Adam

Starring Hugh Dancy as a New York resident suffering from Aspergers Syndrome, and Rose Byrne as his new neighbour, Adam explores the breakdown between being a social recluse and easing into the real world.

With Hugh Dancy playing the titular character, the audience is treated to a masterclass in acting. Every grimace, awkward moment and painful stare is captured and expressed by the newly-emerging English-born actor who delivers one of the best performances in recent years. With new neighbour Beth moving in, the inpetus is placed upon Adam to make a friend - and a lover - by breaking out of his disability and adapting to social norms from the 'real world'.

Suffering from her own personal problems, and with her father facing legal disaster, Beth is simply looking for someone who can be at her beck and call, providing warmth and a shoulder to cry on. Adam, with his condition, makes life difficult for himself but learns from his mistakes, and as a couple, try to resolve their own problems in a bid to find a happy life together.

Whilst the acting from Dancy is mesmeric - and at times deeply unsettling - the storyline falls away in the latter stages, perhaps bringing the piece to a stuttering climax. Byrne's natural beauty shines through, however, an aspect which makes up for the rest of her rather bland character.

7/10

Easy A

Based on The Scarlett Letter, but adapted for the contemporary audiences, Easy A tells the story of Olive Penderghast, a virgin whose lie about losing her virginity to a friend sees her victimised in a high school where gossip travels fast and abstinence is (surprisingly) praised.

The initial lie is pounced upon by lowly high school students who pay Olive in order to say she'd partaken in sexual activity with them, thus improving their status within the school's hierarchy (how this works is beyond me).

With every further lie, Olive's supposed promiscuous nature worsens, and with further complications involved, she loses her best friend and finds herself unable to persuade those who paid her to tell the truth, landing her in even more trouble. As with the source material, however, she redeems herself, though explaining how would ruin the film for others.

The first thing to note is how natural Emma Stone is in this lead role. As Olive, she is incredibly confident, produces incredible wit which seems to suit her perfectly, and has all-round qualities which seem to make her the complete package. The manner in which she speaks to her teachers, fellow students and family members bring to the surface an air of total relaxation and charm, something which cannot be said about everybody of her age.

One of the few problems with the film is the slightly implausible nature of the latter events, though Lisa Kudrow's acting does well to ruin the film further. Mannerisms bring to life the Phoebe of Friends fame, and her character, whilst providing a catalyst, really doesn't feel right for the film. Maybe she just doesn't sit well with me as an actor.

Differences aside, Easy A is a refreshing take on the teen movie genre, with enough intertextuality and contemporary touches to give the film an edge over any rivals. Emma Stone shines through as an ultra-sexy, ultra-sharp lead who really delivers her best performance to date, and with a catchy soundtrack to boot, the film really does deserve any and all praise it receives.

8/10

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret

Reuniting David Cross and Will Arnett of Arrested Development fan, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret is yet another tale of 'lost in translation' badly executed. Cross plays Todd Margaret, a hapless salesman from a generic American insurance company, who is mistakenly shipped abroad in the hope that he can mastermind the mass sales of a dangerously toxic energy drink within the UK, with Arnett playing his narrow-minded higher-up.

Whilst the combination of the two actors produces a fantastic duo in Arrested Development, it fails horribly here. Both actors essentially reprise their roles herein, except that both roles are more extreme versions. Margaret is hopelessly weak, ignorant and naive, whilst Brent Wilts is aggressively, uncompromising and selfish.

The real issue with the programme is its archaic approach to comedy. Whilst the 'American in England' idea has been done before (in Friends for example), the over-reliance of ignorance to 'foreign' culture to make gags work is extremely basic and crude in every sense. The initial jokes involve a mix-up over the use of the words 'fanny' and 'fag', whilst Margaret later wears a BNP shirt, believing it to be a statement of English pride. In a later episode, Margaret and Wilts, desperate for media coverage, storm the London Remembrance Day Memorial. Not only is this highly offensive on moral grounds, it's also done with little class throughout, and yet somehow it cleared the writing stage, and was allowed to be aired.

Farcical elements aside, there is nothing going for Todd Margaret. The dialogue is bland, the characters lack depth and the basic premise is far too simple by today's standards. Add to that the stereotypical blunders, and a script which is not in the slightest bit amusing, and you have a huge mess. 'Increasingly poor decisions' indeed...

I'm Still Here Review

I'm Still Here

Following the announcement that he was to leave Hollywood, and instead launch a career in hip hop, Joaquin Phoenix - star of Gladiator and Walk The Line - decided to coax the mass media into detailing the varying stages of professional and psychological decline.

Entering a period wherein he grew out a scruffy beard and messy bundle of hair, Phoenix looked to P Diddy in a bid to launch a farcical and unrealistic career in hip hop, a far cry from the acting career for which he was so well-remembered.

What follows is a film which at times is hard to watch. Not purely because it portrays a man who seems to have thrown away a majestic career in Hollywood, or because one scene depicts him being shat on by an annoyed friend, but because at times you genuinely feel for Joaquin. A man who previously came across as being incredibly intelligent, modest and extremely likeable is suddenly reduced to a mess of a human being. Delusional in his own 'ability' to rap, seemingly withdrawn and determined to let his life flow down the drain because he feels he was typecast as being a rigid and inflexible personality within Hollywood.

The most famous section of the film is that of his interview with Talk Show legend David Letterman in 2008, whereby Phoenix seems to be absent mentally and unwilling to cooperate in responding in any personable manner. This infamous encounter brought mass attention to the previously rumoured film project, directed by Phoenix's brother-in-law, Casey Affleck. The Internet subsequently questioned Phoenix's state of mind and their mindset was understandable.

Though later revealed - in another Letterman interview no less - to be a hoax, the film does well to explore the often devastating effects of a mental breakdown, especially within a closely-observed industry like Hollywood. With the likes of Britney Spears showing the rest how it's done, I'm Still Here delivers another case study of delusion, misdirection and a general sense of overwhelming hype and expectation. Whilst there is more than a lingering doubt throughout the film as to whether it is indeed all an act, the low-key nature of Phoenix's character in real life makes it somewhat more believable as a showcase. However, the lack of closure, and of any real moral credence, leaves the film feeling a tad undone.

7/10

Synecdoche New York

Synecdoche New York

Having noticed this being recommended in the genre of films which attempt to assess societal mechanisms and how people live out their lives, I decided to watch this. With Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead role, you know you'll be getting an intense performance regardless of what the role actually entails.

Sadly, his performance here was more akin to that of 25th Hour, wherein he plays a socially awkward creep. Here he plays a theatre director whose wish is to recreate the feel of the societal elements observed in New York City. He believes that the environment serves as a commentary of the world's societies put together, and that he is able to replicate the everyday lives of the everyday man in his own manufactured reconstruction of the world.

For a film which lasts just over two hours, I need to be grabbed by it within the first ten minutes. Unfortunately I was never 'grabbed' at any point, bar one particular suicide scene which was reminiscent of many 'realism' scenes featured within cinema. The character realises that he has made little impact on the world, and that every effort he has made to be with the one he loves has been fruitless. Barring this moment, the film is essentially bland, with scenes of no worth being played out and wasting too much time. Of course films can't be made up of purely masterpiece moments, but Synecdoche seemed to lack any.

If I have missed any moments of genius in this film, or have missed supposed messages, I am all ears. However, it feels like it was genuinely two hours of my life wasted.

5/10

Paranormal Activity 2

A prequel (and effectively a sequel) to the successful low-budget film of 2009, Paranormal Activity 2 takes us into the footsteps of the Kristi Rey, husband Dan, Step-daughter Ali, newborn son Hunter and the family dog Abby.

Whilst the film takes place before the events of the first film, the scenes are largely similar though take place all around the house, and are not limited to the bedroom as in the first film. Whilst this certainly allows more creative licence in how the scares are generated, it perhaps makes it too easy to use jump scares. Whilst this is a director's ideal route, by focussing on mostly pitch-black scenes to create the scares, the first film comes across as more original and more deserving of its plaudits.

As the films progresses, the 'paranormal activity' increases both in frequency and levels of hostility, from the pool cleaner moving by itself to Kristi being launched across the house. It certainly ups the entertainment value but one can't help but feel the over the top nature of these events drags the film into becoming a farce instead of gradually taking things to the next level in more subtle fashion.

Both leads from the first also make an appearance, something of a strange occurrence for the audience who somehow clearly missed the disclaimer stating that the sequel was 'filmed' two months before Michah's death from the first film. Bizarrely, audience members were unable to digest this information.

Their involvement seems to be simply to provide a sense of familiarity to the piece, and reassurance for the Reys, who are slowly being tormented and seeking any help they can get to rid the house of its anomalies.

Taking the film to the next level, the latter stages are reminiscent of [REC] and its sequel in the manner of providing nightvision handycam footage in a claustrophobic basement, the location chosen as the hotbed of the house's paranormal activity. An action-packed finale sees a familiar face return and introduces another element of the horror genre, though personally I felt it was a rather unncessary jaunt into the realms of the absolutely farcical and another case of directors not being satisfied with a soft ending.

Whilst the sequel (or prequel) provides enough scares to keep everyone happy, and it certainly does most things right, it often feels like it's trying to hard to emulate the first film. Whilst this isn't necessarily a bad thing, the manner of the finale sadly destroys what could have been a wonderfully enigmatic finish to a well-executed follow-up.

7/10

The Godfather Part II

Following on from the masterpiece that was The Godfather Part I, Francis Ford Coppola continues the trilogy with Part II, yet another gem from the 1970s, a decade which saw liberalism break through into mainstream cinema, introducing the gun culture that has epitomised Hollywood, and with it came a hauntingly magical period of cinema.

We follow Robert De Niro as young Vito in the early 1900s, as he breaks into the world of the mafia, toppling the region's warlord and making himself a Don in the process. Coppolla also brings us a taste of Michael Corleone as he attempts to reassert himself as the dominate mafia boss in 1958, a period during which hostile negotiations and widespread tensions threaten to tear apart the entire landscape.

On first appearance, De Niro finds himself in a difficult position, having to somehow dominate the role made famous by Marlon Brando. A brutish, resilient, well-respected and dominant individual, the role of Vito 'Don' Corleone is a role few men in Hollywood could have reprised with such energy, presence, charisma and sheer brilliance. De Niro, naturally exceeds all expectations and delivers one of the performances of his career (arguably bettered in Goodfellas as Jimmy Conway).

In Michael Corleone, Al Pacino finds a role which allows him the freedom of the camera, the freedom of the 'stage', and with ease he manages to create a monster in young 'Mikey'. As he negotiates behind allies' backs, and tries to find out who the traitor in his family is, the anguish, frustration and emotions are clear for the audience to see. Pacino's ability to appear as the calm before the storm, characters who could snap the very next second and yet demonstrate no visible emotion makes him one of the finest actors of his generation. His performance as Tony Montana in Scarface for years prior demonstrated his brilliance in such a role, one where power literally drove him to an early death. However, as Master Corleone, it is his sole duty to carry the integrity and history of his family on his young shoulders. It is his sheer presence in every scene, and the manner in which he asserts his prowess and psychological dominance which makes him the star of the piece, and without him at the forefront, one would have to question whether the film would really be as magnificent.

9/10