Lucy

 

I have always been a fan of Scarlett Johansson but I never really viewed her as being strong enough to carry a film on her own.  Lucy was her opportunity to prove she can be a credible Box Office draw without the backing of a Marvel ensemble and I was cheering her on with great enthusiasm.

PLOT:  After a dangerous delivery job goes awry Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is forced to carry a new drug back to America in her stomach.  On route she is attacked by her captors and the bag bursts leaking the drug into her system.  The drug causes Lucy to unlock her brains full capacity and turns her into the X-Men.  Lucy seeks help from Professor Morgan Freeman.  END PLOT

The world is filled with made-up science and it forms part of our everyday lives.  The science in films can be as ridiculous or far-fetched as it chooses but the trick to Hollywood Science is to sell it to an audience who are actively daring the filmmakers to screw it up.  The science in Lucy is daft but it does try to give it some credence by asking Morgan Freeman to narrate it.  A commendable effort and it would have worked if the film didn’t dedicate quite so much screen time to it.

The decision to weave Professor Norman’s lecture alongside Lucy’s cerebral development was a decent idea but it was overkill especially as we had already sat through the horribly ill-conceived jungle cat stalking a deer scenes.  Obvious foreshadowing is obvious.  If the film focused solely on Lucy's story rather than trying to give us a science lesson it would have been over in 45mins. 

Aside from trying to be too clever with the science Lucy is great fun.  Scarlett Johansson is gorgeous and has this wonderful ability to underact which worked very well when Lucy started to distance herself from humanity.  As Lucy gradually morphed into Dr Manhattan (sans swinging blue penis) Johansson’s natural aloofness worked a treat.

 

No matter how intelligent the film tried to be the main villain was nothing stronger than a bad guy in a suit who spent his time bossing his goons around.  This was an unforgiveable waste of the wonder Min-sik Choi’s talent.  If you have an actor of his calibre let him unlock a scientifically calculated percentage of it.

 

The main problem with the film is that it took itself far too seriously.  If a bit of fun had of been injected into the proceedings Lucy could have been a much stronger film.  Overall Lucy was good old-fashioned, leave your brain at the door, nonsense. On occasion this is perfectly acceptable.  6/10.

The Most Memorable Films of 2012

It is January which means that the blogging world compiles their best/worst lists.  Due to nothing other than laziness my list is based on the most memorable films I have viewed over the past year. 

It digs me out of a rather large hole for two reasons:
1: I am not compelled to compile a best and worst list as memorable covers everything
2: I am not limited to films released in 2012 or viewed in the cinema

As I tend to make the rules up as I go along this suits me perfectly.

 

10 – The Artist - January

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/artist.html

The Artist almost begrudgingly takes a spot on my list of memorable films of 2012.  The silent film deserved all the praise it received for daring to try something different. 

 

I enjoyed The Artist in the cinema but the soundtrack gets more love than the film does.  It was a great achievement but I am relieved that it didn’t start a craze of silent black and white films.

 

9 – John Carter - March

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/john-carter.html

I feel like I am in the minority with John Carter but I don’t particularly care as I enjoyed it – granted the film is flawed, probably too long and Carters only mode of transportation across Mars is to get kidnapped but there is something about the adventure that entertains me.  It is a bizarre mixture of laughing with it and at it but there is also genuine affection. 

I think it’s popular for the cool kidz to hate this film. I don’t.

 

8 – Shame - January

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/shame.html

 

January 2012 and Shame are now a very long time ago but this was the film that confirmed beyond any doubt the acting ability of Michael Fassbender. 

I will never understand how Fassy didn’t get Oscar nominated for his performance.

 

7 – [REC] 3: Genesis - November

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/rec3-genesis_11.html

 

[REC] and [REC]2 didn’t get a cinematic release and [REC]3: Genesis did not break tradition. 

I love the [REC] franchise but unfortunately the shift in tone and style for the third offering was so jarring it became the weakest of the series so far.  On another day the over the top gore and humour would have been enjoyable but as a [REC] film it felt totally out of place. 

I was expecting the changes before I watched the dvd and was well prepared for them but I still can’t help but feel disappointed by what I saw.

 

6 – The Avengers - April

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/avengers-avengers-assemble.html

 

There was a toss-up between The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers for a place on the list – both were great films in their own rights but The Avengers wins a spot on the list because of the goose-bump inducing Avengers Assemble moment which still packs a punch on dvd. The Dark Knight Rises dvd has yet to be purchased.

It'll take something special for the sequel to top this moment

The Dark Knight Rises is the final instalment of Nolan’s epic trilogy but The Avengers started off with Iron Man in 2008 and built from there. 

The Avengers brought all of the characters together in a film that made sense to a non-comic-book-reading fan.  Seeing the members of the team work together as one solid unit during the Battle for New York was one of the most memorable moments of the year.
 

5 – The Woman in Black - February

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/woman-in-black.html

 

I had read The Woman in Black and seen the play prior to the film being announced so there was a ridiculous amount of excitement for the big screen adaptation.

Aside from being an excellent film what made the Woman in Black memorable was that my friends and I rocked up to the cinema on Valentine’s Day only to find that the queue was out the door and around the street.  This was an amazing achievement for romance in our bleak little town and the only single people in the vicinity turned around and went home.  We viewed The Woman in Black on 15 February 2012.

I didn’t warm to the casting of Daniel Radcliffe until I watched the film and was more relieved than surprised that I didn’t see Harry Potter.  The director, James Watkins, is hopefully one to keep an eye on.

The Woman in Black is one of the best horror films of the year.
 

4 – The Snapper - September/October (?)

 

The Snapper is an Irish comedy from 1993 in which teenager Sharon Curely falls pregnant after a drunken one night stand.  The family deal with the pregnancy in a typically hilarious and unsympathetic Irish manner.   

The humour is similar to the comedy in The Guard right down to the casual racism.  Everything about The Snapper is distinctly Irish and I love it for that reason alone.

I saw The Snapper at the Belfast Film Festival and my biggest regret of 2012 was not asking Stephen Frears for an autograph when I was standing beside him.
 

3 – Chronicle - February

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/chronicle.html

Right when we were all getting bored of found-footage Chronicle came along with a shoe string budget and sci-fi setting and created one of the best films of the year. 

It was a fantastic achievement and breathed new life into a dying fad.  It'll be interesting to see what director Josh Trank does with the Fantastic Four reboot (IMDB).
 

2 – The Grey - January

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/grey.html

 

The Grey is another of my favourite films of 2012.  It was bleak, cold and the consent but mostly unseen threat of the wolves created a genuinely tense experience.  It didn’t do Liam Neeson’s reputation as a badass any harm either.

I am blessed by being part of a Nerdy Trio that practically lives in the cinema but The Grey was the first time that I had ever ventured there on my own.  This was a decision that almost backfired during the ridiculously stressful and realistic plane crash as there were no hands to hold.
 

1 – I Saw the Devil - August

http://karina-mundanerambling.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/i-saw-devil.html

 

I Saw the Devil was originally released in 2010 but as I am always a good few steps behind everyone else I didn’t see the film until August 2012 and only viewed it on the recommendation of a fellow blogger.

I don’t normally go for uber violent films and because of this revenge thrillers are almost at the bottom of my list of films to watch. 

I Saw the Devil is a welcome exception to the rule.  I love everything about this film – the plot is strong from start to finish and the performances of Byung-hun Lee and Min-Sik Choi are exceptional.

There is violence, blood and gore but it is never over the top. There are some scenes, for example a little quiet moment with blood covering snow, which are eerily beautiful. 

After Senna last year I wasn’t sure what deserved the number 1 spot for 2012.  As soon as I looked through my blog I Saw the Devil was the obvious choice.  

I Saw the Devil was memorable for being an excellent film but more so as it was from a genre that I (still) purposely avoid.

I Saw The Devil

My cinematic choices are at times embarrassingly mainstream but that doesn’t mean my dvd collection is anything to be (overly) ashamed of.

I have met some very good friends through blogging and when one of them takes the time to recommend a film I will seek it out.

I Saw The Devil is one of those films.

PLOT: After his wife is brutally murdered Kim Soo-hyeon (Byung-hun Lee) hunts down and toys with Kyung-chul (Min-Sik Choi) her killer. In order to make Kyung-chul feel true fear Kim Soo-hyeon has to take their game of cat and mouse to a very dark place. END PLOT

The revenge aspect of I Saw The Devil isn’t complex but Soo-hyeon’s transformation into the monster he is hunting is fascinating to watch. 

The story may be about Soo-hyeon’s desire for revenge but we watch it unfold from Kyung-chul’s point of view point. This helped to pad out the thin plot as we spent quite a lot of time watching Kyung-chul pick up his latest victim and torture her before Soo-hyeon arrived. 

Soo-hyeon is classed as the good guy but his actions were not heroic as his main goal was to fuck with Kyung-chul rather than to save a damsel in distress.  The plot may have been basic but the strong characters more than made up for it.

I Saw The Devil is a violent film and is probably one of the most violent I have ever watched. The violence is brutal but what makes it acceptable is that it realistic and unsettlingly plausible.  It is also beautifully shot which I was not expecting – the scenes at night, especially the opening segment in the snow, looked gorgeous.

Despite the violence and carnage there wasn’t any real tension on screen until the final act when the battle between Soo-hyeon and Kyung-chul became more psychological. The way in which Soo-hyeon finally broke Kyung-chul was horrifically dark and although I had suspicions about who would be involved I didn’t believe Soo-hyeon would go that far until I watched it unfold.

Byung-hun Lee was excellent as Kim Soo-hyeon. Lee doesn’t have many lines but he didn’t need them to convey his characters inner conflict. His performance was very understated when compared with Min-Sik Choi.

Whether Choi was being pure evil or mopping away blood with the enthusiasm of an underpaid janitor I couldn’t take my eyes of him. I know Choi has a lot of cult credibility for Oldboy but he was absolutely phenomenal, if not better, in I Saw The Devil.

At over two hours I Saw The Devil is a long film. I thought a dramatic shootout was the finale but it was actually the end of the 2nd act and the film went on for another good forty-five minutes. It was long but I was so engrossed I didn’t feel the time go by.

The film is not for the faint hearted and fresh air was required after it had ended as I knew it would linger but I would be lying if I said anything less than I loved it. I Saw The Devil gets 9/10 and it will be watched again at some stage just to fully take everything in.

Thank you Maynard Morrissey