When people ask me what makes for a really great performance (and someone did, once) I direct them to two performances. De Niro in Raging Bull and Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood. If you watch those performances you’ll notice something. The performance isn’t about their facial expressions or the words being spoken or even how they’re spoken. It’s the physicality of the performance that sells it. Only time will tell whether this performance has the longevity of those iconic roles but he certainly inhabits Matt King right down to his posture, gate and awkward moccasined run. Furthermore, bare in mind that this is coming from someone who still refers to him as ‘Doug Ross’ in day to day conversation.

If ‘acting is reacting’ then honourable mentions must go out to Clooney’s younger co-stars. Shailene Woodley (Alex) is arguably the best known of the three and she can count herself a little unlucky to have come of age in a highly competitive year for the Best Supporting Actress category. As you expect, the troubled teenage daughter has the broadest range of performance but certainly matches Clooney in a number of difficult scenes. The younger sibling is played by debutant Amara Miller who, after revelling in the role of a potty-mouthed pre-teen also plumbs emotional depths beyond her age towards the films emotional pinnacle. As you might expect there’s a few other familiar faces along the way. Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, and Beau Bridges are all good whilst Robert Forster does enough in two scenes to remind you why he too is an Oscar nominee.

The film itself is expertly paced and although I usually find the excessive use of voice over annoying, it works in relation to the subject matter. Though I couldn’t shake the feeling that the voice over in Up in the Air made the film feel like some kind of dysfunctional self-destruct video, here Clooney’s impassioned inner monologue plays out like the desperate pleas of a husband to his dying wife. It ads an emotional level often lacking from films where the audience is addressed directly and as a result immerses you into the story rather than forming a barrier.

Of course, wherever there is tragedy, there’s scope for excellent comedy and Payne, together with his duo of comedy actors/writers, Jim Rash and Nat Faxon don’t miss a beat. If I cried three times (which of course, I totally didn’t), I belly laughed more. The strength of such an emotionally charged story is that the delivery of comedy is simultaneously funnier and more poignant. For that reason I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that the film could well walk away with Best Film and Best Adapted Screenplay next month. The film is released today and if you feel like your soul could use a bit of a jump start this year, I strongly recommend you take in this picture.

First up this week is Nicholas Winding Refn’s 70’s throwback Drive.


For a man whose name sounds very much like a font, Winding Refn is fast grinding out a rep as one of the most promising directors of the moment. Drive, which sees man of the moment Ryan Gosling channelling the likes of McQueen and Eastwood, is unlikely to derail the Dane’s upward trajectory. Despite a top notch cast which also boasts Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks, it’s the style of the film which sets it apart from similar pictures. Set in the seedy, neon, Hollywood underbelly, ‘Driver’ as he is simply known is a man out of time; figuratively speaking only. A stoic protagonist with an unyielding moral compass, Gosling traverses between heartfelt tenderness and unspeakable brutality. Both are filmed bravely; Winding Refn knowing exactly when to cut away and when to linger. Though not one of the most prolific award season nominees, Drive is picking up the odd nomination here and there and everyone of them is deserved.

In contrast Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is arguably one of the most over hyped films of last year. That’s not to say it’s without merit. On the contrary, it was an expertly crafted film in almost every way. Gary Oldman is certainly an outsider for a Best Actor Oscar and there is some great support work from hot properties like Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch. Like Drive, Tinker Tailor comes to us courtesy of another Scandinavian director, Tomas Alfredson. Like his contemporaries, Alfredson is a master craftsman when it comes to ‘show, don’t tell’. There’s certainly no unnecessary monologuing in the film which affords you the opportunity to really take in the expertly recreated cold war setting. The film’s weakness however, lies in it’s complicated, in places convoluted story. As is often the case with adaptations, the density of the original novel is simply not transferrable to the screen. Often at times, key plot points are sacrificed in favour of a more palatable running time and unfortunately in this case, it felt like key elements of John Le Carre’s seminal story were lost on the cutting room floor. With that in mind, home entertainment may in fact be the film’s saving grace. Repeat viewings coupled with the supporting features may just be enough to clear the fog.

In the barrage of mindless, plotless ensemble rom-com flicks that seem to be the trend of the moment, everyone was glad to see a date movie that might avoid the same trappings. Crazy Stupid Love was off to a flyer even before it was released with one of the most likeable cast lists ever put together. With Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling all starring, it’s no wonder that the movie went down well with both genders, and although not exactly a classic, it does have a lot going for it. At the centre of the story is a Hitch type story where Gosling’s suave womaniser coaches a post-separation Steve Carell in the art of seduction. Carell and Stone are as good as ever, but the real revelation is Gosling as a comedian. If we didn’t already hate him enough the triple threat proves that he’s got the comedy chops to rival the best of them, even picking up a Golden Globe nomination in the Comedy/Musical acting category. Releasing two weeks before Valentine’s Day is no doubt a savy move by Warner Bros. who are no doubt banking on its ‘snuggle up on the sofa’ factor to shift shed loads of copies.

In terms of re-releases, it’s a good week with three classics getting the Blu-ray treatment. First up is the multi-Oscar winning Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Whilst personally I’m sceptical as to how much difference Blu-ray makes to a nigh on fifty year old movie, the epic scale of a Joseph Mankiewicz movie might just warrant the upgrade.

Also released is James Cameron’s Aliens.

With Prometheus looming ominously on the horizon like an abandoned interstellar transporter of mysterious origin, chances are that interest in the original quadrilogy is likely to peak over the next few months. There’s every likelihood the four movies will be all over TV as well, but probably not in the quality of a nice, crisp Blu-ray. This will prove a decent investment, especially if there’s that annoying guy in your office who won’t shut up about how Avatar is the greatest science fiction movie ever made. You can lend him Aliens and prove to him that Avatar isn’t even the greatest science fiction movie James Cameron has ever made.

It’s a quieter week for TV releases this week. The only real release is the first batch of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. Rather than housing an entire series the Blu-ray contains the pilot episode along with two other classic episodes so not really one for the casual Trekkies (or Trekkers, as they prefer to be called).

Special mention must go to the release of season asix of The Office (US). Although to the best of my knowledge the series is not getting a Blu-ray release (makes sense when you think about it), season six is arguably where the series peaked.

With a cast most movie producers would kill for (Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Ed Helms, Ellie Kemper and Kathy Bates) the sixth series brings with it closure to one of the love stories of the decade, and en route Steve Carell falls into a Koi Pond. If you’re yet to discover the wonders of The Office, then go back to the beginning (by which I mean season 2, episode 1). For those of you Dunder Mifflin devotees, this might just prove to be the last Office box set you choose to take home.

In conclusion, my recommendation for the week is clearly Drive. Having gotten up early on pay day to pre-order the very reasonably priced Blu-ray, it’d be hypocritical of me to suggest anything else. Yes, there’s no denying the ‘classic’ status of James Cameron’s Aliens however, the savvy consumers should know that you can find the complete quadrilogy online for less than a fiver more than the stand alone release.

Of course, fifty percent of that last paragraph was bull shit but I promise that what follows will be a combination of facts and personal opinions that will hopefully allow you to optomise your spending in this period of economic crisis. As you might expect, the weeks directly following the festive period tend to be a little thin on the ground regarding big releases but there is at least, this coming week, a vast cocktail of titles coming your way.


The two biggest releases this week are two comedies that enjoyed mixed receptions at last year’s box office. First up is 30 Minutes or Less. Ruben Fleischer’s follow up to Zombieland should have been a smash. Danny McBride is fast becoming a household name, and Jesse Eisenberg was the geek of choice following his Academy Award nomination for The Social Network last year. Unfortunately, the film failed to live up to expectations and lukewarm early reviews killed it off in well under thirty minutes. Second, we have The Change Up; the body swap comedy which sees Jason Bateman’s family man swap lives with womaniser Ryan Reynolds. Despite its strong cast (Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin also star) the ‘writers of The Hangover’ failed to sprinkle their box office magic over this one. The film itself is bland and formulaic and if it were not for two leads would have very little going for it.

Of course, it’s not just comedies that are trying to replicate the success of The Hangover. Hostel 3, which was spared the embarrassment of a comprehensive theatrical release follows an almost identical set up as the 2009 comedy but finds its four hapless protagonists at the mercy of some nefarious Las Vegan’s even more sadistic than Ken Jeong. If you’re interested in that, you might also be interested in the release of schlock horror, Shark Night 3D. I’d probably excuse you purchasing this if you are the proud owner of a 3D TV but failing that, there’s really no excuse for wasting your hard earned dollar on a film where cartoon sharks terrorise a group of bikini clad, inexplicably deficient University students.

In contrast it’s a strong week for British TV releases. Both Misfits and Merlin release their latest series (three and four respectively) this week but both are usurped in terms of anticipation by the release of the impressive second series of BBC’s Sherlock.

With audio commentaries for all three episodes and a featurette entitled ‘Sherlock Uncovered’ the likelihood is that this may well be the biggest seller of the week.

The previous releases getting the Blu-ray treatment this week are certainly also worth a look. The film that saw Denzel Washington pick up his third Oscar nomination, Malcolm X , is released this week, whilst the lesser known Roger Dodger also gets an upgrade. Another title looking to capitalise on Jesse Eisenberg’s newly earned celebrity, Roger Dodger stars The Social Network star as a young teenager sent to stay with his ad exec uncle Roger (Think a late-Nineties Don Draper). With the grossly underrated Campbell Scott (soon to be seen in The Amazing Spiderman) Roger Dodger is not necessarily going to test the limits of your HD TV but as a performance driven film, it’s certainly a cut above most of the other fodder churned out this week.

Although I have only a limited selection of concert DVDs (I don’t really see the point in most of them), I’d no doubt get in serious trouble if I fail to mention this week’s releases. As well as Doors: Mr Mojo Risin’, a documentary about the making of The Doors final album Monday also sees the release of Radiohead: Live from the Basement. A straight up live performance of album The King of Limbs, this particular music Blu-ray is probably only a must have item for those unnaturally obsessed with the Thom Yorke as it’s pretty much vanilla.

With all these factors taken into consideration I have reached a split conclusion. My recommendation for this week would be two fold. Firstly, go and rent Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia.

Let’s face it, you may not find it in your local Blockbuster so you might be better off checking in out of your local library. The film is visually and aurally stunning and whilst it may not burn into you a desire for many repeat viewings it’s worth checking out at least once in the highest definition. Once you’ve watched Melancholia in all its glory go out and buy Rodger Dodger. It may not have the scope and scale of Von Trier’s film but it also doesn’t have Kirsten Dunst in it.

Many of you will be aware that this February sees the 84th Academy Awards, and the French star of The Artist could be the 30th nominee from international waters. Let me clarify, we all know how much the Academy love a good old bit of Brit costume drama so for the purpose of this article I have focused strictly on those performers born outside of the English speaking community.

Interestingly enough the first man to receive the award for ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ was a German named Emil Jannings. Given the award in 1927 Jannings won for his performance in two pictures, The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. Unfortunately Jannings went on to star in numerous Nazi Propaganda films and became buddy buddy with some of the higher ranking Nazis.

Since Jannings’ inaugural victory only six other International actors have won in the Lead category, the most recent being nearly fifteen years ago. The 1930s was a good decade for the Europeans in particular, Paul Muni who picked up a total of five nominations (29, 32, 35, 36 and 37). Winning at the third attempt, Muni became the second International actor to win the gold. Despite being of Austro-Hungarian origin Muni won for his portrayal of French Microbiologist Louis Pasteur. Here’s some trivia for all you geeks out there; Both Muni and Al Pacino have played Tony in Scarface and both have been nominated for five Lead Actor Oscars but only emerged victorious on one occasion.

Like the thirties, there was only one International winner in the forties with Hungarian, Paul Lucas taking home the award in 1943 for Watch On the Rhine for which he also won the first ever Golden Globe.

Things picked up a little in the fifties with José Ferrer, better known to George Clooney as Uncle Jose, picking up the award in 1950. He went on to receive another nomination the following year before Yul Brynner famously won in 1956 for The King and I.

The Sixties brought only another three nominations although Maximilian Schell did win in 1961 for his performance in Judgement in Nuremberg.
Like his fellow sixties nominee Marcelo Mastroianni (nominated in 1962), Schell collected another nomination in the 1970s. In 1971 Chaim Topol was nominated for Fiddler on the Roof followed by Schell in ’75, Giancarlo Giannini in 76 (Seven Beauties) and Mastroianni again in ’77. Despite the nominations the decade was entirely dominated by Americans with legends like Hoffman, Nicholson and Brando all emerging victorious.

The Eighties continued to be barren for the Internationals only picking up another two nominations. In 1987 Mastroianni picked up a third nomination, in a third decade but was once again beaten by an American. (He was beaten by Gregory Peck, Richard Dreyfus and Michael Douglas respectively). The following year Legendary Sweed, Max Von Sydow picked up his only Oscar nomination but was pipped to the post by Dustin Hoffman’s second win in under ten years.

Things picked up slightly in the Nineties with three nominations. Unlike José Ferrer 34 years earlier Gérard Depardieu failed to take home the gong for the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac and it wasn’t until 1998 when the thirty seven year wait for another international winner ended. Writer/director/actor Roberto Benigni pulled off one of the biggest shocks in Oscar history when he defeated Academy favourite Tom Hanks, British Thesp Sir Ian McKellen and bright young thing Ed Norton to the statue for his heart grinding role in La Vita é Bella.

Since Benigni’s historic win, only Javier Bardem has picked up any nominations. Despite nominations in the lead category in both 2001 and 2010 Bardem has only tasted success in the Best Supporting category where he took home the gold for his terrifying role in No Country For Old Men. 

It’s undoubtedly going to be tough for Jean Dujardin to break this years ‘A-list’ strangle hold however, if come February, the Frenchman is in the mix it would bode well for his chances. To find himself amongst such esteemed company is achievement enough but should he be nominated would imply some weighty support amongst Academy voters. Though it would be thoroughly deserved should he win, it’ll still be a shock to rival Benigni’s thirteen years ago. Unfortunately, as nice as it would be to see another international victor, my money’s on Clooney.

The ironically much talked about silent movie tells the tale of fictional silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) an egotistic showman who’s life force is the spotlight. Valentin is at the top of his game and on the cusp of an affair with up and comer – Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) when Hollywoodland turns its ear towards ‘talkies’. Refusing to move with the times, Valentin soon finds himself on the LA breadline, mocked at every turn by the bill-boarded visage of Peppy, Hollywood’s latest darling.

Over the next month or two you’ll hear a lot about this picture as the awards season kicks in but I would wager now, that on the morning of February the 27^th The Artist could be empty handed. That’s not to say I didn’t like it; on the contrary I loved it. Dujardin and Bejo are magnificent and the score, as you might expect, is second to none. The trouble is, whether or not the Academy deems the film too derivative. Obviously that is the point, it’s tribute, it’s romantic. Hazanavicus has crafted a clever little piece which encapsulates all the charms of the silent era right down to the heroic dog.

There’s the old adage, that you have to know the rules so you can break them. It’s clear that Hazanavicus has done his home work and the moments in the film where he cleverly exploits the restrictions of the medium are what sets this above a simple homage. Like Scorsese’s mastery of the third dimension in Hugo, The Artists mastery of sound and music makes it paradoxically old and new at the same time and it’s here where the films best shot at Academy recognition lie.

Granted Jean Dujardin has already picked up Best Actor at Cannes. However, this year stands to be ultra competitive with big hitters like Clooney, Pitt, Gosling and DiCaprio all the mix for Best Male Lead. The likelihood is that Dujardin will pick up the Golden Globe from the lead male, comedy/musical subcategory but the cynic in me thinks he’s more likely to be the ‘wildcard’ nominee than a serious contender (unfortunately) for the Oscar.

When it comes down to it though, the real triumph here is that this film even exists. It’s black and white, it’s filmed in the long forgotten 1.33:1 Academy ratio and it’s silent. The fact that a film as subversive as this has fought its way into multiplexes around the world is testament to all involved and it reveals much about the quality of the story at its heart. In a year in which you’ll be bombarded with big budget sequels, prequels and reboots it might just be good for you to watch something that speaks to the soul.

Lincoln
Director: Steven Spielberg
Release Date: December
You know what they say, you wait ages for an independant movie about the effects of an encroaching planetary body and then two come along at once (Melancholia/Another Earth). It’s the same story in 2012, as four months after Vampire Hunter, The Great Emancipator gets another big screen outing. This time however, there’ll be fewer vampires and more award nominations I’d imagine. With Spielberg returning to live action it’s no wonder the film has attracted a cast to shit yourself over. If early set photos are anything to go by Daniel Day Lewis looks to be an uncanny fit for the lead and he’s backed up by an ensemble boasting Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon Levitt, John Hawkes, Sally Field and Walton Goggins. With a December release date you can bet your sweet ass that this will be on everyone’s ballot slips come the 2013 Academy Awards (to be hosted by Cat Deeley).

Expect – An intense theatre set climax.

The Cabin in the Woods
Director: Drew Goddard
Release Date: April
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Cabin in the Woods is just another film about a cabin in some woods (I fell into that trap myself). However, the bat shit crazy trailer suggests that Joss Whedon is up to his old ‘subverting established genre conventions’ tricks again. With Whedon busy assembling The Avengers the reigns lie in the hands of writer turned director Drew Goddard.
Instead of the typical cast of teen-soap knife fodder, the pair have assembled a surprising cast boasting the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. Despite having two lengthy delays (one as result of 3D conversion, one due to financial issues) the film is set for an April release and whilst it might possibly have benefited from a Halloween release 3D horror seems to pull people in so this may well live or die by its word of mouth.

Expect – The unexpected.

Gangster Squad
Director: Ruben Fliescher
Release Date: November
Zombieland, hit. 30 Seconds or Less, miss. If the cast of Gangster squad isn’t enough to guarantee Ruben Fleischer a return to form I don’t know what is. Man of the moment Ryan Gosling is reunited with co-star Emma Stone (as is Fleischer). They’re backed up by the likes of Josh Brolin, Sean Penn and Nick Nolte in a tail of the LAPD and the Mob. Although it’s pitched as a ‘Crime Drama’ don’t expect Public Enemies. Gosling has proven this year that his dramatic chops transfer more than adequately to the realm of comedy and in The Help Emma Stone proved she’s not just pretty eyes and pratfalls.

Expect – Cinema screens packed with swooning ladies

Cloud Atlas
Director: The Wachowski Brothers
Release Date: October
It’s been three years since Speed Racer stalled at the box office (see what I did there). In that time Andy and Lana, better known as the Wachowski Brothers, have been working their butts off to get an adaptation of British author David Mitchell’s (not that one) novel Cloud Atlas. Though the production is shrouded in mystery the book itself was part of Richard and Judy’s infamous book club so you’d be forgiven for thinking this an unlikely adaptation for the Wachowskis. However, when you consider that the novel consists of six segments, all of which jump around both temporally and geographically, you start to see what attracted them to the project. Luminaries Tom Hanks and Susan Sarandon lead a cast which also features none other than Agent Smith himself, Hugo Weaving. It’s hard to predict what audience this will be targeting but there’s no doubt that if nothing else, the film will be visually groundbreaking.

Expect – Two inferior sequels that nobody asks for.

To make the task arbitrarily easier I have also discounted those movies decorated by the Academy earlier on in the year. Using my dog eared collection of ticket stubs I whittled the list down to fifteen movies then to ten, then to three, then finally to one.  The ticket that remained read simply ‘Submarine’.

Released way back in March, Richard Ayoade’s directorial debut seamlessly transported La Nouvelle Vague to Swansea via Wes Anderson’s middle America. A refreshing ‘Indie’ jaunt in a Brit-flick market saturated by shanks, shivs and all round rich person porn, Ayoade’s picture is hipster almost to a fault. Making extensive use of colour filters and lengthy ‘Super 8’ instrumental inserts Submarine is the light to the shade of the equally impressive Tyrannosaur.

Whilst Ayoade deservedly reaped plaudits for his impressive transition behind the camera, the real value here comes from the characterisation. The wonderfully realised characters crafted in Joe Dunthorne’s original novel thankfully survive the transition to 1986, a land of top loaders and Polaroid cameras. In Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) Submarine has a precocious leading man to rival anything Hollywood has spewed out in recent years. Tate is a pubescent philosopher, shackled to the Earth by the mundanity of teenage life. The flames of his self indulgent ponderings are fuelled by a burgeoning romance with bullying enthusiast Jordana (The excellent Yasmin Paige) and the arrival of new age, ninja guru Graham (Paddy Considine). More often than not, a ‘flagitious’ character who plots the assassination of his girlfriends dog my not translate well from page to screen however, Tate’s inter-textual narration harbours a redemptive quality which might otherwise have been lacking. The resultant product is a narrator of wit and whimsy, his internal struggle played out through external action.   

N.B. It’s at this point that I’ve reminded myself just how much I love this film and have had to get up and put on the special edition Blu-Ray (complete with art cards).

Ayoades decision to transport the narrative back to the eighties pays off with the national nostalgia for the time period held up by the personal nostalgia we all harbor, for those long forgotten first loves. The romance between Oliver and Jordana might be fleeting but in Oliver’s mind it’s as epic as any cinematic romance of old. For that reason alone Ayoade’s visual stylings are just as aplicable at a Swansea bus stop as they might be at the top of the Empire State Building.

If I’m honest, there wasn’t a lot to choose between this film and a couple of others, however, I wanted to write about Submarine for four reasons.

 1) It contains the line of the year; “Thanks for living up a fuckin’ hill”.

2) Paddy Considine sports a mullet like you’ve never seen.

3) Alex Turner’s soundtrack is both hip and heartfelt in equal measure.

4) More people need to watch this film.

In what could prove the role of a life time Lawrence plays the steely ‘Ree Dolly’, a teenage girl who is left to care and fight for her ramshackle family. With the families ailing livelihood under threat Ree is forced to persue her dead beat father and venture into the unscrupulous underbelly of the Ozarks, a remote mountain range spanning the central United States. As you’d expect, the only thing more inhospitable than the terrain are the local meth heads and pushers who, for reasons undisclosed do their best to keep Ree at arms length.

Although Lawrence’s performance is the main focus of press chatter it’d would be remiss of me to ignore the contributions of the supporting cast. Garret Dillahunt once again proves himself to be one of the most supportive actors in town following on from small but perfectly formed roles in some of the best movies of recent years (see No Country for Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James and The Road). Whilst their screen time is limited the young actors who play Ree’s younger siblings should also be acknowledged as although small, their on screen vulnerability is crucial in quickly establishing the family’s dire straits.

Having said all that, there is really only one substantial supporting role in the whole movie. Whilst John Hawkes has been working pretty steadily for the past twenty years he is arguably best known for his roles on the small screen, (like the afformentioned Dillahunt, he had a supporting role in the under appreciated show Deadwood). If there is any justice in the world Winter’s Bone should put pay to that. If Lawrence is a shoe in for an Oscar nom, then Hawke’s role as Ree’s conflicted uncle ‘Teardrop’ certainly gives him an outside shot at joining her in the winners circle.

Should you still need convincing as to the merits of this film then look no further than the above picture. Despite her relative inexperience with a megaphone writer/director Granik fills every scene with contrast. Her experience as a cinematographer seems to have paid off in her filming of the untamed Ozark region. Within single frames Ree’s surroundings seem stunning yet bleak, terrifying yet homely, dangerous yet protected.
Usually at this point I dredge up some pernickety beef I have conjured up for the sake of vitriol but in this case there is nothing. Instead I will utalise these vacant lines to point out that the sparingly used soundtrack is also excellent. Whilst it may not have the bravado of a Mansell or Giacchino score the sparce combination of traditional Blue Grass numbers and atmospheric score, composed by Brit rocker, Dickon Hinchliffe of Tindersticks fame, is a perfect accompaniment.

Well worth seeking out on DVD Right Frickin’ Now.

As it’s been a while since I’ve geeked out in public and written something entirely speculative and unfounded I thought I’d indulge myself by attempting to answer the question; can the new Spider-man be better than the last?

For want of a better place to start let’s begin by looking at the man behind the curtain, the director.

Marc Webb vs Sam Raimi
Regardless of how you feel about the existing Spider-man trilogy you would have been hard pressed to find a director better suited than Sam Raimi to finally bring the web slinger to the big screen. A lifelong ‘Spidey’ fan, Raimi succeeded where many, including Jim Cameron had failed. Though Sony were tentative about the appointment, Raimi’s back catalogue of pop-schlock pictures like Evil Dead and Darkman, coupled with his handling of the star laden ensemble pick The Gift proved enough to win him the gig. Sony’s faith was repaid by a billion dollar trilogy but unfortunately the mutually beneficial relationship didn’t last as Raimi came to blows with the studio in the early stages of Spider-man 4. Word on the (inter)web was that Raimi’s own fandom, a trait which initially earned him the gig, may have become a thorn in Sony’s side. Rumour has it that the biggest sticking point in the development of the fourth instalment was that of which character would throw down against the wall crawler. Raimi had been lobbying for ‘The Vulture’ since the second film however, Sony were unmoved by the thought of a bald old man with big green wings.
Instead the studio were more interested in pitting Peter Parker against the more extravagant (read more CGI) foe ‘The Lizard’. Whilst it’s understandable that Raimi would want to steer clear of another potential computer generated travesty, Dr Curt Connors had featured in the previous two films so his evolution into full blown nemesis would probably have felt more organic. With time passing and Tobey Maguire not getting any younger Sony’s eventual solution was to cut Raimi loose and order a complete reboot of the franchise.
In Marc Webb, Sony has appointed a director who has openly admitted that he is relatively new to the world of Spider-man.

It’s hard to say whether this is a deliberate reaction by the studio to Raimi’s more personal involvement with the source material. Either way it would appear that the execs have finally got their way with ‘The Lizard’ being all but confirmed as the villain of the piece. Whilst Webb’s connection to the source material may well be in its infancy he will be ably assisted by franchise vet, producer Laura Ziskin. And, let us not forget, Bryan Singer had never even picked up a comic when he signed on to bring X-men to the big screen. All this leads me to the conclusion that despite Raimi’s fan-boy knowledge, Webb’s objectivity may allow him to create a movie which appeals to an even broader audience.

Andrew Garfield vs Tobey Maguire
Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of radioactive super-nerd Peter Parker was, in my opinion, the franchises greatest strength. Maguire had been making a name for himself in acclaimed dramas like The Ice Storm, Wonderboys and The Cider House Rules so to be cast in an adaptation of a comic book seemed, at the time to be an unusual career move. Of course, these days, ‘serious’ actors are falling over themselves to don the spandex. Despite being twenty seven years old when the first movie was released Maguire had no trouble convincing audiences of he was a socially inept teen. Although some found the quaint ‘comic book’ humour of the films jarring in comparison to the more serious, cerebral adaptations (Hulk, Batman Begins), Maguire showed a comedic flair which he pitched perfectly for the role.
Despite his youthful complexion, and Sony’s suggestion that the new franchise would focus on a younger Parker, Andrew Garfield will in fact be a year older than Maguire when the film is released in 2012. Like his predecessor Garfield has also been on the receiving end of rave reviews for his dramatic roles in the likes of Boy A, The Social Network and the forth coming Never Let Me Go. However, the lack of any real comedic roles, coupled with the sombre looking photo seen above may be a clue into the tone of Webb’s vision. Garfield’s gift for the gritty will stand him in good stead should this new trilogy take a turn for the dark but there is no question he has big red and blue shoes to fill. Maguire may prove to have a more astute sense of comic timing but until there’s every possibility Garfield won’t need it.

Emma Stone vs Kirsten Dunst

This category is slightly skewed in the sense that the respective love interests are actually filled by two different characters. Dunst appeared opposite Maguire as quintessential girl next door Mary Jane Watson where as flavour of the month, Emma Stone is cast in the role of Gwen Stacey, a character who cropped up in the third film looking a lot like Bryce Dallas Howard. For me, Kirsten Dunst was the original trilogies weak link; hampered by Raimi’s inability to effectively execute female characters. Stone on the other hand has proven herself to be a popular combination of hubris and humour. Ever expanding roles in the likes of Superbad, Zombieland and Easy A may mean that Gwen Stacey may prove to be a change of tack and hair colour for Stone;

Webb’s work on (500) Days of Summer proves that he may have more insight than Raimi into the female of the species and those of you familiar with Stacey’s comic book arc will no doubt acknowledge that she is a far more interesting prospect than the rather two dimensional girl next door. So whilst it could be said that Emma Stone is in a much more promising position than Dunst ever was her recent performances would suggest that she certainly has the wit and panache to go toe to toe with Garfield’s Parker given the chance. Unlike Dunst, Stone appears perfectly cast for what seems, on paper at least, to be a much better role.

Rhys Ifans vs Willem Defoe

Another advantage that Webb has over Sam Raimi is that the honchos at Sony are almost certainly plotting this as a trilogy. Raimi on the other hand was forced to show his hand early, pitting Spidey against his arch nemesis, The Green Goblin in the first movie. With no casting announcements regarding either a ‘Norman’ or a ‘Harry Osborne’ Potentially, Webb can work towards an epic showdown and avoid peaking too soon. With Rhys Ifans cast as Dr Curt Connors the strong rumour is that Spidey will throw down with one of his more bestial foes ‘The Lizard’.

I know what you’re thinking; doesn’t this mean that Webb has simply bowed to studio pressure, relinquishing the creative control that Sam Raimi fought so hard to keep? Maybe, but then again maybe not. The Lizard would appear to be a logical first villain. As well as their alliterative names, Peter Parker and Curt Connors have lots in common, something which will allow Webb to play with the emotions and from the looks of the first official photo it’s not just Parker’s heart strings, The Lizard will be tugging on. The sheer animal brutality of The Lizard would be ideally suited to a darker, more violent outing and the Jekyll/Hyde nature of Curt Connor’s affliction means there’ll be no need for the troublesome costuming which hindered the first movie and Willem Dafoe’s otherwise decent performance.  

All this leads me to the unavoidable conclusion that there’s a strong possibility the new, as yet untitled, Spider-man reboot has the potential to be even better than the first run of movies. Garfield has his work cut out erasing the memory of Tobey Maguire’s Parker but I can think of no one better suited to the challenge. All these things, coupled with ten years of CGI development stand Marc Webb on the brink of a monster hit providing he can pitch the movie’s tone just right.

The only way you will not have heard of Aron Ralston or his book is if you’ve some how managed to bury your head in the sand for the last seven years. The irony being, that if you have had your head buried in sand for seven years you would probably have benefited greatly from reading his book.

Ralston is of course the out doors adventurer and all round adrenalin junkie who in a hideous twist of fate became trapped literally between a rock and a hard place. Being the intuitive folks you are you’ve probably guessed by now that Ralston was trapped in the remote crevice for around 127 hours before having to commit an act of incredible self mutilation in order to survive.

If I had one reservation going into this film it was James Franco, after all he wasn’t even Danny Boyle’s first choice for the role. Granted, he was fine as Harry Osborne in the Spider-man films. He was very funny in Pineapple Express. He even demonstrated a flair for the dramatic in the Oscar winning biopic Milk, not to mention his recent stint on General Hospital. But make no mistake, this film rests entirely on Franco’s performance and I don’t mind admitting that I underestimated the Oscar hopeful.

Despite the obvious limitation of being wedged between two sheer faces of rock Franco brings an impressive and seemingly imperative energy to Ralston. From the kinetic opening to the stationary middle act Franco maintains that sense of pace despite being for the most part alone and immobilised. It is that energy and the humour that comes as a result, that keeps you gripped for the length of the film. It is only really when you see that energy ebbing away that Boyle allows the gravity and tragedy of the situation to hit you and boy does it hit you. You’ll hear a lot about the ‘gore’ and ‘horror’ of that scene but by the time it comes around you can’t help but feel that to look away would be to abandon Ralston just when he needs you the most.

Rumour has it that the man himself, Aron Ralston envisaged his story more as a documentary and it was only after meeting with a persistent Danny Boyle that he agreed to the idea of a narrative film. In hindsight I can see why Ralston had reservations; despite its unquestionable cinematic heroism, 127 Hours on the page must have been a hard sell. But then Boyle has form. Both Trainspotting and Slumdog were based on books that at first glance would be tough to film and Ralston’s story is no different. All this leads me to the conclusion that like Franco, Danny Boyle has proven himself to be the best man for the job. Whether it’s enough to win him a second Best Director Oscar in three years, only time will tell. 

Boyle’s outside of the box thinking has resulted in a film so skilfully structured and assembled that it is equal parts experience and endurance. Spearheaded by a career defining performance from James Franco 127 Hours is a film that even if you don’t want to watch it, you need to watch it. Like last year’s best picture champ The Hurt Locker, Boyle’s film will prompt you to face some of those difficult questions that you do your best to avoid in day to day life and whilst that might not exactly sound like a good night out, you’ll feel all the better for it.