticipate the next comical twist.

Anonymous is being screened at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2011.

London Film Festival 2011 Launch

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Well ok, it isn’t quite Christmas yet, but it is almost time for the BFI London Film Festival! Today was the launch of the festival in a heavily-gridlocked Leicester Square. BFI chief executive Amanda Nevill took the stage first to introduce this year’s event, and to say thanks to the numerous parties involved. Following this, the festival’s artistic director Sandra Hebron spoke, mentioning with sadness that this was her last LFF. A reel of clips and trailers from selected films due to be screened at the October festival was then shown.

The range of films being shown at the London Film Festival is as diverse as ever. Some of the big films have already been screened at Venice, even so there are some interesting prospects such us A Dangerous Method and Madonna’s W.E. Also being shown are Coriolanus, Shame, Anonymous and The Ides of March. Other films which peaked my interest included Let the Bullets Fly (currently China’s highest grossing film), Nick Broomfield’s Sarah Palin – You Betcha!, Norwegian film Headhunters and Tales of the Night, which is the Family Gala screening. Perhaps the film I am most looking forward is The Artist, a French homage to the silent movie era.

To see the full programme and find out more about the London Film Festival 2011 click here.

The Empire Big Screen Diaries – Day 2

After staying up last night writing my diary entry, I decided to do it throughout the day. We await with baited breath what film distributors Entertainment One have to show us. Clips of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 are rumoured to be screened. Having not seen any of the previous films, this means nothing to be, but I hear the series is pretty popular. Empire editor Chris Hewitt is currently introducing the day on stage. Paul W.S. Anderson is up first introducing The Three Musketeers. The clip was in 3D which was quite exciting, but I think I would prefer a feature-length version of the Dogtanian and the Three Muskerhounds cartoon.

MyAnna Buring has just introduced The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 trailer. We are awaiting clips. MyAnna was a massive fan of the series apparently. No clips have been screened after all. [Edit] Twilight footage has been found! First clip is of Edward and Bella on their honeymoon. I think there is some unintentional humour. Edward calls Bella “Mrs Cullen”. Second clip was of the werewolves have a facing off. Now Ghost Rider 2 trailer, which has a very amusing ending.

Warner Bros Showcase up next with Sherlock Homes: A Game of Shadows. Waiting for Guy Ritchie to get his mike fixed. Guy Ritchie just introduced a short featurette on the sequel. The director is talking about how eager he was to make a follow-up to Sherlock Holmes. Jared Harris is fantastic as Moriarty, apparently. An extended clip of Contagion was screened next, along with the trailer for Happy Feet 2. Peter Jackson introduces a video blog from the set of The Hobbit. Cast and crew seem to be having a lot of fun on set. The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer follows. Nothing new hear, but it is good to see it on the big screen. The Final Destination 5 opening sequence is so much fun, cannot wait to see it!

At this point, I received a verbal bitch-slapping from security for having my laptop out. After several minutes of indecision (and despite the best efforts of the lovely publicists), we had to put our laptops away, hence the delay in updating this post. With all the kerfuffle, I missed the beginning of the Optimum Showcase. Kill List was discussed, after which clips of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark was screened. It is difficult to ascertain too much, but the film seems incredibly atmospheric.

The Sony Pictures Showcase was next, with a plethora of trailers and clips. First up was Arthur Christmas, with screenwriter Peter Baynham appearing to discuss the film. The film features a stellar cast of mostly British actors voicing the characters. Peter Lord, director of The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists was next on stage to talk about making the animated film. The trailer was screened, as well as brief clips of the main characters.

Sony’s packed showcase continued with a series of trailers, beginning with Friends with Benefits introduced with a video message from Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. The trailer of the Straw Dogs remake was screened next, as well as Moneyball and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Next up was a clip from 30 Minutes or Less, introduced with a video message from Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari. Following this Len Wiseman introduced (again via video) some footage of Total Recall, due for release in 2012. The clip was pretty interesting; the fact that it was unfinished suggests how ‘in production’ the film is.

Roland Emmerich took to the stage to talk about his upcoming film Anonymous. Following this brief discussion, a lengthy clip of the film was screened. With phones confiscated and without a watch, I am not really sure how long this clip was. It felt at one point as if we were watching the entire movie, but not from the very beginning. The film is rather a daring take on a much-loved British icon (Shakespeare) so it will be interesting to see how it will be received. Finally, footage from The Amazing Spider-Man was screened, after a video introduction from Marc Webb, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. The first clip focused on Peter Parker, while the second featured his nemesis in the new film, The Lizard. The footage certainly worked well to wet the appetite for next year’s release.

The shortest break only allowed me to snack on prawn cocktail crisps in the press room; every restaurant and cafe in the O2 seemed full to the rafters. Dashing back to the Indigo2, the Icon Showcase was brief and to the point, focusing solely on Drive. Nicholas Winding Refn was interviewed on stage about the film. The project was initially introduced to the director by star Ryan Gosling. A clip of the film was screened – it looks amazing. This is one I am really looking forward to.

After the showcases were done for the day, we queued for the Memories of Raiders event. There were many fans trying to get in for this, but my silver-tongued friend managed to gain us entry when the event looked full. Robert Watts, one of the producers of Raiders of the Lost Ark, delighted audience members with his tales of working with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. What was great about Robert’s discussion was that he was modest as well as entertaining. Despite having worked on some of the biggest films of the late 1970s and 1980s, he remained down to earth when talking about the films.

We languished in the corridor outside after the talk, trying to ascertain the possibility of getting into the secret screening. Alas, it was not to be, and a group of us ended up going to The Change-Up screening instead. The film was watchable but not overly exciting (review to follow).

After a long long day, we decided to go for a quick drink. On our way to one of the bars in the O2, we noticed that everyone seemed to be dressed in white. Rather than a hoodless Klan meeting, it was for some dance event being held there. Unperturbed, we had a drink before deciding that our bodies required some much needed nourishment. Armadillo was our next port of call, where we had chicken skewers and bacon and cheese toasted sandwiches. I also got a chocolate milkshake served in a pint bottle, but for the first time in my life I couldn’t finish a milkshake. This lead me to reevaluate my life for a quick minute. Thus, the day was ended.