GONE GIRL

Basically…

When Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) disappears on her fifth anniversary, her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) becomes the prime suspect. Told from his perspective in present time, and hers in the form of diary extracts throughout their relationship it becomes obvious, amid the media circus, that there are two sides to every story.

In other words…

A game of who’s the psychotic one.

The main men and leading ladies…

While reading Gone Girl I pictured Bradley Cooper as Nick – then heard early on they’d cast Ben Affleck to play him. It didn’t take long to change the image in my mind and soon he became the perfect one for the role. And as predicted he did the part justice, perfectly striking a balance between awkward, uncaring and just socially unaware. Pike does well to depict Amy as both strong and powerful, but also weak and vulnerable at the same time.

In the chair…

When it became known David Fincher was going to be the brains behind the big screen adaptation it was always going to be in safe hands. Working with author, Gillian Flynn, the screenplay sticks almost religiously to the book and the Fight Club and The Social Network director still manages to put his own chilling dark stamp on it.

So…?

The eagerly anticipated adaptation is well worth the wait. The book, which has become a soaring success for Flynn, is popular for its gripping and addictive writing style. And the film reflects this as at two and a half hours long you don’t have a second to relax and second guess how long’s left. It’s been getting some scathing reviews for its seemingly sexist depiction of Amy and females in general but it’s about time a mystery thriller dug deeper than the predictable surface we’re used to. Like the novel, the film keeps you gripped and your mind constantly working. The intricacy of the plot begins to fall into place perfectly and there’s never a worry that it could get too ridiculous or unbelievable. It stays within the realms of reality while still being able to blow your mind and get under your skin.

Worth the money?

Film of the year so far, stop reading this and go see it.

LIFE AFTER BETH

Basically…

Zach (Dane DeHaan) is heartbroken when his girlfriend Beth (Aubrey Plaza) is killed by a snake bite on a hiking trip but soon discovers she isn't actually dead and her parents are actually hiding her in their house. As she slowly makes the transition into a zombie though, he finds it difficult to live with her changes.

In other words…

A romzomcom…in that order.

The main men and leading ladies…

The eternally wonderful Dane DeHaan is yet again the cherry of perfection on the movie cake. Playing one of his most normal and stable roles yet, for once we can actually relate to him. Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza has her finest moment in the form of a selfish, moaning flesh-eating zombie.

In the chair…

I Heart Huckabees writer Jeff Baena makes his directing debut with his real-life girlfriend starring as the finger-sucking undead. He also managed to secure some of Hollywood’s finest actors (John C. Reilly) with some of the most exciting youngsters (including Anna Kendrick). 

So…?

This has an ideal sense of humour for this style of quirky romzomcom, but it fails to ever hit the spot. The actors are top notch, the plot is original and the tone means it never takes itself too seriously, but there aren’t many laugh out loud moments. Zombie lovers will say there’s too much rom and not enough zom but it does well to reflect many teenagers’ problems – feeling lost, confused in love and the struggles of breaking free from their parents’ grasp. That and girls can be a bit psychotic at times. Kendrick adds another dimension with a particularly amusing car park scene, but it’s DeHaan and Plaza who carry this movie and save it from being a complete flop. It loses it’s way a bit but it’s easy to appreciate the effort nonetheless.

Worth the money?

Save it for Netflix. In the background.

BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP

Basically…

Christine (Nicole Kidman) is an amnesiac and wakes up every day with no memory of recent years because of a traumatic accident. She keeps a video camera diary to help her piece together her daily life and work out what caused her memory loss, which in turn forces her to question everyone around her.

In other words…

Memento with a different type of camera.

The main men and leading ladies…

Nicole Kidman is back to her best with shades of her performance in The Others while Colin Firth continues to be creepy and cold. This is a far distance from when the pair worked together on The Railway Man earlier this year with this being Kidman’s chance to shine.

In the chair…

28 Days Later writer Rowan Joffe took on the popular novel by S. J. Watson after being approached by Ridley Scott’s production company Scott Free and successfully turned this compelling, dark and gripping story to the big screen.

So…?

Watching the trailer you can’t help but think it’s a Memento rip off. In a way it is, but there’s a limit to how original amnesiac films can be considering so many have been made. In the end, this film is a lot less of a headache than the Christopher Nolan masterpiece. It’s less challenging on the brain and instead of working backwards with Polaroids this moves forwards with a digital camera. But despite it not being in quite the same league, there are some really hard hitting scenes – like when Ben is sitting outside the house on the phone. It’s dark, it’s tense and keeps you sweating until all is revealed. If you want to be pedantic you could pick as a few plot holes but it’s enjoyable on the surface and ties up a lot more loose ends than the book.

Worth the money?

Enjoyable but save it for DVD.

THE RIOT CLUB

Basically…

Miles (Max Irons) and Alistair (Sam Clafin), two freshers at Oxford University, are invited to join the infamous Riot Club –a group of boys who are brought together through wealth, privilege and their upper class status. But as the institution’s 'dining club' go all out to live up to their reputation of foul debauchery they take things too far.

In other words…

Rich boys who think they rule the world need to wake up. 

The main men and leading ladies…

Clafin, yes the smarmy guy from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, is even less likable here. We’re captured by his desire not to get places simply because of his brother’s name, but he loses our empathy when he abuses that position. Irons (The Host and Red Riding Hood) however, maintains our ability to at least like one character but that’s mainly because of his love story, not his backbone.

In the chair…

Danish director Lone Scherfig (An Education and One Day) received a huge boost after a successful world premier at the Toronto Film Festival when the rights were taken to show the film in America – a much bigger audience than first anticipated. 

So…? 

Based on the novel and stage play Posh by Laura Wade, this is as easy on the eye for the female viewers as it is uncomfortable on the eye at the same time. The second half of the movie takes place in one location – a small family run pub-restaurant in the middle of nowhere – and it’s at this point it begins to feel more like a stage production. It’s witty and ambitious but the unrestrained, self indulgent immoral behaviour really gets under your skin. The characters are repulsive - their expensive hair products, perfectly measured tailcoats and overpowering sense of entitlement don’t make you jealous at all – instead you’d love nothing more than to smash the glasses they're drinking from across their smug faces. But despite all of this you’re still not compelled to switch off. It was important to establish a rapport with at least one character, and Miles’ relationship with a typically working class girl keeps us on his side. This is chilling insight into the dark side of privilege and you’ll enjoy everything that’s coming to them.

Worth the money?

Only because it will prevent you from punching the TV screen, but if you have self control leave it for when it comes on the television.

WHAT IF?

Basically…

Zoe Kazan (Chantry) and Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) become friends after meeting at a party. She has a boyfriend though, so despite them being perfect for each other the pair agree to just be friends. This in turn obviously comes with its problems.

In other words…

A modern day When Harry Met Sally.

The main men and leading ladies…

So used to playing dark characters (The Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings) or those from a different walk of life (Horns and umm, well Harry Potter), this is an unusually upbeat and lighter role for Radcliffe which he surprisingly pulls off convincingly. Kazan (most recently seen in Ruby Sparks) is sweet, cute and extremely likable which is needed for a genre pitched at girls. 

In the chair…

Canada’s Michael Dowse is forming a cult following for his previous local success stories Fubar and Goon, but not many would have been prepared for his swing towards the romcom genre. He said he wanted to subvert the bad clichés, rather than the genre itself and he did just that.

So…?

Let’s get one thing straight. This is no comparison to 500 Days of Summer. Yes it’s warm and quirky but it’s not warm and quirky to a 500 Days level – Super Joe or no Super Joe. But in saying that it has all the ingredients of a successful and fulfilling romcom. Exploring the age old debate can men and women be just friends, it’s another stab at a popular story. It’s believable, it’s easy to relate to and there are moments of real sexual tension and chemistry between Kazan and Radcliffe. The latter being strangely endearing throughout actually, despite his wooden nature. It’s at the top end of the scale when it comes to chick flicks but it’s downfall is how much it tries to squeeze in. Too much happens (flights to the other side of the world? Really?) and there are no real surprises, but plot twists aren't really what you sign up to with a movie like What If.

Worth the money?

No romcom is worth the money unless that’s exactly what you’re after. But if it’s what you’re after then this is a stand out.

THE GUEST

Basically…

Soldier David (Dan Stevens) turns up at the Paterson family home, saying he was a friend of their son who died in battle. As someone the mum Laura (Sheila Kelley) can mother, daughter Anna (Maika Monroe) can lust after and son Luke (Brendan Meyer) can look up to, he’s a welcome addition. That is until suspicions over his identity arise.  

In other words…

Homeland moulded to fit many genres.

The main men and leading ladies…

Best known for his work in Downton Abby, Stevens manages to play the role of teen heart throb, inspirational brother, model son, suspicious trespasser and old school psycho all in the space of 99 minutes. And he masters them all admirably.

In the chair…

Adam Wingard has mainly stuck to horrors until now, and while you could say there’s a hint of continuity here, it’s also a new direction for him. And he's taken an extreme opposite in the sense the traditional scary movies, this bad guy is handsome, friendly and in your house.

So…?

The intentions of The Guest are marked early on and it’s no secret it’s trying to be sinister and stylish. It’s starts off like a chick flick – hot guy, bit of sexual tension and confrontation with the high school bullies. The it descends into  this gripping suspense thriller which leaves you on edge and outwith your comfort zone as you lose confidence in the main character. Then the third act turns it into some ‘80s horror with a vibe similar to Drive. It doesn’t achieve quite the same atmospheric chill as the Ryan Gosling movie but it is incredibly tense. So much so you never really warm to the cold and calculated David, which makes it a tough viewing considering he’s the lead role. Girls start off wanting him, guys start off wanting to be him, but that quickly fades when you realise he’s not who he says he is.

Worth the money?

Doesn’t need the cinema to work, save it for DVD.

THE INBETWEENERS 2

Basically…

Will, Simon and Neil battle their way through college while Jay lives the high life on a gap year in Australia. Or so they think until the pay him a surprise visit. The four boys end up trekking across the country following girls, drink, and most surprisingly of all, love.

In other words…

Different accents, different bumders, same four lovable idiots.

The main men and leading ladies…

We've grown to know, and love, James Buckley, Simon Bird, Joe Thomas and Blake Harrison over the last six years. Ok so they’re all old enough to have about three kids each by now but they still make you believe they’re innocent, naive teenagers with the incredible ability to make you wince at actions that all seem too far fetched, but at the same time all too plausible for them.

In the chair… 
Apart from working with Jimmy Carr, Damon Beesley and Iain Morris aren't really known for anything other than The Inbetweeners. they've worked on various TV shows together but none that have hit the dizzy heights of the fab four. The pair have confirmed there won’t be a third movie to follow this one though.

So…? 

Fortunately the chemistry between the actors and interaction of the characters are still strong enough to maintain The Inbetweeners’ popularity. Despite the tone taking an unnecessarily immature dip (even for their standards) in the waterpark, the film is actually quite funny. Unlike many comedy sequels before, this one manages to finish on a par with the first movie. It works because it’s much of the same – the humour, the characters, even the location is tried, tested and successful. The additional characters – typical gap year students – have also been cast to a tee. Especially Ben, anyone who’s went abroad has met Ben…

The third act takes The Inbetweeners to a new level though, and almost rescues the film from being “just the same old nonsense” to “that was actually a pretty good sequel”. Seeing the four boys just sitting talking to each other, without filthy humour or embarrassing situations to make the scene work, showed just how far the show has come and how much they’ve grown as characters through the years too.

Worth the money? 

Save it, this is a night in with a DVD kind of movie.