Cairo Film
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Star Trek Into Darkness: Kirk, Spock & Friends Return in...
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The Place Beyond the Pines: Gosling & Cooper in Grand Tale of...
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Welcome to the Punch: Slick but Flawed British Crime-Thriller
Diver-turned-model-turned-actor, Jason 'bad-ass' Statham, pairs up with Steven Knight – writer of Eastern Promises and Dirty Pretty Things – for an action thriller that, unfortunately, promises more than it delivers. Hummingbird follows the story of damaged and homeless Joey Jones (Statham); an ex-SAS Special Forces soldier who, after a failed mission in Afghanistan, returns to London to life in a cardboard box. After escaping a dangerous run-in with a street gang – one that makes it their business to superfluously terrorise the homeless – Joey breaks into the apartment of a wealthy man in Covent Garden and assumes his identity. Along with the help of Sister Cristina (Buzek) – a young nun working at a homeless shelter – Joey begins to take steps to get his life back on track; he gets himself cleaned up and manages to find a job as a dishwasher at a Chinese restaurant. Soon, however, his expert military skills catch the eye of the Chinese mob, who feel that Joey would make a valuable asset to their operation. Not in a position to turn down money, Joey accepts and soon gets tangled up in a dark criminal underworld. Making his directorial debut, Steven Knight – who also wrote the script – puts forth an interesting and surprisingly profound story of a damaged soul in need of rescue. Fight scenes are surprisingly few – although quite impressive when they do make an appearance – but it's the drama, centred on the main character, that is really the main focus here. Since most of the film takes place at night, Hummingbird is pleasing to the eye, thanks to the beautifully shot streets of London, with popular areas such as Covent Garden and Chinatown coming to life with each shot. Regrettably, though, the film is riddled with problems. The pacing is one such issue; the story really takes its time to develop and the attempt to build a substantial character and create an emotional connection to the audience is where Knight, along with his star lead, fails. Hummingbird is somewhat grounded, but when the script changes direction – which is often – the payoff is rather disappointing. Since his introduction to Hollywood, Statham seems to have lost that British bad-boy grit that he came to be adored for, in films such as Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Now, on old stomping ground again, Statham looks like he's a long way from home. Straining to show a more vulnerable side, the Brit inevitably delivers a one-dimensional performance – a criticism that has been levelled at him before. On the other hand, Buzak, as a nun fighting her own demons, delivers a superb, layered and subtle performance; unassuming and incredibly charming, the Polish actress shines. Taken as a whole, Hummingbird is stylish, slick and definitely has its moments of glory; however, there's just not enough zeal to elevate it.
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Scary Movie 5 – aka Scary MoVie – marks the latest and slightly belated entry to one of the laziest spoof series in the history of cinema. The franchise, which continues down a shameless road of riff-raff, turns its attention to recent box office hits such as Mama, Black Swan, Sinister, The Cabin in the Woods, Evil Dead and of course, Paranormal Activity. The premise hasn't changed one bit, but the outlandish formula that may have once incited a few laughs – or at least some guilty chuckles – has finally reached a point of no return: rock bottom. Scary Movie 5's so-called plot focuses on Jody (Tisdale) and Dan (Rex); a young married couple who have come to care for three young girls who, after the tragic disappearance of their father – Dan's older brother – spend most of their time living in 'the cabin in the woods'. They are feral and wild, and continue to creep everyone out with constant references to someone called 'Mama'. Keen to rid the house of any unwanted demons, Jody and Dan wire up their house with multiple cameras – à la Paranormal Activity. Meanwhile, the couple struggle to tend to their careers; Dan keeps himself busy researching apes at a scientific facility run by scary boss, Martin (Crews), while Jody tries to resurrect her career as a ballerina – à la, yes you've guess it, Black Swan – and auditions for the lead in a production of 'Swan Lake', working opposite pole-dancing ballerina, Kendra (Ash). This is the first film in the series that has not been moulded by the hands of original creators, the Wayans Brothers, who declined the invitation to return, and the franchise's charmingly nutty lead, Anna Faris, who is currently pregnant. Needless to say, the film suffers from both omissions and doesn't have the foolish charm that made the franchise so popular, showing little-to-no intelligence in its humour. The plot is incredibly inconsistent and plays out as a series of unconnected set-pieces, each telling their own story, just for the sake of it. Seriously, how many more Paranormal Activity spoofs do we have to sit through? Tisdale, who has some pretty big shoes to fill after Farris' departure, is appalling and she still hasn't shaken off her Disney roots. Rex is just as horrendous and although the film has several talented actors at its disposable – Morgan Freeman narrates – none of them are given the right material to work with. Even cameos by Snoop Dogg, Mike Tyson, Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan all feel like missed opportunities. Sitting in the wrong side of ridiculous, Scary Movie 5 is unfunny and too on-the-nose – wasting anymore column inches writing about it is infuriating.
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Tony Stark is back! Only months after the massive success of The Avengers, the witty billionaire returns in his third solo outing as the entrepreneur-playboy turned superhero, Iron Man. The latest instalment in Marvel's Iron Man franchise comes with huge expectations, but with quirky director, Shane Black, at the wheel, the film meets the challenge head on. Iron Man 3 picks up several months after The Avengers, in which Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) – and his fellow superheroes – took down invading alien forces in an epic Manhattan showdown. Now, the fragile-looking superhero suffers with a serious case of post-traumatic stress disorder, complete with nightmares and panic attacks that are often triggered by the mere mention of the words 'alien' or 'New York'. He spends most of his time in his personal lab, perfecting new versions of his iron suit, while his ever so loyal assistant and steady girlfriend, Pepper Potts (Paltrow), runs the enterprise. Stark shuns his superhero duties, leaving Col. James Rhodes (Cheadle) – aka Iron Patriot – to fight the world's evils. However, Stark is quickly reeled back to duty when his chief security officer and former bodyguard, Happy Hogan (Favreau), falls into a coma after getting ccaught in one of several mysterious explosions. He soon learns that the organisation behind the attacks, led by a mysterious terrorist known as Mandarin (Kingsley), are planning destruction on a much larger scale. Meanwhile, two figures from Stark's past pop up unexpectedly with dubious intentions; mysterious scientist, Aldrich Killian (Pearce), and ex-lover, Maya Hansen (Hall). Shane Black – who made his directorial debut with Downey in 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – has deliberately made this film a little more human and a little less robot. Bringing a personal approach to the superhero we've all come to love, Stark spends more of the film out of his suit than before. Don't despair, though; it's not all angst and personal demons. Black – along with co-writer Drew Pearce – has injected plenty of twists and turns, as well as a touch of dark humour. Although satisfying on a pure entertainment front, with plenty of slick CGI sequences, the film does have its flaws; though its two-hour running time gives the plot freedom to develop naturally, several inconsistencies in the script materialise and it, at times, lacks the usual tightness and snappiness that defines classic superhero films. Nevertheless, Downey's performance, once again, carries the story through; his jittery performance as a fragile symbol of valour keeps the drama ticking and his jaded one-liners maintain a pleasing razor-sharp wit. Paltrow finally gets a chance to strut her stuff and Pearce – one of the most underrated actors in the industry today – puts on a brilliant show, while as the master villain, Kingsley is simply glorious. Iron Man 3 kicks off the summer blockbuster season with a bang and makes for a worthy follow-up to The Avengers. Will there be another sequel in the works? We hope so.
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After having spent nearly six years messing around with the painfully dire CGI blockbuster series, Transformers, Michael Bay's latest venture takes the director back-to-basics, where the focus is on humans as opposed to robots. Based on pages taken from a Miami New Times expose written by Pete Collins on the crimes committed by the notorious Sun Gym Gang back in 1999, Bay turned to screenwriters, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, for a creditable adaptation. What was the end result? A mixed bag. Pain and Gain follows the story of Daniel Lugo (Wahlberg); a brainless Miami fitness trainer who dreams of becoming insanely rich. His starry-eyed aspirations come from watching too many gangster films – Scarface in particular – as well as attending self-help seminars and religiously nourishing his brain with grandeurs of the American Dream in its most primitive of meanings; 'Be a doer. If you're willing to do the work, you can have anything'. Except Lugo really isn't really prepared to put in the hard work; in order to get to where he wants to be, he hatches a get-rich-quick plan: kidnap and torture Victor Kershaw (Shaloub), one of Lugo's exceedingly wealthy and annoying gym-clients, and force the businessman to sign over all his money and possessions. He can't do it alone, of course, so enlists the help of body-building buddy, Adrian Doorbal (Mackie), and ex-con, Paul Doyle (Johnson). Naturally, things go terribly wrong for the disillusioned trio, who are convinced that they've got away with it. Openly flaunting their newly-found riches, the gang attracts the attention of retired P.I Ed Du Bois (Harris), who is determined to dig into the gang's past and sudden wealth. Like most Michael Bay productions, Pain & Gain is visually outstanding. The director plays with low angles and slow-motion sequences well, and of course, forgoes subtlety with the endless parade of long legs and fake boobs – faintly recollecting Bay's 1995 action-hit Bad Boys. The film is introduced with a compelling voiceover narrative, accompanied by flashbacks, taking the audience deep inside the world of gyms, protein shakes and the protagonists' outlandish ambitions. The prologue works well and really buckles you in for a ride. However, once the story begins to unravel, the film loses its footing and crams a grating amount of flashbacks, voiceovers and slow-motion scenes, all attached to a neon-blue-coloured theme. The pacing is way off course and the vulgarity – which sometimes actually works – becomes a little too much to take. Furthermore, considering that the film is based on a true story, very little meaningful insight is given to the audience to chew on. As the lead, Wahlberg seems to be playing the same character over and over again, and apart from a few genuine laughs, he fails to bring anything new to the table. Meanwhile, Mackie doesn't look comfortable in his own skin, while Harris manages to bring in some much-needed grace. Astonishingly, it's Dwayne Johnson who gets the most kudos for his portrayal of a reformed junkie ex-con. Truly sincere– and at times extremely funny – 'The Rock' is proving with every role he takes, that he's more than just an eye-brow attached to a former WWE wrestler's body. While it does have its moments, Pain & Gain is a flashy, overworked and sometime conceited crime tale that has the basic elements in place, but not enough substance.
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What were they thinking? Unfortunately, that's the first question that pops into one's mind after having to sit through The Big Wedding – the latest ensemble comedy to hit the big screen. Directed by Justin Zackham, best known for his penning efforts in 2007's Bucket List, the film boasts an impressive cast, but even the who's-who of Hollywood struggle to save the story's ridiculous plot. The Big Wedding focuses on the wedding day of young couple, Alejandro (Barnes) and Missy (Seyfried). Alejandro's adoptive parents, Don (De Niro) and Ellie (Keaton), have been divorced for almost ten years and Don has been playing house with Ellie's now ex-best friend, Bebe (Sarandon), ever since. Now, the whole family – Missy's parents, Muffin (Ebersole) and Barry (Rasche), as well as Alejandro's siblings, Layla (Heigl) and Jared (Grace) – are bought together to celebrate the happy day. Things soon get complicated when Alejandro's biological mother, Madonna (Rae), and sister, Nuria (Ayora), also decide to fly in for the wedding. While Alejandro can work his sister's liberal mind around the fact that Don and Ellie are now divorced, the idea wouldn't sit too well with Madonna's conservative mind-set; so, in order to keep things smooth, everyone involved decides that its best to pretend that two are still married. The plan, of course, seems far easier in theory than in practice, and as the couple starts preparations, the tension and unresolved family drama begin to boil over. Adopted from the supposedly better 2006 French film, Mon Frere se Marie, Justin Zackham attempts to blend the elements of a screwball comedy and a wacky family drama – one that highlights uncomfortable sexual escapades among sixty-year-olds. To his credit, the mix is occasionally charming, but sadly, it doesn't have enough wit or drive to sustain credibility. The storyline stands on the verge of complete embarrassment throughout, sinking deeper and deeper into nonsensical subplots, which include thirty-year old virgins, projectile vomiting and sexual innuendos. For Oscar-winning foursome, De Niro, Keaton, Sarandon and Williams, this isn't exactly a career highlight, but thanks to their god-given talents, they all do just enough to get by. De Niro's raunchy one-liners are tolerable, Keaton's restrained character is charming and Sarandon's over-the-top performance is watchable, while as the racist priest, Williams is, well, typical Williams. Surprisingly, Heigl – after a series of disappointing roles – shines. The Big Wedding is a tragedy of a film that, on paper at least, looked like a hoot. But a directionless script ultimately serves in making this a bit of a stinker.
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After finding success with the original, Swedish adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Danish-born director, Niels Arden Oplev, takes a stab at his first ever English-language feature with Dead Man Down. This noir-crime thriller has its charms, but lacks the personality to bring the story to a sufficient boil and make it stand out from the crowd. Dead Man Down centres on Victor (Farrell); a Hungarian immigrant who has infiltrated a New York criminal empire, seeking revenge against head honcho, Alphonse (Howard), for taking away all he held dear. Victor is a quiet man who prefers to stay under the radar and his crew – which also includes Victor's best bud Darcy (Cooper) – is tasked with keeping a firm hold on the city's drug trafficking and distribution. Soon, Alphonse's empire starts to unravel; he receives cryptic notes from someone who clearly wants to bring him harm and several members of his troop start mysteriously turning up dead. Meanwhile, Victor strikes up a relationship with Beatrice (Rapace) – a young woman who watches him from the comfort of her apartment and eventually takes an interest in him. He quickly learns that Beatrice – who lives with her partially deaf mother Valentine (Huppert) – is a damaged soul and soon reveals ulterior motives for her interest in Victor. In a twisty turn of events, the pair soon find themselves being driven by a common obsession, and while Victor needs to continue to ride low – as Darcy and the rest of the crew try to get to the bottom of Alphonse's death threats – Beatrice complicates matters by sending Victor on a bewildering road of blackmail. Dead Man Down is extremely pleasing to the eye, with Oplev delivering crisp, artistic shots and sequences. The central characters – along with the actors playing them – boast an incredible amount of on-screen chemistry and the plot builds nicely, unfolded layers of secrets along the way. However, the script – written by J.H Wyman – has its gaping faults and more often than not, the dialogue feels theatrical and sadly, regardless of the electrifying atmosphere created, it just doesn't hold up. In a change of pace, the film climaxes to a bang, ditching the broody and well-threaded story that develops throughout. Farrell is intense and sincere, and his portrayal of Victor is the glue that holds the entire film together, though Rapace plays her part, once again proving that she is a dominating force. Demanding attention in almost every scene, Rapace crafts a highly complex character. As for the villain of the piece, Howard delivers with gusto, but despite the actor's best efforts, the character feels under-cooked and doesn't possess the complexity of great, modern antagonists. Few can deny that Dead Man Down is a stylish and a complex revenge thriller. However, the in-your-face finale and debatable dialogue pull you out of the film and it becomes increasingly difficult to immerse yourself in Oplev's world.
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The latest film from American director, Brad Anderson – the same man behind 2004 psychological thriller, The Machinist, and 2001 indie-horror, Session 9 – takes a rare look inside the workings of 911 response services. The Call begins with 911 operator, Jordan Turner (Berry), handling calls at 'The Hive' – L.A's emergency response centre. Six months after failing to help a young girl escape an intruder that broke into her home, Jordan throws in her headset and turns to training rookies. Even now, Jordon still has a hard time dealing with the incident and despite the moral support of her co-workers and cop boyfriend, Paul (Chestnut), the veteran operator's past still haunts her. Soon, she is forced to face her nightmares, when she receives a call from Casey Welson (Breslin); a teenage girl who has found herself trapped in the trunk of a car, kidnapped by a madman at a mall parking lot. With time running out, Jordan needs to keep Casey calm and safe until help can reach her. With the penning support of Richard D'Ovidio, director Brad Anderson creates a gripping and psychologically-unnerving ride that will keep viewers' adrenaline pumping. Knowing that there is no time to waste, The Call doesn't give you time to get to know the characters and dives into the action straight away, which ultimately results in countless white-knuckle thrills, a good dose of shocking brutality and edge-of-your-seat drama. Despite this, The Call suffers from several plot holes; the build-up is intense and rock-solid, but as the plot winds down towards a climax, things become a little too familiar and cheesy. After several questionable turns since her historic Oscar win, Berry delivers a very watchable performance; cool and collected, the role is a perfect fit for the forty-six year old. Breslin – now all grown up – shows that she has matured as an actress and even with one too many moments of over-the-top hysteria, her role is very much the driving force behind the drama. However, all of the brownie points go to the Canadian-born actor Eklund, whose portrayal of the psychotic abductor is unsettling in the most merciless of ways; just as it should be. Although it requires you to suspend your disbelief quite severely at times, The Call still manages to thrill, entertain and make you look over your shoulder when in an empty parking lot.
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"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying" - Arthur C. Clarke Jason Blum, the producer of Paranormal Activity, Sinister and 2010's, Insidious, turns to director, Scott Stewart – responsible for 2009's Legion and 2011's Priest – to bring forth the creeps in new alien-invasion thriller, Dark Skies. Chilling and unnerving, Stewart – who also penned the script – succeeds by taking on Dark Skies with a more quiet and subdued approach, ultimately proving that less is always more. Dark Skies centres on suburban couple, Lucy (Russell) and Daniel Barrett (Hamilton), who are struggling to get by and provide for their sons, Jesse (Goyo) and Sam (Rockett). The bills are piling up and the mortgage is long over-due; Daniel is an out- of-work architect and is desperately trying to land a new job, while Lucy is struggling to make a sale as a real-estate agent. Soon, things get from bad to worse when the family starts to experience strange occurrences around the house. From a mysterious kitchen intruder and strange patterns on the ceiling, to family photos being removed from their frames; things are a miss but no one, including the police – who can only assume that the kids are playing pranks – can work it out. The couple seeks help from supernatural force expert, Edwin Pollard (Simmons), who encourages the family is to believe in something out of this world and consider desperate measures in order to fight off whatever is attacking them. Setting the chilling tone right from the very start, Stewart succeeds by choosing to rely on mood, rather than jumps and screams. Dark Skies is quiet and takes its time to develop, but it's never boring or drawn-out. Stewart, who also worked on 2005's Sin City, knows a thing or two about visual effects and creates a rich visual palette, using light and shadows to his advantage; if anything, Dark Skies is very attractive to look at. Although there are more positives than the negatives, the main downfall of the film is that the crutch of the story is revealed far too early. By the time you get to the end, it feels more like a confirmation of what you already knew, rather than a cathartic revelation. In terms of performances, the characters are given depth, ultimately making you care for what the family is going through. Russell – known for her role in the T.V series, Felicity – shows excellent fortitude as the lead, paving the way for everyone else. As the sceptical husband, Hamilton only really comes into his own during the second half of the film, while both Goyo and Rockett, show remarkable versatility considering their age. Quiet and eerie, Dark Skies promises a satisfying ride and although it's not one of the best alien-invasion stories ever told it, still makes for a worthy watch.
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Everyone knows that Dwayne Johnson can kick some serious ass, but did anyone know that 'The Rock' is also capable of delivering a pretty solid acting performance, as well? Snitch, the latest film to come from the hands of a veteran stuntman-turned-actor, Ric Roman Waugh, sees the ex-wrestler taking on a leading role – of a father who will stop at nothing to free his innocent son from prison – finally proving to the world that 'The Rock' is more than just one big muscle. The story is centred on John Matthews (Johnson); a hardworking construction company owner. Matthews' seemingly unadventurous life is soon turned upside down when he learns that his estranged son, Jason, is busted for possession of a seemingly large shipment of ecstasy pills. Wrongly charged with the intent to distribute – a pretty serious federal charge – Jason faces at least ten years of prison, unless he rats out his associates. Unfortunately, Jason doesn't have anyone to give up, and this is where his concerned father comes in. Matthews goes on to seek help from Joanne Keeghan (Sarandon); a tough-as-nails lawyer who's currently working on cracking down on the drug trade herself, alongside undercover DEA agent Cooper (Pepper). Joanne, unfortunately, isn't willing to help reduce the sentence unless Jason talks. Desperate to help his son, Matthew offers to go undercover, infiltrate the drug cartel and deliver the people needed to get his son out of jail. With the help of employee and an ex-con, Daniel James (Bernthal), the despairing dad heads out on his mission, eventually landing himself into the dangerous waters of the drug world and an inevitable showdown with the merciless 'El Topo' (Bratt). Don't let the large presence of Dwayne Johnson fool you; Snitch is not just another over-the-top, head-bashing, car chasing, mindless action flick. For those who were hoping it was, you will be seriously disappointed. Allegedly based on true events, Snitch is a more subtle crime-thriller which touches on the drug laws that are currently in practice in the U.S, comparing the nonsensical punishment for non-violent drug crime to that of murderer and rape. Waugh also manages to find space for a few intense shoot-outs, explosions and car chases to keep moviegoers satisfied, but the overall focus is on the drama and criticism directed at existing drug offense laws, and although it occasionally trips into clichés, the overall package is much more. Johnson's performance – although not Oscar worthy – is commendable and will definitely surprise those who are not used to seeing him in such a vulnerable role. The supporting cast – which includes Walking Dead's Jon Bernthal, The Green Mile's Barry Pepper and good old Susan Sarandon – all deliver great performances, giving the film just enough grit and substance to prevail.
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After his directorial debut with the 2010 science fiction film, Tron: Legacy, American architect-turned-director, Joseph Kosinski – this time serving as both director and screenwriter – delves into another sci-fi adventure with Oblivion. The second time around seems to have been the charm for Kosinski, who manages to deliver another visually crisp and spectacular looking piece of work. Based on his unpublished graphic novel of the same, Oblivion is a sleek, intelligent and beautifully crafted story that not only offers stunning visuals, but a deeply layered plot that will keep you guessing all the way through. The year is 2077; war with a mysterious alien race has left our beloved Earth unfit for human survival due to the destruction of the moon and the climatic and geological changes that soon followed. It's been exactly sixty years since the alien invasion and though mankind won, the planet was lost. As the only two people left on Earth, drone repairman and top security officer, Jack Harper (Cruise), and his skilled assistant, Victoria (Riseborough), reside in a sleek tower made of glass – a home high above the clouds looking down on Earth. Left behind to act as a two-man 'mop up crew', Jack's job involves flying down to the Earth's surface to keep an eye on the drones that serve as the high-tech security machines, and to also extract what valuable resources are left. The crew has only two weeks left on duty, before they head out to Saturn's largest moon, Titan, where civilisation now exists. Victoria can't wait to pack her bags but Jack is hesitant about leaving the place he still calls home; he's plagued with dreams about the invasion and a recurring female face. Things, however, take a turn for the weird when a mysterious ship crashes on Earth, carrying a mysterious female passenger – the very same one that appears in Jack's dreams. Kosinski offers wonderful art direction; deserted grounds, hi-tech gadgets and a lot of sterling silvers and sleek whites fill the first forty, picturesque, minutes of the film. There are plenty of plot twists and turns to keep you intrigued, but the flow of information does become somewhat muddled and you might be left with a big question mark above your head after the credits roll. The way Kosinski chooses to unravel the narrative's truth is clever, but feels a little hasty. Character development is relatively weak and there is little emotional connection to rise above the sterile world in which the film is set in. Now fifty years young, Cruise has never looked better and he handles the physical challenges of his role with great ease. Riseborough – as the stern and meticulous assistant – delivers a slightly more poignant performance, humanising her character in the process. Polished, striking and slightly more profound than your usual sci-fi showdown, Oblivion is an intelligent sci-fi tale that promises a good time, regardless of its shortcomings.
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