Valkyrie

An interesting idea backed by a top cast...

Colonel Stuaffenberg (Tom Cruise) is one of the few men in the Nazi party who feel that their leader, Adolf Hitler (David Bamber), is more a threat to German instead of her saviour. He regrets the oath he took for Hitler and feels a desire to help Germany in any way possible. When a surprise attack on a German camp in Tunisia leaves Stuaffenberg seriously wounded, he becomes recruited into a group bent on killing Hitler at any cost.

While based upon real-life events, Valkyrie's soul is that of an action thriller and not a biopic. This is not to say that director Bryan Singer skews history but he merely doesn't try to authenticate the film in its entirety. The most obvious claim to this would be the lack of German accents from the main cast. Besides the German introduction from Cruise, all major characters keep their American or British accents intact. This is by no means problematic for the film, and many other greats have been in the same boat. A recent example is The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas: a stellar film where the cast was easily identifiably for their strong English accents even though they were German. The fact of the manner is, is that authentic accents would not enhance either films' core message, with Valkyrie's being about bravery in an unforgiving situation.

The story itself follows a fairly consistent flow with the odd moment being stretched out far longer then it ought to be or a story segment which is not developed enough, such as the lack of screen time to develop the relationship between Stauffenberg and his wife Nina (Carice van Houten) and their children. That said, it should be noted that there is an obvious lack of true twists in the story, unless you have no idea about Operation Valkyrie, but this forms a truly impressive feat from Singer, the story and the actors: there is a genuine feel in the film that there is a chance that Stuaffenberg could actually succeed and this only heightens the suspense.

The acting front is laden with experience and it shows. Cruise proves commendable as his role as Stuaffenberg and expresses the same level of vigour he has shown many films before. He is not the most ideal candidate but that does not stop him. However Cruise does have the rare weak moment where his delivery of a certain line comes across as stiff and out of character. The British cast is simply fantastic and virtually faultless. The likes of Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighly and Tom Wilkinson bring a level of believability to the film that could have otherwise been lost and their presence is easily felt. Smaller, though not unimportant, roles go to von Houten, who shows a real sense of love for Stuaffenberg, and Bamber, who is just as every inch as creepy and menacing as the infamous Hitler himself. As noted, the entire cast is impressive and lift the film as a whole.

The music ensemble, while not overly memorable, supports the film at all times. The direction is no different. Bryan Singer brings a neat fluidity to the scenes which help the film's pacing but it is evident that he is not confident to allow the story or characters speak for themselves in many situations, and instead of being subtle, prefers to make sure the audience understands everything as it happens. In this respect the film loses much of its intrigue and naturalness.

Sex and nudity play no part in the film's proceedings with language being brief, if not strong on the odd occasion. Action sequences show off the violent content but there are far and few, never graphic and is comprises mainly of firearms with a suicide scene.

Valkyrie can be considered Tom Cruise's return to cinema, and thankfully the end result is a positive one. He is backed up by a decent storyline and a superb selection of actors. Sure the film could have used with some better pacing, more depth and subtlety; and the lack of German accents do possibly ruin the experience if you allow it to do so, but these problems do not hurt the film in any serious manner. Valkyrie might lack the literary impact to allow it to be phenomenal, but that does not stop it being watchable and exciting.

8/10

Screen date: 30 January 2009

Release date: 30 January 2009

Chandni Chowk to China

Too Much Hustling in this Kung Fu...

When a Chinese village becomes fed up with the dictatorship of tyrant Hojo (Gordon Liu) they decide to free themselves by finding the reincarnation of a legendary Chinese warrior. Their search takes them to India where they stumble upon Sidhu (Akshay Kumar) who bears a similar resemblance to the warrior of old. Sidhu is looking for a way to turn around his poor luck but is tricked into going to China when Chopstick (Ranvir Shorey) purposely mistranslates what the Chinese have to say.

You wouldn't be wrong if you think Chandni Chowk to China is akin to Kung Fu Hustle. Both are about martial arts, and both are parody films that parody subject matter even outside that of martial arts. In fact Chandni Chowk mimics the story and various situations found in Kung Fu Hustle, but it is not quite as masterfully conceived. The story is a fairly standard affair of martial arts films where the protagonist needs to rise to the occasion, learn some killer moves and defeat the enemy. Luckily the scriptwriters did attempt to add some additional subplots to give the film some depth and, in this regard, it works but perhaps a little too well. Besides the journey which is undertaken by Sidhu there is a smaller plot regarding the character Chiang Kohung (Roger Yuan) who has been trying to bring down Hojo but met a sad fate in the process. Kohung's story is used to help Sidhu's along but by the film's end this subplot abundantly more interesting than the main plot. Sadly the characters lack the story's depth and are far more one dimensional except for, would you believe it, Kohung.

In fact Kohung would not be such an amazing character if it were not for the equally amazing acting by Roger Yuan. Not only does he act confidently but his martial arts talent is fluid and precise. It's difficult to imagine that he has landed so few roles in his career and hopefully Chandni Chowk gets him more exposed. Yuan's opposite, Gordon Liu shows off his abundant knowledge of the film industry with a performance that emphasizes his characters subdued evil. It becomes a strange occurrence indeed when these two Chinese actors have better performances in a Bollywood film than the two titles stars: Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone. Padukone has a double role as both Sakhi and Meow Meow but her screen time is surprisingly limited and it's obvious that she is eager to explode her roles into something more then she is allowed. And then there is Kumar, who does not perform badly for he is suited to his role, but he overacts far too much. Presumably to heighten the comedy, the problem Kumar faces by the films close is that he never has control of it. He is so busy trying to find ways to make people laugh that he forgets that he is playing what is possibly one of the most annoying characters ever to grace cinema.

That said, the humour is abundant, regardless of whether Kumar exaggerates his role or not. But this is not to say that the humour is of a high level throughout, for most of the time the humour is based on sheer stupidity. This is not exactly problematic but anyone expecting something akin to Kung Fu Hustle, which itself also had its share of stupidity for laughs, might be a little peeved at the little genuinely original comedy.

Though what doesn't help matters is the poor implementation of CG. From the introduction showcasing the Great Wall of China to the water effects used for a special move Sidhu learns, the CG is always out of place. The special effects tend to work better but are used sparingly.

On top of that the music selection for the film is very poor and the dance sequences themselves are not any better. Sure Deepkia Padukone can look incredibly sexy during these sequences but the music is only goes to make the worse then what it actually is. Coupled with the fact that music is used inappropriately in some scenes, such as in the final fight, the end result is a Bollywood film which should have gone against the norm.

Chandni Chowk is an all round family film with no sex, nudity or language. Violence is mostly in the form of martial arts and one character does have a weapon that he uses to slice the neck of some victims but this is quite tame.

Simply put, Chandni Chowk to China is a disappointing film especially when its taken into consideration that it was delayed from its original release in October/ November last year. It is difficult to tell if any additions were made because nothing really gels well for the film as a whole. The acting is passable, with the Chinese actors being the highlight; the story is decent but is overshadowed by a mere subplot; and the music selection is shocking. That said the film has some of the best action sequences in a Bollywood film with the martial arts being fun to watch and the film is comedic throughout. However it should be advised that one's enjoyment of the film depends merely on their temperament for stupidity.

5/10

Screen date: 18 January 2009

Release date: 16 January 2009

WarDevil news coming Q1 2009

WarDevil was one of the first HD-gen titles to ever be showcased. A few years later and the title seems to be headed nowhere. Out of concern I contacted Digi-Guys to see what was hapening with the title due to the rumours of it being cancelled; when the next set of news would be displayed to the public; and when footage of an in-game HUD would be shown.

The response, as of the 31 December 2008:

Hi
WarDevil is still in production and on schedule :)
We're hoping to show something in Q1 next year - also, remember that not all games have traditional HUD's ;)
Thanks for your interest!
The WarDevil Team

So it seems that Playstation 3 owners no longer have to worry about the cancellation of an intriguing new IP. If this still has a 2009 release then 2009 only gets better for Sony fans but I think a solid early 2010 release could give Sony some momentum after an exclusive-laden year in 2009, and allows Digi-Guys new IP to not get lost among such titles as God of War 3, InFamous and Ratchet and Clank.

Top 10 Films of 2008

I have decided to run through my top 10 films of last year which were released in South Africa. This is important as some films that have already debuted in America in 2007 and only saw a release in South Africa this year and, ironically enough, some films have shown in South Africa will not be released in America until later this year. Many excellent films I have missed out on seeing this year and with that in mind my top 10:

10. The Unseeable
Review not available.
8/10

9. The Mourning Forest
Review not available.
8/10

8. Fashion
Review not available.
8/10

7. Dostana
Full Review
Dostana is a film which wants to break away from the norm but ultimately cannot, and as such the latter arc of the story is a slight disappointment. The story turns into a typical romance after it promised such a unique premise, and the second half lacks the overall strength of the first. Nonetheless, Dostana is a brilliant film which infectious humour and sex appeal, though lacks the ability to truly target its core message.
8/10

6. Iron Man
Full Review
Iron man is a wonderful example of a good comic book-to-film creation. While lacking the same maturity of Batman Begins, Iron Man proves to be the best Marvel film available, ousting out the likes of the original Spider-man and X-men 2. And this is because the film doesn't attempt to dumb itself down to appeal to a greater audience, or focus itself on too many elements: it keeps things relatively simple. Instead Iron Man tells the story of Tony stark, a man callous about the world in general, transforming into a man who respects not only himself, but those around him. With very good acting, a well structured story, Iron Man’s only problems are a few inconsistencies and its inability to support a dual personality approach. It's no Batman Begins, but then again, it doesn't need to be.
8/10

5. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Review not available.
8/10

4. Taken
Full Review
As perhaps gathered, the film is not exactly realistic though it is the sort of film which could and deserves to be so if it wishes to rank among the best of cinema. This aside, Taken is a thoroughly enjoyable film with intense action, marred by a few inconsistencies and lack of foresight into the film's overall image.
8/10

3. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Full Review
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a cinematic wonder which easily deserves a watch from any avid moviegoer. While there are a few niggles, none of which truly affects the overall quality unless you allow it to do so, the film is laden with reasonable acting and story-telling at it's very best with director Mark Herman cementing this with a conclusion so filled with brilliance that it is difficult to think of anything of late that quite matches it. In fact there are few films of late which can even match the cinematic wonder that is The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
9/10

2. The Dark Knight
Full Review
Regardless of whether you you believe Spiderman, Batman Begins or the recent Iron Man to be the benchmark of superhero movies, there is no denying that The Dark Knight excels in the genre. It is an excellent example of good directing, acting and story advancement, but what makes The Dark Knight a superb superhero movie is not that it is able to recreate its comic book form so aptly, but that it makes a great cinematic piece. Whether you are a fan of superhero films or not, The Dark Knight deserves attention not only for building upon the success of Batman Begins, but for shattering the preconceptions of superheros in cinema. Does The Dark Knight surpass its former incarnation? For better or worse, both are on equal terms.
9/10

1.There Will be Blood
Full Review
There Will Be Blood is, in short, masterly conceived. Be it the story, acting, music, cinematography, or multi-layered depth of the film in general, every department excels to the point where the film is virtually flawless. It does, however, suffer a little from the lesser casts presence, and the selection of music feels, on the rare occasion, inappropriate. Nonetheless these two elements do not spoil what is easily not only one of the best films ever created, but one of the rare few that will never be forgotten.
10/10

What were your Top 10 films of last year?

Top 10 Disappointments of 2008

For my first post of 2009: my top 10 Disappointments of 2008. As I do not have time to see every film, this list might appear a little off, but these only count what I have seen. It should be noted that these are not necessarily films which had hype but failed to live up to expectations. The disappointment factor here is that they did not make for good cinema.Last I apologize for the lack of reviews available in this list: as a varsity student I have little chance to write reviews for every film I see.

10. Gardens of the Night
Review Not Available.
5/10

9. Bachna ae Haseeno
Review Not Available.
5/10

8. Mehbooba
Review Not Available.
5/10

7. Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Review Not Available.
5/10

6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Review Not Available.
5/10

5. God Tussi Great Ho
Review Not Available.
5/10

4. Max Payne
Full Review
From bad editing to lack of character development to an action film with little action: one can only wonder how a video game which could so easily be translated to the cinema medium went so wrong. And while it is an adaptation, the film bares little resemblance to the source material's complexity, even nullifying the staple slow motion scenes which was popularized in the Matrix trilogy. Still it is possible that an uncut release can be seen on DVD, and could possibly fill in the many problems of the theatrical run. Nevertheless, Max Payne is not entirely devoid of entertainment, with the actors at least trying to portray their respective characters and some fun action sequences, of the little there was. The post-credit scene hints at a sequel, which should include a new director, and hopefully the sequel will make up for the mishaps of this.
5/10

3. The Eye
Review Not Available
5/10

2. Love Story 2050
Full Review
I will admit that Bollywood films are not exactly my cup of tea, but I have enjoyed, to some degree, all of which I have seen, especially loving the recent Sakar Raj. But Love Story 2050 is such a mismatch, that it's impossible to even understand how the film ended up so badly. The acting is not good, though sympathy must be given to both Chopra and Baweja because they didn't have a decent script to work with, and the production design was clearly not well thought through. Love Story 2050 has so much potential to be a worthy attempt at standing toe-to-toe with Hollywood, but doesn't even begin to scratch at this potential. Instead of the futuristic sci-fi flick which was supposed to hit cinemas, what has shown its place is a Bollywood film that will have even Indians embarrassed, and that is saying a lot.
5/10

1. Yuvvraaj
Full Review
Yuvvraaj is an important film coming in the final months of the year and it has some big stars to back up the film's much anticipated release. Coming close after the release of Fashion and Dostana, Yuvvraaj had a lot to stand up against, sadly nothing comes together to create a cohesive product. There are major flaws in every aspect of the film, be it the story, the characters, the acting, the general direction: every important component is compromised in some way. Though it has good moments: there are some nice set pieces, Anil Kapoor is stunning to watch and the finale, coupled with a generally good musical score, is excellent. Sadly none of these save the film from being a complete disappointment.
4/10

What were your disappointing films of last year?

Ghajini

A faltering tale of revenge...

Sanjay Singhania (Aamir Khan) is a wealthy business man who falls in love with Kalpana (Asin Thottumkal), an up-and-coming model who's popularity is due to her relationship with Sanjay. But during their courtship disaster strikes when Asin is killed and Sanjay is left with serious brain damage which results in him having short term memory loss, and this makes his revenge a difficult task.

Regardless of what Aamir Khan might profess there is no denying that Ghajini is a remake of Memento, though it is more accurately a remake of a Tamil film by the same name which itself is a remake of Christopher Nolan's masterpiece. The similarities are obvious, from the protagonist's condition of short term memory loss, him searching for his lover's killer, the use of photographs and tattoos to help him remember, amongst others. That said it does attempt to tell its story in a different, more logical, way and this works exceptionally well. The film is divided between the modern day and past, both representing the stories of revenge and romance respectively, and for the majority of the film both do work in unison.

The revenge story is presented well enough but is marred in a few ways. Firstly there are elements which are used to deepen the story but are actually unneeded in the greater scheme of things. Then there are the few questionable dialogue choices which come off as out of place. Lastly the film seems to lose track of its own internal logic. In the final arc of the story, Sanjay's short term memory loss, which occurs every fifteen minutes, is thrown out the window for a good period of time until it's needed for a very contrived introduction into the final duel. Sanjay also develops superhuman-like strength out of completely nowhere resulting in him mowing down man after man with no injury becoming him in any form. It's a strange arc indeed for the film, and for a short while catapults the film out of its reality to some fantasy. That said, the love story is truly excellent. It starts off childish and ruins the mature storytelling of the revenge storyline but once in full swing, the romance becomes more interesting and exciting to watch than any other aspect of the film. Thankfully it is the romance section which ends off the film and it is an amazing ending and truly cements the story's example of undying love, and allows the odd lapse of logic which occurs mere minutes before, to appear as a distant memory.

But as a remake it becomes disheartening to see Aamir Khan use his method acting skills because they ultimately develop into nothing out of the ordinary. This is mainly due to the fact that his skills of method acting are not being used to allow himself to become an original character to make the film more poignant, but because he is developing himself into a persona which has been used before. Nonetheless, Aamir is a wonder to watch and he becomes the perfect example as to why the romance story is superior to that of the revenge. When Aamir's character falls in love with Asin's, it is quite evident. The chemistry they share is a highpoint with both complimenting one another. Asin's Bollywood debut is helped by her work in the Tamil movie industry and she is delightful to watch. Her portrayal as the bubbly, happy-go-lucky Kaplana mimics Kajol's Angali in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Though when Khan portrays his present self, he tends to overact and makes his character far more untamed then he ought to be, even making animal growls at one point. Pradeep Rawat continues his experience at playing villains with a character who truly is without a heart. However he does not receive enough screen time and this is partly to do with the portrayal of Jiah Khan's character Sunita. Sunita is a medical student who is interested in Sanjya's condition. However she is completely irrelevant to the main storyline but her character is forced with integral scenes nonetheless, at some points mimicking Kalpana, not in character but in situational context. While this is a good way to create symbolism, Sunita is far too irritating, and distorts what should be a story about fated lovers and a villain. On top of this, Jiah is not a convincing actress and is out of league in a cast of who know what they have to do.

Other disappointing avenues of the film are the musical and action sequences. The music is not exactly the most memorable but does a decent enough job. However there is one too many sequences and they go to flaw the film. In many respects Ghajini should have most likely gone the route of Sarkar Raj and skipped adding music to the production. Yes this might lower the audience intake but would have helped make the film a cohesive package. Action sequences are sadly misfit at times. This is not because they are bad, but because the director, A.R Murugadoss, makes the scenes and the film as a whole, feel far too much like a Tamil film. Tamil films have their own unique feel to them but it is arguable whether this feel is worthwhile. The action sequences in Ghajini are actually very good if it were not for the constant need to slow the fights down by a few frames. This artistic design does not make the fights any better but in fact make them less dynamic, less aggressive, and ultimately less fun to watch.

There is no sex or nudity and language goes by virtually unheard. Violence is not particularly bloody but is quite intense at times.

Ghajini is a film of many things but it fails to reach its potential of being a truly excellent title. The story has some inconsistencies even though it tells an amazing tale of love and revenge. The acting is likewise very good, but some performances damper the whole affair. Sadly the music lets the film down and the questionable action sequences don't help either. Ghajini will not be the best Aamir Khan film you'll ever see and is definitely not the best Bollywood film for the year, but it is a treat to watch, even if only for the romance.

7/10

Screen date: 24 December 2008
Release date: 26 December 2008

Twilight

Blood draining...

Moving to Forks, Washington to live with her father, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) becomes interested in the Cullen siblings. One sibling does catch her attention, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), but his quick and apparent mood swings begin to annoy her. After much pushing for information, Bella learns that Edward is a vampire.

Being an adaptation from a novel which has become quite popular among teenagers, mostly female, one would expect the story's translation to hold true to its source material as best as possible. It's hard to believe that it does at all because the story contained in the film is ultimately bland. There is no depth, no complexity to the plot, no intriguing characterizations: just a simple love story which doesn't hold much in terms of credibility. And this is because character motivations are never fully established. While the love Edward and Bella have for one another is easily based on outwards attraction and grows into something meaningful, the haste at which both characters are able to confide in and accept one another is unreasonable. At one point Bella is attracted to Edward, just to have him act cruel to her, then to find out he's a vampire and still place her complete trust in him that he won't harm her. While their love is touching in a Romeo and Juliet sort of way, that does not stop it passing off as completely illogical and idiotic. Still there is a certain quickness to it all that does make for an interesting watch at times for the concept itself is a fascinating one.

The acting doesn't fare any better. Side characters are merely caricatures and the main characters are underdeveloped so it is no wonder that the level of acting is average. Kristen Stewart comes off as far too disinterested in absolutely everything. At first it seems acceptable when she doesn't which to be bothered much by people at school or her father, but when she is somehow madly in love with Edward her monotonic representation remains static. There are times where she attempts to put some life into her character but this is rare. Pattison fares better and seems to get the nervousness of Edward fairly well, and the same applies to when he is intent on saving Bella. But his constant exchanges at love for Bella are not entirely convincing. That is not to say that there is no chemistry between both Stewart and Pattison for there is. It is just not in the form you would expect but more like both are forced to be in love.

From a technical standpoint the direction of the film works at times but the music and special effects do not. Director Catherine Hardwicke has a very unique way in her vision of the novel. Her direction yields a simple naturalness to it, losing the classic constructed feel of most films. It does come across as appealing to watch at times but it does become a bit much by the films end. You'll either enjoy the direction to wish for a more natural feel. Regardless of preference neither would have made the film any better. The music is also another love-hate item. The music selection sounds far too forced, as if trying to capture a certain mood for the film's atmosphere which doesn't work. There's a classical element to it, as if yearning to have a connection to Bram Stoker's Dracula and is nice distraction from the angst feel of the film. Lastly there are the special effects which are noticeably unrealistic. There is a blur given to any vampire character that moves fast, but it looks more like blurred fast forwarding and thus rather unnatural looking.

No vampire film is really all complete without some sexual connotations and violence: both are included in low form. Language is also kept low and nudity is a no-go area considering the target audience.

Twilight is a vampire story which is caught in a midst of smoke. With its average story, average acting, average music but interesting direction, it has neither the cruel seductiveness of Dracula nor the morbid fascination of Interview with the Vampire. With its superficial layering Twilight presumes to be more valuable to modern day teen life then both but, simply put, is not.

5/10

Screen date: 19 December 2008

Release date: 19 December 2008