Film Review: Spark

Spark is a generic adventure that will appeal mostly to the youngest of viewers. The film is mildly entertaining, yet too unoriginal to be memorable.

Spark is a teenager living on a rubbish dump on a shard, after his home planet was destroyed by power-hungry General Zhong. As Zhong prepares to take over the universe, Spark and his friends are the only ones who can stop him…

Spark (also known as Spark: A Space Tail) trends a recognisable  path, as family-friendly adventures go. The film offers a familiar narrative, with predictable plot points. Director Aaron Woodley’s unique selling point with the film seems to be that the main characters are monkeys in space. However, most viewers will have seen anthropomorphic animals employed in a much more memorable fashion by the likes of Disney, DreamWorks, and others.

Characters in the film follow certain archetypes. Spark is the typical young hero in that he is eager but lacks knowledge. The protagonist is developed as the film progresses. Antagonist Zhong is over the top, but the hamminess works in a film such as this. Humour in the film does not always hit the mark. Some of the jokes are clearly aimed at young viewers, but even these don’t always generate laughs.

Perhaps the biggest drawback from Woodley’s film is the quality of the animation. It looks cheaply produced; the CGI backgrounds add little heart to the film. Notwithstanding, the cinematography is great at times. There is some decent movement (although this frenetic movement is used a little too often), and some well-composed shots. The film features a well-known voice cast, including Hilary Swank, Patrick Stewart, and Susan Sarandon. Stewart is the most memorable of these, yet none really benefit from the script.

The concept of monkeys in space evokes fun imagery, yet Spark fails to really ignite the imagination. Whilst it is by no means a torturous watch, the film is not a very exciting one either.

Previews: Spark Trailer, Snatched, More!

This week’s preview of coming attractions features the new Spark trailer, plus Snatched, Alien: Covenant, and more…

Spark Trailer

Here is thew new Spark trailer. The film is about a teenage monkey who must journey across the universe in order to save the galaxy. The film features the voices of Susan Sarandon, Patrick Stewart, Jessica Biel, and Hilary Swank. Spark launches on to UK screens on 26th May 2017.

Alien: Covenant Prologue

This Alien: Covenant prologue (The Crossing) bridges the gap between Prometheus and the upcoming Alien: Covenant. The clip explains what happened to the survivors of the previous film, and features Michael Fassbender’s character as narrator. The latest film in the Alien franchise also stars Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, and Danny McBride. Alien: Covenant hits UK screens on 12th May 2017.

Snatched Clip

Amy Schumer shows off her comedy prowess in this clip from the upcoming Snatched. The film is about a mis-matched mother and daughter who take an exotic vacation together. Schumer is joined by Goldie Hawn, as well as Wanda Sykes and Joan Cusack. Snatched is out in UK cinemas on 19th May 2017.

Wilson Trailer

Here is the trailer for new comedy Wilson. The film is about a middle-aged misanthrope who reunites with his estranged wife. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern, and Judy Greer. Wilson receives its debut at Sundance London on 2nd June 2017, and will be released  in selected cinemas on 9th June 2017.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle Trailer

Following the teaser last week, here is the full trailer for Kingsman: The Golden Circle. In this sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service, the Kingsman headquarters is destroyed, leading Eggsy and co to discover an allied spy organisation. Director Matthew Vaughn and writer Jane Goldman return, as do Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, and Colin Firth. They are joined by Juliane Moore, Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, and Channing Tatum. Kingsman: The Golden Circle is scheduled for release in September 2017.

Gifted Clip

Director Marc Webb’s latest film is Gifted. The film stars Chris Evans as a man single-handedly raising his niece (played by Mckenna Grace). The film also stars Jenny Slate and Octavia Spencer, and a one-eyed cat (according to the above clip). Gifted will be released on UK screens on 16th June 2017.

Film Review: New Year’s Eve

If you find life too placid and want to be thoroughly annoyed by something trivial, go and see New Year’s Eve. Its working title may just have been So What if I’ve Won an Oscar? I Need a Pay Cheque.

It is New Year’s Eve and a young courier makes an unlikely deal with a middle-aged assistant. His flatmate meanwhile hates New Year’s Eve and wants to avoid all celebration of it. A teenager hopes to enjoy her first kiss, but is stopped from going out by her protective mother. A terminally ill patient hopes to see the ball drop one last time…

Love Actually has a lot to answer for. Granted, it was not the first film to feature a multi-strand narrative that ties together at the end, but it is responsible for the recent spate of films which employ this format. Whilst Richard Curtis‘ film did have some redeeming features, sadly the same cannot be said for Garry Marshall’s latest effort.

It is not simply the clichéd plots and stock stereotypes that grate. For a romantic comedy, New Year’s Eve is almost devoid of laughs. It is not entertaining, not even in a trashy or cheesy way. The predictable chain of events would not be a big problem if the film at least provided some amusing situations or jokes.

Worse than the lack of humour, however, are the vomit-inducing attempts at emotion. The mawkish voice overs and speech by Hilary Swank’s character are imbued with the worst kind of synthetic sentimentality. Rather than evoke emotion, these are more likely to irritate beyond belief.

If the assault on viewers’ minds was not enough, New Year’s Eve goes one further by including eyesore-inducing product placement. While characters discover the importance of love, forgiveness and new beginnings, logos for Nivea, Phillips and Toshiba parade around the screen like wanton hussies. If this wasn’t bad enough, audiences cannot escape the New York landmarks being thrust in their every direction. Perhaps this was a condition of filming in the city, but it was not a price worth paying. Warner Bros even sneak in an advert for their upcoming feature Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. At this point, however, viewers must just nod and utter “well played”.

New Year’s Eve boasts a lot of acting talent. Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Hilary Swank (among others) should be ashamed of themselves for agreeing to appear. Despite the varied cast, New Year’s Eve is unequivocal in its stance. Same race, heterosexual couples are the only ones featured here, with the onus on the fact that it is females who desire a kiss from an attractive male.

New Year’s Eve is one big cynical money-making extravaganza that fails to entertain. Hopefully it will kill the multi-strand, ensemble cast, holiday-themed romantic comedy trend dead.

New Year’s Eve Trailer

It may only be July, but here is the first trailer for New Year’s Eve. Director Garry Marshall has clearly got some serious dirt on Robert De Niro, Hilary Swank and Michelle Pfeiffer as they all star in the film. Joking! No. From the trailer it looks like another one of those multi-strand ensemble cast rom-coms. The film certainly features a star-studded cast that includes Zac Efron, Jessica Biel and Sarah Jessica Parker. New Year’s Eve is released 9th December 2011.

Film Review: The Resident

The Resident should leave you questioning the safety of your home and who has access to it. Instead, it is more likely to leave you questioning why you spent ninety minutes watching this tripe.

ER doctor Juliet is looking for a new apartment after her husband cheats on her. Finding a spacious but very affordable place in Brooklyn, Juliet can’t believe her luck. Her good fortune is short lived however, as someone is watching her from within her apartment…

The Resident has numerous factors conspiring against it. Most important of these is the fact that the film is not actually frightening at all. There is certainly an air of creepiness to proceedings, but the film fails to generate any genuine scares. Scenes that should cause apprehension fall flat thanks to lacklustre direction from Antti Jokinen. Instead, the film is voyeuristic but lacks a sense of trepidation.

The Resident owes a great debt to Psycho with its plot. The narrative is a lot less credible than Hitchcock’s film, however. There are some standard horror movie set-ups; the phone without reception, for example. The violence is kept to a minimum until the climax. The voyeurism is at best unsettling, though it never crosses over to become genuinely troubling.

The Resident is not exactly what would be expected from Hammer Film Productions. It has the guise of a horror film, but in reality it is a more straightforward thriller (albeit without the thrills). The film stars Christopher Lee in a small role, adding to this horror pedigree. Nonetheless, while Lee seems to bring a certain gravitas to all his films (from Horror Hotel to The Lord of the Rings), even he cannot save The Resident. Moreover, Lee is underused in a role that is pretty pointless except for the exposition that the character supplies.

One of the few positives of The Resident is the cinematography. Guillermo Navarro creates an atmospheric tone for the film with a considered visual style. Most of the film’s creepiness can be attributed to Navarro’s cinematic prowess. The score meanwhile is overused at times, attempting to force anxiety where there is none.

Hilary Swank is as competent as ever in The Resident. The actress is also an executive producer of the film, which may explain her involvement with a picture far from her usual fare. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is decent as landlord Max.

With its extended climax, The Resident ultimately feels a lot longer than ninety minutes. There is an awful long wait for scares that never materialise.

Report: London Film Festival Press Conferences – Week 1

Conviction

The press conference for Conviction was attended by Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver and Betty-Anne Waters. Betty-Anne commented that she was pleased with the movie, and that she thought her late brother Kenny would also be happy with it. She remarked: “It was my brother Kenny who wanted the film more than anything”.

When asked what stood out about the script for the actors, Hilary responded; “For me it was such a beautiful love story between a brother and a sister, one that was so compelling. I don’t actually remember seeing a love story this beautiful in I can’t even remember when. For me, the idea that someone can be so selfless – Betty-Anne is my hero, she’s my real-life hero”.

Betty-Anne praised Sam’s performance in the film, stating; “Sam was my brother on that screen, he really got the different dimensions of Kenny”. Sam lamented on the great crew and supporting actors, nevertheless he affirmed; “Hilary really had to carry this movie, and it takes a special woman to do that. Hilary is a fierce actress, and there’s not a lot of people who can do that”.

Read the I Heart The Talkies review of Conviction

Never Let Me Go

The Never Let Me Go conference was attended by actors Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Isobel Meikle-Small and Ella Purnell, writer Kazuo Ishiguro, director Mark Romanek and screenwriter Alex Garland. Carey remarked that she was a big fan of Ishiguro’s novel before she was approached for the film. The cast and Mark often referred back to the book during the filming process. Carey relayed: “We had a brilliant script, but especially for me I had the whole book narrated by my character – it would have been remiss of me not to refer to it. And also, it’s great to go back to it for ideas… I was with the book most of the time”.

Andrew suggested Kazuo may have got sick of how reverent the cast were to the source material, joking; “We’d bow as he entered a room and he’d get very uncomfortable – and it’s fun to watch”. Mark commented that he had the same “emotional reaction” to the script as he did to the book. He decided to immerse himself in Japanese cinema and ideas of aesthetics, having read in an interview that Kazuo felt influenced by this.

Keira was fascinated by her character Ruth, explaining; “I didn’t like her, and it’s tricky playing people you don’t like”. When writing the story, Kazuo was “interested in something that paralleled the human lifespan”. He stated: “And the question is, what’s most important to human beings when they realise time is running out”.

Read the I Heart The Talkies review of Never Let Me Go

Film Review: Conviction

Based on real events, Conviction could have played out like a made-for-television movie. Thanks to some superlative performances and good production values, however, Conviction is a worthy rendering of an incredible story.

After her brother Kenny is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, his sister Betty-Anne Waters vows to clear his name. She begins to study law, and along with pal Abra, Betty-Anne never gives up fighting for justice…

Conviction works well because it effectively conveys the emotional rationale behind Betty-Anne’s decisions. Director Tony Goldwyn interlaces the forward-moving narrative with flashbacks of different periods in the life of the siblings. It is the sequences of Betty-Anne and Kenny as children that do most to cement their bond. The strong relationship between the siblings offers the justification for Betty-Anne to dedicate her life to Kenny’s cause.

Betty-Anne Waters is an amazing character. Her dedication to fighting for her brother’s sibling is unwavering; she is an incredibly strong individual. On one level, most will be able to empathise with Betty in her desire to help her family and fight injustice. On another level, her selflessness in spending most of her life working to free Kenny is something that is difficult to contemplate.

Writer Pamela Gray does not shy away from depicting more negative aspects of the protagonists. As well as Betty-Anne’s achievements, her concern over neglecting her sons is also displayed. While Kenny is portrayed as a lively character, he is also a bit of a loose cannon. Given his history, it is not a great surprise that he was initially spoken to about the murder.

One character who is not explored in much detail is Nancy Taylor, the officer responsible for putting Kenny behind bars. Conviction does not really examine why she persecutes Kenny; it would have been illuminating to delve into her character a little more. Nevertheless, the film focuses its concentration of Betty-Anne’s journey, so perhaps this would have been too much of a digression from the aim of Conviction.

Hilary Swank is excellent as Betty-Anne. She is entirely believable in the role; from the emotion she brings to her faultless accent. Sam Rockwell gives a great performance as Kenny, conveying both the energy and the frustration of the character. Minnie Driver brings some light relief as best friend Abra, while Juliette Lewis is a scene-stealer in her small but critical role.

Betty-Anne Waters’ story is unquestionably a remarkable one. However, it is a tale that could easily have been relegated to TV movie status. Thanks to the performances of the leads and the chemistry between Swank and Rockwell particularly, it is rightly elevated to big-screen calibre. Not the best film of the year, but certainly worth seeing.

Conviction is being screened at the British Film Institute’s London Film Festival in October 2010.