Me and Orson Welles

Richard Linklater hits us with a massive pile of 1937 in his kinda sorta not really biopic of brilliant visionary and legendary douchebag Orson Welles, as seen through the unfairly gorgeous eyes of a youthfully ambitious actor. Efron is vibrant as the teen lead, hitting the right balance of charm and ignorance while Christian McKay churns out a masterful representation of Welles that even Orson himself wouldn’t be able to criticise. The relationship between the two is a tad light, but still effective. Linklater’s recreation of pre-WW2 America is faithful but never overbearing, just like Orson Welles. Well, not really.

RECOMMENDED

Green Lantern

Thor and X-men: First Class achieved back-to-back superhero awesomeness (to much surprise), and DC’s own outlandish superhero origin story attempts to add another “-to-back” to this year’s quality comic book film season. Ryan Reynolds dons the ring adequately as cocky flyboy Hal Jordan and every minute on planet Oa is gloriously realised. Too bad we spend the majority of time on generic Earth watching generic relationships accompanied by generic Baywatch music. Still, there’s enough pleasing action scenes to tide most over, including a kick-ass finale. While I may not’ve been amazed by this first entry, I’m dying for a sequel.

WATCHABLE

Super 8

Abram’s love letter to the Amblin classics of old is more than just a wink, a kiss and a hug. It makes sweet, sweet love to the era and even calls it the next day. Super 8 is a wildly entertaining cul-de-sac sci-fi adventure that rekindles the glory of the Spielbergian films JJ draws inspiration from, whilst retaining its own identity. It’s a little anticlimactic near the end and some may feel the creature’s a bit too “familiar,” but the wonderful solidarity between the youthful leads and the brilliant mix of horror and wonder makes Super 8 an easy recommendation.

RECOMMENDED

Water for Elephants

1931 wasn’t a good year. The depression hit America hard. Water for Elephants captures this grim reality but manages to maintain the romanticism of the train-travelling big-top circus era. Pattison handles the leading role with a great deal of competency, though never seeming to transcend that level. This stands out more in comparison to the excellent performances given by Christoph Waltz and Reese Witherspoon. There are a number of vital elements that I wish were explored further and the ending’s a bit too clean, but nevertheless, Water for Elephants is an engaging tale of beauty in a very ugly time.

RECOMMENDED

X-men: First Class

Hey, remember how Wolverine Origins sucked? Well X-men: First Class is one big fat apology we can all accept. The film’s strength lies in its two leads, Magneto and Xavier, as they build their bond only to have it inevitably crumble through ideological differences. McAvoy and Fassbender play their roles to perfection, though I wish they developed their relationship with slightly more depth. The movie’s peppered with moments of awesome, despite some noticeably weak side characters. And if you’re still not convinced that First Class is the real deal, I have five words for you: evil mutant Nazi Kevin Bacon.

RECOMMENDED

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

I didn’t geek over the prior Pirates trilogy when they came out. Perhaps it’s my “wavering” fear of the ocean that restricted me from placing these movies beyond the realm of ‘enjoyable’. On Stranger Tides ventures no further. After a fun opening, the film takes a step back, dragging the audience with it. However, the movie drops its sails midway and picks up some much needed speed. McShane’s Blackbeard is a total badass (but could’ve used more moments of badassery) and the mermaid sequence is brilliant. Pirates 4 remains enjoyable, but continuing this generic formula can slowly sink the series.

WATCHABLE

Source Code

Disappointment is a bitter taste. I wasn’t a fan of director Duncan Jones’ (aka David Bowie Jr.) low-brow sci-fi hit Moon, but Source Code had me wildly excited. Unfortunately, the movie suffers from some blatant rule-breaking, awkward pacing and a total cop-out ending. It’s a shame too, because I can’t help but feel like the writer originally crafted a more sophisticated bitter-sweet story before having his script fondled and maimed by the purvey hands of Hollywood. Source Code is still enjoyable on a basic level, but it could have been so much more. Oh well, maybe next time Baby Bowie.

WATCHABLE