Robot and Frank

Clever, funny and moving tale of an old man and his robot.

Retired jewel thief Frank, who refuses to accept his memory trouble, is given a robot care assistant by his son. Frank soon realises he can exploit the robots programming, and the unlikely pair soon try their luck with a multi-million dollar heist.

Set in the near future, Robot and Frank explores the difficulties of old age dementia in a unique and touching way, revolving around Frank’s relationship with his unnamed companion. He resents the robot at first, believing he is capable of looking after himself, but a strange kind of friendship slowly develops, pushed forward more so when Frank discovers the robot’s programming means he will put his new owners well being above even the law. The relationship is both comical and moving as Frank begins to accept the robot as friend despite its inability to display any real emotion or feeling, while the onset of dementia pushes him further away from those closest to him. 

The casting is near perfection, Peter Sarsgaard’s comforting, yet monotonous voice proving a wonderful contrast to the low rasps of Frank Langella. Chemistry between the supporting characters is consistently believable and often very powerful. Susan Sarandon is wonderful as an old fashioned librarian, working in a library which has become something of a hipster relic in a time where technology has moved beyond printed information, the underlying romantic tension between herself and Frank makes for one of the most interesting love stories to be commited to film in recent years.

The beauty behind Robot and Frank is that it tackles the difficult subject old age dementia, and evokes strong emotions from the audience without ever being too heavy. There are many moments throughout the film which genuinely tug at the heartstrings; notably Frank’s refusal to accept that the robot has no feeling as he becomes more attached and the films climax manages to leave barley a dry eye in the house without being melodramatic. This is offset throughout the film with subtle humour in Frank’s incredibly cynical, often sly yet lovable nature bringing a perfect balance to what could have been a very sombre tale.

A real gem of independent cinema, which puts you through all the emotions some of Hollywood’s film makers could only dream of. A sharp script, wonderful cast and plenty of charm make Robot and Frank a must see. 

And you can now on youtube for free!

Parker

Like every other Statham movie, but not as good.
 

Despite being similar to Statham’s other characters there is something about Parker that is just far less likeable, probably the fact he is just as dodgy as the bad guys, but claims he has certain standards which make his killing and stealing out to be ok. “I don’t steal from people who can’t afford it, and I don’t hurt people who don’t deserve it.” He says while stealing $1.2m from a county fair. I don’t know much about the American Carnival circuit, but it must be one hell of a good job if they can afford to take that kind of hit. Still, a hostage starts to freak out and Statham, (dressed as a priest) helps him keep calm, earning himself some more nice guy points.

The heist successful, Statham’s criminal posse turns nasty when he decides not to use his cut to fund the gang’s next big job. Clearly these guys haven’t seen Transporter or Crank, so think attempting to kill our bald headed bad-ass hero is a wise move. Despite a good beating and a few bullet wounds, Parker manages to discharge himself from the hospital, and begins car-jacking his way to revenge. 

 

His exploits put his loving girlfriend (not Jenifer Lopez!) in the firing line, but we’re told that’s cool because he needs to kill these guys for the principal. The film comes to a grinding halt as he slowly tracks down his betrayers, kicking only the occasional ass on the way, and teaming up with hapless real estate agent Jenifer Lopez. J-Lo brings pretty much nothing to the table since we have already established the Stath’s in a committed relationship with a woman who gets about 3 minutes of screen time. Her performance appears to be taken straight out of her rom-com back catalogue, making her already pointless character seem even more out of place. continue to follow a lack lustre version of the usual Statham movie format, walking away from life threatening injuries just because he’s hard, driving J-lo wild by being mysterious and eventually (SPOILERS!) killing all the bad guys.

In short: Lacking the sexy cars, stunts and high speed chases of the Transporter movies, and the outright ridiculous action of Crank, Parker feels like it never really goes anywhere, and never gets you on the edge of your seat. If you REALLY love The Stath and have to see it, wait for the DVD.

Oz: The Great and Powerful

Explore the wonderful wizard’s origins in Disney’s latest visit to OZ

Kansas carnival magician, and self confessed con-man Oscar “Oz” Diggs (James Franco) finds himself in the magical land of Oz to discover he may be the fabled wizard destined to free the wondrous inhabitants from the wicked witch, and claim the throne.

 

James Franco gives a fantastic performance in a role that was obviously written with Johnny Depp in mind. Something about Franco’s lower profile makes the character more relatable, and certainly more unique than the Jack Sparrow clones Depp has been rolling out in recent years. The movie focuses heavily on Oz’s development as a character. His circus illusions and cocky attitude prove a hit with the residents of Oz at first who are so desperate believe their saviour has arrived. But as his arrival sparks a series of vicious attacks from the evil witch and her flying baboons he soon begins to feel out of his depth among the real conjurers. His journey from arrogant, greedy con artist to great and powerful wizard is hugely entertaining, and genuinely touching at times, especially the relationship with the little china girl which is where we really see softer side.

The Land of Oz has never looked more beautiful. The landscape comes from the sae minds that bought you Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland; however Oz is far more vibrant and full of colour which caters perfectly to its younger target audience. The characters are no loss jovial, the effect is a wonderfully unique world which audiences young and old will find themselves immersed in.  Just a small warning, some of the scarier characters, and more intense scenes towards the films climax could be a bit frightening for the little ones.

Certain elements of the plot feel a little rushed, or over convenient; Oz doesn’t ever seem overly surprised at the world he has arrived in; once Mila Kunis tells him he is in OZ, he seems pretty cool with it. This kind of thing can be expected in a family film, and with a hefty running time of 130 minutes as it is there would be little point worrying about such details.

In Short: This latest trip to Oz is a great fantasy adventure with something for the whole family; Full of l lovely nods to the 1939 classic, while still providing a thoroughly unique experience. Well worth a viewing in 3D!

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
Lashings of guns and gore in this action packed twist on a classic fairy tale.

When I first saw the posters for this movie with the crazy title and crazier guns I thought this movie could plunge straight down the toilet, especially after the flop of last year’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. But the closer it came to the release date, the more excited I became for what promised to be a great, if somewhat mindless, fantasy action adventure. With those expectations in mind Hansel and Gretel certainly delivers, and then some.

You know the original story; Hansel and Gretel abandoned in the woods by their father stumble across a mysterious cottage made of delicious sweet treats. Lost and hungry they head inside and are taken captive by a wicked witch. Hansel is locked in a cage and fatten up on delicious sweeties while Gretel is forced to serve their evil captor. The pair eventually outsmart the witch and burn her to death in her own oven. It is about this point that the fairytale ends, and the movie takes a whole new turn. 

Filled with anger over their abandonment and with a taste for witch blood the siblings make a name for themselves across medieval Germany as witch-slaying bounty hunters. The title sequence flashed up a series ye olde style news paper headlines about the duos accomplishments in the years after their encounter in the candy cottage as a nice way to jump from fresh faced youngsters to adult bad-asses without wasting any time. (Where did they come across their witch-slaying arsenal of rifles, rapid fire crossbows and Gatling  guns? Who needs to know?)

Cool bounty hunters don't look at burning witches

After a large number of children disappear from a small town the mayor hires the titular duo to get to the bottom of it and bring the youngster back alive. Much to the chagrin of the towns villainous Sherriff (Peter Stormare)  who would much rather burn any woman accused of witchcraft until the problem goes away. (queue scene of witch on trial in front of angry villagers, during which I couldn’t help but listen out for a shout of “She turned me into a newt” which, alas, never came.) the story drives on with barely a pause for such things as character development, two much of which would have felt totally out of place, and it isn’t long before we are treated to showers of gore, explosive fight scenes and cheesy witches, all coming at you in glorious 3D.

 The cast is solid so long as you can suspend your disbelief of American accents in medieval Germany (which, if you can deal with a cottage made of lollipops shouldn’t be too big a stretch) the CGI holds up and the 3D is thoroughly abused in order to chuck as many exploding heads, and flying limbs as possible into the audience. Yes it is flawed (crimanally under using the fantastic Stormare) but at 88 minutes in length you sure as hell won’t get bored.

Oh, yeah, there is also a friendly troll

In Short: Hansel and Gretel delivers exactly what one would expect, and more. If you like your movies a bit more challenging, with  fleshed out characters and a rich storyline which keep you deep in thought long after you leave the cinema, then you’re better to avoid this one. If you want a kick ass popcorn flick with a reasonable dose of originality and some fairy tale cheese then be sure to catch this, as it is defiantly one for the big screen!