Spring Breakers - Review

The opening few minutes sets the tone really; dubstep roars as beer floods over heads, writhing torsos, bared breasts and middle fingers that wag and taunt at the camera. This is “Spring Breakers”, a shocking pink tsunami of nihilism from director Harmony Korine that attempts to tackle a contested, deeply western topic; “YOLO” culture and the spray tanned pursuit of happiness through sex, drink, drugs and money. Its neon soaked portrait of debauchery is so excessive that it makes for queasy yet transfixing experience; not dissimilar to a horror film.

Former Disney teen queens Selena Gomez (as Faith) and Vanessa Hudgens (Candy), along with Ashley Benson (Brit) and Rachel Korine (Cotty),star as bored college students at a nondescript school smoking weed, hanging out, sometimes reading and even attending classes. Over a series of dreamy, elliptical scenes that slide from night to day and back, it emerges that the four friends want to escape for spring break but just don’t have the money. While Faith prays on her problems the other three opt for a more psychotic approach: armed with squirt guns and a lady-sized sledgehammer, they go full-on GTA and rob a local fast food restaurant.

From here the girls join an invading army of “Spring Breakers” that swarm every inch of sand, surf and hotel. This tanned, white-trash, white-teethed caricatures of American youth (think MTV’s “Jersey Shore” on mass) spill onto balconies and into pools, laughing and yelling as they drink, snort, dance, grind and thrash. They’re monstrous, enthralling and repellent; western sleaze personified.

A plot finally kicks in when Alien a hustler/rapper/whigga, played by an unrecognizable James Franco, takes an interest in the girls. Wearing grillz and long cornrows, Franco manages to make the character simultaneously cartoonish and stupid yet grounded. For the four girls he becomes something of a slimy Prince Charming, leading them further down the rabbit hole of nihilism and violence.

Unfortunately, for everything the film gets right it seems to get something wrong. Visually the film is often mesmerising with splashes of gorgeous, gaudy color and other interesting touches, like bright pink balaclavas decorated with unicorns, which give the film a unique sense of style and attitude. However the party scenes and constant barrage of crotch shots and bare breasts manage to just seem unappealing and sometimes laughable, but perhaps that’s the point.

Another interesting touch the surreal bends in the narrative and presentation, adding brief flash-forwards and flashbacks that make it seem as if the story were incessantly swaying back and forth. Gestures, lines of dialogue and emotional moments are repeated in a desolate, dream-like fashion. However, while sometimes used effectively, this effect often slows the film down to almost a snail’s pace, especially in the quieter less visually impressive moments, where the director seems far too interested in laborious montage than moving to the next plot point.

“Spring Breakers” looks different depending on how you hold it up to the light. From one angle it comes across as a vicious social commentary that jumps from one idea to another - the American dream, racial stereotypes and the search for one’s self- without properly stitching these ideas together. From another it is questionable that the film is even being critical or satirical, the lack of any clear point or moment of epiphany sometimes makes it seem as though Korine is actually just erotising and selling sleaze for commercial gain. Or perhaps his commentary just comes more from a place of morbid fascination than criticism.

Ultimately though, “Spring Breakers” is simply an interesting yet incredibly flawed movie; one that see-saws between stylish satire and awkward soft-core porn, art-house and commercial too often and too poorly to be taken as an entirely enjoyable whole.

Isaac Christian

Skyfall - Review

To keep this review completely and utterly honest I must start with a confession – until last week, I had never seen a Bond film. You, like so many other people that I tell this deep, dark secret to are probably thinking, how can this be? As Proud Britain’s, James Bond is as essential to our culture as tea, Harry Potter, and various naked members of the Royal Family. Yet until now there hasn’t been a single thing to tempt me to watch a single minute of a Bond film – let alone a whole two hours or more. That was, until Skyfall was announced.

Another confession – American Beauty is one of my favourite films. (And really, if it’s not one of yours, you need to take a long hard look at yourself.) Therefore I was immediately drawn into the idea of Skyfall as soon as I heard it s name and Sam Mendes in the same sentence. And it didn’t end there. Javier Bardem as a villain? Naomie Harris as a Bond Girl? Ben Whishaw playing a character I’ve never heard of but presume is important in the Bond franchise? This might be my kinda film after all.

Well, it was and it wasn’t. There were moments (pretty much every single scene Javier Bardem was in) where I was rooted in my seat, eyes fixed on the screen, convinced that this was the greatest thing ever. And then there were other moments (Most of the Hong Kong/Machau scenes and the last twenty minutes or so) where I drifted off into a dream world, pondering what to have for dinner. What seems odd to me is that while to me the film pretty much fulfilled my expectations of Bond being suave and flirting a lot, some casual misogyny, and lots of booze, weapons and cars, to ardent Bond fans it was a completely new experience. Allegedly a lot of Bond fans complained that the story was too “character driven” and that they wanted more action, whereas I was bored to death by the long and over-the-top shooting scenes and wanted to focus on Javier Bardem’s ridiculously incredible hair. I’m not saying I was expecting floating plastic bags and rose petals, but a little more conversation would’ve been nice. While Skyfall’s script wasn’t exactly Oscar-worthy, the actors are of course more than competent and made them flow with ease, therefore I’m convinced that it wouldn’t have been too torturous to stick a few more of them in.

It may seem like the sole point of this review is to dissect every single bad thing about Skyfall and enrage every single Bond fan, so I feel I should move on to some positives. While I had some expectations about the film, one thing I did like was the way that some characters were exact opposites of what I had expected. My expectations of a Bond villain were a swivel chair, a white cat, and a tiny gun. In reality we got Javier Bardem in a naff wig, talking about rats, dressing up as a policeman, and laughing gleefully. As aforementioned I don’t really have a clue who Q is, but from characters reactions to him in the film (“You still have spots!”) I can only assume Ben Whishaw’s interpretation of him was very different.

So while my first ever James Bond experience wasn’t exactly the dramatic event I assumed it would be, (it’s about on a par with “losing your Nando’s virginity”) it wasn’t a negative experience either. Instead it rests in the “meh” section of my mental film-ranking list, alongside pretty much every other action film I’ve ever watched in my life. The big question, I suppose, is – will I ever see another Bond film? For now, that seems unlikely, unless they manage to somehow get Ryan Gosling onboard or Javier’s wig makes a stunning comeback. Then again, I never thought I’d see one in the first place, so you never know.

Grace Barber-Plentie

Shut Up And Play The Hits - Review

It seems like it has been a lot longer than merely a year and a couple of months since legendary band LCD Soundsystem disbanded. Within that period of time, I, and most likely the rest of the LCD Soundsystem fanbase have wondered on various occasions whether quitting LCD was the right decision and whether James and co. would ultimately end up regretting their decision. James Murphy has certainly not taken out much time to dwell on the past, DJing with bandmate Pat Mahoney, rumoured to be on production duties for Arcade Fire and Yeah Yeah Yeahs as well as Klaxons – and working on a short film with Ron Howard and on top of that, he’s going to open a shop in Brooklyn that sells coffee amongst other things. If that wasn’t enough, Murphy mentions in Shut Up And Play The Hits that he also wants to have kids. Although Murphy regularly refers to the band ending as his ‘retirement’, it certainly doesn’t feel that way and Edith Bowman feels likewise - further addressing the use of the word in her live satellite Q&A, feeling that it isn’t his retirement.

However, for the acutely self-aware and self-conscious James Murphy, this definitely feels like the end, the last show at Madison Square Garden serving as a ‘funeral’ but as the opening line reads “If it’s a funeral, let’s have the best funeral ever”. It’s understandable that Murphy would want to preserve his pristine reputation as an artist and it shows just how self-aware he was as the band was cut off right on the cusp of them becoming a worldwide phenomenon. As it stands, LCD Soundsystem and James Murphy have become cult heroes; which seems to bode well for Murphy as he says he wants to be able to ride the subway and go get coffee, be a normal person as well as create music. Although, as with everything, he considers the other side of the story – if you love making music and you love giving that music to your fans, should you deprive them of that because of what seems to be a fear of fame?

Watching Shut Up And Play The Hits, it becomes painfully clear that the right decision was definitely made. Whilst we would all love another album, a reunion, a reunion tour; it just wouldn’t feel right for the fans or for the members of LCD Soundsystem. Their legacy has now been immortalised in visual form perfectly and to try to add to that would be everything James Murphy is afraid of about bands disintegrating when they get older. Even though, the terms on which the band separated were almost a bit confusing – to have a band so calmly and amicably announce that there would be many lasts and then after one massive farewell show, the band would end, is a very rare instance.

Although, this farewell show was no ordinary farewell, there were few clichés just as Murphy had intended. However, there are cameos from a crowd surfing Aziz Ansari and dancing Donald Glover, a somehow amusing overly emotional crying fan, spaceships, special guests including Arcade Fire, a choir dressed in DFA spacesuits as well as hundreds of balloons falling from the sky in slo-mo being bounded across the venue interspersed with shots of Murphy throwing and kicking balloons back into the crowd. Whilst a lot of the focus in Shut Up And Play The Hits surrounds the final show; it also follows the journey of James Murphy in the days before the show and shortly after. By showing the background to the show, it really makes the whole experience a lot more emotional.

The more personal scenes that are in between gig scenes start off more mundane with Murphy making coffee and taking his dog out for a walk – portraying him as someone just as normal as anyone else. As we develop this human connection with him throughout the film, it becomes even harder when we watch the reaction to the aftermath of the Madison Square Garden show. The brief scene in which he sits down in the storage room and the silence cuts like a knife for a minute or so before breaking down into tears on camera is heartbreaking to watch. When an interviewer asks him what he thinks the sole failure of LCD was, he responds with a somewhat unsurprising answer - that time will tell but ending the band could be that failure. To some, the interviewer will seem pretentious and annoying but he does provoke answers from Murphy that are very interesting, especially as he doesn’t like “boring interviews”, like those with questions such as “Did Daft Punk really play at your house?”

Interestingly, Shut Up And Play The Hits is made by the same people who made Blur’s reunion DVD, Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace. No Distance Left To Run is the antithesis of Shut Up And Play The Hits so it’s interesting to see the difference between a reunion documentary and a break-up documentary but the same emotional connection is maintained and the same type of slow motion intimate crowd shots are seen throughout SUAPTH. These give a clearer picture of the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden, something that would not have the same impact if mostly focused on the band playing and only rarely glancing at the sea of bobbing heads.

Even though the songs played live on Shut Up And Play The Hits are only a quarter of what LCD will have played that night, it gives a glimpse into what it felt like to be there, as the band and as the fans. There is really nothing to be criticised about this fitting tribute to a wonderful band that never set one foot wrong in their musical career. An emotional sight into the lead up to LCD Soundsystem’s break up and the various reasons that caused it to happen combined with concert footage that will make you want to dance yrself clean with someone great.

★★★★★ 

Aurora Mitchell

Moonrise Kingdom

With an amazing cast including the likes of Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, as well as the usual Wes Anderson casting of Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, plus two 12 year old children who fall in love and run away; it’s hard to imagine that Wes Anderson’s seventh film would be anything less than amazing. Set in 1965 in New England, Moonrise Kingdom is a moving story that shows the journey that Sam and Suzy make as they run away from home together. Although the two children live in very different worlds – Sam, an orphaned Scout and Suzy, a schoolgirl living within a nuclear family; they find out that they’re both emotionally troubled and this makes their 12 years seem like so much more. Despite half of the cast being children, the themes of the movie are more grown up, dealing in violence, love and adultery – perhaps contributing to their emotional instability.


The film deals a lot in physical acting, something that seems to be quite unpopular amongst mainstream audiences but largely popular to independent cinema fans – which has been shown recently in films such as Drive. A lot of the communication between Sam and Suzy comes through their body language and the silences that linger just a second too long. This is especially seen in the scene on the beach where each action is communicated through eye contact as they countdown before jumping into the sea and before they start dancing in their underwear on the beach at night to Francoise Hardy’s ‘Le Temps De L’Amour’, translating to ‘Time of Love’ in English, fitting due to their recent realisation that they have fallen in love. Anderson also shows the pair share their first ever kiss – portraying the reality rather than the Hollywood version of kissing as Sam and Suzy awkwardly lean in and kiss before Suzy lets Sam touch her chest – who reluctantly obliges.

The couple even go as far as getting ‘married’ by Jason Schwartzman who tries to help Sam and Suzy make a getaway but this is stopped due to Sam going back to get Suzy’s binoculars. Throughout the film, Suzy uses the binoculars and says she feels like she has a super power because she can see things close up, even if they’re not that far away. This element of fantasy as well as her constant reading of books reminds us that both Sam and Suzy are still children, despite the complexity of their characters and their relationship. As their relationship develops, their story becomes more moving as we want them to successfully get away from the confines of normal life but at the same time, they have people who love them back at home. Despite Sam not having any birth parents, the Scout Master Ward played by Edward Norton gets emotional when Sam has run away and feels sad when Sam says he doesn’t want to be a Scout any more.


A clinical and cold hearted social worker is played brilliantly by Tilda Swinton and Anderson really shows the harsh reality of Sam’s fate as the only dealing she has to have with him is to check his folder and make a phone call, not thinking about the consequences as she puts the phone down to the Scout Master Ward and Captain Sharp who are shocked, and then goes on to deal with the next person without even a trace of emotion. This is offset by Captain Sharp’s heart-warming gesture to take Sam under his wing, a moving action as Sam’s previous foster parents now want nothing to do with him and ‘cannot invite him back’ due to being ‘emotionally disturbed’.

Moonrise Kingdom is backed with naturalistic landscapes that complement the pastel based outfits that Sam and Suzy wear – as Sam wears his scout uniform throughout, blending in with nature with his khaki green outfit. Suzy wears two variations of a 60s style dress with a big white collar and white cuffs– one in a bright yellow and another in dark peach. There’s even a documentary element to the film as Bob Balaban narrates, frequently cutting to different parts of New Penzance island whilst talking about different facts. On top of everything, the sublime soundtrack fits perfectly in the background – with a variety of moods and types of music – going from Francoise Hardy’s jangly upbeat ‘Le Temps De L’Amour’ to the crooning blues number ‘Ramblin’ Man’ from Hank Williams in between snippets of classical music including parts from ‘The Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra’.


Despite parts of the movie being slow paced and the criminally small amount of time that Jason Schwartzman was featured; my high expectations were met with possibly Wes Anderson’s most unlikely film to date. With a great premise, wonderful soundtrack and an incredible ensemble of actors and actresses – Moonrise Kingdom sees Wes Anderson tackle what is essentially a children’s movie in a very modern way, confronting the issue of children growing up too fast as there is teenage nudity, ear piercing, pipe smoking and violent stabbing with lefty scissors amongst other unusual activities for 12 year olds but also showing that at heart, as they settle down at night and Suzy reads books to Sam and later, the rest of the Scout troop; children never grow up as fast as they think they are.


★★★★1/2


By Aurora Mitchell

Damsels In Distress

In my years as a cinemagoer, I’ve encountered a variety of different films. There’s ones that are so out and out bad they actually end up being good, ones that are so utterly bizarre that I’m often convinced that someone’s slipped something into my popcorn, and those with plots that build up so slowly that I have to have a little nap during them. And then there are films that are so shockingly mundane and awful that I’m not sure whether I should walk out of the cinema or throw something at the screen. Sadly Whit Stillman’s latest offering, Damsels in Distress most definitely falls into that last category.

Stillman is an Academy Award winning writer and director, best known for his 1990 film Metropolitan, which I admit, I haven’t seen, and certainly now have no intention of doing so. Stillman’s Wikipedia page claims that he is best known for his “sly depictions of the urban haute bourgeoisie”, a claim which is pretty much as pretentious as his most recent filmic offering.

Damsels in Distress is set at the fictional Seven Oaks college in the East Coast, one of the last major colleges to become co-educational and is filled with a mixture of idiotic alpha males and suicidal teens. Attempting to rescue Seven Oaks from this predicament are “The Damsels” – leader Violet, (played by queen of mumblecore films, Greta Gerwig) who intends to change the world with a new dance craze, her haughty best friend Rose who, for no particular reason speaks with a British accent after spending a month in London, the slightly dim Heather, and new girl Lily, played by “Analeigh off of America’s Next Top Model and that Ryan Gosling film”. The Damsels run the campus Suicide Prevention Centre and attempt to cure depressed students with tap dance and donuts.

Now, all in all, this could be a successful formula for a charming little indie film, but you would be mistaken. This film’s deadly mistake is that it relies too much on dialogue where instead there should be some kind of a plot. To put it bluntly, hardly anything happens in this film, and I’m almost certain that at least ¾ of this film is purely just Greta Gewig wittering on about something in a pretentious way. Stillman’s style of writing doesn’t appeal to me because he makes all of his characters talk using such a sophisticated and extensive vocabulary that if I wasn’t listening carefully I’d be convinced that they were talking about philosophy and the meaning of life rather than the boy they were in love with. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have a film where the characters are able to have intelligent characters but it starts to get a bit irritating when they all talk in the same way.

Luckily, the film does have a few saving graces. Adam Brody, better known to most people as Seth Cohen from the OC is charming as the charming Charlie, who finds himself caught in a love triangle between the girls. Also there is a sweet and funny smaller storyline involving one of the alpha males, Thor, who was never taught about colours as a child. What the film gets best, however is its cameos, as the funniest moments in the film were probably when Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat and Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza popped up. I was tempted to scream, “Don’t go! Please don’t leave me with these characters!” when they appeared briefly on-screen but I managed to resist. I will also admit that, despite hating her character, Greta Gerwig was charming and enjoyable to watch, and I could definitely see her becoming the new queen of indie films (can this happen please? I’d rather watch her a million times over than Zooey Deschanel) if only people would stop casting her in rubbish films like 2011’s Arthur.

So what I’m trying to say is that overall, Damsels in Distress was a completely dull and underwhelming experience. Unless you enjoy being bored out of your skull for a few hours whilst waiting anxiously for SOMETHING to happen plotwise, all I can say is, avoid this film. Maybe I’m not Stillman’s target audience, but the urban haute bourgeoisie definitely do not appeal to me.

Grace Barber-Plentie

The Hunger Games

So I’ll admit, I only read The Hunger Games because I was sick of all the hype and wanted to be a cynical so-and-so and declare to the world “It’s a rip off Battle Royale!”. But the two can’t even be compared.

The Hunger Games, if you didn’t already know, is set in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic country of Panem or North America as we know it today. Panem is split into 12 Districts with a shining, wealthy Capitol who exert their power over the proles by entering a boy and a girl from every district, to fight to the death, into the annual Hunger Games. The film reflects the book perfectly as District 12 is shown as a dusty, 1984-esque, bleak wasteland that forces Katniss Everdeen to escape to the leafy, green woods, with her close friend Gale, to hunt. The journey to The Capitol reflects how the elite live, while the rest of the country starves, with lavish food, expensive furniture (mahogany to be precise) and a team of stylists to transform the tributes before they’re thrown into the arena to bludgeon each other to death. It’s America’s Next Top Cadaver to quote Xan Brooks

Peeta Mullark, the male tribute from District 12 who’s played by Josh Hutcherson, fawns over Katniss for the entirety of the film, shocks the capitol during interviews with the amazing Stanley Tucci and magically transforms into a rock. There are also appearances from favourite video camera obsessed loner Wes Bentley who sports some amazing facial hair and everyone’s favourite psycho Russian orphan Isabelle Fuhrman who again, goes a bit psycho and attempts to kill everyone. Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks provide the much needed humour that balances out all that killing and bounce off each other as the depressed, alcoholic mentor Haymitch Abernathy and the peppy, glamorous Effie Trinket. And then there’s Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, the smart, brave heroine of the film. She doesn’t fawn, she doesn’t whinge and she certainly doesn’t give up. Finally! A strong female character that teenage girls can look up to!

There are moments that contrast with the bloodshed, constant surveillance and manipulation of the battle arena that will leave you weeping and cheering, sometimes at the same time. Yes people actually cheered during the film! The Hunger Games is a spectacular, fast paced, exciting action film with the only explosion scene that I can tolerate, heartfelt moments that contrast with the murder and an ending that leaves you hungry for more. Oh and the next person to compare The Hunger Games to Battle Royale gets a lengthy rant from me.

★★★★★

Eden Young

Shame

Steve Mcqueen’s Shame is a chilling and intense glimpse into dysfunction and addiction. The film centres around Brandon (Micheal Fassbender) who despite his surface-level appearance as a successful young New York bachelor – he is charming, good-looking, and has a well paid city job – is really a desperate and anxious man, whose chronic sex addiction has rendered him emotionally impotent and unable to form any sort of stable relationship. Brandon’s self-contained world of porn, prostitutes and one-night stands is shattered when his equally maladjusted sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) turns up at his apartment for an indefinite stay and both sibling deteriorate further into their own dark vices.

Although Shame is about sex addiction, it is primarily a character study, and the issues of sex addiction revolve around Brandon, not the other way around. The film’s opening nine or ten minutes brilliantly sets up his self-imposed disconnection from others through his nonchalant evasion of several pleading answer phone messages. These sequences are cut between his blatant sexual pursuit of a married woman he’s exchanged but a few glances with on the subway.

McQueen’s use of tracking shots, long takes and lack of dialogue shows an excess of style and emphasises the importance of the film’s superb aesthetic composition and the subtle nuances of the actor’s performances. Even scenes that under another director would have been mundane, such as a jogging scene are given elegance and Shame’s imagery is impressive from beginning to end.

Throughout the film we are exposed to, as much full frontal Fassbender as you could ever want, and he should be praised for throwing himself so completely into role that requires him to naked as often as he is clothed. The film offers frequent unflinching, unglamorous and graphic depictions of sex, which some may find bordering on pornographic, but, for me at least, are never gratuitous, or portrayed in a grotesque manner. Instead, there is a cold and disconnected sterility to them, which seems to rather eloquently reflect Brandon’s own spiralling disconnection from meaningful human contact as constant need for sexual gratification consumes him. While public perception of sex addiction, particularly in comparison to something like drug addiction, is less than understanding and sympathetic, Shame strips away any misconceptions to show it in all its demeaning and debilitating glory.

Fassbender and Mulligan both give beautiful, harrowing performances that tread the fine line between deviant and sympathetic, and are wholly convincing in their visceral roles, Fassbender in particular gives Brandon a fierce, sexual intensity and bewildered melancholy that creates an interesting and multi-faceted character for the film to flow through. Combined with an absorbing script and incredibly clever direction from Mcqueen combine into an incredibly compelling whole Shame definitely is not for the squeamish, and the slow methodical pace is bound to turn off some people, but those with the patience and open mindedness to stick with it Shame will leave a lasting and haunting impression.

Isaac Christian

BAFTAs 2012: The year of genre revival

 

After watching the BAFTAs, it’s clear that patterns emerge in cinema. This year could be labeled the year of revival. Whilst Drive brought film noir back to life, The Artist stripped back all dialogue to transport us back to a time without sound or colour. Although we can have all we want now with films, 3D, HD, IMAX and all the latest technology in cinema, it seems that we’ve grown weary of these gimmicks after having 3D so eagerly thrust in our face as the future of cinema. However, last year, pixar movie Mars Needs Moms was a $175 million flop, giving those in the industry the harsh reality that 3D was no longer the easy way to selling tickets.

Furthermore, the obvious blockbusters have not done as well this year as the aforementioned The Artist cleaned up at the BAFTAs (winning 7 awards in total). Recently in Liverpool, filmgoers received refunds after complaining that The Artist was a silent film and in black and white. Many found this ridiculous and this shows in the success of the film, the BAFTA awards immortalizing it as the revival of old fashioned Hollywood. However, it’s unclear as to whether this will be an anomaly or others will want to follow in the footsteps of Michel Hazanavicius’ winning formula.

2011 also saw the line between actor and director blur more than ever which was clear in the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer award. As one of my favourite films in 2011, I was happy to see Richard Ayoade (previously renowned for his role of Moss in The It Crowd) receive recognition for his directorial debut with Submarine. Other notable nominees were the wonderful Joe Cornish and Paddy Considine. Paddy Considine in particular as he was also involved in Submarine, making his winning of the award for Tyrannosaur completely deserved.

Although, what delighted me less was the amount of cinema I had missed this year. Having only ventured to the cinema for Submarine and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I found myself recognizing a lot of films but hadn’t seen any of them. As I got through watching the BAFTAs, I wrote down all of the films that I hadn’t watched that were featured and it came to the long list below:

So from watching the BAFTAs, I’ve learnt that I need to watch more films, silence is golden and more importantly, Brad Pitt severely needs a haircut. 

Aurora Mitchell 

The Artist

Silence has never been something I’ve been fond of. During the agonising few minutes’ silence between the last song on an album and the bonus track I’ve often found myself thinking “But why? What’s the point?” The same goes for having to sit in a library, not the cheeriest of places in the first place, and not being able to have a casual chat without being reminded of the rule of no talking in that place. But finally it turns out that silence does work, as is proved in Michel Hazanavicius’s latest offering, The Artist. Not exactly a household name, Hazanavicius has managed to create a film so charming and yet meaningful that it has wowed both critics and audiences, causing it to be nominated for a slew of awards this year, having already won three Golden Globes and is nominated for ten Oscars and twelve BAFTA’s.

The film’s protagonist is George Valentin, a silent movie star so suave that he manages to make James Bond look shabby. Attending the premiere for his latest film, “A Russian Affair”, he is mobbed with paparazzi and fans, leading for him to quite literally collide with a fan, an aspiring actress named Peppy Miller. Their encounter becomes a newspaper headline, which propels Peppy into the spotlight. However as Peppy’s star grows brighter and brighter, Valentin’s career begins to take a downfall due to the growing popularity of the “talkies”.

To those reading the synopsis of the film and thinking that this alone cannot make a substantial film, let alone one so praised by critics, guess what? There is more! This film is brilliant not just because of its plot; there are so many features of The Artist that make it an enjoyable watch. First and foremost, there is a certain actor that I haven’t even begun praising yet. Jean Dujardin, the man with the best name in Hollywood, is wonderful, managing to provide so much emotion and humour to a part in which he only speaks one line, and co-star Bérénice Bejo is equally good, embodying the glamour of every 1920’s screen siren. However, I have to acknowledge that the true star of this film is… Uggie.

Should you have been living in the North Pole for the last few months, Uggie plays Valentin’s loyal dog and best friend, who ultimately saves Valentin’s life in a fire. Always a sucker for animals in film, Uggie pushed me over the edge – after seeing the film I went home and refused to acknowledge my dog until he managed to perform tricks to Uggie’s high standard. Only a few weeks ago was it announced that Uggie is soon to retire, so The Artist will surely be one of the highlights of his career.

So, two crucial parts of the film – plot and acting – are done successfully. But still there is more. The cinematography is, as you would expect of a film dedicated to the silver screen, beautiful. The soundtrack is perfect, rising and falling in scenes with ease, helping the story flow in moments where speech could’ve been needed. Every element of the film seems so precise and well planned out, truly a dedication to the institution that is the world of the cinema and filmmaking.

I may not always be the kindest critic when it comes to films, and usually I have to watch one over and over again before I gain a real appreciation for it, however this is not the case with The Artist. While many films are lavished with so much praise and expectations that they turn out to be a disappointment, this film managed to live up to my expectations. In the days where films now have to rely on special effects and stars to make an impression, all I can say is… thank God for The Artist.

Grace Barber-Plentie

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The most poignant and awaited release in film of 2011 has finally arrived. Dripping in an atmospheric gloss, littered with shifty sinister beings and lacking in manners, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo unapologetically shoves anything that might be in its way. Although preconceptions may be that the film has a prickly disposition, its characters prove that above the thorns lies a beautiful rose, in the shape of Salander and Blomkvist’s relationship. It’s hard to put a finger upon what makes their relationship so captivating but it’s interesting how their roles change throughout their emotional journey together. At the start, Salander is reluctant to comply with anything and Blomkvist allows Salander to command him, confounded by the hold she has on him. Although, at the end, Salander warms towards him and it’s clear that she’s learned to love, as she throws the jacket she bought for him into the trash and leaves without hesitance on her motorbike when she sees Blomkvist hand in hand with Erika Berger in the last minute of the film.

The author of the Millennium trilogy, Stieg Larsson, was the Editor-in-Chief of Expo which poses the question as to how fictional Blomkvist really is, especially surrounding the sudden and unexpected death of Larsson soon after he had completed the trilogy. Larsson may not be alive to see his literary vision come to life, not once but twice, but this Hollywood version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo does the book justice and doesn’t skip out any of the gory details. There has been some dispute as to whether this version was needed, as the Swedish version was only released in 2009. With the lack of attention paid to these films and the iconic role of this cult phenomenon, it was down to David Fincher to be mindful of not only the book, but the previous film. When hearing the name ‘David Fincher’ mentioned in conjunction with any film, there’s no doubt that many would purely flock to the cinema for his legendary directorial work, only a year after the huge success of his last film, The Social Network.

Many have commented that this is a return to where Fincher belongs, in the realms of blood stained dystopia and out of the pretentious head of Mark Zuckerberg, as David Fincher has now eternally portrayed him. Further than the intriguing parameters of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander’s heart warming relationship, there are more heart chilling topics that run throughout the film. Domestic abuse, rape and murder all feature heavily as the Vanger family and the two protagonists follow each other extremely closely. On the opening page of Part One in the novel, it states ‘18% of the women in Sweden have at one time been threatened by a man’. Rape and domestic abuse are often avoided by those who have suffered and have had people they know suffer so for a film to be so honest, it’s shocking to read about and even harder to watch.

Most women who are raped often react by hiding, letting the rapist get into their mind and take over their life as they find it difficult to express the agony to those closest to them or even admit to themselves. Lisbeth Salander is not most women. Instead of letting her deranged guardian Bjurman get away with his crime, she tasers him, makes him watch the tape she filmed of him raping her and tattoos ‘I am a rapist pig’ onto his bulging stomach. Even from this alone, it’s easy to judge that Lisbeth is a feminist as she is preventing any women after her from being lured into Bjurman’s sadistic home, whether it be without consent or otherwise. Although she is highly unaware of being remotely feminist, Salander does showcase some feminist ideas and her eyes light up as she suddenly pays attention to Blomkvist’s proposal when he announces ‘I want you to help me catch a killer a women’.

 Her confusing sexual status is a representation of modern sexuality in that she is not specifically ‘bisexual’ but she enjoys the company of both men and women. It’s clear that throughout the film, those who she meets already have these preconceptions about her from the way she dresses; her leather jacket that crinkles with every other move, her jet black jagged hair and her boyish physique. As a top researcher for Milton Security, she goes against expectations with her unappropriate attire as everyone watches her as she strides through the office to meet Dirch Frode. Everyone pays attention to her because she’s not like anyone else involved and Rooney Mara captures this character perfectly as Salander stays unaware of how interesting she is and never realises the power she has, as if she has never even looked in the mirror to see what everyone else sees.

An 18 slot was always going to inevitable for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo but that shouldn’t deter and as Daniel Craig has said, ‘It’s a proper adult thriller… for adults’. With expectations of many difficult points in the book being portrayed in a cloudy gauze, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo delivers these uncomfortable points with the potency of a glass of scotch and delivers clarity throughout. As gripping and tense to watch as reading the book itself, Fincher has created yet another masterpiece that is strangely cathartic.  

By Aurora Mitchell