18/04/2014 The Film Review

Welcome to the Film Review on BBC News. We are joined by Anna Smith.

What do we have this week? First of all, we are going to the south of

France for The Love Punch, featuring Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson. On

screen for the first time together. The next film is called Locke. It is

a character`driven drama featuring Tom Hardy. He is driving from

Birmingham to London. It is more interesting than it sounds! Finally,

a witty drama about a punk band in the 1980s, called We Are The Best.

Let's start with The Love Punch. A pretty impressive cast, how does it

work out as a film? A fantastic cast. These two play and divorced

couple, and it is great to see them at loggerheads, but there is still a

spark between them. They are sent off to the south of France for a

jewellery heist, which is not really explained. Some of the dialogue is a

plot. Let's have a look. You kept plot. Let's have a look. You kept

your bag. Yes, they lasted quite well, really. Better than us. They

came with a guarantee. Bonsoir! Bonsoir. We would like two rooms.

Passports, please. Mrs Jones. And Mr Jones. And you want two rooms? You

are brother and sister? We're divorced, but I kept his name. Why

is that? Because it has been my name as well for a long time, and the

children. You are holidaying together, to see if perhaps the

flame still burns? Yes. Why not? The flame is out, snuffed, gone. We are

in Paris, you never know. I see what you mean. You are

laughing, but not necessarily for the right reasons. They are terrific

together, they are wonderful, and they can make most lines come to

life. When you cut to a less experienced actor it is a bit

creaky. It worked quite well with the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. You

played to the sympathies of the older crowd. Saying, here is the

promise of escape and glamour in foreign climes. This is a bit

clumsy. You mentioned Marigold Hotel, and when I read the synopsis

earlier that was the first film that came into my mind. I think that was

much more successful, this is a bit amateurish. It is not as good as the

director's last film. Last Chance Harvey. If you are in a forgiving

mood and you're a big fan of the cast, it will pass the time. What

about the believability of the characters? If you are not convinced

by the characters they are betraying, it is hard to stick with,

isn't it? Somehow, they managed to make the central pair believable.

The French stereotypes are just that, they are just stereotypes.

Celia Imrie and Timothy Spall come in, pretending to play comedy

Texans, it is quite preposterous. They are running around on the

beach, it is all very silly. Is it slightly coarse in places? There is

a strange segment where it gets coarse, where they are Skyping their

son, and his flatmate is running around in the background doing silly

things, and it is all quite incongruous. I don't know why it is

there! We are lukewarm on that. Very lukewarm.

Let's talk about Locke. It sounds fascinating. Explain how this works.

It is a 1`man show, and the character is Ivan Locke. Played by

Tom Hardy. He is a man with a beard and a Welsh accent, and he is

basically having the worst day of his life. He has just found out that

a woman who he had a one night stand with is about to go into labour, he

neglected to tell his wife and children that this has happened, and

he hasn't told his boss that he is in this situation, and it is a very

intense car journey where he has lots of people on the phone. His

wife, his boss. And the maternity hospital. There is a lot of dark

comedy. Everything in his life is going completely crazy, but he puts

in a spectacular performance. You can see the worry flickering over

this otherwise very composed man's face as he contemplates the

destruction of his life. It is intense. Do you see anyone other

than him? It is literally just him. At the press screening, the

publicist said that at the beginning. You need to know, this is

just Tom Hardy. You hear the voices of his family, played by well`known

actors, but it is like a radio play, where you are imagining what is

happening offscreen. When you have the muffled sobbing of his family.

It is dark stuff. It is very good. Presumably, the emotional intensity

added by the fact that he is by definition in this very enclosed

space. It is quite claustrophobic. It reminds me of the movie Buried.

Which was a man being buried alive, almost suffocating. Worth seeing,

you think? Yes. What about We Are The Best? This is

my favourite film of the week, and possibly the year so far. This is

about a couple of Swedish schoolgirls, and they decide they

want to form a punk band. Let's have a look at the clip.

Without giving too much away, give us a sense of how the story

develops. It is not so much about stories than character. They form a

punk band, they decide they are going to show the boys what for, and

they recruit a girl who is a very sensible Christian girl with very

long hair, they try to get her to cut her hair and join in. It is a

culture clash between her and this other girl. The joy of being happy,

about being different, and that makes it sound a bit corny, but it

is very well handled by the director. He has done many other

things, like Together and Show Me Love. There is a suggestion that the

director is someone who is returning to his roots, all the roots that a

lot of film admirers would have appreciated. He has gone back to his

happy state, because this is a feelgood film. Whether you would

normally watch subtitled films or not, it is about the fun of being

young, of doing something different, and these girls are just so full of

life. I would recommend it. They can't even play their instruments,

it is a very funny film. It is full of charm, and I think it is one of

his best films. The young actors, clearly you are relying on the

skills of them. They are fantastic, a few of them have virtually no

experience, but it fills you with confidence when you are watching it.

It is very authentic. Their music is not much good, but they have a

wonderful soundtrack. Obviously it has subtitles, sometimes, as we

know, people are put off by that. In this context how do they shape up? I

know what you mean, sometimes you feel it is not translating very

well. These are young people speaking in fairly simplistic terms,

and they are talking about an area we all remember. They are talking

about the 80s, and you can see that there is the shifting times, some

moving with it differently than others. I could definitely relate to

a lot of it. Of the three, that is your favourite. Let's talk about the

favourite for you that is out there at the moment. My favourite is Grand

Budapest Hotel, by Wes Anderson, I think it is a wonderful screwball

comedy. This is from a hotel that is really stuck in its time, and as

usual, from Wes Anderson films, it is like a chocolate box. There is so

much colour and composition, and how it all looks. Absolutely, everything

is symmetrical. There is so much detail. There is also great comedy,

I think if you found some of Wes Anderson's things at bit more

pretentious, you might find this more accessible. Ralph Fiennes is in

it, and a lot about how he gets on with the lobby boy. There is a plot

about a stolen painting, which he is accused of stealing by the family of

a former lover, so there is a lot of running around in Gothic garb, it

speeds up and gets faster and faster. It is a fun film. That is

the best one to go and see if you haven't. If you have missed out and

it is DVD time watched you pick? Nebraska, which was nominated for

seven Oscars. He has good form when it comes to road trips, this is

another road trip movie. Bruce Dern is an older gentleman, he likes a

drink, and he goes on a road trip with his son. He has decided he has

won $1 million, won't be told otherwise, won't be told it is a

scam from a magazine, so his son reluctantly goes along, and it takes

place with a dash of cynicism. You mentioned road trips. There is

something about road trips that work. There is a lot of opportunity

for great landscapes. This is black and white, interestingly. Also

different characters. They drop in on lots of old friends and family,

who actually think this guy has won $1 million. There is an interesting

dynamic between how the perception of someone being wealthy changes the

relationship. You said it came close to Oscars? Very close, it is a shame

it didn't get any, but it was very close. It works at home on a DVD.

Definitely. Before we go, you will find more film news and reviews from

our critics on the website. For now, goodbye.

A couple of minutes until Easter day, it