Red Lights

I realise it has been a long while since I have written any film reviews and theres no excuse for it either. However I am back now with another review of a film I recently viewed at my local cinema, 'Red Lights'.

Released on: 22nd June
Directed by: Rodrigo Cortes
Starring: Robert De Niro, Sigourney
Weaver and Cillian Murphy

What's it about?

Psychologist/Paranormal activist Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and her assistant Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) investigate showman Simon Silver (Robert De Niro) fresh out of his retirement for one last tour of his psychic performance, 30 years after his toughest critic was mysteriously killed.

Previously directing a film starring only one actor and one dark dingy wooden box, Cortes has assembled a very impressive cast here with 'Red Lights', with as well as the previously stated above, a great supporting cast with the likes of Elizabeth Olsen (Silent House, 2011), Toby Jones (My Week With Marilyn, 2011) and Craig Roberts (Submarine, 2010). All giving good performances.

With this the film starts off promising with Matheson and Buckley disproving the presence of a paranormal being through a phoney, but successfully creepy classic seance. Cortes continues to supply the jumps with the use of suicidal birds, shattering lights, along with some judgemental pointing from a homeless women, who then proceeds to unexpectedly spit in the face of our protagonist Buckley. In its best parts the film plays like a Hitchcockian thriller, with the intricately shot men's room fight (also giving me flash backs to the opening sequence of 'Casino Royal') and phone calls being interrupted by crazed birds. However in other parts the 'tension' fails to impress and seems to fall flat.

In my opinion Cillian Murphy carries the film. His performance of a normal physicist pulled into a world of obsession by his determination to prove Silverman a fraud is brilliant and Sigourney Weaver easily adds some dry humour to the film with her performance.  

I have to say though the most disappointing part of the film has to be the final closing scene. It looks as though the film previously had no ending and so one was just plucked from the air and plonked on the end in a quick rush for the film to be finished. It's confusing and the clues, supposedly included in the plot were not clear enough in order for the audience to except the ending and for it to make absolute sense. I left the cinema disappointed and from the looks of others so did they.

In one sentence:
Its promising, with a fantastic cast assembled by Cortes but unfortunately falls flat towards the end in a confusingly big way.

Drive.

  

So I recently went to see Drive at the cinema. My verdict? The film was amazing, one of the best I've seen all year.

What's it about?

Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a part-time Hollywood stunt driver, part-time mechanic, part-time criminal getaway driver. After finding out his neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) is being threatened by murderous thugs he is determined to protect her and her little boy, leading to some heavy conflict between him and the Mafia.

It's an incredible performance from Gosling, Drive being his third 'mainstream' film this year. (The others being Crazy, Stupid Love and The Ides of March). He's definitely a star in the making. Its hard to believe he started off as a mouseketeer on the hit Disney show The Mickey Mouse Club, starring along side Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Since then he's played a Jewish neo-Nazi in 'The Believer (2001), a drug-addicted teacher in Half Nelson (2006) and a man who falls in love with a doll he found on the internet in Lars And The Real Girl (2007).  His character in Drive is a far cry away from his character in The Notebook (2004), he's the silent type, someone who I believe has maybe watched too many Gangster movies and is trying to live out a fantasy, hence the toothpick (a little symbol of Clint Eastwood there you may notice) Pare that with a scene of a guy getting his head kicked into a bloody mess and you've got your 'Hero'.

There's no need for dialogue in this film which is good because theres hardly any especially with regards to Gosling's character, but in my opinion it doesn't need endless lines of conversation, the film is about this guy trying to find his place in the world. There's a quote from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, best know for 2008's Bronson, starring Tom Hardy, on how he describes the film, "It's about a man who drives around listening to music because it's the only way he can feel." Refn tells the story through his direction and it works superbly.

The Cinematography is simply incredible, the way the streets glow like neon and the gritty, gloomy look of the  car parks and late night diners gives it that post-noir, 80's vibe, along with the 80's music, like the film's, in a way theme song 'A Real Hero' performed by College and Electric Youth, makes Drive a fantastic cinematic experience.

In one sentence:
It's slick, powerful and I guarantee it will be the best most violently fun film you will enjoy watching this year.