Review: The Adjustment Bureau

Blade Runner. Minority Report. Total Recall. Any of these ring a bell? Perhaps they do. Perhaps you are in the know and recognise the origins of these classic stories as the genius work of Philip K. Dick. A pioneer in science fiction, he dedicated his entire life to exploring and publishing works on the genre and I for one am thankful for it.

The Adjustment Bureau is the latest efforts of his to be adapted into a Hollywood film. Starring Matt  Damon and Emily Blunt, it is a tweaked version of his short story titled  Adjustment Team written in 1954, with director/writer George Nolfi (writer; The Bourne Ultimatum) making alterations from the original by changing names, events and narrative, yet the deviation plunges his project into the 'unknown quantity' category, but claims to maintain the quintessential elements of the premise.

Politician David Norris (Matt Damon) is running for Congress when a chance meeting with Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) in a restroom sparks an instant love affair. However, a secret organisation known as the Adjustment Bureau, a team of all seeing, all knowing men who adjust humanity's fate, deem that the pair are not 'scheduled' to meet again in their lives. But when they cross paths after a blunder from Norris's minder Harry, (Anthony Mackie) whom fails to adjust his fate, higher figures within the Bureau are forced to step in and prevent the pair from ever finding one another, as doing so will alter their fates for the worse.

It's worth noting that Damon and Blunt initially do a convincing job of creating chemistry and set up interesting characters and, thanks to the screenplay, an intriguing story worth exploring. Nolfi's clearly put his all into the project, yet something about the character development, plot and overall progression is lacking.

It's clear the material presented to Damon and Blunt restricted them in terms of showing off their acting palette. The characters they portray are one dimensional, which is somewhat disappointing after the glimpse of their potential during their first on screen encounter. Admittedly being a bigger follower of Damon than Blunt, it felt like a step back in his career after such prominent roles as Jason Bourne (Bourne Trilogy) and Detective Sullivan (The Departed) to emerge with, at times, a bland and 'mushy' performance that failed to live up to the misinformed claim that the film was 'Bourne meets Inception'. The Adjustment Bureau is neither of these. In fact the amount of action and thrilling elements are severely lacking amongst a preachy, slow moving story about the powers that control life and indeed the planet's destiny. A little too spiritual in places, being somewhat of an atheist, I was left feeling alienated and frankly unconvinced by it's uninspiring plot.

What initially raised expectations were certain aspects regarding the trailer which, whilst it wasn't amazing, pulled me into the world where mysterious men in overcoats control the fates and lives of everyone. Yet even the trailer had problems fizzling out into a weak conclusion, which ultimately reflected in the finished product.

It's important to address some key issues to demonstrate the film's  problems which include inconsistency and questionable logic. The Adjustment Team affirm themselves as an all mighty power over the world. The team are  lead by Richardson (Mad Men's John Slattery) gives the impression that him and his trilby wearing men could do anything, be anywhere, similar to The Matrix's Agent Smith. But as the narrative progresses, we quickly learn that these so-called 'rulers of fate' are no more than sloppy, bumbling fools, thus undermining what they stand for.

Therefore, with no clear threat or fear factor from the Bureau, it makes it difficult to evoke any real concern for our protagonists and fails to create genuine tension within the story. More worrying is the thin and poorly directed plot which, after the characters are established, struggles to build momentum or muster any constructive progression.

Support from Michael Kelly as Norris's political advisor, Charlie, is under used and as the build up to the film's climax is played out, he is nowhere to be seen as the focus becomes solely on David and Elise and their seemingly hopeless attempt to be together, which involves a lot of running and pushing people out of the way.

Towards the latter stages of the film it feels like it doesn't really know where the story is heading, as a conclusion doesn't render logical or conceivably consistent with the premise. As it turns out the climax was bitterly underwhelming as well as ambiguous, and not in a positive way. The result leaves me confused and pondering what exactly it was I witnessed for the 100 or so minutes. Saying that, it  wasn't all a complete wreck. The acting shone with glimmers of quality but the pacing, or lack thereof, left me bored with little plot twist or development.

The original idea from Dick was interesting, as is its concept, yet Nolfi's alterations appear to have stalled what great potential it had. Sadly the story is weak and uninteresting, coupled by a lack of pace and direction required for its genre. Topped off by a lacklustre climax, The Adjustment Bureau becomes a sluggish chore to watch for most parts, while the point of the whole thing remains ambiguously unresolved to say the least, which left me questioning why I even cared in the first place. Compared to Dick's other adaptations, this falls way short of the quality of the aforementioned Blade Runner or Minority Report, which were well executed, superbly directed, atmospheric sci-fi thrillers. The Adjustment Bureau sadly isn't.

★★

Sources : Internet Movie DataBase
Images :  Google Images

Preview: Source Code

If you're not familiar with 2009's surprise indie hit Moon, then now is the time to educate yourself. Newcomer Duncan Jones directs Sam Rockwell through an interesting and dramatic sci fi unlike no other. Jones (formerly Zowie Bowie and son of David) creates a simple, yet high concept flick, which barely scrapped the surface of the mainstream, yet was a massive hit with critics.

Jones's follow up remains in the realms of science fiction with soon to be released Source Code starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan. The trailer is  reminiscent of 2008's Vantage Point which has elements of repeating the same scenario (in this case Gyllenhaal can keep reliving the last 8 minutes of someone's life) but hopefully a much better attempt, more along the quality of Groundhog Day one hopes.

Supported by a strong cast including Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright, Source Code promises to be a much  faster, more thrilling film than Jones's debut, whilst retaining his quality and attention to character development that made Moon so memorable.

Check out the trailers here...





Sources : YouTube

The Oscars 2011 : The Aftermath

It was an interesting Oscars 2011. With all the hype at the end of last year surrounding The Social Network, it was the selection of great films that emerged early this year that spoilt David Fincher's preemptive victory. It's no secret that The King's Speech got the most attention and the Oscar buzz, which then became poised to snap up most of the awards it was nominated for.

The aforementioned title was predominantly praised for the performance of Colin Firth, who (some say) rightly went on to win Best Actor, and whilst I agree his performance was excellent, it wasn't one of the most memorable roles, and for me, doesn't sit alongside the greats.
So whilst The King's Speech went on to win four Oscars (Actor, Picture, Director, Original Screenplay), conflicting opinion would suggest there were more worthy winners.
I'll give Firth some acclaim for his role as King George, even though there were other brilliant performances from the likes of Jeff Bridges and James Franco, but lets be honest, Bridges was never going to win the award two years running, it's just how it works. Having seen most of the Best Picture nominees, personal judgement would suggest True Grit, Inception and Toy Story 3 were far better. However, it's not uncommon for the winner of Best Picture and Actor to triumph hand in hand, so no major surprise there.

The big upset for me was that it scooped Best Original Screenplay. I'm in admittance that the writing was excellent, but correct me if I'm wrong, isn't the idea of an original film surely based on an originally conceived idea and not on a true story? For me Inception was far more deserving of winning that award because, simply put, Chris Nolan is a genius. His script is fascinating and one that is completely generated from an original, never before seen idea.
The directing, in both style and substance, didn't really convince me that The King's Speech should win the gong for that acclaim, yet Tom Hooper prevailed. I found Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan to be a far more accomplished and interesting portrayal of his characters, thus a stronger candidate for the Oscar.

Now my The King's Speech rant is over, lets talk about the other big winners. It was a shame that Toy Story 3 was an 'also ran' for Best Picture, mainly because the opposition was so damn strong, but was none the less a truly superb film. Thankfully, as predicted, Pixar claimed Best Animation and rightly so. Toy Story 3 is simply a classic film and a near flawless end to a fantastic trilogy.

The surprise for me was Christian Bale walking away with Best Supporting Actor. I do love Bale and find his acting outstanding for roles in The Machinist, Breaking Dawn and of course; Batman. After seeing The Fighter I was left feeling that he may indeed beat Geoffrey Rush, but still decided to back Rush as I really enjoyed his performance (far more than Firth's). However, I was proved wrong and pleasantly surprised with Bale's win.

Natalie Portman's victory was the most unsurprising of the night. Even though she was challenged by other excellent performances from the likes of Amy Adam (The Fighter), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine) and Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Portman was always firm odds on to win. Melissa Leo joined Christian Bale in a successful night winning Best Female Support for The Fighter. Granted her acceptance speech wan't the most dignified, her acting, on the other hand, did impress. Again,I found her performance very strong and spot on, but felt newcomer Hailee Steinfeld was by far the stand out nominee for her role in the Coen's True Grit, which failed to make any real impact on the night. But I don't care, their film was still ridiculously awesome.
Whilst on the thread of True Grit, it was very disappointing for Roger Deakins to miss out on Best Cinematography yet again. What does this man have to do to get the acclaim he deserves?! Instead Inception won, which was still pleasing as it was probably my favorite film of 2010 (with Toy Story 3 a close second).

The less prestigious awards (that are no less deserving in admiration) presented expected outcomes, with Alice In Wonderland winning Costume and Art Direction. Brit nominees Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite missed out on Best Short Film with their efforts for Wish 143, but it was great to see them considered for an Oscar. The one thing that confused me was the Foreign Language Film outcome, which saw Javier Bardem starring in Biutiful, which was surely set to win as it was in the mix for overall Best Picture. Yet it was pipped to the post by In A Better World, which I found strange as Biutiful was competing with the likes of The King's Speech and Black Swan, yet failed to win in it's own sub category.

There were some cool photos from the ceremony, plenty of well dressed stars too and, as is custom, a selection of bad ones. Christian Bale sported a big ginger beard, and a heavily pregnant Natalie Portman looked lovely. But the photo that impressed me most was the one below capturing Jeremy Renner's 'glance' at Scarlett Johansson. I wonder what he was thinking...?

Sources : Google Images

Review: True Grit

When I watch a Coen Brothers film for the first time, I can't help but have an expectation that I'm about to see something really special, especially as they've set the bar high with recent films such as No Country For Old Men, I was expecting something special. Of course, my expectations aren't merely based on recent Coen outings - I tend to judge them on their entire careers stemming back to the likes of Fargo, The Big Lebowski and Miller's Crossing to mention but a few.

I always get excited as soon as a new Coen Brothers trailer is released, and their sneak peek of True Grit was all I hoped for. Atmosphere, tension, Jeff Bridges complete with bad ass eye patch, meant I had to wipe the drool from my chin and find ways to busy myself until its February release.

I'm happy to admit I am, in no way whatsoever, disappointed with their latest efforts, even though it sways from their unique and original stories. Based on the Charles Portis novel of the same name, as well as inevitable comparisons to the 1969 version which saw John Wayne claim his first and only Oscar for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn, the Coen Brothers have a different vision of the story which bares little relation to the original film. It is only fitting that such an iconic role would be tackled by the legendary Jeff Bridges. A spot on decision as Bridges creates his own persona with his own characteristics and mannerisms seeping through, which contribute to both the serious nature of the ruthless Cogburn, as well as the dark, quirky humorous side the Coen's are synonymous with.

The story is driven by 13-year-old Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld) who, after her Father is murdered by ruthless outlaw Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), hires Marshal Cogburn to hunt the killer down so she can personally get bloody retribution. With some persuasion Cogburn agrees, but the pair have several run-ins with Texas Ranger, LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who is also on the trail of Chaney. The story centres around the pursuit of Chaney, as their journey presents them with various hostilities that allows the rich characters to shine, which is trademark work from the Coen's.

The feel of the film right from the beginning is one of absolute authenticity. It is enough that you are able to completely immerse yourself into the world of the American West. The visual prowess of the film is one of its strongest aspects. Cinematographer Roger Deakins does a fine job as he captures the beauty of the landscapes and danger of the Great American Plains, and genuinely impresses with the realistic look of absolutely everything in every single shot. In fact, the authentic nature, and the way in which the Western genre is tackled here, is something that feels even better on reflection. True Grit is the perfect creation of a Western and is something you will be left wanting more of after you leave the theatre. It really charms without even being self aware.

As I mentioned, Jeff Bridges is great. A man associated with mesmerising performances (as noted by his Oscar win last year for Crazy Heart) is guaranteed to give a class performance. His interpretation of Cogburn, without feeling the need to base it on Wayne, displays the quality of acting I have come to expect from him. Bridges does a compelling job as he creates a very hostile, real character blended with a sense of humanity as he, albeit slowly, warms to Mattie during various points of peril. However, it is newcomer, Steinfeld, that delivers probably the strongest performance of all. She continually dominates her screen time with such a likeable and assertive performance, it wouldn't be unthinkable for her to nab the Best Supporting Female Oscar. She really is that good.

The dialogue within the setting is an intriguing aspect. Would the Coen's use the contemporary, witty dialogue they are so accustomed to, or would they stay true to the time period and retain absolute authenticity? The screenplay includes dialogue straight from the Portis novel and has an old fashioned, real-to-the-time colloquialism that contains subtle Coenisms that enrich the experience, and add conviction to its intended realism, whilst still remaining a Coen movie.

Seeing the brothers succeed outside of their comfort zone was refreshing and somewhat of a relief. It shows that they can tackle any genre whilst weaving their own sense of style into whatever they produce. True Grit is a thoroughly solid Western that oozes authenticity, to such a high degree, that you might actually believe they went back a century to film it. Rich dialogue and the uniqueness so often associated with the Coen's is present in abundance, but True Grit is definitely one of the more subtle films in the pairs filmography.

True Grit is laced with Coen magic, yet holds its roots firmly in the original novel. Regardless of the 'remake' stigma, the film is simplistic in its narrative approach. The stylised setting, acting and story telling ability by the Coens makes True Grit an absolute pleasure to watch.

★★★★★
Sources : Internet Movie Database
Images : Google Images

Oscar 2011 Predictions (Part III)

Well here it is. We've reached another, albeit the last, of my Oscar Predictions for 2011. As with most final film instalments, they usually turn out to be a mess (suffice to say I don't acknowledge Back To The Future as a trilogy any more). However, there are always the exceptions; The Bourne Ultimatum, Toy Story 3 and, hopefully, The Dark Knight Rises to name a few, which is how I perceive my third Oscars post. So wipe the sadness from your  eyes, pull yourself together and prepare yourself for the final part...

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

It's likely that this award will be between two contenders. Christian Bale's performance as hot headed Dicky in The Fighter is getting a lot of praise and it's clear he's put the time and dedication in to transform him into a washed out, older, dishevelled persona of real life boxing trainer Dicky Eklund. However, having witnessed the wonderful chemistry in The King's Speech, it would be a somewhat safe bet to assume that Geoffrey Rush will emerge as the winner. His performance is definitely a strong one, so wouldn't be the biggest surprise, especially should his aforementioned film win in other categories such as Best Picutre and Best Actor.

MY WINNER : Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

PROBABLE WINNER : Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Whist Helena Bonham Carter was great as soon-to-be Queen Elizabeth, and even though Melissa Leo has received strong critical appraisal for her role in The Fighter, it is new comer Hailee Steinfeld that absolutely merits this award. For a 14-year-old débutant sharing screen time with the likes of Bridges, Damon and Brolin as well as working with the legendary Coen Brothers is big enough, but to deliver such a sure and assertive performance is nothing short of amazing. Even eclipsing Bridges at times (which I assure you is no easy thing to achieve), Steinfeld is certainly the most deserving of recipients.

MY WINNER : Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

PROBABLE WINNER : Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) / Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

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BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

It's regarded as a crime to cinema that Brit cinematographer Roger Deakins has been cruelly overlooked in this category for the past 15 years, having been nominated a whopping 9 times. Considered one of the best in his field, his outstanding vision for beauty is most certainly one to behold. Having never won an Oscar, it's surely his year for the wonderful efforts on the Coen Brother's western; True Grit. There's also a chance the award will go to Danny Cohen for multi-award favourite; The King's Speech, or even Matthew Libatique for Black Swan.

MY WINNER : Roger Deakins (True Grit)

PROBABLE WINNER : Roger Deakins (True Grit) / Mathew Libatique (Black Swan)

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BEST ANIMATION

Nothing even comes close to Toy Story 3, which concludes a trilogy as close to perfection as you are likely to see. It should be a genuine contender for Best Picture and completes a hat trick of consecutive, top quality Pixar releases (WALL-E and Up) that literally knock the socks off audiences and critics alike. Need I say more?

MY WINNER : Toy Story 3

PROBABLE WINNER : Toy Story 3

Oscar 2011 Predictions (Part II)

I'm having a bit of a Ford Coppola moment; creating a follow up that promises to be as good as, or better than, the first. I could be getting ahead of myself, but with only a week until the Oscars 2011 the mood is tense. Let’s begin, or continue, whichever way you want to look at it...

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BEST DIRECTING

Arguably the most meaningful award to those at the helm of movie making, the competing choices include Black Swan, True Grit, The King's Speech, The Social Network and The Fighter. It's likely the panel will sway towards The King's Speech and even in the direction of The Social Network, as they seem to be getting most of the pre-Oscar awards, not to mention they often go with the trend of the Best Actor (should Firth emerge victorious). But, in true rebellious fashion, I believe there is only one winner; the brilliant Darren Aronofsky. His direction for Black Swan is simply beautiful and I really admire the techniques he uses as a film maker. His hand held, indie style is something to be adored, which make his films a visual feast to watch. Outstanding.

MY WINNER : Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)

PROBABLE WINNER : David Fincher (The Social Network)/Aronofsky (Black Swan)

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BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Personally there is no contest here. The fact that the Coen Brothers have remained faithful to the original Portis novel, as well as created something different and individual to the John Wayne picture of the same name. However, critical appraisal appears to be heading to Facebook story scriber; Aaron Sorkin, where his scripting prowess has propelled him to the summit of the 'most desired writers' pile.

MY WINNER : Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit)

PROBABLE WINNER : Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)

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BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Again, the choice seems somewhat obvious (to me anyway). Chris Nolan's high concept and mightily ambitious script for Inception beats everything else hands down. What's most refreshing is that the biggest film of 2010 is not, I repeat not a remake/reimagining/revamp or sequel. The nearest contender is probably The King's Speech, but I only foresee one outcome.

MY WINNER : Christopher Nolan (Inception)

PROBABLE WINNER : Christopher Nolan (Inception)/David Seidler (The King's Speech)

Oscar 2011 Predictions

On sibling site Movie Meanings we, the contributors, have decided to share our opinions and predictions on who will go home happy, and who will be falsely grinning as they applaud someone else’s acceptance come February 27th at the Oscars. So without further ado...

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 BEST PICTURE 

Very tough category with the likes of Inception, Black Swan, True Grit, The Social Network and Toy Story 3 all competing, it is difficult to say where the award will go. Professionally speaking, it's most likely heading towards Colin Firth based; The King's Speech or Fincher's The Social Network. It would be nice to see Nolan pick up the Oscar for Inception, but would require a massive change in tradition from the committee to hand it to a summer blockbuster; it's the type of film they tend to stay clear from. Personally I would like to see True Grit walk away with the spoils. The Coen's produce something perfect in its genre, with such an authentic feel, not to mention excellent acting, but wait, that's for another story...

MY WINNER : True Grit

PROBABLE WINNER : The King's Speech/The Social Network

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BEST ACTOR 

…I'll jump straight in and follow on from my True Grit appraisal and go for Jeff Bridges. His portrayal of Rooster Cogburn is truly his own. He bases the character on Portis’s novel and not on John Wayne's 1969 Oscar winning performance. Having said that, the academy will more than likely go for Colin Firth as seems the trend at the BAFTAs, but don't rule out the outside bet of Javier Bardem for his gripping portrayal in Biutiful. 

MY WINNER : Jeff Bridges

PROBABLE WINNER : Colin Firth

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 BEST ACTRESS

Considering Natalie Portman scooped the prize at the BAFTAs it would be no shock to see her succeed at the Oscars. I was half expecting Annette Benning to snatch it for The Kids Are Alright if I’m being honest, but there you go. Again the competition is fierce, with gut wrenching performances from Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine) and Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole). I would bet my money on Portman who thoroughly deserves such acclaim for her role as ballerina Nina, shame she went on to star in No Strings Attached (the term ‘a hit and a miss’ springs to mind).

MY WINNER : Natalie Portman

PROBABLE WINNER : Natalie Portman

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Source: Google Images