I'm Stephanie and i love films, here i will post spoiler-free reviews!

Sunday 22 June 2014

WALKING ON SUNSHINE


When Taylor (Hannah Arterton) is flown to Italy by her sister Maddie (Annabel Scholey) she is shocked to discover that it is for her sister's wedding to boyfriend of just five weeks... And even more shocked when she realises that her sister's boyfriend is Raf (Giulio Berruti), her holiday romance from three years ago!

Set to the music of popular songs from the 1980s and the scenery of beautiful Italian beaches, Walking On Sunshine (12A) should have all of the ingredients to be the feel-good movie of the summer, so how did it go so drastically wrong?

Desperately trying to be the new Mamma Mia, Walking On Sunshine fails in almost every way possible with more than one person walking out of the cinema part-way through. Let me start with this; 99% of musicals are going to be cheesy, that is just a given, however when Hannah Arterton bursts into the first number of the film, Madonna's 'Holiday', with a massive forced grin on her face and autotuned within an inch of her life I physically grimaced with second hand embarrassment. It's nothing against the song - I love the song, in fact I love every single song that features in the film, it is the clunky, awkward performances that make them so unbearable to watch.

The problem when trying to write a musical around songs that already exist, as opposed to writing the numbers specifically for the film in mind, is that every transition appears really random and really forced; the exchange'I don't know what Raf sees in me' 'You're a goddess!' leads to a rendition of Bananarama's 'Venus', Raf closes his eyes for a moment which incites Taylor to warble The Bangles' 'Eternal Flame', and just before the credits role comes 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' - presumably to wake up the snoozing audience members.

Not only are the songs awkwardly random, they are blatantly pre-recorded with the cast miming to them, badly. Of course not every musical can do a Les Mis where the actors sing live but you just don't expect the fact that they don't sing live to be so show-stoppingly obvious. A lot of the voices are auto-tuned to the extent that they don't sound natural at all and the singing that you hear doesn't match up to the performances that you are seeing onscreen, they may as well have been two different things - an album, and a silent movie. Even former X Factor winner Leona Lewis receives the auto-tuning treatment, something which is both baffling and unnecessary in the professional singer's first movie role.

The storyline itself is also intolerable; so thin and two-dimensional that there is barely anything to it with any attempt at character development, mostly in the form of Maddie, appearing forced and terribly executed. Hannah Arterton's performance as the irrational and slightly annoying Taylor is over-acted and makes you wonder who her competition was in winning the role and the inclusion of Maddie's obsessed ex-boyfriend Doug (Greg Wise) seemed to be more about Wise's desperation in a last-ditch attempt to launch a successful movie career than about the actual character.

All in all, Walking On Sunshine is one big mess - a bad storyline, bad characters, bad actors and bad musical performances with the only slightly redeeming factor being the fact that you can stare at the beautiful Giulio Berruti for an hour and a half... But to be honest, even his chiseled cheekbones, piercing blue eyes and washboard stomach aren't enough to make the film worth watching.

Walking On Sunshine is in UK cinemas from June 27th!




Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,


Friday 20 June 2014

CHEF


Jon Favreau tries his hand as a triple threat writer-actor-director in the food-orientated comedy-drama Chef (15).

When Chef Carl Casper (Favreau) gets a bad review from notorious online critic Ramsey Michel, he finds himself being creatively stunted by the restaurant's owner. Unwilling to compromise his talent any longer, Carl quits his job and is eventually coaxed into opening his own food truck, where he rediscovers his love of cooking and zest for life.

My biggest issue with Chef is that in Carl Casper Favreau has created perhaps the most unlikable protagonist in this genre's recent history. There are clear attempts throughout the film that are supposed to make him seem likable - he is the typical 'funny fat guy', he is the underdog, he is the film's hero. However, it is hard to warm to a character that would be close contender for the top spot of 'Worst Dad of the Year Award'. 

Separated from his son Percy (Emjay Anthony)'s mum, Carl sees his son every other weekend and even then most of the time he drops him home early so that he can get back to the kitchen despite Percy's clear desperation to spend time with his father, so much so that he practically begs to be taken into work with him. When Carl gets the food truck the two characters begin to bond, however it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth when the only way a father will bond with his young son is when the son forces himself into his father's life and desperately tries to share his father's passion. The only conversations that Carl has with his son are about food, cooking and being a chef. The only time Carl spends with his son is when his son is cleaning his truck and serving the customers. It is actually quite disconcerting to see such a forced father-son relationship where there is no doubt left in your mind that if the son wasn't sharing his father's passions, his father would want nothing to do with him - not once did we see Carl ask Percy about his personal life, his schoolwork or his own passions. To put it frankly, Carl is a selfish man-child; the entire film is all of the other characters flocking around him and he taking them for granted and as much as I wanted all of his acquaintances to succeed, it seemed as though Carl needed to fail in order to be brought down a peg or two and learn what the real value of life is.

The story arc was clearly supposed to see Carl better himself as the film progressed, however, despite the fact that Carl is in a happier place work and family wise he still isn't a better person. The big 'wow' moment that is supposed to come when he finally enjoys spending time with Percy is discredited due to the fact the only time he enjoys spending with him is when Percy is working for him. Yes, Percy shares his dad's passion for food, probably because he realised at a young age this is the only way his dad will pay him any attention, but the fact is Carl should have wanted to spend time with his son even if his son's passion was different to his own. 

Alongside the unlikability of Chef Carl Casper, the film was much too long. The demise of Carl's reputation following the bad review at the beginning of the film was far too dragged out and did not have to be spread to the same length as the second half of the film where he starts to find his feet again. To be honest, it felt as
Leguizamo and Anthony steal the show
though there were a lot of scenes that should have ended up on the cutting room floor and it can only be Favreau's misguided passion for the film that made him reluctant to cut any of the gratuitous scenes, which is ironically to the film's detriment.

The film has three saving graces:
  1. The food porn (I defy anybody to leave the cinema without a growling stomach!)
  2. Emjay Anthony's brilliant performance as the adorable Percy.
  3. John Leguizamo's heartfelt performance as Carl's best friend and su-chef Martin.

Leguizamo in particular needs to be receiving more of the credit for the film, he counter-balances Carl's unintentional unlikability by being constantly full of life and holding a genuine warmth to his character with his reappearance halfway through the film is the only thing to stop it turning completely stale.

Emjay Anthony gives Percy everything that he has got and his ability exceeds many other actors of his age, making him certain to be one to watch in the future.

Unfortuantely, these two characters were just not enough to forgive Carl for his wrong doings, and the fact that Favreau wrote Carl to be the film's hero, not Martin or Percy, proves that this was totally unintentional and Carl is merely the product of bad writing. 

All in all, there should be more to a character than his love of food, more dimensions to a character than his vocation and more elements to a father-son relationship than the son desperately trying to claw some affection out of his selfish and horribly neglectful dad. Instead of a 'warm fuzzy feeling' as promised, Chef leaves you feeling slightly uncomfortable and also tempted to create a Bechdel-Test-esque theory for father-son relationships that don't revolve around the father. 


Chef is in UK cinemas from June 25th!


Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,

Friday 13 June 2014

BELLE


Belle (12A) is the heartwarming true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral who was raised by her aristocratic great-uncle, Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson).

At a time when slavery was rife, Belle's aristocratic father enabled her to have a privileged upbringing, however, the colour of her skin prevented her from ever fitting in fully and she was not even permitted to dine with her family when they had guests over and still found herself victim of racial abuse despite her high social standing.

When Belle discovers that Lord Mansfield, a top judge at the time, is involved in a court case to do with human cargo and the awful treatment of black slaves, she enlists the help of an idealistic law student John Davinier (Sam Reid) and does everything that she can to ensure that her uncle makes the right decision.

Mbatha-Raw is beautiful as Belle, but that is not enough
The truth behind Belle's story is fascinating and it is only a wonder why it hasn't been adapted for the big screen sooner. The concept of a mixed race child being raised among aristocracy during a time where slavery was so normalized is incredible poignant and the differences between Belle and her white cousin of the same age, Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon), are striking from the start. The girls immediate friendship and love for one another paves the way for a touching subplot, with their relationship being one of the most heartfelt aspects of the film, if slightly under-used.

The real let-down of this film is Mbatha-Raw's performance. Despite looking absolutely beautiful she is incredibly two-dimensional throughout and Belle's character seems to be lacking in depth; turning her from a strong-willed and determined young woman to a stunning yet vacant china doll. Dependent mostly on one-look, Mbatha-Raw's doe-eyed melancholy is initially endearing but becomes increasingly frustrating as time goes on and she remains unable to deliver anything new or refreshing. 

The lack of depth to Belle's character makes the entire film feel slow, boring and almost like it misses the point. Director Amma Asante is entrusted with taking this great, hidden story to the forefront of the public's attention and instead of creating a show-stopping period piece that does the story justice, she created a bland, disappointing and emotionless drama that doesn't even scratch the surface of Belle's true character, least of all do her justice.

The supporting cast are strong, bar a conventional and over-the-top villainous performance from Harry Potter's  Tom Felton, but none of them are enough to detract attention away from the lifeless protagonist and her inability to give anything more or less than pure apathy. 
Painting  of the real life Belle and Elizabeth

Whilst the core story is interesting, its cinematic execution is not and although Mbatha-Raw is visually stunning to watch, her beauty is not enough to excuse the lack of depth to her portrayal of Dido Elizabeth Belle. The most exciting part of the entire film was the inclusion of a painting of the real-life Belle and Elizabeth that appeared just before the credits rolled, and given that this painting is accesible via a quick google search, that is not enough to make the film worth seeing. 



Belle is in UK cinemas from Friday 13th June!

Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,