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Day: 4 April 2016

Review: High-Rise

Written by Jane Simmons on . Posted in Film.

Watching High-Rise is like taking a bad psychedelic trip and watching your worst fears for humanity play out in a claustrophobic tower block. The film follows Robert Laing (Tom Hiddleston), a reserved doctor who moves into a Bermondsey-esque tower building which operates a hierarchical system of lower class residents in the lower parts of the building, and the middle and upper classes dominating the top half of the building. But as ill-feeling is stirred by the lower residents in the building, a frantic madness begins to overcome the High-Rise.

High-Rise is a lot like reading your favourite graphic novel—each second of film is so detailed and perfectly positioned that each frame could be a Roy Lichtenstein picture, catching each and every thought and interaction of the characters.

Every drop of blood, every curl of smoke is so clear and colourful that it creates a sense of a nightmarish lucid dream. The costumes, hair and makeup augment this cartoony stylishness to the point of caricature, exaggerating the 1970s look of comedic sideburns, handlebar moustaches and floral dresses. What’s more, the direction is so stylised it does feel like a graphic novel flickbook rather than a film. A menacing Germanic synth cover of Abba’s ‘SOS’ is an apt nod to the era.

Tonally, Wheatley manages to create an amazingly tense watch. The film starts with such a slow build-up that it creates this momentum of dread which culminates into this frenzied and disorientating climax. Black humour is laced throughout, which seems to become less and less dark as the audience becomes desensitised to this. Having said that, for a film so sinister, elements of humanity and warmth are also present. Bonds are forged between characters as their world crumbles, and there is quite a tender moment in one scene between one resident and her son.

The cast were fantastic, and worked seamlessly well together as an ensemble. Hiddleston delights as the urbane Laing, and Sienna Miller is equally as good as the resident party girl Charlotte. The more unknown members of the cast are also brilliant, as Luke Evans portrays sinister working class actor Richard Wilder, and Elisabeth Moss shines as his restless wife, Helen.

One of the reasons why High-Rise makes for such fantastic watch is that, like all good films, there are myriad interpretations to its story. Ballard is perhaps the one who should be praised for this, but this is only highlighted through this interpretation of his work which has been so flawlessly executed. As you leave the cinema you can hear the stunned audience debating its true meaning —capitalism, humanity, class. It is completely up to the viewer to make sense of.

It is clear to see that Wheatley’s previous independent works such as Sightseers and A Field in England have been building up to a successful commercial film like High-Rise, where he can demonstrate all of his knowledge into one perfect feature. High Rise is definitely this. It’s so exciting to see him building and flourishing as a director, revealing another dark tale in a more inventive way each time.

It is hard to find fault with High-Rise as a film—every aspect of it flows perfectly together, and it is hard to take your eyes away from the screen. High-Rise is essential viewing if you want to see an original director in his element. Perhaps best avoided if you’re a dog lover though.

4/5

Review: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Written by Imran Bukhari on . Posted in Film.

Batman v Superman has been met with overwhelming disdain by critics, but just how bad is it? As a fan of Man of Steel and a comic book enthusiast, I am very much part of the intended audience for Batman v Superman. So it comes with a heavy heart to proclaim that the film is indeed a crippling failure. The movie will no doubt be a financial success, but it falls considerably short of living up to the promise of the greatest gladiator match in the history of the world.

The promotional material for the film has not helped its cause. Any slightly astute viewer of the endless glut of trailers released by Warner Bros. would be able to piece together the entire plot of the film. As a result, more giddiness and excitement was elicited from viewing teasers on a laptop months before release, than in the cinema watching the feature itself.

The main criticism of Man of Steel involved the climactic battle between Superman and General Zod, where the buildings and residents of Metropolis were left decimated by a smorgasbord of CGI. It is only right then that the director, Zack Snyder, has purposely attempted to correct said errors, by showing Superman dealing with the consequences of his negligence. Unfortunately, Henry Cavill has little material to work with. Instead of focusing on the inner conflict residing within Kal-El, we see the arrival of Ben Affleck’s Batman. He is a world-weary Bruce Wayne, one that has seen too many villains during his long tenure and won’t allow an alien with the power to wipe out the human race roam free. The announcement of Affleck’s casting was met with unanimous negativity, so the fact that he is the one positive feature of the film is ironic to say the least. His motivations and methods as Batman are different enough from the incarnations of the past, distinguishing himself in this new universe.

The action scenes are no doubt a visual treat, but lack the intrigue and engagement. Jesse Eisenberg is horribly miscast as Lex Luthor, coming across as nothing more than an annoyance, and bearing little resemblance to the character’s true intimidating and menacing roots. The ever-reliable Hans Zimmer also misfires horrendously with his musical contribution. His Man of Steel score is still present and resonates well with the character, but Wonder Woman’s harpy shrill and Luthor’s classical accompaniments are both uninspired. Batman himself is sorely missing a compelling leitmotif. Zimmer was responsible for the seminal theme of The Dark Knight, so asking him to repeat the same magic again was a big ask.

Ultimately, the rushed nature of the project in order to compete with the dizzy heights of The Avengers is a wild mistake. The spectre of Marvel resides heavily over the whole film. Viewers were able to learn about the heroes first, with Iron Man, Captain America and Thor in their own solo adventures. When they finally united, the moment felt earned. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Women suffered most from this issue as she was given sparse development. A solo Wonder Woman film released beforehand would have been of great benefit.

Where the film really deteriorates is the inherently poor storytelling. There are four films within one—a Man of Steel sequel, a Batman introduction film, Batman v Superman (the fight itself lasting only a short period of the running time) and finally, a Justice League setup. Scene after scene goes by with no substantial connective thread to tie together these various plotlines. Simply put, there are too many elements being juggled, and with the addition of dream sequences and flashbacks, the narrative is unnecessarily complicated. With the introduction of so many new characters and the plugging of future films, the end product is overlong and soulless.

A brave and challenging failure would have been acknowledged with more respect than the safe, checklist-ticking approach employed. The film’s biggest offence however, is that it is solely reliant on the iconography of the characters to sell the story and at no point does Batman v Superman ever add to its own glorious mythology.

2/5

Alternative uses: Coconut oil

Written by Elena Gibbs on . Posted in Books.

Some alternative uses for the white gold:

1. Car Fuel
Amazing! A hippie-approved peaceful method of powering your engine and single-handedly boycotting the oil industry. As if this wasn’t brilliant enough, your exhaust will also emit the delicious smells of the Caribbean as you chug along. Add a touch of pineapple juice for extra flavour.

2. Toothpaste
You heard of it as a hair mask, you heard of it as body lotion. But did you think of smearing the good stuff all over your pearly whites?! Behold! There is no limit to coconut oil’s cosmetic value. Simply immerse your teeth in a chilled block of the stuff and let nature do the rest. For best results leave on all day and use the excess for lip balm. It will make your teeth appear super shiny and kissable. Mmm.

3. Food preservative
Do you ever find that your fruit goes off before you get chance to eat or use it? Never worry again! Slather the contents of your bowl in a protective layer of coconut oil. But don’t tell your housemates, they might be freaked out. Enjoy watching them as apples and bananas continue to slip from their hands.

4. Contraception
Now this one isn’t 100 per cent, so by law we must disclaim any responsibility for the results of this one. But apparently, sticking a spoon on your nose using the coconut oil as a kind of ‘glue’—if you will—helps to reduce chances of impregnation during intercourse. This may not be foolproof, but at least you’ll look good.

5. Self defence spray
Mix two tablespoons of coconut oil with 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper and 100ml water in a spray bottle. Keep in an inside pocket and generously spritz enemies in the face any time danger is perceived.

So there we have it. Five more invaluable uses for the legendary coconut oil! What has coconut oil done for you? Helped you lose weight? Fixed your marriage? Got you a first class degree? Let us know how we can benefit further from this heaven sent product in the comments below.

Review: Anomalisa

Written by Charlotte Gough on . Posted in Film.

Charlie Kaufman, the acclaimed screenwriter of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich, once again explores the theme of interiority and the minefield of human relations. This time it’s in collaboration with Duke Johnson in a stop motion comedy-drama and bizarre love story about a man in the midst of a midlife crisis.

Michael Stone, a celebrity in the world of customer service (David Thewlis), feels alienated and bored with life. Having travelled to Cincinnati to deliver a speech at a seminar, he has a stilted phone conversation with his wife, child, and a failed reunion with an old girlfriend—whom he walked out on years ago—at his hotel.

It is here that he is suddenly enchanted by the passing voice of the giggly, self-deprecating super-fan, Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh), in which he sees something extraordinarily beautiful. She is the only one able to reach Michael in a world of monotonous, colourless mundanity; an anomaly… Anomalisa.

Anomalisa is a perfect exploration of internalised, depressive isolation as Michael’s view of society is a mass of faceless faces where everyone—besides one other solely ‘special’ person—looks and sounds so tediously similar, as Tom Noonan’s perfectly bland tone voices every other character besides Michael and Lisa.

As Michael suffers the dreariness of his stay in the featureless ‘luxury’ hotel room, Kaufman’s ironic humour wittily exposes the customer service industry with its hollow attempts to suit the needs of every ‘individual’ whilst following the same dehumanised script for the masses, thereby examining the concept of independence within an artificial society on a larger scale, with an (actual) set of mindless, manipulated puppets. It is with this trademark cynicism that Kaufman critiques the romantic notion of ‘soulmates’, as Michael is self-absorbed, dismissive, and, at times, mentally imbalanced. His relationship with Lisa ultimately forces us to question whether a supposedly shared and meaningful connection with another person is simply founded on a naïve fantasy of our own narcissistic envisioning—one that is potentially destructive.

The puppetry is visually mesmerising as Michael and Lisa display every facet of human emotion with endearing, tormented intricacy through what is a sewn-on mask of a face, brought to life only through a series of pictures. As a huge fan of stop-motion, I have always found it a delightful and sadly underused medium, but also rather disturbing.

Those familiar with such classics as Coraline and Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride may recognise the haunting, adult quality of these macabre and uncanny spaces, where the figures are human-but-not-quite; both real and robotically surreal with controlled movements and expressions that call into question our very authenticity as humans. Hence—into what was originally a live ‘sound-play’ with the same cast—this animation adds all the more poignancy to Kaufman’s concept, avoiding its usual pigeonhole of children’s psychedelic dark-fantasy.

The film does have its moments of wild surrealism where Michael’s identity and psychological stability become—literally—dislodged, as words dissolve into mechanical ticking and half of the puppet’s face falls off in a physicalised existential panic. This is impressively original in its self-reflexive treatment of stop-motion animation, reinforcing that clever, unnerving comment on the fragility of human identity.

The foray into mental disorder, for me, however, steered too far away from the sympathetic realism of the film. Such sequences as Michael’s erratic speech—which descends into an odd political rant—and his paranoid nightmare especially, don’t completely work. They appear a little too disjointed and take a lot of unpacking to be altogether enjoyable, at least for the first viewing.

Indeed—whilst this was presumably the whole point—I found that the realtime scenes and much of the comedic moments rather laboured, with varying degrees of vulgarity that didn’t really fit with the film’s central pathos, and with such a profound concept, the dialogue often fell flat. Audiences will no doubt feel deflated by the abruptness and disappointment of the ending but, in some ways, therein lays its tragic and all too lifelike genius.

3/5