GODZILLA by SilverScreen Snob

GODZILLA

 

by Silverscreen Snob

Directed - Gareth Edwards
Starring - Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe 

In 1954 the Toho Film Company made a picture about a huge dinosaur-like monster that rampaged through Tokyo. It was only 93 minutes long but it spawned a legend that has lasted 60 years and 28 (Japanese) films. I am, of course, referring to the colossus that is Godzilla.

Fast forward to 2014 and the newest incarnation of the world's most famous kaiju. Godzilla is an icon and the director, Gareth Edwards, had a mammoth task to overcome; how to bring the monster into the 21st Century without angering the fans.

The film begins with some original opening credits; words are redacted before the viewers' eyes, leaving only the names of the cast. This plays out over footage, supposedly from the 1950s, showing radars, military personnel and, finally, a large nuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll (the first of many references to actual events and /or classic Godzilla movies ).

We jump to 1999 and meet Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) who is investigating the skeleton of a large, prehistoric creature found in the Philippines. Then we zoom over to Japan where Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) is concerned about the nuclear plant where he works. Disaster obviously ensues and what follows is a sequence reminiscent of the Fukushima disaster which occurred only a few years ago. 

And now we are up to date. Joe's son, Ford, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is happily living in San Francisco with his wife (Elizabeth Olsen) and young son.
At this point I would like to say that I was slightly disturbed at watching these two young actors playing lovers as, in my head, they are the Maximoff siblings (I know, I know, it's not real but I can still have my opinion).
Father and son are eventually reunited and that's where the action really begins.

Cranston is brilliant as a father who feels like he has lost it all; both traumatised and unhinged in equal measure. Watanabe is the yin to Cranston's yang; calm and collected to a point where some of his dialogue is barely above a whisper. 
The younger actors; Taylor-Johnson and Olsen, are not as strong in their roles. Olsen is not given much to do except cry and run. In fact, one downside of this movie is that there is a distinct lack of strong female characters. 
Taylor-Johnson has a larger part to play but he doesn't quite fulfil the leading man role. He isn't entirely convincing as an action star but neither plausible as desperate family man. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a good actor but he wasn't given enough to work with. The script is basic with Cranston's impassioned ranting (heard in the trailer) as the only stand out part.

But to most, it isn't the human cast that people care about. Does the 2014 version of Godzilla make the grade? In short, yes. He bears a resemblance to the original creature but without the look of a rubber suit. You could believe that there is a dinosaur-like monster out there. As you have probably gathered from the many trailers, Godzilla isn't the only kaiju in the movie but I will leave what they are, and why they are there, as a surprise.
And then there is THAT roar. Spine tingling with a bass deep enough to turn your internal organs to mush, perfect.

At several points in the film, just as the audience thinks it might be treated to a monster smackdown, the focus is always pulled back to the less interesting human story. However, the final battle is worth waiting for, if not a little short. Gareth Edwards has held enough back for the inevitable sequel (pending box office results). 

There are small niggles here and there but I was always a fan of the King of Monsters (another classic reference) and there is enough here to remind us of the creature we fell in love with.
Bonus points if you spot the reference to another kaiju which appears in the first half of the film.

Rating - 7/10

for more reviews from Silverscreen Snob visit: http://www.silverscreensnob.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0831387/?ref_=nv_sr_1

DRIVE by Kudos

DRIVE

 by Kudos

A stuntman come getaway driver who is as cold and cool as ice starts to melt when Carey Mulligans character crashes into his life.

The film sets out to be a taut, stylish 70s inspired thriller and never lets the viewer lose that feel, even in the scenes which are just everyday situations you can feel the underlying tension, Gosling crackles with control, from kissing to kicking he never slips out of the cool zone.

Yes Gosling puts in a spellbinding performance but he is backed up by some great cinematography , supporting cast and a tight plot..............and some seriously sexy American cars in real action...not CGI

It is 90 mins of a very controlled and cool thriller, that refuses to go down the Hollywood easy route........some of the scenes show the hero being brutal and nasty, the scene near the end in the lift is one of the most tense I have seen,

“GET IN, GET OUT, GET AWAY...........I give you 5 minutes, anything happens in that time im yours............a minute either side, you are on your own”

”

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780504/?ref_=nv_sr_2

ZERO DARK THIRTY by Silvercreen Snob

ZERO DARK THIRTY

 by Silvercreen Snob

 

 

Director - Kathryn Bigelow
Starring - Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke

So, I realise I'm late to the party in regards to this film but better late than never, right?

On the surface of it, you can be forgiven for automatically comparing Zero Dark Thirty to Bigelow's other 'war' film, The Hurt Locker; you could be forgiven but you would be entirely wrong! The two films are completely different yet both are equally compelling, just for contrasting reasons.

The movie starts with audio only; calls between victims and the emergency services during the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. It's heartbreaking and horrifying without actually showing you anything. From here we jump two years and we are introduced to Jessica Chastain's character, Maya. Bigelow and writer, Mark Boal, give the audience a strong female character; a single minded woman who stops at nothing until she gets what she wants. Chastain's portrayal is a marvel; from her first 'interrogation' to the final moments, Maya's growth as a character, in strength and resolve, is utterly convincing. The only downside is that the audience never gets beneath the surface. Bigelow sacrifices who Maya is for what she does. However Jessica Chastain is so powerful in her role that the viewer will follow her story anyway without question.

The death of Bin Laden is almost always told as the story of the brave men who stormed his compound, yet we don't get to meet this group until two hours into the film. This film isn't about these people, it's about what went on behind the scenes to allow such a mission to take place; the many layers of bureaucracy and years of research Maya and company endure just to get a meeting with the Director of the C.I.A (played by James Gandolfini).

Some of the torture scenes make for uncomfortable viewing no matter what your opinion of it's usage. Bigelow pulls no punches in her direction and creates a visually beautiful film amid harsh environments.
The final half hour of the film, the storming of Bin Laden's refuge which is shot almost in real time, is fascinating as the director switches between night vision goggles and the drab natural light of the compound, drawing the audience in and creating a tense final scene (despite the fact that we all know the ending of this story).

http://www.silverscreensnob.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/dvd-review-zero-dark-thirty.html
 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790885/?ref_=nv_sr_1