JAMESY BOY (2014)

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Based on a True Story can go either way.

Too schmaltzy and hollywoody and it can suck balls at the highest level but it can also tell an intimate story that make have the power to move.

This falls into the latter…just.

There are 3 montage/song sequences that got less annoying as they were revealed.

The first one comes in at around 50 minutes and having had 50 minutes of a pretty decent story looked like it may descend into the usual formulaic nonsense.

By the third one I was in a forgiving mood, I had been told the story now and was invested enough in the characters to ‘low any vehemental judgements.

Spencer Lofranco plays the titular boy was suitably low key and histrionic-less in his portrayal of the wayward teenager James Burns, a troubled, acting out teenager who can’t seem to keep himself on the right side of the law. His performance was believable and suitably convincing.

Prison films can also suck it real good (pun intended) but this, again, was low key enough to feel real, mired in politics from the C.E.O.s and inmates alike, it is easy to see why and how the system fails.

I didn’t really tell you much about the film and to be fair, it may or may not be your cup of tea. It has a gritty realism to it that allows the viewer to feel the discomfort of the situation and at the same time empathise with the characters on screen.

I enjoyed it. Mary-Louise Parker, James Woods, Ving Rhames, that’s good enough right?
If you fancy an evening in the company of the lesser fortunate then this one’s for you.

3.5/5

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AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013)

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Blinded by the lights?

It seems everyone was.

What amounts to no more than an average film is being pushed into awards territory and it’s so political, it’s fracking see through.
It is not shit, by any means, just not that good. A bit boring, a bit who gives a …. a bit meh.
Unengaging.

It is too easy to slag off a film without really asking the questions that matter. What works, what doesn’t, why so, why not.

Mr Bale has lacked a sense of humour/humanity in his previous films. The guy can clearly act but it is not enjoyable watching him. There is a lack of lightness with him and it doesn’t seem like he knows how or wants to access it, here he surprises with a performance of
He seems to have softened and I’m not talking character here, his struggle, his humanity is believable and rooted in a softer reality. It’s easy to buy into the intensity with him, he does it very well, but there is always something missing, something hidden, a dark secret perchance within the heart of the actor?

Je ne suis pas sur.

He was annoying before and wasn’t in this. He was very good. Upon hearing his casting in this my shoulders slumped, a sigh, phhhrewww.

More than pleasantly surprised with his work in this film.

Bradley Cooper, on the other hand…..
He was watchable in Silver Linings Playbook as much as he was bringing something slightly different to the table, the same in The Place Beyond The Pines, but let’s be honest, he’s a pretty boy who lacks the skill to really bring a depth of sentiment. If I watched SLP again I may be less accepting of his work.
One day, he may surprise us all, it happens, but until then, he’s just another actor who doesn’t inspire.

Amy Adams is good, she can clearly act but really, why did she have to wear ALL those middle slit boob dresses in every other scene. One scene, two at tops, it was just unnecessary.

Jeremy Renner, any good or a bit average? Jury’s out on that one.

Jennifer Lawrence is great, believable, alive and sparky.

The story was just not well told, it maybe massively unfair to talk about Boogie Nights but as far as the style goes (and by that I mean, the writing, the shots, the costumes, and the direction) A.H. is not a patch on it. David O Russell is a great director with an incredible C.V. but when it comes to this type of film he is not Paul Thomas Anderson.

Loads of people loved it and fair enough, my only question is this:

‘Did you love it because it was really good or were you caught up in the maelstrom of awards fever?’
Will you look back at it in 10 years and go, ‘Yes, that truly is an excellent film?’

How it could have been better?
The script could have been tighter, the story could have been tighter, some of the casting different etc etc.

If it was better structured then maybe it would be awards worthy, but as is, nah, not working.

2.7/5

BUY THE BLU-RAY DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE