Baby Driver

Cert: 15 Runtime: 113 mins Director: Edgar Wright Cast: Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez, Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey

The moment you catch feelings is the moment you catch a bullet

Edgar Wright is a man that has continued to impress me, from Spaced to Shaun of the Dead and so on this guy makes films I adore. What could Edgar Wright make that will look impressive? Oh yeah a car movie in the shape of a music video! Since the trailers for Baby Driver the world was sold. Even though the release date was pushed forward there was no cause for concern! Since SXSW it has had nothing but praise from everyone. So what is Baby Driver about? A talented, young getaway driver Baby (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams Deborah (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss Doc (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.

Baby Driver is the breath of fresh air that we need right now! The opening sequence is an incredible display of excellence in writing, directing, and technical elements. The opening sequence is jaw-dropping. The key of the scene lies in the ability for Wright to flabbergast us without leaving us to overwhelmed or purely exhausted. The scene is perfect, just as good as the opening sequence of Inglorious Basterds. It’s a real world setter and glues you to the screen, and continues to keep it up there for the whole duration of the film. Just like the skill and pace of Baby’s driving, the pacing of the film is exquisitely handled! Baby Driver has incredible cinematography, sound design and editing. It works so well in the world of fast cars and heists. But what makes it different to other of the same genre it has heart and soul. Wright’s dismissal from Ant-Man is a blessing in all honesty, because Baby Driver is that good. This is some top notch work from him, it’s his style and technic make Baby Driver a true triumph for him. The seeming of the music and the scenes are pure magic! It’s like a giant music video, so much rhythm and oomph. The script works so well with the soundtrack, Wright really has set the bar high. Such a unique film for this current period of dullness in generic cinema!

Ansel Elgort has now set himself as a new leading man. It’s Tom Cruise ‘Risky Business’ kind of thing! He’s funny, he’s smart, he’s cool, he’s likeable; he’s a spectacular character! Lily James is great and I really believed their relationship, it felt very natural. Jamie Foxx an actor I enjoy watching, I loathed him in a good way. He played the Dick very well. Kevin Spacey keeps the ship steady and commands each of his scenes, he’s the spine of Baby Driver.  Jon Hamm does a great job here too, normally as a secondary character he shouldn’t have much depth but Wright really provides a nourishment of story for him. What Wright does well too is that there isn’t a real villain here, you have to choose who the evil is? Baby Driver has an energy that is unparalleled by any recent film, and that’s because both the major and minor components work together like a well-oiled machine. This is what a Summer movie should be!

8.5/10

Inherent Vice

Cert: 15  Runtime: 149 mins Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Jena Malone, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterstone and Martin Short

Chotto, Kenichiro, Dozo! Motto panukeiku… motto panukeiku! MOTTO PANUKEIKU!

Paul Thomas Anderson is a names that sells me a movie any time. Not a real awards contender but I can’t imagine he cares that much. Inherent Vice seems very old Hollywood with a tale and journey of words, seems interesting and tantalizing. What is Inherent Vice about? At the tail end of the sixties, Californian private eye Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) is approached by old girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston). She wants him to investigate a plot to have her billionaire land developer lover sectioned. Our befuddled hero soon finds himself swept up in a case that he can never hope to understand, involving Nazis, surfers, cops, hustlers, rockers and a mysterious organisation known as the Golden Fang!

First of all I don’t hate this film but it’s not Paul Thomas Anderson’s best film! But I feel like you need to re-watch it to get the real feel of the film (which I did!) Inherent Vice starts off incredibly well, piling on visual gags and a crazed narrative that’s hazy like a drug fever dream, but it runs out of steam and has a running time that just can’t support this material. For about an hour and a half the film is quite inspired, as our perpetually stoned lead gets sucked into a labyrinth plot and one bizarre and usually fantastic character after another is thrown at this drug addled mess. The film continues at least an hour well beyond what this narrative can sustain. The pacing is off, the plot just feels deliberately muddled and while there are still plenty of jokes, the film just feels labored and exhausted after a while. Paul Thomas Anderson just didn’t know when to quit on this one. It’s still a wonderfully crafted film, he may not have pulled off the film completely. It’s always a pleasure to see a director continue to make bold and challenging work. The film is usually episodic and feels mostly disconnected on a scene to scene basis and there really isn’t a scene that doesn’t work, but PT Anderson didn’t exactly make enough disciplined editing choices to shape the film and trim it down.

This is a great cast ensemble piece, Joaquin Phoenix is on great form and Doc is another. He is very quirky but such a deep character, I imagine Phoenix relates to Doc quite a lot.  Josh Brolin owns the stage with his ruthless and foul mouthed character. He does stands out and a good career high for him. It might be his finest outing yet, and something that should but won’t ring him some much deserved awards attention.  Katherine Waterston will be on the tongues of many for years to come. You’ll find an enigmatic character with an entrancing and sensual aura. At times, feeling like a mixture of Rollergirl from “Boogie Nights” and Claudia Wilson Gator from “Magnolia,” Waterston is one of the most engrossing characters in a PTA film. Del Toro, Witherspoon, Short and Owen are the old guard that give brilliant performances. Jena Malone’s one scene was by far the best in the whole film. Inherent Vice is worth a watch, but don’t hold your breath the first time round.

7.8/10