Chris At The Pictures: robert downey jr
    • Showing posts with label robert downey jr. Show all posts
    Showing posts with label robert downey jr. Show all posts

    Wednesday, 5 July 2017

    'Spider-Man: Homecoming' - Review

    7/05/2017 05:33:00 pm
    'Spider-Man: Homecoming' - Review
     
    ★ ★ ★ ½ ☆

    “Not another Spider-Man reboot!” I hear you moan, as the third iteration of the wall-crawler in a decade (now played by young British star, Tom Holland) gains his first lone outing. I totally sympathise. The apprehension that the character has been wrung dry by Sony/Marvel in such a short time is understandable, but surprisingly baseless here. If anything, the previous versions have been a blessing: audiences are now so familiar with Peter Parker’s origins that Marvel Studios, having wrapped the character in the warm embrace of their Cinematic Universe (hence the dual-interpretation of Homecoming), take the chance to cover new ground.

    We catch up with Spidey fresh from his tussle with the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, but now facing possibly a greater challenge: sophomore year of high school. Fawning over fellow whizz-kid, Liz (Laura Harrier) and feeling rejected by Tony Stark (a short appearance by Robert Downey Jr.), our teen in tights finds it hard enough balancing heroism with hormones. The arrival of Michael Keaton’s Vulture (a disgruntled hoarder of the tech left behind after various super-sized scuffles) serves only to tear Peter’s allegiances between his worried Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), his schoolfriends and his promise to Stark yet further.

    Homecoming drops the rather operatic tone of the Raimi movies (and whatever mode of address the Marc Webb duo was going for), adopting something more homogenous within the wider MCU (read: breezy, quippy, plenty of explosions). Those labelling it a John Hughes-style teen movie are probably still arguing that The Winter Soldier was a Cold War thriller. Nevertheless, the smaller stakes and tighter focus allow this to stand out, if briefly. There’s a smidgeon too much banging and clattering towards the end (what else is new?), but that’s redeemed by a pursuit of character development and moral lessons over empty spectacle.

    We’re not talking the usual city-levelling humdrum so blindingly avoided by Civil War, but something comprehensible, comedic and (most importantly) personal. Holland’s Spider-Man is one more likely to knock over a mailbox than a multi-storey, who apologises for the slightest calamity and is genuinely doing what he does to make people’s lives better. Stark’s plea for Peter to remain a “friendly, neighbourhood Spider-Man” is one we sympathise with not because we want him to lie low, but because we’d hate for him to get hurt. My point of comparison for Holland as the web-head is neither Tobey Maguire’s dorky bumbling, nor Andrew Garfield’s misjudged angst, but Gal Gadot’s endearing sincerity as Wonder Woman.

    The remaining cast are an amiably diverse bunch (considering the population density and cultural mix of contemporary New York, a sea of white is neither progressive nor factually accurate), including a great turn from Jacob Batalon as Peter’s roommate, Ned, and a short but winning role for Zendaya as snarky classmate Michelle. Keaton – batting aside the countless Birdman jokes with enormous CG wing-blades – is gamely gravelly.

    Michael Giacchino’s score isn’t much to write home about, a hugely entertaining revamp of Paul Webster and Robert Harris’ Spider-Man cartoon theme being the rare exception. Once he’s done with War for the Planet of the Apes, can we collectively ask Hollywood to give him a break? I’m a huge fan of his music, but with 11 scores under his belt in less than three years, I worry they’re overworking him. His compositions are the only element of Homecoming that raise the law of diminishing returns, lacking the sheer epic quality of Elfman or the late James Horner’s emotional wallop.

    Much like Deadpool for 20th Century Fox, this solo jaunt amounts to little more than a breath-freshener for the MCU. It’s a much-needed step back from overwhelming ensemble casts and endless digital vistas, delivering a story that revels in simplicity, morality and comedy. Now, if you’ll join me for a musical finale, to the tune of the original Spider-Man theme. Altogether, now…

    Spider-Man
    Homecoming
    Does whatever a soft reboot should
    Tells a tale, small of scale
    Lots of laughs, lots of heart
    Enjoy! It's a whole bunch o' fuuuuun

    (Sorry)
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    Friday, 24 April 2015

    'Avengers: Age of Ultron' - Review

    4/24/2015 03:08:00 pm
    'Avengers: Age of Ultron' - Review
    Everyone seemed bowled over when Joss Whedon’s first foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe hit screens three years ago, but upon re-watch it felt (at least to some) that the gags well all loved the first time fell a little flat and the spell was somewhat broken: maybe people were shocked that a superhero film could have any margin of wit beyond endless self-referential satire? Regardless, the majority still left the cinema after Avengers Assemble with a smile wide enough to put the Cheshire cat to shame: so, does Age of Ultron meet the standard?

    First, the plot: after several successful missions to bring the remnants of Hydra to justice, less-than-satisfied Iron Man Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) asks Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to help him kick-start an artificial intelligence programme, Ultron, to take over from the Avengers and ensure world peace. It all goes up in smoke and the Ultron programme has taken on a life of its own (voiced with honeyed evilness by James Spader) and it’s up to the Avengers to save the world again.


    Strangely, everything that worked so well in the first Avengers feels empty here, and everything that’s great about Age of Ultron is what was missing in its predecessor. The bright, pristine colours of the 2012 film are gone, replaced with a total visual mess. The unimaginative cinematography rarely pauses to take in the scenery and spends a lot of time thrust up against the actors’ faces, which becomes such an issue that there are some moments where we get the Transformers problem (read: a lot of stuff happens very loudly and incomprehensibly). There is a fine line between delirious and dizzying, and Age of Ultron crosses it way too often.

    But where the Transformers comparison (thankfully) falls away is that not only can you follow the story and the characters, you enjoy spending time with them. The gags feel a lot less forced and will definitely stand up to a second viewing, and the script is much more streamlined, giving every character has their time to shine. Standout moments are gifted to Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Elizabeth Olsen as newcomer Scarlet Witch, and James Spader's Ultron is gleefully nasty, a dark side reflection of his creator.

    For those not fortunate enough to have caught up with the standalone pieces (and if you’re one of those, check out Iron Man 3 right now) then don’t fret, as the script ties up the small character strands (such as Tony Stark’s fear of the wormhole) rather neatly. I only wish that the musical flair of the solo pieces transitioned so smoothly. Brian Tyler – whose scores for Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World I bought the moment I left the cinema after each respective film – has been hired to work the decks here, and has failed spectacularly: despite assistance from Danny Elfman, the music is dull and uninspired, saved only in the moments when tAlan Silvestri’s superior work from Avengers Assemble is hastily spliced in.


    However, nit-picking the faults in the music or complaining about the jumbled visuals feels like taking pebbles from a beach in the face of such a gigantic film firing on all cylinders. This is a film made by someone who really enjoys the source material and wants the audience to have fun too. Whatever faults Age of Ultron has (and there are many), it’s still an entertaining, funny, light-footed action romp that doesn’t feel the need to stoop to the lowest common denominator.

    There are enough of those ‘wow’ moments; those iconic shots when the group stand together in the face of unimaginable odds, and the music swells and Tony Stark drops a clever quip, to keep you engaged and grinning. That’s what you want in an Avengers movie, and when it works, it really works. 

    ★★★½☆
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    Sunday, 19 October 2014

    'The Judge' - Review

    10/19/2014 05:33:00 pm
    'The Judge' - Review
    In a drastic change from his previous work, director David Dobkin takes the helm of The Judge, a courtroom drama featuring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall as estranged father and son. High-flying lawyer Hank Palmer (Downey Jr.) returns home to attend his mother’s funeral when things take a sudden turn for the worse as his father and town judge Joseph (Duvall) is arrested for murder. Realising that his father’s own lawyer isn’t up to the job, Hank begins constructing the case for his father’s innocence while attempting to reconcile past family turmoil.

    Robert Duvall has seen a noticeable drop in decent roles since the glory days of the seventies and eighties but The Judge is there to remind everyone just how remarkable a screen talent he can be: Slipping seamlessly from low-key moroseness to a harsh bark, it feels like Duvall has been slowly building up to this performance for years, an incredible culmination of an age spent in lacklustre roles just waiting for the right time to give everything he has. While Downey Jr. spends the preliminary thirty minutes re-treading the Tony Stark shtick for which he is now world-renowned, he slowly but surely grows into the role and by the finale has become utterly believable.


    Perhaps the most involving element of the film is also the most problematic: there is a shift partway through the film where we discover that Joseph is in the midst of a destructive illness, and in a moment of real emotional resonance, he becomes reliant on Hank – the son who has detested him for many years – to help him beyond the proceedings of the court case. It’s a refreshingly honest moment that for some may be difficult to watch, but is all the more admirable for it. What a shame it is then, that moments like these are so often juxtaposed by sequences of sugary, saccharine predictability that threaten to drag the picture down.

    The more unfortunate side effect of this clashing tone is that the running time is stretched to a ludicrous one-hundred and forty minutes, which – combined with the dashing of schmaltz – brings to mind an image of the director eyeing up an Academy Award. By the time you reach the final hour your brain has gone with it but you’ve probably lost the feeling in your lower back. It feels even more astonishing that the film feels so languorous considering that (thankfully) it doesn’t feel the need to stop every five minutes and explain the courtroom jargon to the audience.

    Luckily, there are a number of much better-handled elements throughout that distract from the dragging run-time, predominantly the likeable yet understated score by Thomas Newman, and a performance of ‘The Scientist’ by Willie Nelson brings the right level of melancholy as the credits roll. There is also much to admire in the cinematography, the deep shadows and harsh lighting bringing to mind the sensibility of a noir piece, and I for one would argue that the movie may even work altogether better in monochrome.

    While many moments have the ‘for your consideration’ feel to them, the massively watchable performances prevent The Judge from slipping into the realms of over-hyped and uninteresting Oscar bait. Duvall has never been better, and Downey Jr. is slowly extending his forte beyond wisecracking. There’s predictability and schmaltz in spades, but so handsomely mounted and involving is the drama that it won’t be denied.


    3 stars
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    Friday, 27 June 2014

    'Chef' - Review

    6/27/2014 12:02:00 pm
    'Chef' - Review


    Directed by and starring Jon Favreau in the lead role, Chef centres on Carl Casper, a restaurant chef who loses his job thanks to a food critic (Oliver Platt) and his conservative boss (Dustin Hoffman). Estranged from his son Percy (Emjay Anthony) and divorced from wife Inez (Sofia Vergara), Carl decides to ditch the restaurant scene and strike it out on his own with a ramshackle food truck in order to reclaim his creative passion and piece his family back together.

    Taking a break from directing mega-budget action fare such as the Iron Man movies, Favreau appears to be taking himself in an entirely different direction with this simple, cheerful comedy. The colour palette is bright and bursts with colour, which lends itself well to the subject matter, and there’s barely a character to be seen without a beaming smile on their face.

    A healthy and enjoyable sprinkling of comedy is scattered throughout, relying very little on toilet humour and instead using a variety of gags based mostly around Twitter and the snowball effect of the internet, and the obvious jokes about food. The good natured tone of the whole film is nicely topped with an energetic and vibrant soundtrack that ranges from soft rock to heavy rhythmic samba pieces that come into play during the scenes of actual cooking which should not – under any circumstances – be watched on an empty stomach.




    Favreau himself is believable in his lead role, and for the most part appears to actually be cooking most of the food himself rather than using a double, which adds to that believability. Sofia Vergara is sparky and fun as she always is, and Emjay Anthony adds a nice touch of innocence as the tech-savvy son desperate to connect with his father.

    The supporting cast is littered with a few of the directors past associates, Scarlett Johansson faring well as head waitress and close friend of Casper, and Robert Downey Jr. more or less plays himself as Marvin, a cleanliness-obsessed businessman who hands over the truck. The film also stars John Leguizamo in what must be his least irritating role to date as Carl’s best friend and sous chef. Whilst the character arcs do become very predictable and by-the-numbers as the story progresses, the audience is having so much fun that it’s very easy to just dismiss the writing issues as merely a side effect of the extravagant charm with which the film handles itself.

    A film that just wants everyone both involved in it and watching it to have fun is a rare thing, and that’s exactly what Chef is. In culinary terms, it is perhaps best compared to an 8oz steak: big, hearty, with one or two side dishes to add a little variety and that one predictably uneaten piece of garnish that you never really ask for but forgive the restaurant for anyway. Tuck in and enjoy.

    4.5 Stars
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