Reviews

Gilliam's strength, as always, is in having the ability to project the craziest depths of his imagination on to the big screen and this film provides the ideal platform for him to showcase his stunning visual conceptions. The 'Imaginarium' itself is a spectacle of fabulous colours, wonderfully bizarre landscapes and alluring visions; each personal to whoever enters through the magical mirror of Dr. Parnassus' mysterious travelling sideshow.

On the face of it, this vague idea along with an unparalleled cast sounds like it could be a winning concept for another masterpiece from acclaimed filmmaker Terry Gilliam (Twelve Monkeys, The Fisher King, Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), but I think it lacks the substance to make it a winner. Having said this, credit should be duly given to Gilliam, as the sudden death of Heath Ledger before filming had finished meant that some of the script had to be rewritten and other actors drafted in to complete Ledger's part (Depp, Law and Farrell).

The plot is hazy and with so much going on throughout it is very difficult to summarise. Dr. Parnassus (Plummer) is accompanied on his travels by his 15 year old daughter, Valentina (played very well, actually, by model-turned-actress Lily Cole). They are joined on the road by two more assistants; the somewhat irritating, yet harmless character of Anton (Andrew Garfield) and Parnassus' "number two", Percy (Troyer). Parnassus possesses the extraordinary power to invite people into their own imaginations through the main attraction that is the Imaginarium, which appears to be a completely ordinary two-sided mirror from the outside. Once inside, however, people are enticed one way and another and eventually, required to choose their fate. Heath Ledger effortlessly plays Tony, an ambiguous, enigmatic character who brings charisma and charm to the failing sideshow. It is very much a supporting role and he turns up towards the second half of the film. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law each bring an interesting dynamic to the character, even though they feature only for short spaces of time within the Imaginarium.

I would like to watch this film several times more before making my mind up completely as to whether I like it or not; but the main reason that I wouldn't put this amongst Gilliam's best is that it is quite slow-moving in places, where Gilliam seems to have gotten so carried away with his imagination-land that some of the other scenes are lacking focus. It is also difficult to feel any empathy or emotion for the characters, because even with some excellent performances – particularly Plummer as Parnassus himself – there are no distinct personalities to love or hate. In this sense, it is quite possible that this will appeal to cult fans of his niche film-making style. In any case, it is absolutely essential when watching this film that you abandon the desire for a plot in any conventional sense of the word and accept that, in order to appreciate it, your imagination must take over

I did not expect to enjoy this film as much as I did. 'Anvil' are an ageing Canadian metal band who had 5 minutes of fame before falling short of the big-time. Now they are family men, living humble lives but never forgetting their ultimate dream and passion, so here we follow their last endeavour to make a worldwide success of their band. They are genuinely talented musicians and performers, as testified by the likes of Guns 'n' Roses, Metallica and Anthrax who were influenced by them. However, you don't have to be a fan of metal music to enjoy this heart-warming rockumentary, as you become completely endeared to the central characters – the emotional and sentimental Lips and his best friend and band-mate since they were 14 years old, Robb, the calmer and more enigmatic of the two. The initial impression is that the film could be a spoof, but whilst it is as comic as Spinal Tap, it is in fact a story of the real emotions of real people; making it a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

Gran Torino is a perfect mix of comedy and tragedy, due to the skillful handling of the merging of both genres by director, Eastwood. He also plays the leading role as cantankerous Korean War veteran, Walt Kowalski.

The film centres on the life of Walt who from the outset is offensive, difficult and racially prejudiced since his experiences in the Korean War. We learn of his various character traits through his dialogue and relationships with the people around him – his two sons and their families, a priest (Carley) and his barber. When a large Hmong family moves next door, there is initial hostility from Walt. Then young Thao (Vang) attempts to steal Walt's treasured 1972 Gran Torino. This sparks a series of dramatic events and changes the tone of the film significantly, which is managed smoothly by Eastwood.

This is the first film for aspiring young actors, Vang and Her, who play their roles with understatement and maturity. However, it is Eastwood's superb characterisation of Kowalski that carries this film right to the end.

John Whittaker (Barnes) is travelling and falls in love with beautiful American divorcée, Larita (Biel). After spontaneously getting married, John brings her back to his stately home in England, where although many warm to her, she is largely frowned upon – especially by his formidable mother, Veronica (Scott Thomas), who makes her stay as uncomfortable as possible. Based on the original play by Noel Coward, 'Easy Virtue' encompasses sharp wit, romance and drama; and although it is set in 1920s England, it is far from the typical period drama that might be expected. The soundtrack is slightly risky in places with its rearrangement of contemporary songs to period-music; but this can be overlooked for everything else the film has to offer. Firth supplies brilliant one-liners as the war-weary husband of Veronica. Biel has a captivating presence, bringing sexiness and classic Hollywood glamour to the screen; whilst Thomas, in total opposition, plays the stiff-upper-lipped English mother-in-law to perfection. A thoroughly enjoyable British comedy.

'Ghost Town' is the story of Bertram Pinkus (Gervais); a miserable man lacking social skills and fed up with having to deal with people on a daily basis. One day, his life is turned upside down when he is revived after dying on the operating table and finds he has developed the ability to see ghosts, who constantly hound him to fix their problems. In particular, he is followed by Frank Herlihy (Kinnear) who wants Pinkus to ruin the imminent marriage of his widow, Gwen (Leoni), to her new partner. Ricky Gervais delivers his usual brand of sarcastic British humour throughout the film and whilst he is largely a pessimistic character, he also shows his "human" side at times and you can't help but feel empathy towards him – if you're a fan of his at least. If you're not a huge fan of Ricky, you may not appreciate this as much; but that aside, it is an easygoing, heart-warming film with a certain quirkiness to appeal to people of any age.

From acclaimed Oscar-nominated director, Ridley Scott (American Gangster, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down), comes this gritty political action thriller based on the novel by former Washington Post columnist, David Ignatius. With a celebrated production team and two of Hollywood's most distinguished leading actors, it inevitably carries high expectations.

Roger Ferris (Di Caprio) works for US Intelligence. His orders come from Ed Hoffman (Crowe), who remains detached from the war he wages through his laptop as he stays in the comfort of his suburban home. Hoffman is monitoring the movements of a sophisticated terrorist organisation after a number of attacks occur – from bus bombings in Sheffield to a mobile phone-triggered bombing in a Dutch town.

Ferris is mostly stationed in the Middle East, where he is required to locate a terrorist named Al-Salim. As his pursuit takes him across the globe and back again, Ferris is faced with mortal danger and learning from the beginning the implications of having anyone close to him. He comes to realise that trust is key – he depends upon it for his life, whilst trust placed in the wrong person could lead to dire consequences.

We would expect nothing less from Ridley Scott than to deliver slick direction and superb cinematography. There is a strong political agenda within the film, implying questionable conduct within the US Intelligence. It focuses on recent global issues concerning terrorist activity and the American response to this, so many will feel its relevance. However, there is an overriding feeling that the issues of trust, backstabbing and corruption shown in the film are all too familiar within this genre, so in this sense the film gives us nothing new.

Having said this, the performance given by Di Caprio is one to be commended. His character's overall passion for his cause is convincing and as the film continues, he develops a war-weary persona, fed-up with the immorality of his organisation. This is combined with him effectively delivering parts of his dialogue in fluent Arabic. Crowe, who gained 63lb for his role as the egotistical Hoffman, is intended to depict many of those in power within the American government, successfully appearing so far-removed from the realities of war and conflict that people's lives are only worth as much as the information they can offer.

This is another brilliantly-directed film to add to Ridley Scott's work. Whilst it is not a mind-blowing blockbuster, it is a well-made action thriller and if you enjoy films of this nature, it is definitely worth a watch.

"The film's about a band, a girl, a mother…all these people realising that they've reached one person – William." (Cameron Crowe – director and winner of the Best Screenplay Oscar for this film)*

'Almost Famous' follows the story of 15 year-old music fanatic, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), growing up in the 70's. His love of music leads him to his ultimate ambition, to be a music journalist. This is much to the disapproval of his overbearing, widowed mother (Frances McDormand), whose neurotic ways have already driven his older sister away to become a stewardess. One day William is fortunate enough to meet Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a successful journalist and editor of 'Creem' magazine, who sees William's passion and offers him $35 to write his first article on Black Sabbath. Having no pass, William can't even meet the band, but it is here that famous band aid, Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) and 'Stillwater', an up-and-coming rock band, enter his life. Then, William (posing as an 18 year old) gets the golden opportunity to write for Rolling Stone magazine about Stillwater. He is told firmly by Lester, "do not make friends with the rock stars", but the experiences he shares with them throughout the film give William some of his most valuable lessons on life, although by no means do things go as he would have expected. William's innocence and naivety make him a lovable character and easy to identify with, an excellent performance given by Fugit in his film debut.

In the film, the band represents a change from the hippie, peace-loving lifestyle of the 60's to the beginnings of the money-making, fame-hungry music industry we know today. They constantly profess that it is "all about the music", but behind this is a bitter quest for fame between the band members. This is shown through their disregard for William and also through the relationship between the guitarist Russell (Billy Crudup) and Penny Lane. Penny is brilliantly played by Hudson as a beautiful, carefree young woman, the object of every man's affection (including William), but beneath this "cool" demeanour, the 16 year old Penny is just as naive and vulnerable as him. All of these mixed, negative emotions in the film contrast with the cinematography, which encapsulates a warm, dreamlike quality of nostalgia surrounding the 70's rock music scene. When you watch the film it almost makes you want to be back there, experiencing it for yourself.

What makes Almost Famous intriguing is that it is a semi-autobiographical film, with William playing a young Cameron Crowe – who is the youngest journalist to write for the renowned Rolling Stone magazine. The fictional band "Stillwater" replaces a few of the famous musicians interviewed by Crowe in real-life; Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Lynard Skynard…an impressive list for anyone, let alone someone so young.

The best thing I could do to sum up the film would be to play you the soundtrack, which would tell you everything you need to know. A quote from Patrick Fugit describes perfectly why you should watch it:

"You can tell it's a Cameron Crowe movie, because you can't really put it in a category of comedy, drama…it has a certain quality that you just like to…fall in love with and watch the movie over and over."*

*Taken from interviews on the DVD's extra features.

Set in 1980s Belfast, when the Troubles were devastating Northern Ireland; this is the story of 22 year-old Martin McGartland (Sturgess) who, in real life, became involved implicitly with both sides of the conflict. The film details how he worked firstly for the IRA and was subsequently sought after and enlisted by the British police as a spy; leading him to live a perilous double-life. The title (taken from McGartland's book) refers to the number of people he believes he saved whilst working undercover.

The film begins by establishing him as an ordinary young man growing up within the bleak setting of West Belfast during that time, making very little money by selling knock-off goods door-to-door. He is mostly concerned with making enough money to impress his love-interest, Lara (Press); but he is also an Irish Catholic, who vehemently opposes the British occupation of the country and believes in the cause of a united Ireland. However, when he begins to work for the IRA, he becomes a first-hand witness to some of the atrocities committed by them and begins to have doubts about his political standpoint. Meanwhile, a member of Special Branch, Fergus (Kingsley), wants him to become an informant on IRA activities. Initial attempts to recruit him are useless, but McGartland eventually accepts the proposition; the violence he had witnessed still being fresh in his mind, along with the offer of a substantial sum of money in return for his work. The remainder of the film is a tense and gripping set of events, all the while focusing on McGartland's inner conflict. He is portrayed as a confused young man, exploited by both sides and absorbed completely by the two equally tormenting responsibilities which he cannot escape: on one hand, he is betraying the cause which his ancestors had given their lives to for centuries – his long-standing belief of freedom for his country; but on the other hand he is stopping the all-too-real violence he encounters on a day-to-day basis which, no matter what history has taught him, he cannot find justification for.

Although there are films which handle this subject matter far better, I feel that Fifty Dead Men Walking must be praised for the social realism and consistently gripping drama that is conveyed from the outset through the locations used, the cinematography and the outstanding performances given by the main cast. Sturgess captures the complexity of McGartland's character and, considering how difficult it must be to imitate a West Belfast accent, he and Press do a convincing job. I was compelled to watch the film from start to finish and credit is duly given for this being a fantastic piece of British cinema.

There are also, of course, the (dubious) factual elements associated with the film. It was filmed at the very location where these events were taking place little more than twenty years ago, which adds to the sheer tension felt throughout. The film is highly emotive and deals with controversial issues that have been highlighted again recently, where a dissident group, the "Continuity IRA", has claimed responsibility for the murder of a policeman. The film will resonate with people on many levels. It is true that there are overwhelming accounts of horrific violence from the Irish Republican Army (a small part of which are shown graphically in the film), yet there are many discrepancies in the film and viewers may not know the vast complicated past associated with the Troubles and so, we are presented with yet another media representation of one side of the fierce conflict in which, truthfully, equal acts of brutality have been committed on both sides throughout history. Ultimately, I would urge people to watch the film for its brilliant script, performances and drama; but not to take it as a lesson in Irish history by any means. If anything, whilst much hostility still exists today between some Nationalists and Unionists, the film succeeds in demonstrating the futility of such violence after hundreds of years of warfare and above all else, the overriding desire for peace from those people who have had to live amongst the fighting and still live with the concern that it may one day return.