Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - Review

An embracing and original film, Silver Linings Playbook is one of the best romantic comedies in years.

In this day and age, the romantic comedy has become something of a critical joke. Simply calling it that is a tired and cliched statement, even before beginning to discuss the genre itself. So when one comes along that is not only sticking to the old formula, but also using a plot line primarily adapted from a novel, who can say what you'll get? Silver Lining's Playbook has answered this questions in the most surprising way possible.

We follow Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) from the day he departs from a mental health facility for initially unknown reasons, although it's clear that he's done something serious in order to get there. He moves back in with his parents, portrayed by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver, and attempts to readjust to normal life, despite facing borderline bipolar disorder and severe anger issues. During this period of potential stabilisation, he meets Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence) at a friends dinner party. The plot then follows their bumpy friendship as he Pat attempts to reconnect with his ex-wife - who was primarily involved in his institutionalisation - all the while training for a dance competition with Tiffany. I'd love to say more about the plot, but it would take away from the impact that it gives upon first viewing. What is impressive is that Russell has managed to make a hell of a lot out of something pretty small. By this I mean that the plot isn't that complex, or all that loud, but he's made a great show of examining the individual relationships that the plot presents, which is really what this film is all about from a top-down perspective; relationships.

The performances from the main cast are some of the finest that you're likely to see in any film in the past couple of years. One of the most remarkable aspects of Russell's style is that, while altogether being distinguished and original, it manages to reflect reality in a way that puts his works ahead of the presentations of others. Each and every member of the cast seems to know exactly what he wants, in terms of naturally flowing dialogue, honest performances and genuine emotional connection with the characters that they are respectively playing. Bradley Cooper's portrayal of protagonist Pat Solitano is raw and fearless, and he's managed to keep at bay the risk of being identified as a noticeable actor rather than the character that he's playing. Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver, who respectively portray Pat's father and mother, are a fine example of excellent casting choices, as is the addition of Chris Tucker as a fellow warm-hearted psychiatric patient alongside Pat. However, it's Jennifer Lawrence's performance that sweeps past the rest in terms of sheer, raw acting talent. Her portrayal of Tiffany Maxwell is both overwhelming and seemingly effortless, and undoubtedly identifies her as one of the more exemplar examples of this generation of actors.

Structurally, Silver Linings Playbook follows the standard four act format leading up to a distinguished and complete resolution. However, this isn't necessarily a vice, despite its overuse in the genre. Conversely, the structure is used to the advantage of the content; Russell is smart enough to realise where his film is going and prevent it from being too derivative of past works. The way in which the final part culminates in the requirements of a parlé - two bets, one outcome - is executed fantastically, and draws away from any flaws of unoriginality. Topped off by Masanobu Takayanagi identifiable cinematography - it'd be easy to assume that he was involved with 2010s The Fighter based on how spectacularly spot-on his work is - and Danny Elfman's successfully minimalistic score, the other production aspects of the film soar in terms of matching Russell's tonal choices. Every aspect of the films production fits together so perfectly that it's a wonder one person didn't have omniscient creative control over the entire project.

It's easy to mock modern day rom-coms for the simple fact of their existence, but this one separates itself from the rest of the herd. What David O Russell has done here is to take the traditional formula and turn it into something fresh, original, and brilliantly entertaining. With all that said, I won't hesitate to conclude that Silver Linings Playbook is a wonderful film, full of angst, humanity and joyous celebrations of love, and I heartily recommend it.

9/10

Breaking Bad - Season 5, Episode 15, 'Granite State' - Review

'Stay a little longer?'

Granite State, Breaking Bad's penultimate episode, brought us in a full, up-to-date circle to the events depicted in the opening of the season five premiere, in which we saw a long-haired, bearded Walt having a lonely birthday breakfast before purchasing an M60 machine gun. Granite State was as good an episode as the show has ever had, and a perfect lead-up to next weeks finale.

In the opening, we finally caught a glimpse of the tentatively titled 'Saul's guy', who just so happens to be casually portrayed by Robert Forster (see Heroes, Olympus Has Fallen). It's clear from the offset that he's placing Saul Goodman into hiding.

In the meantime, we see Skyler in 'terrible trouble' for her suspected involvement with Walt's business. The following scene in which she sits on the sofa, drinking and smoking, while watching the patrol car on the street ouside, gave a great reflection of her disenfranchised state in the wake of the preceding episodes events. The moment in which she steps into baby Holly's bedroom to find Todd and the gang, clad in balaclavas, was a moment so unexpected that it verged on horror-movie-quality, and by that I'm referring to a good horror movie.

Following this, Walt is shown going into hiding in a remote cabin with the assistance of Ed, and seemingly deliberating as to whether or not he should leave his safe zone of exile. His longer-haired, dishevelled appearance is explained by the passage of time, leaving us to presume that he has spent at least a month living in the cabin. On a similar note, there was a moment of real poignancy with regards to Walt's character, during the scene in which he receives his cancer treatment from Ed. He requests that Ed 'stay a little longer', in return for $10,000 of his money. These days just about everybody no doubt finds it easy to hate Walt because of everything he's done, but this moment gave a real reflection of the loneliness that he's feeling as a human being. It was an amazingly simple and yet fantastically executed line that illustrated his existence as a person, rather than a singularly evil force, which initially suggested that the old Walt is still alive somewhere. However, a moment occurring later perhaps suggested otherwise, which I'll come to shortly.

If this was Walt's most heartbreaking moment in the episode, it was topped by the moment in which Jesse hits his head against the car window after watching Todd effectively execute Andrea, brought on as a threat by his escape attempt. The image of Jesse's face filling up the entire screen, his own blood on the car window because he'd hit his head that hard in desparation, was, in my opinion, one of the most disturbing and affecting moments the show has had in terms of shear pity, to the point that it was becoming difficult to watch. This was one of the moments in which Breaking Bad succeeds at becoming truly convincing, as if we're watching real events rather than those that are fictional.

Walt's phone conversation with Walter Jr conveyed a sense of finality with regards to his relationship with his family, as if it has now come to an end, no doubt implied by the events of the preceding episodes excellent depiction of the crumbling of the family. One of the things I found to be most fulfilling about this episode was the closing scene, in which we see Walt sat at the bar, having just called the Alberqueque police department to tip them off about his whereabouts, when all of a sudden Gretchen and Elliot Schwartz appear on the television above the bar. I was very much wondering if and when Gretchen alone would make an appearance, never mind the two of them. There interview with Charlie Rose (played by hismelf) makes two central points. The first is the delcaration that Walt had nothing to do with starting the company other than the name, when we know that he supplied a large amount of the research early on, which feeds his anger to no end as he clenches a napkin into his fist. The other returns to the previous point I made about whether Walt is still inside somewhere, as Gretchen states that 'the sweet, kind, brilliant man we once know is long gone.'

The final moments, as the armed police force enter the bar, only to find an unfinished glass of whisky, a napkin folded into the shape of a swan, and what is likely to be a hundred dollar bill, all shown with the opening credit music overlaying, felt like a nod to the show itself and to the fans that have stuck with it over the years, as if to say that the final episode is going to be a great one. Vince Gilligan himself has returned to write and direct, so there can be little doubt about how great an ending this is going to be. Predictions? I'd love for Walt to get the money to the people who deserve it, for him to raid Uncle Jack's compound and save Jesse in a Django-esque shootout (who'll then go on to start a new life somewhere else) and for Walt to die of his injuries, having redeemed himself and his actions. But, like I said - it's Vince Gilligan.

Here's to the final episode. It's going to be a good one.

Breaking Bad - Season 5, Episode 14, 'Ozymandias' - Review

'We're supposed to be a family!'

Right now I can imagine that the general feeling across the viewership board is a mix of astonishment mixed with an inability to form sentences, specifically with regards to this weeks episode. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. But I'll make a go of giving a recap and some infinitely positive praise to episode 14, 'Ozymandias'.

Needless to say, spoilers ahead.

The opening showed how the story has really come full circle in it's wide-reaching arc, presenting the very first lie Walt told Skylar concerning hsi meth business. Whether it's a strange thing to start with by saying this, I'm going to say it anyway; kudos to the prop and make-up department for the opener depicting Walt and Jesse on their very first cook. Even though the characters have come a hell of a long way in the past five years, they looked just as amaeutrish/kind-of-normal as they did when they first started up business. The nature of the episodes title is in reference to the eponymous poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley (which made me feel like a true hipster seeing as I'd studied the poem in college) and essentially it refers to the harsh fact that no matter how vast the size of an empire can grow to be, it will eventually fall to the sands of time and be forgotten. Which is exactly what we're seeing in this episode.

This all started with Hank's inevitable death, which finally came ten minutes into the episode, alongside Steve 'Gomie' Gomez's demise, no doubt a shock for many fans seeing as he's quite the lovable sidekick. Rian Johnson's direction screeched profressionalism from the very beginning, particularly in the depiction of Walt's overwhelming remorse in the wake of his brother-in-laws death. This was the first of many difficult-to-watch scenes throughout the episode, and it really set the tone for everything else to come. Of course, the events in the desert had yet to come to a close.

Todd and Uncle Jack's gang find Walt's buried money, which we now discover to amount to $80,000,000. And here was me thinking it was a round a tenth of that. They leave Walt with $12,000,000, and despite this still being an incomprehensibly large amount of money, it gave further credence to the fact that Walt's empire was quickly crumbling; the image of him making his way through the desert, rolling his barrel of money along, couldn't have been more poetic.

Jesse's depiction couldn't have been more heart-wrenching. There were a lot of predictions preceding this episode that Jesse would be captured and effectively used as a slave to cook Walt's distinctive brand of meth, and for once predicitons about where Gilligan would take the story were spot-on. The scene in which he was chained up and bloody-faced in the underground cell was almost unbearable to watch, and we didn't need to be shown Jesse being given a beating to know exactly what had happened to him. He then becomes a slave quite literally, as we see him chained up to cook meth alongside Todd.

One of the biggest literal revelations that came with this episode was Walt's secret life being brought to the forefront, and Walter Jr being made aware of it all. RJ Mitte's performance was nothing short of excellent, especially in the lead-up to the knife-struggle/family-crumbling. On that note, I'm firmly under the belief that the scene in which the family falls to pieces was one of the best few minutes of television in memory, and likely for a generation. Nothing comes to mind as being any better, and it was only exacerbated by the knife fight, when it seemed inevitable that someone would end up on the end of the knife. Furthermore, Walter Jr's phone call to the police made the destruction of the family fully realised, as well as Walt's effective abduction of baby Holly. Every aspect of Johnson's direction, and the production in general, added to the mounting tension throughout this scene, and I've no doubt that, for a few moments, a lot of viewers will have forgotten that what they were watching was fictional, much as I did.

In the final scenes, we see Holly dropped off in the safe hands of a group of firefighters at a station - so she couldn't be any safer - and Walt have a high-pitched and heavily emotional converstion with Skylar over the phone as the police listen in. It appears that the secret is indeed out, now; everyone is aware of Walt's secret life. His apparent-catharsis over the phone could potentially act as a deterrent towards the police; the blame for all of the illegal actions has firmly moved singularly onto his head, rather than his family, particuarly Skylar. We then see him getting into the car belonging to Saul's 'guy', the faceless man who helps people start a new life off the grid, the result of which we've undoubtedly seen in Walt's return to his old house, and his breakfast at Denny's that ended with the delivery of an M60, the use of which is still up for deliberation.

I'd give a conclusion, but I guess my opinion would, at this point, come off as biased, because I have nothing but good things to say about this episode and the show as a whole. Predictions? Walt will get the money he has to the people that need it, save Jesse and go down in a blaze of glory, effectively redeeming itself.

But, hey, it's Vince Gilligan.

Riddick (2013) - Review

A surprisingly entertaining third entry in the franchise.

Prior to the release of The Dark Knight Rises, director/writer Christopher Nolan consciously and boldly stated the most obvious problem with the project: 'How many good third films in trilogies can you name?' And he's a got a point; there really aren't that many. The aforementioned third Dark Knight film and The Godfather: Part 3 are the only ones that comes to mind, and even then they can't really hold a candle to the first two. But the point I'm trying to make here is that, regardless of whether or not Riddick can be considered as a so-called 'threequel', after viewing it I'm heartily under the impression that it's the best of the three in the franchise so far.

It picks up a while after the events of The Chronicles Of Riddick, as we see the titular character narrowly avoid an assassination attempt by his peers, albeit finding himself buried alive on a desolate planet. Things become more and more awry and, with no other options, he decides to launch a distress beacon from an outpost. Two teams show up; a haphazard group of mercenaries with a psychotic leader, and a well-trained team of mercenaries. Both know that Riddick is somewhere in the surrounding area, at which point the story depicts the hunt for Riddick, as well as Riddick's attempts to bring down the two groups and escape the planet.

The first twenty minutes don't give a great first impression; it was a painfully dull affair, as we see Riddick aimlessly roaming around, and I was quickly regretting my decision of paying for a ticket. But then things to a 180 degree turn, and Riddick sharply transgresses into what the franchise does best; it becomes a riveting action-survivalist story, as our protagonist learns how to survive on the relentlessly hostile planet. This is only improved by a sequence depicting his efforts to overcome a group of scorpion-type creatures that infest the planet, as well as his interesting alliance with a dog-like animal who watches his back throughout the story. As a character, Vin Diesel is almost born in the role of Riddick as a no-nonsense survivalist anti-hero. In a way his performance can be likened to Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator, because both use their unique acting abilities to their own advantages in their respective characters. Diesel gives as much of a solid performance as can be expected in a character that is fixed in his need to survive, it is clear that he has plenty of faith and personal investment in the character.

In terms of the rest of the cast, character development goes about as far as you would expect in a film involving clear-cut bounty hunters and mercenaries - there's really very little of it. Jordi Molla's portrayal of the borderline psychotic Santana is relatively solid, although he echoes a distracting likeness to a dishevelled Alfie Boe a lot of the time, which averts from being able to take his character any more seriously than the aggravating pain that he is... Although this is an element that was probably intended based on his (spoilers) eventual and necessary demise. Matthew Nables depiction of Boss John is your typical straight-talking, strong-willed mercenary, and as a result his character isn't anything particularly special. There are arguably anti-feminist/fan-service elements in the depiction of the films only female character, mercenary Dahl, boldly pulled off by Katee Sackhoff. Her character is one of pro-feminism, but how she is portrayed by the camera-man, at times, isn't. 

Structurally it would be easy to assume that this is a typical one vs. ten battle, as if Riddick would slowly and ingeniously pick off his antagonists across the films two-hour running time... Which he kind of does. That is, at least for a little while. But the story eventually reveals itself to be one concerning unionship and general survival, as we see Riddick unpredictably team up with his pursuers in an attempt to survive the planet itself. It becomes a much more predictable affair towards the end, and the conclusion feels like something of a lazy cop-out compared to the rest of the films relatively stable story-telling.

I must admit, I was very much surprised by Riddick. It has it's dull moments, there's no doubt about it, but the bottom line is that a surprisingly large percentage of this film is undeniably intriguing to watch, and if you've already plowed through every other current new release, it's well worth going to see.

The Master (2012) - Review

An intelligent work, minus the soul.

It must be difficult being Paul Thomas Anderson. On the one hand, the man is blessed with originality and has a penchant for making great films, and on the other there's so much expected of his work that it must be a nightmare to stay balanced on the tightrope between confidence and shear smarminess. The Master exists somewhere in the world between these two concepts, and thus, as a result, it's a very conflicted affair for a film that has very little in terms of traditional plot.

The Master follows Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), a US sailor who has managed to survive World War Two and make his way back to America. But he hasn't returned in pristine condition for a human being; he's psychotic, dysfunctional, sex-addicted and has a penchant for drinking more than would be needed to fell a wild boar without batting an eye. After a series of mishaps during which we come to realise that Freddie isn't exactly cut out for the post-war world, by shear cosmic accident he stumbles onto the ship of polymath Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman). A charismatic leader, - he being the titular 'master' - Dodd is also the head of a post-war start-up religion named 'The Cause', which bears more than a few similarities to Scientology. Quell becomes a follower of The Cause under Dodd's care, and heavy internal conflict ensues.

Joaquin Phoneix's portrayal of protagonist Freddie Quell is, undeniably, the standout aspect of the film. Phoenix is known for becoming deeply invested in his characters, and Quell is no exception. This is a character that doesn't falter in the slightest throughout the film, especially in terms of his erratic behaviour; there's a genuinity to Quell, and he's a very much believable character in the films wider scope. Contrasting Quell, the character of Lancaster Dodd is effortlessly portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who pulls off the subtly domineering character in the most natural of ways. Hoffman seems to have a reputation amongst casual film fans as 'that guy from that movie', which can refer to anything in his range of work, but nevertheless he gives a wholeheartedly bold performance alongside the character of Quell. In the sidelines, Amy Adams gives a stellar performance as Dodd's similarly strong-willed wife, who holds her own in the shadow of Quell and Dodd as an influential character all in her own right.

Anderson's films have always maintained a strange relationship with structure; they tend to present us with characters and then bombard them with a series of events until everything breaks down. This may sound like traditional script structure, specifically in the sense of moving towards a resolution of conflict but, without giving too much away, The Master doesn't follow that code. Aside from the films Scientology-mocking undertones, this is also a film about loyalty and independence; it brilliantly depicts the idea of post-war directionless and disillusionment, as Freddie struggles through modern life until he stumbles upon something that can give him meaning, and something that he can dedicate his life to. In a way, Quell and the film itself epitomise Anderson's trademark stamp of including several scenes in each of his films where characters do innanely stupid things, effectively as an offbeat celebration of humanity. Freddie is overwhelmingly dysfunctional, as can be seen in him smashing a toilet to pieces, hitting his back against a bunk bed, running from a variety of people, rubbing his face up against a window and beginning a fight with a customer in one of his early jobs. There aren't particurlarly any spoilers that can be given; in the end he hasn't changed in the slightest, and his personal conflict will likely never be resolved. Nevertheless it's the act of watching him struggle and fight and run from the modern world that proves to be the most captivating experience

Of course, Anderson's mark of quality is laden across every shot in the film. His clean and careful directorial style is unmistakeable, and it singles The Master out as a work of high-quality cinematic craftsmanship; this is film presented as an art form rather than as an entertainment form, which is admirable on Anderson's behalf for being so bold with his creation. At the same time there's also a sense that Anderson is pushing himself too deep into his own style. In a sizeable way, he seems to have skipped over many important story-telling aspects, specifically in giving the film more direction and insight as to what is actually going on; it's not so much like watching a film as it is being presented with a series of events that vaguely relate to the previous ones we've seen. There's a almost a sense of complacency about the whole film, although this could just be Anderson finally letting himself do films the way he wants to make them, with a mindset of self-conscious intelligence that doesn't go overboard on itself.

This is a film for viewers who are knowledgable about Anderson's previous work and who have a decent knowledge of cinema itself. Personally speaking, I doubt that I would be able to view it a second time, because it's something of a demanding watch. There are some truly mesmerising and astonishingly brilliant scenes scattered throughout the film, especially those that singularly follow Quell and Dodd, that unquestionably prove Anderson's genius, and these deserve to be rewatched, but as a whole the film has an essence of soullessness about it, and it damages the impression given by the conclusion.

3.5/5

Breaking Bad - Season 5, Episode 13, 'To'hajiilee' - Review

'Don't drink and drive. But if you do, call me.'

As Jesse iconically said; 'He can't keep getting away with this!' However, I'm using the quote to suitably refer to Vince Gilligan. They don't come in a much more devious fashion.

Firstly, my prediction about Jesse's line, 'hitting him where he really lives', referring to telling Walter Jr about Walt's secret life, was way off. Jesse's line about Walt doing the exact opposite of what you expect him to do is effectively an analogy for Gilligan himself; no matter what prediction you make, he'll always surprise you by doing the exact opposite.

There are couple of things to look at in this episode. Huell received the most prolonged screentime in the his fictional history during this episode, as he unwittingly betrayed Walt and handed details over to the Hank and Gomez. As a result, the money became the central aspect of this episode, as we saw a race between Walt and Hank to get to it. This linked in largely with the rest of the episode; during the scene in which Saul made an appearance at the car wash, there was this brilliant sense of unity between every one of the main characters, as if they're all being brought together for the inevitable showdown that's soon to occur.

However, the most tension emanated from the aforementioned sequence in which Walt meets Hank, Gomez and Jesse at the site on which the money is buried. This also gave a sense of unity, as if everything was coming full circle; Jesse himself points out that the burial site is where they made their first cook over a year ago. As Walt was walking towards Hank, utterly defeated, I kept expecting a bullet to come flying out of nowhere, almost a deus ex machina, as if Walt would have another trick up his sleeve. But it was sheer chance that Todd and his Uncle Jack made an appearance. Because a lot of the time it's difficult to remember whose really in charge, and that's Vince Gilligan. He's conjured up that sense of control in a television series that is astonishingly rare to find, as if everything has been leading up to this point, almost as if he's had a plan all along as to how the show will culminate. He's exercised his creative control in the most mature of ways.

That said, there was a trickster-element about the end of the episode, particularly the cliff-hanger. As Todd, Uncle Jack and the rest of the neo-nazi crew show up with the intention of picking off Jesse, they find Hank and Gomez standing in the way, much to the shock of Walt. He and Jesse are caught between these two conflicting forces, those being the DEA and Todd's gang. They've lost their grip on the empire that they built together, and there's bound to be collateral damage when these two opposing forces meet.

I'll make another prediction, just for the sake of routine, and because, y'know, I love being wrong. Hank's phone call to Marie couldn't have been more indicative of the fact that he's going to be killed shortly. Marie looking down into the garbage can and seeing the brain-type-thing that Hank used to fake Jesse's death to Huell gave an overwhelming sense of foreboding, and Hank's words over the phone was effectively him saying goodbye to Marie, and that he would be 'gone a while', or something to that effect. But I'm not going to guess how he gets killed, I'm just going to keep it general.

This episode escalated the tension and the grit to new levels that viewers rightly deserve. Once again, Breaking bad has proved itself to be a show that always pays off on the investment put into it. Roll on Episode 14.

I'll no longer be reviewing Under The Dome

After this episode I can indeed confirm that Under The Dome is a soap-opera.

With little regret I've decided to stop reviewing Under The Dome. The main reason for this is that, after Episode Three, it's delivered it's own nail in the coffin and resigned itself to a soap-opera. It's undeniable; even the background music echoes it. This isn't to say that I'll stop watching it; I'm definitely going to give the next few episodes a chance, but I find it insulting to everyone to have review something such as this show. It's like reviewing Pitbull songs. So, for the moment, I'm sticking with Breaking Bad and the much anticipated end to it's five-year run.

Breaking Bad - Season 5, Episode 12, 'Rabid Dog' - Review

'Would you like some coffee?'

First off, I guess I'll start by mentioning that I was way off with my spray-paint-Jesse-Heisenberg prediction. So sue me, it seemed pretty plausible.

The prolonged cold opener to this episode left me with a total absence of fingernails, chewed up in the cliched advent of Walt opening the door at the end of the hallway to find - nothing. Dammit, Vince. Because in a break from chronology, we saw Hank abruptly preventing Jesse from setting Walt's house on fire, which made way for some stellar awkwardness in the Schrader household. The brief beats between Jesse and Marie were hilarously painful to watch, almost in identical comic fashion to the brilliantly executed dinner scene between Jesse, Walt and Skyler.

Really, the prevalent thing to take away from this episode is that Jesse is now adamant on bringing Walt down, and that he's going to 'hit him where he lives.' What this refers to is up for deliberation. Will they tell Walter Jr about Walt's secret-trade? Potentially. Although it should also be pointed out that Hank doesn't care whether or not Jesse dies - 'Pinkman gets killed, we get it all on tape'. It's clear that he's willing to take Walt down, whatever the cost, and so he isn't that juxtaposed with Walt anymore.

In the round, this was the slowest-burning (no pun intended) episode of the season so far. What can be expected is the trait exhibited in every other season of the show; the season finale will be indulgent, gripping, action-packed, gritty and jaw-dropping. Make no mistake.