14/03/2014 The Film Review

Karen England win the Six Nations? Ireland and France are also in the

running. All the options at 6:30pm. Now it's time for the Film Review.

Welcome to the Film Review. To take us through this week's cinema

releases is Mark Kermode. A very diverse week. We have Under The

Skin, which stars Scarlett Johansson as a space alien at large in

Glasgow. Need for Speed, based on the video game. It's like that but

more so. And The Zero Theorm, the new film by Terry Gilliam. Aliens in

Glasgow. I should explain to you, I am from Glasgow so go carefully!

This is an adaptation of a very well-respected and complicated book.

The story is an alien at large on earth has inhabited the form of

Scarlett Johansson, wearing a black wig with red lipstick that makes a

look oddly rather not unlike Mick Jagger in Performance. She is on a

mission to lure and abduct men for deeply sinister purposes. What the

film does is cuts between on the one hand very elegant, very well

orchestrated special effects pieces that are strange, mysterious and

weird, and candid camera footage of Scarlett Johansson prowling the

streets of Glasgow with hidden cameras, so that you can't tell the

difference between the actors in the film and some people who were

literally just passers-by who got caught up in the whole thing. Here

is a clip. No girlfriend, really? You're very

charming. Sorted. A handsome face. Thanks a

lot, cheers. Do you think I'm pretty? Definitely. Good. And I've

got a nice smile. That is remarkably creepy. And there

is a very strange score. It does an awful lot of the work of uniting

these very disparate elements. When the film played at the international

film festivals it provoked boos and cheers in equal measure. People who

don't like it really don't like it. People who embrace it think it's an

absolute masterpiece. It is neither failure nor masterpiece. It is a

very, very ambitious attempt to tell an exotic, otherworldly story in

very earthly circumstances. It doesn't always work. Some of the

stuff out on the streets of Glasgow doesn't quite ring true for me. You

end up spending some time wondering, is that an actor or just somebody

they happen to have come across? That bothers me a bit. But for its

singular vision, the fact that the director, who is the same man who

made Sexy Beast, has made no compromises, he said in an ideal

world he would make his film for a few friends and they'd watch them

and burn them. What I really like about this is its really inventive.

The soundtrack is astonishing. There are moments in it that are really

bold and quite alarming. For that, the moment when it doesn't work,

it's fine because I'd rather see somebody aiming high and perhaps

falling to earth in the process, and there is a relationship between this

and the film, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and somebody playing it safe.

Video game, bunch people, old racing, let's make a film of it. The

problem with this film, firstly, it is over two hours long and this is

clearly a 79 minute film. Secondly, we are now in a world where we have

the Fast and Furious franchise, where we've taken these muscle cars,

cranked up sensibility as far as it can go. Where can you go? The last

Fast and Furious had cars and do big aeroplane. In this one they've

decided to throw in an Apache helicopter. The dialogue is

genuinely terrible. It's one of those films that plays like a

computer game inasmuch as all the way through it, innocent bystanders

are merrily when of the road. Nobody cares, least of all the

screenwriters. Because those aren't the people we are concerned about.

There's a cameo role by Michael peat for stock that is kind of fun. But

at two hours and ten minutes long, you need more than Michael Keaton.

Could we get away with it in five minutes in wacky races? That was a

lot better written. Better characterisation and better

performances. Let's move on. The Zero Theorm, one of the most

interesting directors around, Terry Gilliam. The same before about Under

The Skin, if somebody is going to fail, I want them to fail on their

own terms. From the opening minute you know it's a Terry Gilliam film.

Christoph Waltz hummer he feels completely alienate it from the

world. His mission, which he has been given by his bosses, is to

embark upon a project which will demonstrate that everything equals

nothing. In the end, all life is meaningless, which will somehow give

meaning to his existence. You only have to watch three films -- brains

of this to know if a Terry Gilliam film. How is it happening? It isn't

hanging at all well, I'm dying. I can't afford to lose you. I've got

an appointment this afternoon. Not this afternoon. Cancel it. Did you

do all that this morning? As was mentioned to you repeatedly, we did

tests here. I can't begin why you insist on us coming here. That's a

management issue. It's out of my hands. Nobody speaks to management,

no way. Take my advice, knock off the bitching and moaning. It's not

that bad in here. You are right, it is a Terry Gilliam. It has the look

to some extent of Brazil. There's a similarity between that central

character played by Christoph Waltz and the look of Bruce Willis in

Twelve Monkeys. But the manner of Jonathan Pryce, the harassed

intellectual, the guy who wants to be away from the system. It is not

vintage Terry Gilliam, although would happily watch him tripping up,

because I think even when he doesn't do his best work he is always

interesting. He made a film called Tideland, a very hard watch. But

what works is it is pure, unadulterated Terry Gilliam. This is

him turned up. The interweaving plots attempting to find some kind

of meaning to his life by disappearing off into the strange

portals are a weird cybersex side. That doesn't quite work, but it is

like rumbling through a car-boot sale with Terry Gilliam world

artefacts all around. Even when it doesn't hang together coherently, it

looks like the work of somebody who has the distinctive vision, who

makes the films they want to make. It's not his best work but I can't

remember the last time I didn't think any Terry Gilliam was worth

seeing. You should see it, even though it is very flawed. It's not

his best work but there aren't very many films that are better than

Twelve Monkeys. He has set the bar very high. Grande Budapest hotel is

your film of the week. This is Wes Anderson at his most Wes Anderson.

This is essentially the story of Ralph Fiennes, as the concierge of a

hotel, a charismatic figure who get involved in this zany adventure. If

you like Wes Anderson's style, almost like watching a grandfather

clock, everything is mechanical. If you like that, you will love this.

However, if you don't like Wes Anderson, it will drive you mad.

What I love about him is he clearly listens to the critics and then

ignores them totally. You don't like that, I will do more of it! I liked

it very much. Ralph Fiennes is really funny. Hunger Games catching

fire is your DVD. I've seen the first one but not this one. Jennifer

Lawrence is to reflect. It's surprisingly bleak. You get the

feeling they will have a problem with the third and fourth films

because the narrative, there's a certain amount of repetition in it.

She's a really great heroine. It's a bold attempt to take a story which

is pretty grim. It is basically rollerball for teenagers, and do it

in a way which is accessible and interesting. The first two

instalments have been very good. I worry about parts three and four,

based on the third novel, which has got some issues, but this is really

good. You will find more film news and reviews from Mark on his BBC

blog. That's it for this week. Thank you for watching and goodbye.

Hopefully, as well as going to the cinema, you have a chance to go

outside through this weekend because it should be quite reasonable for

many others. We've lost the