Everest (2015) Movie Review

Go, Show It on the Mountain

          The audience will be watching an ensemble of talented stars, when a leading man from Australia, whom some will recall to be Jason Clarke, guides a group on an adventure, which will ultimately break everyone's heart. Poor attempts at writing a new verse for a famous hymn aside, Everest has allowed for a rapidly up-and-coming actor to showcase, through a character sharing tenuous but noteworthy links with Christ, why he deserves nothing less than a leading role in any future productions, should he wish to fly in that direction. Few can truly and consistently perform in such a way that illustrates sheer passion for storytelling and the acting profession, forever lurking within the performer's heart, in a more abundantly clear fashion to the outside world. Whether it be the psychotic level of relentless rage witnessed in his villainous role for White House Down, or the emotional spinning wheel expertly displayed through his minor but nonetheless crucial role as George Wilson in The Great Gatsby, Jason Clarke continues to hold audience attention throughout his time spent in front of a camera, courtesy of the mighty grip he maintains upon every characters he carries from script to screen. The result is the belief that, should he continue to perform at such a level and be in turn rewarded with the notoriously unpredictable luck known to bless those in the movie business, it will not be too long before Clarke is due to receive attention of Oscar-worthy proportions.

          If Clarke's ability to infect with emotion is not enough alone to boost the appeal of Everest, then a host of more famous names quickly fill the void. Icons that include Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Robin Wright and Keira Knightley all offer their money's worth when in the spotlight, not least because a list of award winners and/or nominees as long as this often, for better or worse, are all one needs to attract viewers into the cinemas at present. However, strong performances alone do not compensate for the lack of screen time dedicated to the development of each individual character. Thus, by the time their respective roles in the hike have ended, one is of course saddened by the result but still left wondering why particular parts needed to be filled by such big names. In fairness to the artists behind the camera, especially the screenwriters, to achieve emotional connections with an audience that remain defiantly equal for each character is extremely difficult when an ensemble of this size is assembled. Key difficulties include making each character as memorable as the next and emphasizing that all of them occupy a position of immense value in the story. While this does cause the climb to be hindered by a slow start, failure to achieve this most likely results in the audience still trying to figure out who's who even when fatalities occur, or feeling indifferent about a character because he or she is, quite frankly, less interesting or important than the one standing just opposite of him or her. It doesn't help that everyone is totally covered up in similar-looking costumes in order to emphasise the reality of the brutally cold setting but the film-makers succeed in picking up the pace once the top of the mountain is reached, having squeezed in just about enough opportunities for the audience to invest their hearts into each character at least at the most basic level. Moreover, there remains also just enough time to throw in a more striking and constant level of of suspense hereafter. The suspense is fuelled by an unyielding hope that every character can and will return home until the result in each case is made clear, if not by the songs of ice and snow then certainly by the links made to the tragedy on which Everest is based. Ostensibly, this film has taken few major liberties in highlighting the significance of the true story, unlike Captain Philips or The Butler, where so much has been altered that one begins to despise even the greatest instances of storytelling for their frustrating degrees of dishonesty. Everest shows great respect for its source material and in doing so lingers in the heart on the What if? question long after one leaves the movie theatre.

          However big or small their parts, most clearly thrived on the set of Everest in seeking to tell a story of humankind versus nature and illustrate the depths of sheer human willpower. The climbers leave the audience in conflict, since they all know and underestimate the risks but they are motivated by the familiar feeling of wanting to prove to one's self and others what one is truly capable of. While even those big names in smaller roles have certainly not wasted their time in adding this credit onto their resumes. However, they have all seen still brighter days. Gyllenhaal, for instance, may be forgiven for taking on a role which, in comparison to his work in Nightcrawler and Southpaw, hardly pushes him to his limits as an artist. Nonetheless, there are those in this movie who have shown that they deserve to be thought of in equally high regard, as actors in both leading and supporting roles, with their more famous collaborators. After Everest, having enjoyed a notable number of other projects in 2015 alone, including Terminator Genisys and Child 44, Jason Clarke continues to climb his own mountain through the Hollywood career minefield with enviable conviction. The result will hopefully be even greater career opportunities, prestigious forms of talent recognition and more thrilling performances that are forever and always a pleasure to watch.             

VERDICT: 8/10                                    

Legend (2015) Movie Review

Two Lads, One Actor

          Recent media speculation suggests that the Academy will be have a library of Oscar-worthy pictures to celebrate and furthermore one of the strongest selections of stars to consider for Hollywood's highest honour for the acting profession. When audiences are lost, fuelled by sheer wonder, in worlds in which they are happily guided by Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl, Johnny Depp in Black Mass, Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation, Matt Damon in The Martian, Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs and maybe, just maybe, Leonardo DiCaprio in The Reverant, to name but a few of the actors seeking to leave their emotive energy lingering upon the silver screen this year, they might hopefully also remember Legend, for allowing one of Hollywood's most versatile leading men performed a double act that highlighted why Tom Hardy, as both casual and hardcore movie-goers might jest, is in everything lately.      

          A gritty portrayal of the nineteen sixties London setting, a soothing narrative voice provided by Emily Browning's gracefully refined East End accent, a soundtrack moving to the ever changing beat of comedy sprinkled upon intense and bloody drama and occasionally predictable but nonetheless powerful dialogue, thanks to expert delivery from Hardy in particular, all serve to tell a story that demands an appreciation of the great, precious gift of brotherhood. Hardy's subtle differences in gait, mannerisms and vocal tones allow for two district and equally believable performances as Reggie and Ronnie Kray. Furthermore, a script that does not sugar-coat the deeds of criminals often serves as a reminder that, in spite of all their flaws, few may have demonstrated loyalty better than the Kray Twins. Emphasis on the bond of brotherhood alone keeps the morally corrupted protagonists enshrined within the light of admiration, at least to a limited extent, each time it seems to be the only non-negotiable truth to life in their otherwise totally lawless endeavours.

          In taking full advantage of the roles on offer to him, albeit the characters portrayed are almost always in brutal dramas rather than comedies filled with land-mines of laughter, leaving Hardy's comic potential buried deep in the most wishful imaginations at present, Hardy is moving confidently onto the pedestals occupied by the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Such a stage is reserved for those who are unrecognisable when the camera rolls. One just knows an acting master class will be on show at the mention of their names on an advertisement. Of particular significance is the notion that, even if the film-makers steer as far as they can from didactic storytelling, like a car suddenly swerving to the side at the sight of a rather large and fearless badger, one cannot help but learn a moral lesson from the picture. For Legend, that lesson is that a brother can be one of the finest privileges or most frightening punishments slotted into life's offering of human relationships. The choice between the two experiences, on more occasions than one can ever hope to predict, is up to you.          

THE VERDICT: 8/10                      

We Are Your Friends (2015) Movie Review

A Familiar Set Played with Original Sounds

          With Summer all but asleep until 2016 and hard-earned money spent on  at least one over-hyped blockbuster hit per month this year, (The Avengers 2 in May, Jurassic World in June, Mission Impossible V in July, anything in August you missed from the previous months before resorting to carefully picking from the latest, less advertised selection), one might not be blamed for withholding leisure money from an ostensibly generic last-minute attempt by movie studios to bless the season with a hopefully inspiring but more likely unnecessary send-off. 

          Fortunately though, anyone, for whatever reason, who decides to give We Are Your Friends a shot will not be blown away but certainly pleasantly surprised, even if all one might want to relive afterwards is the catchy, flame-in-the-soul-igniting soundtrack. This is true, of course, if the melodies raging at raves on the beach and in nightclubs around the Western-influenced parts of the world are what one is into.

          At a much deeper level, however, lies a hard truth about the great personal cost that one must endure in order to achieve a dream. Zac Efron, with his years as a High School Musical sweetheart forever overshadowing all of his later work, for better or worse, moves on from sugar-coated depictions of teenage life to present a grittier, more sincere reality for life in the 'Second Stage of the Teens', more commonly known as the twenties.

          Efron and the cast supporting him won't be considered for Oscars but each significant character leaves the audience excited for what potential lies with the actors assuming these roles for the future. Emily Ratajkowski, led by Efron's controlled performance, sufficiently illustrates the dilemma faced by all - Trying to prove that one can truly find that bond with someone of the opposite sex where both the emotional and physical demands are fully met, desperate to avoid a scenario where one denies paying far more attention to the latter desire or, worse still, where one is convinced their feelings are genuine and justified, unaware that they are not reciprocated by the other party. Wes Bentley and Jon Berthal present believable forces of antagonism that the hero, a twenty-something-year-old with big dreams, might encounter in the workplace that seek to test just how much those dreams are wanted. The latter actor is merely warming up in this role, as far as some eager fans are concerned, for his role as The Punisher, apparently a villain for the second season of Daredevil. However, it is the trio of Jonny Weston, Shiloh Fernandez and Alex Shaffer who aid Efron in highlighting the most significant concept of the movie - Friendship. The audience learns nothing new. Friendship is almost always the first to suffer in the pursuit of dreams, be they career-focused, centred around Romantic Love, or world-changing proposals. And yet, almost always, it is the first quality to come to one's aid in the face of failure. Nonetheless, there is just enough evidence before the credits roll, in the from of persistence and an unexpected tragedy, to make old concepts appear at least a little fresh and original.

          If nothing else, We Are Your Friends, courtesy of a script that avoids becoming too technical at the expense of a noteworthy story, has fostered an appreciation for the DJs giving life to the parties, big and small, around the world. Regardless of the age concerned, anyone who had misconceived that these artists simply stood before a laptop performing only the most basic functions might just want to take up the mantle of DJ for themselves, at least for their next private house party.          

VERDICT: 7/10