Film Review: Robot & Frank

Robot & Frank   8/10
Director: Jake Schreier
Starring: Frank Langella, Peter Sarsgaard, Susan Sarandon
Plot: an elderly man named Frank (Langella) receives a robot butler from his son, with the purpose of looking after him. The robot assists Frank, an ex-jewel thief, in a heist.

Creating a 89-minute film about an old man and a robot is incredibly ambitious and brave during such a tough, economic climate. You may be pleased to hear, however, that this film is many things, and dull isn't one of them.

Firstly, the cast here is superb; Frank Langella’s portrayal of a lonely, old man is touching at times, and his relationship with the robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) unravels on-screen beautifully. James Marsden and Liv Tyler, the two siblings, dip in and out of the film with terrific performances; we see Marsden introduce the robot to his father’s home and Tyler shooing it away. Susan Sarandon is also marvellous as the librarian; she seems to steal each and every scene she appears in and plays a vital role later on.

Most notably, the film’s script is witty, fast-moving and solely character driven. It seems a very risky film to make, as it’s unlikely to draw in the audiences. However, this film could gain widespread appeal and perhaps a cult status if it receives the right publicity. Perhaps the only part of the film which could've cost is the robot. Created by Alterian, a Los Angeles-based company, it moves flawlessly and is truly fascinating to watch. Thankfully, the robot isn't borderline creepy. Instead, thanks to voice of Sarsgaard, the robot becomes a well established character, despite having few physical, human characteristics.

In Conclusion: Overall, Robot & Frank is an endearing tale which explores the truth behind old age. With one of the most interesting and compelling casts ever assembled, Robot & Frank is a fantastic drama with an unexpected ending. 

Film Review: What If

What If     8/10
Director: Michael Dowse
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Megan Park
Plot: The friendship of Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) and Chantry (Zoe Kazan) is questioned when one falls in love with the other.

If you're looking at the checklist for a typical romantic comedy, you'll find affairs, crude jokes and Jennifer Aniston as the female lead. Thankfully, What If is not any of these, it is a fresh, independently-written take on the genre, with electric chemistry between the two leads - Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan.

Michael Dowse takes the directorial reigns of this modestly budgeted comedy ($11 million) and has successfully crafted a film you'll recommend to your 500 Days of Summer-loving pals. Dowse has somehow manage to dodge the majority of rom-com cliches and pulls off a surprisingly witty coming-of-age tale. With that said, Dowse has merely utilised and built on Elan Mastai's simply marvellous script, with special effects used to only improve and elevate the script's potential. It's also one of those films where there aren't any awkward silences for the audience to laugh, the script almost knows when you're emotionally or humorously vulnerable and takes full advantage of that.

Likewise, leads Radcliffe and Kazan clearly saw the script's potential and decided to deliver a whole lot more. Their chemistry and comedic timing isn't something audiences can always expect, with numerous gross-out comedies pretty much bloating the market in recent years.

As well as the two main stars, there's Adam Driver and Mackenzie Davis as Allan and Nicole, whose side story is surprisingly enjoyable to follow and doesn't detract from the main events.

In Conclusion: Arguably one of the wittiest and sweetest romantic comedies in recent memory (and some of us can definitely relate). Radcliffe and Kazan steal the show with their undeniable chemistry. 

Book Review: The Maze Runner Series

The Maze Runner Series 9/10
Author: James Dashner
Books in the series: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure as well as the prequel, The Kill Order

Since The Hunger Games, there’s been countless dystopian, young adult novels that have simply failed to reproduce the same intense, kinetic action extravaganza. The Maze Runner, though it still remains insuperior to Suzanne Collins’ masterpiece, is a refreshingly thrilling trilogy.

The Maze Runner – the first in the series – is by far the best of the four. From the first few lines of the first chapter, I was immediately captivated and puzzled as to what the world Thomas had found himself in really was. The characters (of which there are countless, almost on a LOST-type scale) are all established perfectly; it’s easy in young adult books for the characters to become too samey and generic. Here though, Dashner distinguishes between them all well and you really get to understand them all within a few chapters of the book.

What Dashner also does, which is very clever, is know what the reader is thinking. Though the book’s written in the third person, you always follow Thomas’ journey throughout the first book. There are points where you yourself, the reader, believe you’ve cracked it. Where you really believe you know what’s going on. Dashner, brilliantly, seems to then find a way of smashing down your theory at the exact same time. Thomas asks questions that you would ask if you were him, which is incredibly rare in a series such as this. Dashner is always a step ahead of you.

The next two books in the series are not quite as unique as the first. They continue the story on perfectly and the character development continues on. More characters are introduced and even more plot is pumped in. Although, Dashner doesn’t for one moment take away the enormously addictive cliff-hanger chapter endings, which stick with you until the final book.

I’ve never been a huge fan of prequels, but The Kill List serves its purpose well. Yes, it’s completely unnecessary, but it fills that sad void that you’re left with once you’ve finished the trilogy off – it eases you out of the world a little more easily.

In Conclusion: James Dashner has officially done it. The interesting characters and intriguing plot serve as a thrilling and tense read, and it isn’t bogged down by the number of characters or backstory that’s unfolding – definitely a series to read before it hits cinemas this coming November.

Film Review: The Help

DVD: The Help  9/10
Director: Tate Taylor
Starring: Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer

Plot: a journalist by the name of Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone) writes a book detailing the lives of maids in the 1960s, a dangerous however historically important job that Skeeter must fulfil.

Tate Taylor does a fantastic job bringing Kathryn Stockett’s imaginative and  funny  tale to life. Making the town of Jackson, Mississippi in the 60s; a swelteringly hot, sugar-coated place for white men and women yet a different place, for the  black “help”. Viola Davis (Aibileen Clark) steals the show here; she’s one of the warmest characters to have set foot on-screen in recent years. Her character Aibileen narrates parts of the films and keeps the pace going. Davis plays the scenes of emotion so well, she also has a number of comical scenes with her off and on screen friend Octavia Spender (Minnie Jackson). Every part of the film is perfect, the costumes, sets, food and hair all bring the world to life whilst still making sure that the idea of racism and minorities are played throughout. The more violent scenes are dealt with well, Taylor allows the audience to feel terribly fearful for their favourite characters but doesn’t show them in a light too horrifically, perhaps a pro and a con for the film as whether it depicted this particular time accurately enough and scarily enough.

Emma Stone, a rising star in the world of Hollywood does her job well also, playing the budding young journalist Miss Skeeter. She is almost too attractive, and not as tall as described in the book but her personality traits are the same, the general look too (the hair and the makeup). The films running time of 146 minutes feels strangely short; some characters could possibly do with more screen time (the upfront, in-your-face but strangely likeable Celia Foote). The time spent with Minnie Jackson and Aibileen Clark is kept to its maximum though, and is perhaps the greatest on-screen relationship in years with real, heartfelt, cinematic moments towards the end.

In conclusion: Tate Taylor having written and directed the film blends humour, racial discrimination and American culture perfectly, immersing its viewers into the world of Jackson, from the get-go – it’s a real old-school gem that could be viewed and loved by all ages. (also, if you have the DVD or Blu-Ray, check out the deleted scenes, they’re brilliant also).

Film Review: Snow Cake

Snow Cake    7/10  (2006 Film – watched on DVD)

Director: Marc Evans
Starring: Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss

Plot: a fatal car accident leads Alex (Alan Rickman) to form an unlikely friendship with Linda (Sigourney Weaver) who suffers from autism.

Snow Cake is a hugely underrated and largely unseen film. It is definitely one of 2006’s best kept secrets! The films’ most notable aspect is by far its casting; Alan Rickman reportedly ensured that Sigourney Weaver secured the role of Linda soon after reading the script. Weaver - whilst enduring a hit-and-miss career - excels here in an ambitious, wild and at times heartbreaking role. It’s quite an achievement for a famous actor or actress to completely immerse themselves in a role that makes audiences forget their other memorable characters – Weaver is purely seen as Linda here. Alan Rickman excels too, interweaving his relationship with Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss’ character perfectly. Rickman carries a solemn and lost character superbly, proving extremely convincing during the days after the traumatic car crash.

Marc Evans, director, has had a career consisting of small, independent films. However, he makes such a small, intimate story with few characters such a moving film. The cinematography is gorgeous throughout; most films merely capture the season of winter with wide shots but here Evans uses hand-held cameras, close-ups (and wide shots) to relate the movement of the story with the outside world. Similarly, the film – whilst not giving anything away – seems to start in a very claustrophobic, quiet manner yet as it progresses, the film seems to open up along with the characters (a development which is rarely pulled off!)

In Conclusion: Snow Cake is a film where very little really happens, yet the intriguing script and character development will keep you transfixed throughout. This may well be Sigourney Weaver’s best performance to date and it’s a shame there was no Oscar recognition for it.