YES MAN
You know Luke Rhinehart’s cult 1971 book The Dice Man? Why not? Well,
anyway, this is a bit like that, except that instead of rolling the dice to
decide what socks to wear or woman to sleep with, Danny Wallace decided to
say yes to absolutely everything for a whole year. He then wrote a memoir about
it called Yes Man in 2005. This here is the film adaptation and stars funny
man Jim Carrey as a guy who embraces positivity after meeting a man on a bus
who advises him to say yes more. Does it change his life? Certainly. For the
better? Quite possibly not. As you would expect, there are plenty of opportunities
for Carrey’s trademark facial gymnastics and goofiness but not quite
enough opportunities for laughs.
Verdict: Yes. Well, maybe.
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
Keanu Reeves attempts
his kazillionth comeback with this remake of the 1951 film of the same name about
an alien Klaatu and his indestructible
robot Gort. He
falls short. Directed by Scott Derrickson, the 2008 film sees Reeves, a childhood
fan of the original movie, play Klaatu – an alien adopting human shape.
Danger swarms across planet earth like a cloud of locusts, a darkness capable
of destroying life as we know it, but only if the people of earth fail to do
what the nice alien says and stop having wars with each other. Simple, you’d
think? Apparently not. Also starring Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, John Cleese
and Kathy Bates, the remake is a pacier, broodier take on the original classic
but whilst it plays upon modern fears, it's unlikely to please fans of the original.
Verdict: Left me standing
THE WRESTLER
Have a guess what this film is about. Well
done. Wrestling. Wrestling and strippers, in fact. Whoa there, calm down! The
wrestler in question is Randy “The
Ram” Robinson – a 1980s pro wrestler well past his prime who shacks
up with an aging stripper – brilliantly portrayed by Micky Rourke (Sin
City). Think Hulk Hogan looses all his cash, has a dicky heart and washes up
bruised and bloated in a trailer park. Faced with the chance of a rematch with
his old enemy the Ayatollah, The Ram can’t resist, even at the massive
risk to his life. This captivating sporting drama is directed by modern-day Scorsese
Darren Aronofsky (Requiem For A Dream) and deservedly won the Golden Lion for
Best Film at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Great support comes in the
form of Marisa Tomei as Cassidy the stripper. A gritty and heartfelt must-see.
Believe the buzz.
Verdict: Absolute knockout
FROST/NIXON
Following his success with The Queen, screenwriter Peter Morgan delves deep into
the heart of two other public figures, this time the disgraced president Richard
Nixon and the ambitious TV personality David Frost. The film centres around the
power struggles in the set up and execution of Frost's famous 1977 TV interview
in which Nixon admitted he had let down America during the Watergate affair.
Add in Oscar-winning director Ron Howard and strong performances from the leads
of the stage play, Tony-winner Frank Langella as Nixon and Welshman Michael Sheen
as Frost, and we should have a gripping and dramatic historical blockbuster on
our hands. Instead, while sharp, the waltzing film is uneven and stuck in uncertain
territory, somewhere between documentary and drama; ultimately it worked better
on stage.
Verdict: Too many questions unanswered
Susie Wild sits back and waits for the action