June Film Releases

Gone Baby Gone, Mongol, The Happening, The Incredible Hulk, The Edge of Love, The Escapist, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Wanted

Gone Baby Gone
Releases 6 June

It’s hard not to feel a bit sorry for Ben Affleck. After several years as a jobbing bit-part actor he landed his big break with an Oscar for the screenplay for Good Will Hunting, co-written with his best friend Matt Damon. But after his first big budget starring role in 1998’s Armageddon it all started to go wrong.

Now, with Gone Baby Gone – his first feature as director – he has finally come up with the goods again. Sadly, events beyond his control have gone and got in the way, delaying the movie’s release for over a year. Why? Because it all revolves around the abduction of a four-year-old girl who not only looks uncannily similar to Madeleine McCann, with the similar surname of McCready, but who is also played by an actress with the same-sounding first name – Madeline O’Brien. It can only be hoped that these spooky examples of art imitating life won’t get in the way of British audiences’ appreciation of what is a genuinely impressive directorial debut from Affleck.

Adapted by Affleck himself from the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane this is a genuinely family affair, starring as it does Ben’s little brother (and rising star) Casey.

Set in Affleck’s hometown of Boston – a city far rougher and meaner than many British audiences may appreciate, the city is so expertly brought to life through telling little details and minor characters that it is hard to avoid being swiftly caught up in events. With so many movies now reliant on special effects and action set-pieces to suck in audiences, it is a rare treat to see such loving attention spent on character and atmosphere – and something worth revelling in, even if the plot is hardly one to be enjoyed.

That both Affleck brothers should come out of the movie with their careers greatly boosted is a testament to its quality. Gone Baby Gone is one of those rare examples of Hollywood tackling a genuinely difficult and serious subject with both great sensitivity and panache, not to mention a hefty dose of the kind of moral ambiguity that filmmakers so often shy away from in pursuit of clean and obvious resolutions. Let’s just hope that they can both keep it up.

Mongol
Releases 6 June

Be honest, when was the last time you saw a film in Mongolian? But what may at first sound off-putting, all starts to make sense when you realise that Mongol is a gloriously ambitious biopic of Genghis Khan. The notorious and near-legendary 12th century Mongol warlord somehow managed to build the world’s largest ever contiguous empire – stretching all the way from Korea in the east to Poland in the west. Just look at a map of the world to see how vast an accomplishment this was. This was an empire founded by nomadic tribesmen mounted on horses. An empire that covered nearly thirteen million square miles, 22 per cent of the earth’s landmass, holding sway over a hundred million people – at the time around a quarter of the world’s population.

Yes, there have been biopics of Genghis Khan before – the 1956 flick The Conqueror, with John Wayne utterly miscast as Khan, and the so-so 1965 Omar Sharif-starring biopic. There was even quite a good British TV miniseries only a few years back in 2005, and a highly-rated Chinese take back in 1998 (albeit one that has never seen a UK release), meaning many of us may have had our fill.

But you certainly shouldn’t let this put you off. Directed and co-written by one of Russia’s leading directors, Sergei Bodrov, it also stars arguably the coolest Japanese actor working today – Tadanobu Asano – perhaps not yet so well-known in the west, but a genuine megastar in the east. Combining the versatility and charm of Johnny Depp with the classic Japanese cool of Akira Kurosawa’s favourite lead actor Toshiro Mifune, he has both the looks and the ability to make it genuinely big time.

If that still doesn’t convince you, bear in mind that this was nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at this year’s Oscars, having already cleaned up at the Russian equivalent, with no fewer than six gongs (for Cinematography, Director, Costumes, Production Design, Sound and Best Film). With Russian movies currently at a peak of quality not seen since the days of cinematic founding father Sergei Eisenstein this is no mean feat. But ignore obvious comparisons to Russian movies alone, this is a triumph by any standards – a beautifully-shot, if violent, epic that could (and should) be favourably ranked alongside the classics of the genre. Never mind the subtitles – this is a film well worth a look, and one that really should be seen on the big screen for it to be fully appreciated.
The Happening
Releases 13 June

M Night Shyamalan is one of those rare filmmakers with a highly distinct and very personal style. In the old days he may have been referred to as an auteur – one of those true greats, like Hitchcock, Ford and Wyler, who managed to get across a sense of individual vision even in a film overseen by the money-men of the studios and created by scores of people working behind the scenes.

The only trouble is, Shyamalan’s style all seems to hinge on the big plot twist – the unexpected, last-minute reveal aimed to leave audiences gasping in surprise, often with little in the way of characterisation or deeper meaning. So, can he finally silence his critics with something truly original?

The central plot may have the familiar Shyamalan structure – something weird’s happening, but the audience doesn’t know what – but this time he’s really concentrated on the atmosphere. If you like your psychological horror movies, this could well be one for you, with shocks aplenty, and a superbly built-up sense of rising dread as the world gradually, it seems, starts to succumb to a deadly disease that may or may not be part of a vicious biological attack.

With Mark Wahlberg doing his “I’m a concerned Everyman” schtick in the lead (think Three Kings rather than The Departed), backed up by the always-watchable Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo, the cast are neatly up to the task.

Will this movie silence Shyamalan’s critics? Well no, because it’s pretty much more of the same – long build-up, then revelation. But one thing his critics can’t deny is that with this effort he’s managed to create a movie with the kind of heavy atmosphere that most directors can only dream of. If you’re a fan of that sort of thing, and enjoy being given the odd scare, then this could very well be for you.

The Incredible Hulk
Releases 13 June

Considering the critical mauling received by the last Hulk film, it’s a brave move to release this semi-sequel on the inauspicious date of Friday 13th. But it could also be seen as a show of confidence in the new take on one of comics’ oddest heroes. This latest version has decided to jettison much of the intellectual side in favour of big action set-pieces.

But to say that this is simply a big, special-effects-packed blockbuster would be unfair. Yes, there is far more of a focus on the action side of a character who is, after all, best known for the catchphrase “Hulk smash!” – but the filmmakers have thankfully appreciated at least some of what Ang Lee was trying to do in his 2003 effort, even while taking deliberate steps to avoid his mistakes. The most obvious change is in the cast – Eric Bana being replaced by Edward Norton in the lead, with Jennifer Connelly replaced by Liv Tyler as the love interest, and with the always fun to watch Tim Roth as the villain of the piece.

The choice of Edward Norton is an odd one, at first glance. He is, after all, an actor best known for more arty, unusual pieces. It just doesn’t make sense – until, that is, you find out that this is Norton’s baby, with a screenplay co-written by the actor. Or, indeed, until you remember that the character of the Hulk is – with the whole one man split into two physical beings thing – somewhat reminiscent of Norton’s iconic modern classic Fight Club.

Norton is, it seems, a bit of a comics fanboy – as well as someone with at least some appreciation for what Lee was trying to achieve. The first film in any big movie franchise does, after all, have to set up lots of back-story – and back-story is often a bit tedious. As such, this is a proper sequel to Lee’s film, even if all the characters have been recast. Dr Bruce Banner – as the Hulk’s human side is known – is on the run from those government forces who want to use his experiments to create a breed of Hulk-like super-soldier, while he’s more interested in finding a cure. And at the vanguard of those in pursuit is Tim Roth’s near-psychotic Emil Blonsky, who soon replicates the experiment that turned Banner into the Hulk, transforming himself into the even more powerful Abomination.

It’s all silly stuff, there’s no doubt about it – but it’s a comic-book superhero movie, so what do you expect? But of two things there can be no doubt – with a set-up like that, you know that you’re in for some spectacular computer-generated action, and with a cast of the calibre of this one, it’s not going to be the usual brainless fun. The end result is both as stupid as you’d expect of a film where the main character is twelve feet tall and bright green, and surprisingly engaging on a character level. It’s hard not to feel, in other words, that this is the film Ang Lee should have made.

The Edge of Love
Releases 20 June

Literary biopics have a long and noble tradition in the movies, from 1933’s classic Voltaire through to recent successes such as the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love and Capote and last year’s Becoming Jane. Offering the rare chance for filmmakers to show their intellectual side – as well as for actors to really shine – this is a genre to which the cinema returns time and again.

With such an ideal blend, little wonder that such movies so often attract big name stars – especially stars hoping for the chance to really prove their acting mettle. Yet for any British director, getting both Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller – both still young and sexy, and both still out to prove themselves as more than simply pretty faces – would be a real coup.

The obvious option may have been to kit them out with corsets and do another Brontë sisters flick, but the choice here is both far less glamorous and gives both actresses a far greater chance to shine. Because, despite The Edge of Love revolving around the life of notorious literary hell raiser Dylan Thomas – who died of alcoholism at the peak of his fame just a few days after an extended 39th birthday drinking session – it is refreshing to have such a film focus not on the poet himself, but on the two women he loved.

It must have been tough being Thomas’ wife, Caitlin (Miller) – though you could argue the dancer should have known better, having agreed to marry the drunken poet on the very night they met in a London pub. They may well have ended up having three children together, but there were persistent rumours of affairs on both sides. Where Caitlin allegedly had dalliances with artist Augustus John, it is Thomas’ supposed affair with Vera Phillips (Knightley) which forms the heart of the piece – centring as it does on the real-life incident where Phillips and her husband William Killick (the always watchable Cillian Murphy) launched a violent attack on Thomas’ Welsh cottage.

At the film’s heart is a sensitive character study of the two women and their mutual affection for a decidedly troubled young man. Expertly handled by director John Maybury the two young actresses give some of their best performances to date. A few more films like this, and both Knightley and Miller could well shake off the curse of the pretty face and truly prove themselves to be genuinely good young actresses. An affecting and engaging movie, this is well worth a shot once you’ve had your fill of this month’s big blockbusters.

The Escapist
Releases 20 June

Everyone likes a good prison break, yet there’s always a bit of a problem with dealing with escapes from prisons when those impounded are actual criminals, rather than unlucky soldiers or characters trapped in futuristic dystopias. After all, if they’ve been locked up, they’ve probably done something wrong – unless the filmmakers opt for the old favourite of the innocent man breaking out to prove that he’s not guilty.

As such, this is a bit of a rarity – a prison break flick where those escaping are all genuine criminals. Revolving around an aging institutionalised convict, twelve years into a life sentence and happy to keep his head down until death finally gives him his release, the morality of entertainment based on criminals escaping justice was always going to be a tricky one to handle.

But where Hollywood may have turned this into one of those morally ambiguous summer movies where it’s all about the action, this is an Anglo-Irish production and, as such, has opted for a more low-key approach. The clincher is in the two leads – veteran Brian Cox and the younger thesp Joseph Fiennes (still in the shadow of his brother Ralph, but nonetheless making a good stab at it). They could have gone for a guns and glory approach – all violent shoot-outs and bloody massacres – but instead we’ve ended up with a far more interesting and engaging character study, as the two mismatched convicts hatch their escape plan, all to help Cox’s aging con get to see his daughter one last time before she dies of cancer.

Joining the two leads in their escape plan is a range of oddball convicts played by an array of quirky character actors including Brazilian musician Seu Jorge. This intriguing and intelligent casting makes for a mismatched, bickering group up there with the best of them, from The Dirty Dozen to The Magnificent Seven.

If you go in expecting spectacle and excitement, you’ll get a bit to keep you happy, but will likely end up disappointed. However, if you’re looking for a sympathetic look at the nature of regret, rehabilitation and redemption amongst the criminal classes – with a bit of action chucked in for good measure – then look no further. It may not be a masterpiece, but this is nonetheless well worth a couple of hours of your time – not least for yet another of the acting masterclasses which we’ve all come to expect from the oft-underrated Cox.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Releases 26 June

After the success of Peter Jackson’s gloriously ambitious adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was surely only a matter of time before Hollywood got around to tackling that other great mid-20th century fantasy series, CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. Not only were Tolkien and Lewis good but they were in constant discussion throughout the contemporaneous writing of their two epic series.

Of course, where Tolkien was writing for an adult audience – the Oxford professor was keen to explore complex issues of mythology and linguistics through his writings at least as much as he was to create a good story – the fact that Lewis was aiming very much at children has meant that these Narnia film adaptations haven’t got quite the same appeal as Peter Jackson’s epic Rings movies. The filmmakers may well have got in the same special effects team, but Lewis’ vision was always far smaller scale than that of Tolkien’s, giving far less scope for a truly cinematic experience. Indeed, the BBC’s television adaptations from the late 80s still stand up well enough for a young audience as to make big budget Hollywood versions largely unnecessary.

However, with the middle books in Lewis’ series, the scope for excitement and visual grandeur is greatly increased. Where 2005’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe underwhelmed many who had been led to expect another Lord of the Rings, Prince Caspian – the second in the film series, though the fourth chronologically in book order – has far more action and excitement, as the four hero children return to Narnia to overthrow yet another evil tyrant who’s managed to take over in their absence.

It’s hard to be overly critical of Prince Caspian the movie. It is faithful and technically superb to the extent that no fan of Lewis’ Narnia books could really have any cause for complaint. The flaws here are not those of the filmmakers, but of the original book – a simplistic world view and, despite the fantastical setting, a decided lack of imagination on Lewis’ part.

Wanted
Releases 27 June

Giving it a brief glance, this could seem like ideal and stereotypical summer blockbuster material. Big budget action flick with lots of shootouts, stunts and set-pieces? Check. Glamorous female lead? Well, you’ve got Angelina Jolie as a kick-ass assassin, so that’s got to count as a check. Gravitas-laden wise old man giving guidance and a sense of duty to the star? Oh look – there’s Morgan Freeman, so another big tick in the cliché-box. Now all you need is a muscle-bound hero with matinee-idol good looks in the lead. Be honest, if you were planning a big-budget action movie, it’s a fairly safe bet that the name James McAvoy wouldn’t be even in your top hundred on a list of possible stars.

But, sure enough, this is the whole point. His character is not meant to be the typical action hero. He’s meant to be the kind of inexperienced, naïve everyman that McAvoy seems to have cornered the market in these days. Because the basic premise here is “what if the average guy who goes to the cinema to watch stupid action movies actually ended up in the middle of one?”

This is an adaptation of the rather fun comic book series by comics master Mark Millar. In Millar’s comics, as in this film, the main character is a typical, boring office-worker. A bog-standard Everyman. The only difference is this is a typical, boring office-worker whose father – unbeknown to him – was an insanely talented member of a team of assassins. And, as is the way of these things, our Everyman office worker has miraculously inherited all of his dead dad’s abilities, along with his father’s old team mates.

Cue all sorts of ridiculous action scenes – albeit significantly toned down from the near-sociopathic unpleasantness of the original comics. Directed by rising Russian star Timur Bekmambetov, the end result is, rather than the comics’ exploration of the dark side of what an ordinary person would do when given the ability to do anything they want, more of an excuse for fancy action sequences of the kind we can see in any number of summer movies. They are, however, all done with the kind of undeniable style that makes for a highly watchable movie.

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