Thor: The Dark World Review

Directed by Alan Taylor, the much-anticipated Marvel sequel reunite Thor and Loki to thwart newfound evil.

Marvel movies are like McDonalds. Both are money-making machines that aim at the lowest common denominator; they come fast, hyper-palatable and disingenuously colourful. Much like fast food, Thor: The Dark World thrives on creating flavours that tap directly in to our preferred tastes and then exaggerating those tastes to the point of ridiculousness.

Kenneth Branagh directed the original Thor in 2011, back when the marvel franchise was proverbially just warming up. His direction gave a distinct visual flare and Shakespearean quality to a simple story about family feud. Three Marvel films and an Avengers entourage later comes its sequel, which is bigger, bolder, and more action packed than its predecessor. Faced with an enemy in the form of the elven Malekith, Thor must embark on a perilous journey to save mankind from a dangerous weapon called the Aether (but of course!) Few surprises are in stall here; naturally the journey will reunite him with his mortal girlfriend Jane Foster and together with brother Loki, the pair will thwart newfound evil.

Similar to the first installment, the real strength of the narrative is found in the sibling rivalry, which provokes a lot of the action. After his disappointing character turn in the Avengers, Loki once again steals the show; most of the best lines are reserved for scenes where his teen-like angst is at the forefront. Thespian Tom Hiddleston is deviously wicked in the role, and delivers a wry and upbeat performance that properly matches the camp and comic world he inhabits. Without Hiddleston’s dynamic presence, the film would fall flat around a lead whose physicality is the only thing he has going for him. Undeniably, Hemsworth has talent (as seen in Rush), but due to a rather puerile script, Thor is not much more than a moving action figure. Although at times he does posses a humorous chauvinistic quality in scenes of competitive antagonism when sparring with his brother.

As much of a pleasure it is to see Academy Award Winner Natalie Portman onscreen after a three-year hiatus, unfortunately the chemistry between her character and Hemsworth’s is about as convincing as a dead doornail.

Overall, both the storyline and visual is lacking in real imagination. While Anthony Hopkins is a welcome presence in the role of Thor’s father, Odin, the writer’s don’t monopolise on his formidable experience. Supporting performances from Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsguard and Jonathan Howard play a major entertainment factor in providing most of the sarcastic humour. Also, a special cameo from Chris Evans as Captain America induced a real laugh.

Evidently, my initial reaction to Thor: The Dark World was a tad dismissive. Uniquely, on recollection I hold no grudges towards a movie whose main villain looks like a dark elf knock off of Lucius Malfoy. Marvel may be the cinematic equivalent of McDonalds, so it’s a good thing I was hungry for a Happy Meal.

Prisoners review

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal star in child abduction thriller Prisoners, one of the best films of the year

© 2013 - Warner Bros. Pictures

In his first English-language film Prisoners, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve poses an ugly question to traditional America: If someone abducted your children, how far would you go to get them back? When the justice system lets you down, are you free to take justice into your own hands?

Torture has preoccupied American cinema since the twin towers came down in 2001. In the hit TV series 24 torture-happy Jack Bauer rests at nothing to obtain national security with an “ends justify the means" approach. In Taken, Father figure Liam Neeson sets about tracking down his daughter after she is kidnapped by human traffickers. Prisoners’ torture theme risks feeling all too familiar alongside recent action thrillers such as these. However the film manages to tap into elemental human emotions in a raw way, which makes the viewing more realistic and disturbing than anything we’ve seen before.

Hugh Jackman plays Keller Dover, a deeply religious working-class patriarch bent on reckoning. When his daughter and her friend go missing on Thanksgiving, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads to no avail. In secret, Dover abducts, imprisons and tortures the man he believes is responsible, Alex Jones, whose RV was last seen parked on the street where the girls were playing. Jake Gyllenhaal is Detective Loki, a lead cop investigating the missing persons, who suspects Hugh Jackman’s character is up to no good. After confronting more suspects he finds a trail of breadcrumbs that lead to a labyrinth of similar stories of stolen children.

Prisoners is a moody tale with a sense of portent and impending dread that makes for an absorbing viewing. At a little under three hours, the film never feels too long and is compelling throughout mainly given the subject matter, which demands emotional investment. Veteran cinematographer Roger Deakins has a real talent for visual composition and frames every shot with dark lighting, lots of rain and a brooding atmosphere that is beautifully ominous. There's not a ray of sunshine onscreen. You can almost breathe the foggy air of the film.

There is a learned maturity to this type of filmmaking. Its tone is different than most and it moves slower than your average thriller, which adds to the tension of the narrative. An A-list cast gives fine performances, particularly the two male leads who, although cast peculiarly against type, fit into their roles perfectly. Their key relationship is kept on slow burn through precise plotting and careful revelations. Both leads are enthralling to follow; Jackman portrays a moral complexity untouched in his previous roles, while Gyllenhaal is sublime as the elusive and alone cop who stands for reason.

Prisoners is a morality play cleverly wrapped up in a police procedural. There is a running theme here that evil begets evil. No one is free from corruption. Superb performances and tight direction will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Watch clip from Prisoners below...

Blue Jasmine Review

“Anxiety, nightmares and a nervous breakdown; there’s only so many traumas a person can withstand 'til they take to the streets and start screaming.”

Throughout his lengthy career Woody Allen has possessed a rare gift for balancing comedy and pathos with an old-school visual style that reflects his perpetual nostalgia. In the early 2000s critics denounced Allen as past his prime but he triumphantly returned to peak form with Midnight in Paris. Riding high on newfound success, he brings us Blue Jasmine, a tale about an upper-class middle-aged woman in cultural and mental despair. After a recent succession of light-hearted romantic comedies, Allen takes an unexpected turn to tell a sharp, yet surprisingly solemn drama about a Park Avenue high society wife whose world is turned upside down. Blue Jasmine exhibit’s the old craftsmen’s continuing vitality, creativity, and uncanny ability to write.

Cate Blanchett plays Jasmine who loses everything after her husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) is revealed to be a scam artist and serial adulterer. Despite her pleas of being broke, she flies first class from New York to San Francisco, talking non-stop to a stranger sitting next to her. Forced to slum it with her low-income adoptive sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins), she struggles to build a new life without her husband's illegally-obtained wealth. With little in common the mismatched pair of sisters barely tolerate each other’s company. Jasmine disapproves of her sister’s boyfriend Chili (Bobby Cannavale) as she did her first husband and constantly complains of migraines caused by her nephews’ incessant rowdiness. Convinced to make something of her new life she settles for a career in interior design and resolves to take a computer course so to study decorating online. Upon meeting a cultured, wealthy diplomat (Peter Sarsgaard), she proceeds to invent a fantastical new past to keep up appearances, one that doesn’t contain a scamming ex-husband or estranged stepson. One lie after another, she slowly withdraws from reality down the rabbit hole, washing down her Xanaxes with shots of vodka.

There is a touch of Blanche Dubois from A Street Car Named Desire in the character of Jasmine, a self-aggrandising woman whose privileged lifestyle has come to an end and who now relies too heavily on booze and pills. She finds comfort in jabbering to strangers and spends much of her time in the film recounting her past experiences living the high life. Woody Allen uses this to tell a single narrative in two mirrored timelines, cutting back and forth between past and present.

The tragic anti-heroine figure of Jasmine is one of Allen’s more vulnerable and complex creations. She possesses no self-awareness or agency and is borderline unhinged. Cate Blanchett discards all vanity and gives a fearless performance worthy of any prestigious award that she will inevitably receive at the end of the year. One reviewer eloquently described the role as ‘the best imaginable marriage of performer and character’. An exceptional turn by Blanchett benefits from one of the strongest supporting casts Allen has assembled in years. Sally Hawkins delivers an acutely natural, flawed but real character in Ginger. Andrew Dice Clay and Bobby Cannavale are notably realistic in the roles of Augie and Chili respectively.

While the abrupt ending may be better suited to stage than screen and at times the narrative feels uneven, Blue Jasmine is beguiling, amusing and clever. Woody Allen’s superb script gives the floor to the delusional Jasmine and it remains thoroughly entertaining in the hands of Cate Blanchett, who once again proves she is incapable of giving a bad performance.

Watch the trailer for  Blue Jasmine below...