Plastic

Interestingly, Plastic is based on a true story. Whenever a film has that phrase flash up on screen it makes you question it more - except Plastic doesn't have that effect. The film follows a group of four misfits, Sam (Ed Speelers), Fordy (Will Poulter), Yatesey (Alfie Allen) and Rafa (Sebastian De Souza). Living what seems the high life successfully running a credit card fraud scheme, their comfortable lifestyle is disrupted when they steal from the wrong man. The only way to get this sadistic gangster off their trail is to give him what he wants and of course he wants money. Except this needs to be the biggest scam they have ever pulled off.

This is where the girl comes in. Just so happens that Sam's school crush, full lipped and well hair sprayed hair Frankie works at one of the worlds leading credit card companies - handy eh? Once she is on board the gang head to Miami to earn back their lives and pay off Marcel. Sun, beaches and endless cocktails - but is this really what Frankie signed up for? 

This script is laced with lies, manipulation and deceit. On the surface this group of 'lads' seem pretty content with scamming their way through life except we are never really given any reasons behind their motivation to pursue such actions in the first place. Additionally, the character development was a little absent. They all began as unlike able characters and remain that way until the credits roll. Plastic's main problem was the execution of lines. It felt like half the time this rather young cast forced that one line out as if to say, 'guys you need to laugh now'! Despite that, Alfie Allen gave a great performance and had the majority of good lines, which certainly made one chuckle. After Game of Thrones, it's nothing this actor can't handle. It was disappointing to see EE BAFTA's rising star Will Poulter as the on screen clown. The poor boy was dressed up in virtually every scene, along with Skins star Sebastian De Souza sporting a couple of fake moustaches. Starring as Marcel, and doing a phenomenal job of playing a trigger happy hardcore gangster is TV series Dracula's Van Helsing, Thomas Kretschmann. It was clear that the only reason Emma Rigby was on screen was to run around scantily clad on the beach and pout excessively. Surely they could have utilised this Hollyoaks actress a little more? 

After getting over all that, the production values were intriguing. Plastic was shot in an almost independent way and was a breath of fresh air when it comes to teen flicks. Considering this is the latest work from director Julian Gilbey who provided us with Rise of the Footsoldier (2007) and A Lonely Place to Die (2011) Plastic is very light in comparison. The British crime scene is still there and violence is certainly present but nothing compared to what this man can really do. Plastic is a raw, British film not without it's faults but entertaining nonetheless. 

Directed by Julian Gilbey
102 mins, 15 (2014)

Noah

After Black Swan (2010), Requiem for a Dream (2000) and The Wrestler (2008) it seems you can't go far wrong with Darren Aronofsky - until you witness Noah. The production values were there, the narrative was there, the talent was there all to be let down by one major aspect for any film - the script. 

"In the beginning there was nothing". We are first thrown into a bible lesson of the biblical story of Cain, Abel and Seth which helped put things into perspective before it becomes Gladiator on water. At no stage of the film do you find yourself empathising with Noah and his trying destiny 'The Creator' has chosen for him. Not that Russell Crowe failed as Noah, it just seemed a shame to see an actor as he wasted in such a role. The blatant disregard for human life over nature was too apparent. The entire film was laced with environmental connotations, only for everything to get swept away in a apocalyptic flood to punish man for eating an apple.

Acting beside Crowe yet again, is the wonderful Jennifer Connelly who brings a glowing maternal force to the screen. In a world where one cannot live without fear of being hunted by man, she gives the viewer hope. Not to mention she completely steals the show when it comes to her performance, even if she has limited screen time. Their two eldest boys Shem (Douglas Booth) and Ham (Logan Lerman) served their purpose, but by no means gave stellar performances. Not even your luscious lips can save you now Douglas. However one casting choice did bring a surprisingly good effort, ensuring us she is much more than the fluffy haired witch Hermione Granger. Emma Watson brings emotion and fierceness to her orphaned Ila. The casting of Ray Winstone as the descendant of Cain, Tubal-cain worked to a certain degree, but only because his character was a barbaric carnivore that wants revenge. Nothing the man can't handle. 

So the animals came in two by two, hurrah - except they were poorly CGI generated ones that quite frankly let the film down. Along with the representation of The Watchers appearing as a cross between The Iron Giant and Transformers if they were made of boulders, let's say the budget didn't go to the SFX department. The films saving grace came in the form of weird and wonderful montages. In fact, such dreamlike sequences evoke thought of Malick's art cinema approach and physiological themes represented in Aronofsky's previous work. If only the film explored these aspects further, rather than produce dull dialogue and a hybrid of Darwinism and Creationism. Noah was an overall visually stunning feature, albeit not what one expected from the trailer and certainly not what anyone expected from such an acclaimed director.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky
138mins, 12A (2014) 

The Snare is set to scare

No Hope, No Way Out, No Turning Back.

Leading actress and associate producer Eaoifa Forward describes The Snare as a vicious, brutal, deranged and psychological horror. Well it's certainly grabbed my attention. 

The Snare follows three students who get held against their will by a paranormal force that resides in the apartment they booked for a boozy weekend. Not only have they hit the nail on the head genre wise with such films as the popular Paranormal Activity series and The Conjuring being released recently, but from the films trailer this looks rather terrifying. This independent horror is director, writer C.A. Cooper's début and it sounds like he made it a pretty special one!

The feature was shot over 4 weeks, with 4 actors, 4 crew members, with the mere budget of £4,000 and to top it all off - edited in an attic.

It's safe to say that this man had a clear image of what he wanted to gain from his production and took to bizarre methods to achieve it. Cooper's rather eccentric and maniacal approach is said to have pushed the actors to their absolute limit - but boy did he get the results he wanted.  As well as pushing his cast to physical and emotional extremes he also wanted the fear to be ultimately real. To embody the feeling of being trapped inside, he kept the actors safely in the apartment even after shooting had finished. He also controlled their meals gradually reducing the amount of food he gave them, making their feelings and experiences all the more real (but always kept them hydrated). From the glimpses we get here, it appears such methods have translated on screen and it shall be very interesting to see it in it's entirety.

So, do keep your eyes peeled for what looks to be a very chilling independent horror, as The Snare is set for release very soon.  Take a look at the films trailer and see if The Snare is scary enough for you.

For more information please visit: www.thesnarefilm.com

The Lego Movie

Before we go any further, let's just clear something up - Everything is Awesome in Lego Town! And trust me, you'll be singing the oh so catchy song for weeks to come. 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, have taken on the challenge of giving the popular toys of Lego a voice in the highly anticipated The Lego Movie. These guys, plus a team of highly skilled animators and special effects buffs provide us with something quite special when it comes to animation. With a combination of stop-motion and computer generated animation, it translates on screen how much time and effort went into making this a Lego spectacle. It is safe to say that they have thought about absolutely everything and how an entire world would appear and move made out of little Lego bricks. 

Leading this animated journey is ordinary (yet made of yellow plastic) builder Emmet (Chris Pratt), who finds himself in the awkward position of being placed as the man who is destined to save the world from the evil President Business (Will Ferrell). Yet all he is, is an average workman who certainly is not save-the-day material (sorry Chris Pratt!). To help him along the way we have the likes of a Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and not forgetting the quirky love interest, Wyldstyle/Lucy voiced by Elizabeth Banks. The main thing to point out here is that this is not just a children's film for the half term, the utterly genius script writing will give adults every excuse to sit through it. This is a clever, satirical and very DC comic-ee film. The banter between Green Lantern and Superman is a very nice touch (a definite plus for fans) and gets even better when you realise the two are voiced by 21 Jump Streets stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum - and I get you can guess who plays who. 

The Lego Movie will certainly make the whole family laugh but at the heart of this film is a much deeper message. If you haven't already, grab yourself a ticket to see Emmet embark on his journey, tackling epic floods, robot Lego's and all with a crazy wizard, Vitruvius fabulously voiced by Morgan Freeman at his side. 

Don't forget that everything is awesome - until Unikitty gets angry. Never, ever get Unikitty angry!

Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

100 mins, PG (2014) 

Unforgiven (許されざる者)

Yurusarezaru mono is a Japanese remake of the Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning film Unforgiven. Whilst the western world have been known to adapt Eastern tales, it has never really become common place for an American film to be retold through a different culture – until now.

This is a film that stays completely true to the original. The general characters and plot stay the same but instead we are given a Japanese setting of Hakkaido in the 1880’s. Due to this shift, there are evidently more cultural differences. Especially when it comes to the harsh tension between two rival tribes, the Wa and the Ainu. With this in mind, even though the original was pretty heavy, the violence seems even more noticeable considering the sheer amount of gore that comes with Samurai’s using their swords. We are introduced to a retired Samuari, Jubei Kamata (Ken Watanabe: Inception, The Last Samuari) who seems to have a pretty tiresome life living off the land with his two motherless young children. An old friend from the war Kingo Baba (Akira Emoto: The Eel, Dr. Akagi) travels to ask him if he would help him kill some men who repeatedly sliced the face of a prostitute, Natsume (Shirio Kutsuna) – of course a reward is involved.  

Just as they two did in the original, they travel to the small town unfortunately run by a ruthless Sheriff Ichizo Oishi (Koichi Sato) to track down the culprits. Vowing to never kill again, this becomes a race between hunting down the guilty men and Jubei nicknamed ‘The Killer’ during the war, battling internally with haunting memories of the past. This becomes quite an intense battle between anti-violent laws and a man who sees the people who need to be eliminated and follows through. Even though Unforgiven contains brutal imagery, the film enforces the Eastern codes of honour and tradition, making this fight much more than just gaining some Yen.  Watanabe is an excellent substitute for Eastwood, bringing a humble yet crazed performance to his Jubei, ‘The Killer’. Emoto also gives a fine performance as Morgan Freeman's stand in. The films comedic moments (which are certainly needed) are all down to the drunken and impulsive acts of youngster Goro Sawada played by Yuya Yagira.

Despite the films rather downbeat subject matter, Unforgiven is beautifully shot. The snow covered mountains make a great substitute for the bare west and Sang-il Lee’s direction does a tremendous job with this bold change. Unforgiven is just as concerned with acts of aggression as it is forgiveness. Although a lengthy running time if you can get lost in the story it is well worth sitting through this Japanese retelling of the Oscar-winning original.

Directed by Sang-il Lee
135 mins, 15 (2013)

Mob City - Pilot (A Guy Walks Into a Bar)

The Walking Dead's creator Frank Darabont brings us a fresh, new production trading in flesh eating zombies for money hungry gangsters - this is Mob City. 

Jazz, the roaring Twenties, booze and flappers. Mob City will not fail to grab your attention within the first five minutes of viewing, which is certainly a plus when it comes to any new series. The dark, film Noir style is incorporated flawlessly with the 40's genre alongside great looking sets, costumes and most importantly the gritty 'always up to no good' dialogue fits the bill. The pilot episode immediately jumps in and gives you an insight into early organised crime in America focusing mainly on the city of Los Angeles. 

Of course like any opening episode we are introduced to lots of characters and story lines that have yet to be explained. The screen is full of familiar faces when it comes to American TV shows. Fronting this story is Jon Bernthal as Joe Teague an LAPD detective who let's say has just a few acquaintances in the Mob. We are later let into the fact that the main gangster they are trying to hunt down is the infamous Mickey Cohen played by up comer Jeremy Luke. This episode also has a treat in store and this treat comes in the form of Simon Pegg, walking and talking like a 40's gangster who goes by the name of 'Hecky Nash' - what more do you want? When it comes to the mob scene there are inescapable connections with iconic films such as the classic, L.A Confidential and Polanski's Chinatown albeit we also have the feel of the recent hit series like Broadwalk Empire and the feature film Gangster Squad. Yet this seems to stand out. Perhaps down to the fact that it is more focused on the lavish and stylistic side of the era rather than directly adapting John Buntins book that follows Cohen and Parker lives in L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the the Soul of America's Most Seductive City.

With a strong cast containing the likes of Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Jeffrey DeMunn (The Walking Dead) and Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers) this new crime series appears to have a lot of potential. If you are a fan of the gritty, full of attitude 40's then this is definitely up your street. Mob City leaves you wanting more and I for one am already looking forward to the next instalment. Catch Mob City on Friday evenings on FOX. 

Coloured Snow (Short Series)

Small Production Company Cumulo Pictures targets the short film market with their latest series of shorts; Coloured Snow.

Is seeing really believing?

This is the main question posed to us throughout this psychological thriller. Coloured Snow follows the story of Terry, who has sadly just lost his wife but is still convinced she is very much alive. As endless visions of his late wife Hazel flood Terry’s mind things start to get interested and we as viewers start to question what we see before us. Being 14 short episodes ranging from seconds to around to approximately 14 minutes build this story, cleverly scattering clues and hints for us to follow gearing us up for the series finale.

Firstly, Coloured Snow is following suit with the whole, don’t give too much away tactic that seems to be popular throughout TV and Cinema, and does this well. It is certainly a breath of fresh air when it comes to making you think for yourself and most importantly – originality. Alongside a well written script, which at times is a little un-nerving we have an eerie, melodic soundtrack by Stumbleine that makes the series all the more effective.

Despite the solid script, at times lead actor Matthew Jameson seems a tad uncertain of what he is actually saying. Albeit this is the guys character as he hallucinates about this dead wife, but it still felt a bit too forced especially when it came to the flashbacks we receive. Meanwhile, Cerian Holland playing the part of Hazel flips nicely between ‘dead’ and ‘alive’ in various silky evening gowns. Of course, this isn't an immaculate piece of work, but considering this was produced within the restrictions of a low-budget, Coloured Snow is a great example that good things can be accomplished without shoving a tonne of money behind a project. 

Director and writer of the show, Ioan Holland has certainly shown us their is potential in his work and shall hopefully pave the way for bigger projects in the future. With inescapable references to sci-fi and other worlds Coloured Snow is a unique short series that is worth your time. Enjoy deciphering this one, just be prepared for the shaky, handheld camera used throughout the series. 

Start your journey here and get lost in the world of Coloured Snow:  http://ow.ly/rGz4x