Film Review: God’s Pocket

John Slattery’s God’s Pocket is an engaging drama. Its flecks of dark humour are in keeping with the film’s tone.

When Mickey’s stepson dies at work, his troubles begin. With a mourning wife, Mickey also has to contend with a debt he can’t pay, and a body he can’t get rid of…

Based on Peter Dexter’s novel, God’s Pocket is foremost a tale of a blue collar neighbourhood. The film relies on solid writing and well drawn characters to reel viewers in. And for the most part, God’s Pocket is successful in this endeavour.

Main characters in God’s Pocket are well developed. The beauty of the film is that it does not take viewers long to make the measure of them. As the protagonist, Mickey is a convincing outsider in the close-knit community. Moreover, he is well drawn as the down-on-his-luck archetype, whose problems are at least partly self-inflicted.

There are some stereotypes in God’s Pocket, such as Jeanie the unsatisfied housewife or her delinquent son Leon. The veteran newspaper writer Richard Shelburn certainly follows an archetype. Nevertheless, this character brings colour and is entertaining to watch.

The script contains some elements of humour, which are effective despite the sombre setting. The opening sequence works well to immediately give the film shape. The different narrative strands tie in together suitably, whilst still allowing for some colourful characters. The tone of the film is maintained throughout to engulf audiences into the particular environment of the film.

In one of his final role, Philip Seymour Hoffman is as impressive as ever as Mickey. He is ably supported by a very strong cast. Christina Hendricks is well cast as Jeanie, while Richard Jenkins is perfect as Shelburn. John Turturro and Eddie Marsan are great in smaller roles.

God’s Pocket offers great performance and a good screenplay. John Slattery’s directorial debut certainly shows his promise from behind the camera.

Film Review: A Late Quartet

Yaron Zilberman’s A Late Quartet is a competent drama which boasts excellent performances.

Peter, the cellist in a successful classical string quartet, decides to retire after twenty-five years. The revelation of Peter’s illness and wishes prove to be a catalyst for the remaining three members. Resentment and desires spring to the surface, threatening to destroy the quartet…

In A Late Quartet, Peter’s announcement really does open the threshold for a myriad of other issues. Director Yaron Zilberman gives adequate time to both developing characters and moving the plot along. A Late Quartet is engaging throughout. The script is well crafted, with some great dialogue.

The narrative progresses at a good pace. Given the themes that A Late Quartet encompasses, the film does not quite pack the emotional punch one may expect. However, this may be symbolic of the action at hand. Like the quartet’s playing, emotion is measured and disciplined. It actually makes for a better film that it does not become awash with sentimentality. There is drama and heightened emotions, but A Late Quartet never descends into all-out tears.

The film has a polished look that enhances its setting of the Manhattan classical music scene. There appears to be a theme with the camera work. The restricted shots seem to mirror what is said about Parkinson’s Disease in a particular scene. The wide shots at the film’s climax indicate a shift. Zilberman appears to have been very deliberate in these choices, and it is a style that pays off.

Christopher Walken delivers a great performance as Peter. Catherine Keener is also strong as Juliette, while Philip Seymour Hoffman is superb as ever as Robert. Imogen Poots feels miscast as Alexandra, giving a slightly grating performance.

A Late Quartet is a solid drama which shows enviable restraint in spite of its themes.

A Late Quartet is out in cinemas and available on demand with Sky Store and Curzon Home Cinema from Friday 5th April 2013.

Stuff To Look At

Some trailers, some posters and details on the End of Watch tweet-along…

End of Watch Tweet-Along

To celebrate the release of End of Watch on DVD and Blu-Ray on Monday 18th March 2013, a tweet-along event has been organised. Those who buy copies of the film are invited to take part on Twitter, starting the film at 8pm GMT, using the hashtag #WatchYourSix. I have know idea what this refers to (I haven’t seen End of Watch yet) so don’t spoil it for me!

The Place Beyond The Pines

Oh look, here’s a poster for upcoming crime drama The Place Beyond The Pines. I have heard good things about this film, so I am really looking forward to it. Starring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes, The Place Beyond The Pines hits UK screens on 12th April 2013.

A Late Quartet

I have seen A Late Quartet and I can report it is a good film (review to follow). With an enviable cast which includes Christopher Walken and Philip Seymour Hoffman, A Late Quartet is a drama about the lives of a string quartet. The film is released in cinemas on 5th April 2013.

The Hangover Part III

For the third and final instalment of The Hangover series, the gang return to where it all started – Las Vegas. I really enjoyed the first film but was not a big fan of the second, so I am hoping this third film will be a return to form. The Hangover Part III is out in UK cinemas on 24th May 2013.

Papadopoulos and Sons

Papadopoulos and Sons is a British comedy drama about two brothers re-opening the fish and chip shop they ran in their youth. This film stars Stephen Dillane and his son Frank Dillane as father and son. Papadopoulos and Sons has a limited UK cinema release from 5th April 2013.

Stuff To Look At

A veritable feast for the eyes this week, with the new teaser trailer for The Lone Ranger, excellent posters from the upcoming Frankenweenie, and more besides…

The Lone Ranger

The teaser trailer for 2013’s The Lone Ranger was released this week. Starring Johnny Depp, directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it is unsurprising that the teaser is reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean. Also starring Armie Hammer as the title character and Helena Bonham Carter, The Lone Ranger is due for release next year.

Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie will be released in the UK on 17th October 2012, and will open the London Film Festival on 12 October 2012. To promote the release of Tim Burton’s new film, these fantastic retro-style posters have been released. The others can be viewed here. They are entirely in keeping with the style of the stop-motion animated black and white film. To coincide with the release, the exhibition The Art of Frankenweenie will open at the BFI Southbank during the festival.

The Master

One of this year’s most anticipated films will be released in the UK on 16th November 2012, with a special run at the Odeon West End from 2nd November 2012. Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master has been receiving critical acclaim and recently broke the takings per screen record when it opened in the US. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.

The Hobbit

Several images and features from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey have been released in the last few weeks. These include new posters featuring the dwarves and new Hobbit-related apps. But what I want to know is where are the Gollum posters and apps? Until this time comes, here is an image from the film to sate Gollum fans. The first film instalment of The Hobbit will be released on 14th December 2012.

Gambit

Written by Joel and Ethan Coen and directed by Michael Hoffman, Gambit looks like a lot of fun. Starring Colin Firth, Alan Rickman and Cameron Diaz, Gambit is a remake of the 1966 film of the same name. The film will be released in UK cinemas on 21st November 2012.

Film Review: Moneyball

To some British folk, baseball is nothing more than a glorified game of rounders. Even to those of this mindset, Moneyball should prove to be an enjoyable movie.

Billy Beane is the general manager of Oakland Athletic. He struggles to compete with Oakland’s rivals, as there is little money to spend on new players. To gain an advantage, Billy must be creative. Meeting Peter Brand, Billy decides to use statistical data to analyse a player’s worth…

Moneyball works as a sports drama because it does not demand too much from its audience. The beauty of Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian’s screenplay is that it makes the concepts of the film understandable without feeling like it has been dumbed down. Even those with little knowledge or interest in baseball will be able to get into the film. Moreover, the data analysis aspect is depicted in enough detail for viewers to comprehend the strategy, without weighing the film down with unnecessary explanation. There could have been an issue with the amount of expository dialogue, but thankfully Sorkin and Zaillian handle this ably.

Director Bennett Miller paces the film rather well. Moneyball gets off to a bit of a slow start, but recovers well. At times, the film can be surprisingly gripping. Nevertheless, the film is not overly emotional. The film lacks the high drama so often pivotal to sports dramas. Audience are not required to make a strong emotional investment in Moneyball. Rather than this being wholly negative, it is actually refreshing to see a film of this kind not resort to theatrics in order to coerce the audience to feel something forced.

Part of the reason the film takes this attitude is undoubtedly down to the protagonist. Billy Beane is a character who appears quite normal, with few distinguishing features. The film focuses so much on his character, yet he is an ordinary guy, despite his ambitions. The supporting characters share his normality; there are no real outlandish types in Moneyball. The film retains a layer of authenticity throughout.

Brad Pitt offers a decent performance as Beane. There is nothing particularly powerful or memorable about his performance, however. Philip Seymour Hoffman is stronger as Art Howe, and Jonah Hill offers good support in his limited role. Kerris Dorsey is great as Beane’s daughter Casey, bringing life to their interactions.

Moneyball is slightly repetitive with its frequent driving sequences. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable rendition of real events that remains grounded.

George Clooney at the London Film Festival

In honour of George Clooney doing the rounds two days in a row at the London Film Festival, he gets his very own post. You are welcome, George. On Wednesday, George arrived to promote The Ides of March, which he directed, produced, co-wrote and starred in. Along with co-stars Evan Rachel Wood and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Clooney spoke enthusiastically about the film. He was even self-deprecating enough to make a joke about Batman and Robin. The video below features highlights from the press conference.

On Thursday Clooney was back to promote Alexander Payne’s The Descendants. Director Payne was joined by Clooney, actress Shailene Woodley and producer Jim Burke to discuss the film. Again, Clooney was delightfully modest in his achievements and some of his earlier film choices. See below for footage of the conference.

Film Review: The Ides of March

George Clooney’s The Ides of March is a sumptuous political drama. A good screenplay and great performances combine to produce a thoroughly absorbing film.

Stephen Meyers is a talented member of the campaign team for presidential hopeful Mike Morris, working under veteran manager Paul Zara. While Stephen believes in the idealistic Morris, others behind the scenes scheme in order to obtain power. Stephen quickly learns that there are those who will do anything to get their candidate ahead…

The Ides of March, based on Beau Willimon’s play, is a fairly simple morality tale set in a political context. The primary contests for politicians of the same party is a backdrop that Americans and non-Americans alike should find familiar. It is the deal making and scheming that goes on behind the scenes which are less well publicised.

Clooney’s film immerses viewers in a world of political game playing. The Ides of March is exceptionally well paced. It is one of those very rare examples of a film that could have gone on for another hour, as it is that enjoyable. The narrative works well because the core themes are complimented well by the characters and setting. Everything that occurs is entirely plausible; indeed, some of the incidents seem to have been derived from recent American history. The characters that populate the film also appear very realistic. This allows the audience to fully buy into proceedings.

Performances in The Ides of March are great all round. Lead Ryan Gosling, as well as Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti stand out in particular. George Clooney directs the film with competency. It is a very polished production.

The Ides of March should satisfy both fans of political dramas and those with no more than a passing interest. Clooney has exhibited his flair for engaging drama with this superb film.

The Ides of March is being screened at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2011.