Appreciation For Quality

It's not about liking something for the particular style or genre, it's about appreciating the quality of how it was produced. 

Film Review: Now You See Me

I first saw this trailer in the cinema and was wowed by it. The effects looked spectacular and the short snippet of the storyline excited me. I’d heard that this film was in production, although I had thought it was more light hearted, only to find out later it was actually a thriller. I then watched the trailer on a computer screen and I must say the smaller screen did it no justice.

Four magicians come together to create The Four Horsemen and become world famous. An FBI agent sets to track them down after they pull off a bank heist in one of their tricks. 

The graphics were brilliant in this film. It feels like you are watching a magic show and not special effects in a film, it’s not overdone to a point where it’s not believable. It would definitely wow an audience, no 3D needed.

The soundtrack was parallel with what was happening onscreen. It was like a feeling more than a sound, which replicated the grand adventures throughout the narrative. It was like something colossal and bold and reminded me heavily of some of the James Bond soundtracks.

Jesse Eisenberg plays J. Daniel Atlas. Daniel is a street magician, but a brilliant one at that. He is smug, arrogant and knows how good he is. It reminded me of his character role in The Social Network. After seeing Eisenberg in interviews, I know that he can come off as quite arrogant and so I think he was the absolute perfect choice for the role. There’s something about him in this film that lures you in, even if you don’t want to go.

Isla Fisher is Henley Reeves; a gorgeous, former assistant to Daniel, who has mastered her own craft. She is sultry and buzzing throughout the film. At first glance at the character role, people may think other actresses could be better suited for the role but after watching her first scene you’ll see she fits it like a glove. There’s something you don’t trust about her but you can’t take your eyes off her.

Mark Ruffalo plays FBI agent Dylan Rhodes who is attempting to track down the famous magicians, The Four Horsemen. He is a drunk, non-believer in magic with a bad attitude. As the film progresses we see Rhodes becoming more and more infatuated with both catching the magicians and magic in general.

Woody Harrelson is Merritt McKinney, a mentalist and part of The Four Horsemen. He is first perceived to be a cheap hypnotist willing to do just about anything for someone’s money. As the four horsemen come together we see him sharpen up and gain respect from audiences worldwide. Jack Wilder, played by Dave Franco is someone who can pick anything; any lock, any pocket, you name it. He proves to be incredibly talented with his hands and is a worthy addition to the group. Thaddeus Bradley is a know-it-all former magician, now famous for revealing other magicians’ secrets. Played by Morgan Freeman, we see a smug and yet bitter man going against his craft to make money. Michael Caine plays Arthur Tressler, The Four Horsemen’s benefactor. So blinded by the glitz and glam and making money off this prestigious act, he misses the big picture. Hence the films tagline ‘Come in close, because the more you think you see, the easier it’ll be to fool you’.

Some of my favourite bits were:

The opening scene was a trick performed by Daniel. It was brilliant. The trick works on the audience, and yes it worked on me. It sets the film up for what you can expect and the standard it has set.

This is fairly general but all of their big tricks were my favourite bits. I can’t say too much about the tricks but they have their audience, even the audience watching in the cinema, in the palm of their hands. My only advice, don’t try and figure it out because you’ll miss the bigger picture. Just go with it.

My final favourite bit was the ending. Not just their final trick or the end scene but the way the narrative draws into a close. The way everything comes together and the reason behind what they have done is great. You won’t see whats coming.

It's hard to compare this film to films within the same genre because I find it quite unique. It is quite similar to other thrillers however it has a sleekness to it which isn't present in most thrillers. 

I would definitely recommend this film. It is a possibility that once all is revealed that the film can't be watched over and over, like some others, but it is a film that is worth a watch. Even so, watching it again, other elements of the film may reveal themselves which is always exciting when watching a film again. 

I would rate the film 4.5/5, personally. It's something that I would watch again and buy on DVD. 

Courtesy of Odeon Cinemas. 

Film Review: The Internship

After hearing the buzz about the famous Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson duo back onscreen together, I was excited to watch this film. I’d read that the film was a somewhat follow up to the 2005 film, Wedding Crashers.

Two sales men lose their jobs and apply for an intern program at Google. They begin to find themselves out of their league.

Like Google’s webpage, the graphics in the film were bright and very pristine. Everything was sharp and colourful, it was lovely on the eyes. Also, it matched the scenes onscreen, a fun and bright vibe.

The soundtrack was fairly modern. Much of the music was used to reinforce certain scenes, such as upbeat tracks when in a dance club. Not only that, in a few scenes, the editing matched the beat of the music.

Owen Wilson plays Nick Campbell; a light-hearted, easy-going salesman. The characters, as well as the overall narrative, feels like a sequel to Vaughn and Wilson’s previous film Wedding Crashers. Wilson does tend to play the same character in the majority of his films but it is a character that the audience loves or likes a lot anyway. It was great to see the duo together again. They are a duo that is meant to be onscreen and always perform, no matter what the plot line.

Vince Vaughn is Billy McMahon. Similar to his character in Wedding Crashers, he is big and boisterous. Vince Vaughn has gathered a huge fan base over the years and although certain elements of the narrative are dull, his performance will see it through. At times, I wanted more of his well-known comedy that we see in films such as The Break-Up or some of his more risqué gags, but the plot doesn’t have room for this humour.

Mr. Chetty is Google’s representative for the film; potrayed by Aasif Mandvi. Every so often the comedy felt forced by Mandvi,but overall he gave a good performance of the character. His character appears to be one thing and ends up evolving with the narrative, which was in fact a little predictable.

The love interest in the film is Dana, depicted by Rose Byrne. This sub-plot felt rushed towards the end. She gave an average, short-lived performance. Max Minghella is arrogant, rich kid Graham, willing to go to all kinds of low to beat out every other group for the internship. He is everything you would expect from a spoilt, Ivy League frat boy. He is almost too convincing!

Some of my favourite bits included:

There’s a scene where Billy and Nick are being interviewed for the Google internship via webcam. It’s set in a library and it is classic Vaughn and Wilson. Their obvious chemistry and finishing each other’s sentences off is a delight to watch.

During their time at Google, Vince Vaughn visits the cafeteria. These conglomerate technology companies are known for having the quirky facilities such as nap pods and sometimes even Michelin star chefs at their restaurants and café’s etc. Not only that but the facilities and food all tend to be free. If you’ve ever seen Vince Vaughn in a film, you’ll know how much he likes to eat in his roles. Free food plus Vince Vaughn means this scene doesn’t disappoint.

As with many films, the end scene rounds everything up leaving the audience feeling whole and in their new plenitude, so to speak. As you can probably predict, the film does a lot of Google promoting and so the ending is predictable and even cheesy. Nevertheless it is a funny scene and did have me laughing, although I can’t say too much without giving away spoilers.

I would definitely recommend this film to fans of Vince Vaughn and this particular comedy. It is what you would expect but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing. It’s doing what it says on the tin.

The film is similar to the films within the particular genre. The narrative structure of these films is practically identical to the others. The visual aesthetics are the same, bright and fairly sharp. The directing lacks personality, which is very similar to other films of the genre. I would say it’s less risqué than some films of the genre, this may be due to the promotion of Google.

I would rate the film 3/5. It’s one of those films you can watch at any time and like I said, it does what it says on the tin, it’s not pretending to be something it’s not.

You can book your cinema tickets here. 

Courtesy of Odeon Cinemas.