Kick Ass 2

(Jeff Wadlow/2013/UK & USA)

2010’s Kick Ass provoked a lot of debate and attention due to its unabashed violence and swearing. As an adaptation of a graphic novel it embraced the graphic part with gusto. The problem with following up a movie like that is you have to either double down on that controversy or get creative within the limits of the original film to keep the audience interested. Kick Ass 2 unfortunately does neither and is in effect a weak rehash that falls far short of the bar set by its predecessor. Much of the humour is off key and the action seems a bit jaded. If Kick Ass was an exercise in shock and awe on the audience then it looks like the payload was blown as Kick Ass 2 struggles to be in any way as edgy or provocative.

(2/5)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

 (Edgar Wright/2010/UK & USA)

This is great, nonsensical nerdy fun, all done in the style of an arcade game as Scott, besotted with a girl called Ramona, has to defeat her ex boyfriends to be able to date her. He’s a guitarist in a garage rock band and they are roped in through a battle of the band competition, helping defeat some of the exes and adding kudos to the whole affair with some cool indie music. He levels up, wins an extra life, falls out with the band and attains a super weapon before kicking everyone’s ass. A ball of fun if that’s what you’re after.

(3/5)

Kusama’s Self-Obliteration

(Jud Yalkut/1967/USA)

A conceptual examination of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s art and style, these 20 odd minutes of film liken Kusama’s idea of self-obliteration to a psychedelic trauma which ends in rebirth and the genesis of the artist. Seriously trippy stuff with an exemplary soundtrack infused with chanting, mini drones and ecstatic minimalism.

Kusama's Self-Obliteration on Youtube 

(3/5)

The Trader (sovdagari)

(Tamra Gabrichidze/2018/Georgia)

Gela buys second hand clothes, knick knacks and assorted household goods in Tbilisi and carries them around the countryside of Georgia in his van selling them in villages for potatoes which hold more value than actual money. In the twenty or so minutes of this film we are gifted an insight into the hardship and beatitude of life in modern day Georgia. The essence of people’s humanity, their struggle to survive and the cut and thrust of old style bartering are all on show. Tamra Gabrichidze adeptly moves from moments of light heartedness to crushing bleakness, The Trader is a dense microcosm of the harsh realities of global economics with the human will to live as its shining heart.

(4/5)

Submarine

(Richard Ayoade/2010/UK & USA)

Shamelessly mimicking 60’s Godard, right down to the blue and red inter scene titles but meshed with a quirky, Wes Anderson-esque aesthetic this coming of age story manages to transcend its reference points and carve out its own charming niche of adolescent cinema. It’s a story about a boy and a girl and their discovery of the realities of love and relationships. The trajectory is nothing new, a refusal to accept the inconsistencies of the world around them leading to shared rebellion before it all goes wrong and a new understanding and acceptance of life’s rough edges dawns. The characters are well drawn, eccentric and “hip” with superlative acting throughout. Submarine wears its pretensions on its sleeve and carries off an at times pointedly dry wit but is unafraid to go for straight forward gags too. Neither is it afraid to present the naked sentiment of two teenagers trying to make sense of their place in the world and some of the scenes around the run down industrial port are beautiful for this reason. You should, by the end, have warmed to Oliver and Jordana and enjoy the trip they take from naivety to slightly less naive.

(3/5)

Extraterrestrial

(Colin Minihan/2014/USA)

Hey we’re going to make a movie about aliens, it’s gonna be great, a big invasion type thing with some mean ass aliens. Oh yeah? What are the aliens going to look like? Well, you know that clichéd 1950’s, Roswell, big eyed and skinny kind...........eh, ok, so what’s the story like then? A load of jerks in the woods get abducted 1950’s style and..........dude, seriously?

Aside from the fact anyone spent money making this crock the most unbelievable thing here is that I watched it to the end. It was a waste of time and effort; half a mark for some of the effects in the mother ship and because I laughed at it, once.

(0.5/5)

Geostorm

(Dean Devlin/2017/USA)

The name anticipates epic, global disaster and would have you think this will be a great afternoon’s popcorn munching, effects laden spectacle of destruction, but it’s not. It makes the mistake of over investing in the soap opera of the lives of the main players and pushes the natural disasters to second fiddle. If I’m signing up for potential global destruction as entertainment I want to see a lot more of the disaster upfront and less of the emotional, angsty family drama between two brothers. Geostorm was disappointing, although some of the set piece disaster scenes are hilarious.

(2/5)