FRANKENSTEIN
Adam Frankenstein (Aaron Eckhart), is not human, he is a creature created by Victor Frankenstein (Aden Young) who is cruelly rejected by his maker. Over the centuries Adam fends off evil until the story settles in a dystopic present, where vigilante gargoyles and ferocious demons rage in a battle of power. Whilst finding himself stuck in the middle of these brutal creatures he has to hide the one thing they seek, the true secret to his identity.
Quite frankly, this is as dull as dishwater. The story is bland and we’ve seen this tired old story told time and time again. It’s nothing new, not even the likes of Eckhart and Bill Nighy can spark any interest in the characters. Nothing can save this one from dying a slow painful death.
SEE IF YOU LIKED: Underworld, Van Helsing.
OUT OF THE FURNACE
Russell Blaze (Christian Bale) has a hard life, living a non existential life, working in a dead end job in the local steel mill by day and caring for his terminally ill father by night. Things surely couldn’t get any worse right? Wrong, after finding out his brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) is in debt to the local bar owner and crook Petty (William Dafoe) his life takes a dramatic turn into a downward spiral, as fate, family and loyalty drives Blaze to take heroic measures for the ones he loves.
Out of the Furnace is a drama/thriller produced by the likes of Leonardo Dicaprio and Ridley Scott, and laced with big stars from the phenomenal Bale, Affleck, Dafoe, Woody Harrelson, Forest Whitaker and Zoe Saldana. Just from the names alone you know you’re already getting your money’s worth of great acting. Being just under 2 hours long might make this a little slow and drawn out but with a cast of great actors you simply won’t be able to turn away.
SEE IF YOU LIKED: The Deer Hunter, The Indian Runner.
THAT AWKWARD MOMENT
When Mikey (Michael B. Jordan) is dumped by his girlfriend, his best friends Jason (Zac Efron) and Daniel (Miles Teller) make a pact to stay single until Mikey is ready to take on the whirlwind New York dating game once again. However, when Jason meets Ellie (Imogen Poots) and Daniel’s friendship with Chelsea turns into more the guys realise that the line between casual dating and serious relationships are much more complicated than they thought.
So here we go, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, here comes the token romantic comedy for the girls to get all gooey over and what better way than to have the extremely good looking and really rather fit Efron as basically the lead (well the other two do fade into the background when he’s around). This may not have much substance and a few awkward, dry jokes but the scene with a naked Efron lying horizontal over a toilet could very well be the ice breaker.
SEE IF YOU LIKED: He’s Not That Into You, 21 and Over.
LONE SURVIVOR
Based on a true story, Lone Survivor tells the amazing story of four Navy SEALS on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al –Queda operative that are ambushed by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan. Whilst being faced with an impossible moral decision, Marcus (Wahlberg), Danny (Emile Hirsch), Axe (Ben Foster) and Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen (Eric Bana) are cut off from any help and are surrounded by a larger group of Taliban ready for war. Having to club together the four men find reserves of strength and resilience as they stay in the fight until the end.
This may just be the most compelling and rather gruelling American combat film since Black Hawk Down, but one can’t help wonder if more emphasis is put into the action scenes than it is the real story and characterization of these heroic men. Brutal it may be, touching at times yes, narrow-minded, most definitely but without being truly able to get to know who these men where it’s just another film that glorifies a war that we have no right to be in.
SEE IF YOU LIKED: Black Hawk Down, Zero Dark Thirty.
MY PICK OF THE WEEK: OUT OF THE FURNACE.
By Zehra Phelan
