Escape Plan - Review

Director: Mikael Håfström Writers: Miles Chapman, Jason Keller Studios: Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate, Atmosphere Entertainment, Emmett/Furla Films Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, Amy Ryan, Vinnie Jones, Sam Neill, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson Release Date (UK): 18 October 2013 Certificate: 15 Runtime: 115 min

Sly and Arnie go to prison in “Escape Plan,” a jailhouse thriller which tries to recapture the look and feel of an old-school ’80s actioner with enjoyable, if unsurprising results. Stallone, on typically grizzled form, plays Ray Breslin, a security specialist who claims he can break out of any prison designed by man. Working for the government, it is his job to test out the reliability of maximum security facilities — that is, he enters the joint as an inmate, finds its weak spot and escapes with the aid of such handy tools as sheets of toilet paper, plastic forks and cartons of chocolate milk. Impossibly resourceful, he’s basically MacGyver, Houdini and Rambo all rolled up into one big beefy ball.

But even with those impressive credentials, his latest assignment proves one tough nut to crack: tasked with testing out a top secret, off-the-grid facility, he finds himself locked up in The Tomb, an inescapable, high-tech fortress run by the tyrannical warden Willard Hobbs (Jim Caviezel). There, he meets Schwarzenegger’s enigmatic Emil Rottmayer, a fellow inmate with whom Ray plans a massive break-out when his safe word, i.e. his Get Out of Jail Free card, is ignored by the warden — but escape isn’t going to be so easy this time round.

Highlights of “Escape Plan” include Schwarzenegger frantically screaming the Lord’s Prayer in his native German tongue (the first time Arnie has sprechen Deutsch on the big screen) and the multiple trips to the dreaded Box, a cramped torture chamber in which convicts sit and sweat while blinded by a blazing light. The plot is preposterous and the script could’ve been sharper (the most memorable line is Schwarzenegger’s rather tame “You hit like a vegetarian!”), but take it on its own terms and the film works as diverting, undemanding popcorn entertainment. Old dogs Sly and Arnie, back to their old tricks, prove a highly watchable double act and a formidable action hero team-up — as if we needed further proof, this pair of ageing, 65+ meatheads show themselves to be far from their sell-by date.

Rating: 6/10

Gravity - Review

Director: Alfonso Cuarón Writers: Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón Studios: Warner Bros. Pictures, Esperanto Filmoj, Heyday Films Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney Release Date (UK): 7 November 2013 Certificate: 12A Runtime: 91 min

Right, first thing’s first, let’s get the inevitable space-based puns out of the way: “Gravity,” a new thriller about a pair of astronauts trapped in space after a routine shuttle mission goes disastrously awry, is out of this world. A stellar expedition, it will pull you in, it will take your breath away, it will have you moonwalking out of the auditorium with astronomical glee and yes, it will send you hurtling, starry-eyed, over the moon.

Phew. Now that I’ve got that out of my system, let me tell you, dear reader, about this extraordinary new movie from “Children of Men” and “Prisoner of Azkaban” director Alfonso Cuarón. “Gravity” is, in a word, amazing: truly and utterly amazing in its ability to wow an audience, to grip them with a simple but uniquely terrifying story and to stun them into complete silence. Set in outer space for almost the entirety of its runtime and utterly convincing in its zero-gravity physics, it’s a staggering feat not just in visual effects but also in blockbuster movie-making. I spent much of it with my jaw at my ankles and the rest with my brain exploding out of my ears. Those puns weren’t lying: “Gravity” is a blast and a half — and then some.

The viscerality of this thing is incredible: here we are, stranded in the black, unending vastness of space with Sandra Bullock’s inexperienced mission specialist Dr. Ryan Stone and George Clooney’s long-serving astronaut Matt Kowalski. With crystal clarity, we can hear every word they speak and every gasp for breath they take inside the helmets of their NASA space suits, heightened by the eerie absence of external noise: scientifically accurate, “Gravity” stays true to the reality that in space, there is no sound (and where, as the poster for “Alien” famously remarked, no one can hear you scream). Doing most of the gasping is Bullock, a rookie on her first outer space mission who is guided along by Clooney’s calm and collected veteran when things take a terrifying turn for the worst: debris strikes and destroys their shuttle, leaving them adrift over 370 miles above the Earth’s surface.

Tethered together by a cord which, in one bravura sequence of many, ends up snapping in two, and communicating through their in-helmet headsets, Bullock and Clooney must fight for survival in this boundless, zero-gravity environment if they are to ever get back down to Earth. Both share a warm dynamic — officially the coolest man in space, Clooney calms Bullock's panicking Dr. Stone with humour and casual conversation, keeping her mind distracted and at ease — but really, this is Bullock’s story: we are by her side for damn near the film’s whole length, her increasing confidence gives the film its heart and the inspired rebirth parables (as sparked by the beautiful, striking sight of a floating Bullock curling up into the foetal position) revolve around her. It is to Bullock’s credit that even with little character information we are absolutely with her every step of the way — she’s an endearing screen presence and her frightened, heartfelt performance is one of the best of the year.

However, quite frankly, “Gravity” absolutely belongs to Cuarón. Known for his love of ambitious single shots — the unblinking 7-minute battlefield set-piece in his dystopian masterpiece “Children of Men” still wows seven years later — the visionary Mexican filmmaker takes himself to the limit here, and pushes himself beyond. With sublime elegance, his camera hurtles between debris, whirls around the floating destruction and seamlessly moves in and out of Bullock’s helmet with not one visible cut in sequences that must last, ooh, I actually lost track. To say that the film is a technical marvel would be putting it lightly — over 48 hours since it ended, I’m still doing this:

Other technical triumphs come from Steven Price’s unnerving score, the astonishing visual effects and Emmanuel Lubezki’s luscious, spellbinding cinematography — as Clooney’s character remarks, you can’t beat that view. The film is presented in 3D, which is perhaps unnecessary, but like in “Avatar” and “Life of Pi,” it does add an extra oomph of immersion — I’ll admit that, like a child, I flinched when debris was flung towards the camera lens. Regardless of the format, “Gravity" is an incredible, unmissable experience which may single-handedly rejuvenate your faith in the power of cinema: its power to amaze, to dazzle and to conjure an overwhelming sense of pure, childlike wonder. Go see “Gravity:” see it on the big screen, see it in IMAX, see it in 3D or see it in 2D — just go see it and bask in its breathtaking, eye-popping awesomeness. Trust me on this: you won’t regret the trip.

Rating: 10/10

Getaway - Review

Director: Courtney Solomon Writers: Sean Finegan, Gregg Maxwell Parker Studios: Warner Bros. Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment, Signature Entertainment, After Dark Films, Silver Reel Cast: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight, Rebecca Budig Release Date (UK): TBC Certificate: TBC Runtime: 90 min

The sheer, head-banging monotony of action-thriller “Getaway” cannot be described in words — but I’m going to try. Imagine, if you will, the 3-minute car chase from “The Bourne Identity” — the one with Matt Damon evading the French authorities by driving a Mini Cooper through the streets of Paris — drawn out to 90 minutes, but somehow more tedious and more exasperating than that viewing experience sounds. Or, better yet, go to your kitchen, find a cooking pot and a rolling pin, place the pot on your head and bash the rolling pin against the side of the pot for an hour and a half. My condolences: you just watched “Getaway.”

It’s directed by Courtney Solomon, and it might surprise you to hear that it’s his best film so far: or at least it might surprise you until you discover his only other films are the 2000 fantasy stinker “Dungeons & Dragons” and the 2005 horror snoozer “An American Haunting.” At least he’s improving. The plot centres on retired race-car driver Brent Magna, played by Ethan Hawke, whose wife is kidnapped from their home in Sofia, Bulgaria. If he is to ever see his wife again, Magna must drive around the Bulgarian capital in a stolen Mustang and do everything a mysterious voice tells him over the car’s built-in phone system. On the other end of the line is an unseen Jon Voight, who barks, in a silly Eurotrash voice, “Do vat I say or I vill keel your vife!” over and over again.

The orders of Voight mostly have Hawke speeding down the street, deliberately crashing into random objects and outdriving the police. Basically, the film is one big extended car crash — in more ways than the filmmakers intended. As the movie progressed, I lost count of the amount of shots of Hawke shifting gears, spinning the wheel and turning his head. I also lost track of the amount of times Hawke is startled to hear police sirens start blaring behind him — I can’t imagine why he’s startled, it’s already happened about 15 times since the movie began.

The film’s fatal error — one of many errors — is in not establishing even the slightest hint of a relationship between Hawke and his abducted wife, giving us no reason to care nor indeed stay to the end credits. Hawke’s screentime with bland teen hacker sidekick Selena Gomez, the original owner of Hawke’s stolen supercar who stumbles into this mess when she tries to steal it back, certainly doesn’t make up. Even when Hawke and his wife are reunited towards the film’s end, she’s swiftly thrown to the side for (you’ll never guess what) another car chase. The only thing that should keep viewers awake at this point is the constant crashing and smashing and vrooms and wheeees. Even with all the noise, I could feel myself nodding off.

When it was released in the States, “Getaway” received an almighty kicking from the critics. Look, for example, at Metacritic, where it boasts a pathetic rating of 22/100, or at Rotten Tomatoes, where the percentage of critics who have awarded the film a positive review currently stands at a miserable 3%. Notably, Jon Voight, a disembodied voice for the majority of the runtime, doesn’t show his face until the film’s final two seconds. I can’t say I blame him.

Rating: 3/10

Turbo - Review

Director: David Soren Writer: David Soren, Robert Siegel, Darren Lemke Studios: DreamWorks Animation, 20th Century Fox Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Michelle Rodriguez, Samuel L. Jackson Release Date (UK): 18 October 2013 Certificate: U Runtime: 96 min

After the fast and furious exhilaration of Ron Howard’s Formula 1 drama “Rush,” here comes another movie about F1 racers — with one key difference. “Turbo,” from DreamWorks Animation, sees Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Theo, a lowly garden snail with big dreams of becoming a world-famous F1 driver and the fastest snail in the world. Luckily for him, his dreams may be about to come true, as an all too close encounter with the supercharger of a drag racer leaves him bestowed with special powers. Chief among them: super-speed.

It’s a cool concept: a petrol-headed gastropod gains magical abilities that allow him to enter a Formula 1 tournament. But for a product from the studio that previously brought us “Shrek” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” this isn’t up to the best of DreamWorks’ standards. Though not without a certain good-natured charm, there’s very little wit or invention on display here and not much of interest outside of the central, two-word gag: racing snails. Following the underdog (or undersnail) formula to a tee, it’s a by-the-numbers sports tale and unfortunately isn’t funny or exciting enough to make up for its step-by-step predictability. Younger viewers may find its colourful characters enjoyable, but when Snoop Dogg popped up as a rapping snail called Smoove Move, I kind of gave up.

Rating: 5/10

Drinking Buddies - Review

Director: Joe Swanberg Writer: Joe Swanberg Studios: Magnolia Pictures, Burn Later Productions Cast: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston Release Date (UK): 1 November 2013 Certificate: 15 Runtime: 90 min

“Drinking Buddies” wasn’t what I expected. Looking at its poster, in which the four attractive leads sit pulling faces together on the floor of a bar with a drink in hand, and reading the title, I assumed that it would be a breezy comedy set mostly in a bar as our leads converse about life, sex, their past and their future over a few too many beers. I was wrong — what I ended up getting was much better and far more interesting than that sounded (and, unlike in the poster, features “New Girl" star Jake Johnson sporting a fuzzy beard).

Writer-director Joe Swanberg’s indie dramedy, impressively his fourteenth film since his 2005 debut “Kissing on the Mouth,” is instead a bittersweet, maturely handled story about unspoken romance between two best friends who are in relationships with other people. It features terrific performances from Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson as Kate and Luke, co-workers at a Chicago brewery and close pals, as well as Ron Livingstone and Anna Kendrick as their respective partners, Chris and Jill.

The plot, loose but directed with focus by Swanberg, follows the friendship of Kate and Luke, seemingly perfect for each other, as it develops slowly and silently into romance — this, in spite of their supposed commitment to their oblivious partners. Things take a turn after a double date at a remote cabin by the beach, where a kiss in the woods (I won’t say between whom) and a night alone by the shore (again, I won’t say between whom) suggest that the film is going in the expected direction, but then... maybe not.

I wasn’t at all surprised to learn that much of the dialogue was improvised by the cast: their performances are so natural that at no point do they appear to be reading from a script. Swanberg, deliberately restrained, steps aside to let his actors fill the screen, and rightly so: with a firm grasp on their characters, Wilde, Johnson, Kendrick and Livingstone are a joy to watch, their interaction completely authentic, their chemistry undeniable.

What I liked most about “Drinking Buddies” is that it displays bona fide human emotion shared between characters in whom we absolutely believe. These aren’t Hollywood stereotypes in a formulaic rom-com: they’re real people, complex and flawed, and of the sort that we can recognise from our own daily lives. Some have complained that they found the four main characters unlikeable. I disagree: I found them genuine, compelling and, much like the film, refreshingly, endearingly human.

Rating: 8/10

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 - Review

Directors: Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn Studios: Sony Pictures Animation, Columbia Pictures Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Benjamin Bratt, Terry Crews, Will Forte, Kristen Schaal Release Date (UK): 25 October 2013 Certificate: U Runtime: 95 min

Sony Pictures Animation sequelise their delightfully creative 2009 computer-animated sci-fi comedy hit about a young, spirited inventor who creates a machine that makes food pour from the sky. The talented voice cast, including Bill Hader and Anna Faris, return as the leftover edibles from Flint’s machine spring to life and take over the evacuated island of Swallow Falls. Alerted by Will Forte’s world-famous tech genius Chester V, Flint and his ragtag group of friends travel to Swallow Falls to stop the monstrous “foodimals” before they make their way to the mainland and take over the world — but are the foodimals really as ferocious as they seem, and is the devious-looking Chester telling the whole truth?

Replacing original directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn have a ton of pun-tastic fun in cooking up the hordes of living foodstuffs: shrimpanzees swing between the trees and jellyfish sandwiches swim in the sea while our cartoon heroes do battle with enormous, snarling cheese fighters (hamburger tarantulas with French fries for legs and sesame seeds for eyes). Returning supporting characters, specifically the machismo Officer Earl (Terry Crews) and Flint’s fishing enthusiast dad (James Caan), remain a delight, while Forte’s new villain — think of him as a maniacal, floppy-limbed Steve Jobs — is wickedly funny. Perhaps a follow-up was unnecessary (it's certainly not as good as Lord and Miller's first film, lacking its breezy simplicity and clear focus), but like its lively predecessor, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” boasts a bouncy energy and a cheery spirit that help make it a scrumptious, if not entirely filling treat for all the family.

Rating: 6/10

Prisoners - Review

Director: Denis Villeneuve Writer: Aaron Guzikowski Studios: Warner Bros., Alcon Entertainment Cast: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano Release Date (UK): 27 September 2013 Certificate: 15 Runtime: 153 min

Two six-year-old girls vanish without a trace from their Pennsylvania neighbourhood during Thanksgiving dinner. Apparently kidnapped, they are nowhere to be found, the only clue to their whereabouts being the RV that was parked on the street before the girls went missing. The sole suspect (Paul Dano), the mentally challenged owner of the RV who attempts to flee when approached by authorities, is clearly hiding something, but is released from police custody due to lack of evidence. Desperate, the father of one of the girls (Hugh Jackman) decides to take matters into his own hands, defying the orders of head investigator Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) and resorting to extreme measures to find his daughter before it’s too late.

This is the story of “Prisoners,” a crime thriller that grips right from its haunting opening, where parental panic takes a sharp turn into abject horror: a child abducted on the street, a parent’s worst nightmare realised in full. Flaunting the epic length of David Fincher’s underseen “Zodiac,” in which Gyllenhaal was also on the hunt for a killer, and the chillingly atmospheric cinematography of the legendary Roger Deakins, director Denis Villeneuve’s sprawling kidnap drama is an enthralling and challenging exploration into how violence inevitably begets more violence and how the only outcome of evil is more evil.

The film is harrowing in ways that are expected and ways that are unexpected. If you’ve seen the trailers, you’ll know some of the unexpected ways. Emotional and moral complexities entangle the narrative as Jackman’s Keller Dover hunts for information, committing ethically questionable acts that spiral hideously into cold-blooded monstrousness and which are sure to have viewers recoiling in horror while shifting their sympathies. If Kathryn Bigelow's controversial “Zero Dark Thirty” supposedly endorsed torture (it didn’t), then “Prisoners” absolutely condemns it, showing it for the evil that it is: a cowardly act of desperation that dehumanises all involved, all the while wielding no worthwhile results.

At the film’s centre are two outstanding performances from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, both obsessed with finding young Anna and Joy, one operating on the right side of the law, the other on the wrong. Jackman, recently superb in “Les Misérables,” perfectly portrays the mental anguish and helplessness of not knowing where your children are, not knowing if they’re safe and indeed not knowing if they’re even alive. More mysterious is Gyllenhaal, whose twitchy Detective Loki is driven to obsession in his impossible mission to locate the two abducted girls and identify their kidnapper. Loki is one of the great film detectives, troubled and enigmatic but strangely likeable, and endearingly driven in his commitment to justice.

That the film’s final third or so, in which all is finally revealed, feels slightly generic speaks only of the power and strength of the rest of the movie. This is a great crime thriller: intelligent, complex and utterly captivating, and which can pride itself as one of the best films of the year so far.

Rating: 9/10