Crazy Heart

Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for his performance in this film, beating Colin Firth (in a film I’m going to watch soon, for comparison). Bridges stars as ‘Bad’ Blake, a country singer whose career is falling apart as he struggles with alcoholism, whilst his former friend (Colin Farrell) becomes successful in his wake. It is not hard to predict that some one or thing will appear at the end of the first act to change his life. In this case it is Maggie Gyllenhaal, a single mother who wants to be a music journalist. She, as usual, is the most compelling presence in this film. Bridges is good but, as much as I do like him as an actor, there is nothing enthralling about his performance. He is not helped by the plot, which follows fairly ordinary lines. For UK viewers (or non-country music lovers in general) there is nothing that exciting about the world that we are thrust into. Bridges is to be admired for actually playing the guitar and singing, but that is technical ability, not acting brilliance. The film is little more than a slight, sensitive drama. The issues it raises are not engaged with or overcome. Whilst in film and literature we do enjoy bad things happening in the anticipation of a reversal or retribution, here it becomes unappealing as we watch for too long a talented man struggle through alcoholism. He is never really as desperate as he could’ve been, or as passionate in his high points. There are no great speeches. It is a tempered, moderate film, even if its ending is poignant and memorable.

X-Men: First Class

Whilst I’m generally wary of prequels that attempt to explain the origins of characters, it has to be admitted that this film succeeds where others have failed. The back story here is a truly compelling one, and it makes the earlier X-Men films more fascinating because of it (instead of some other prequels which merely serve to remove the mystery of their originals). In this movie we find out how Xavier and Magneto meet, and the pressures they come under as some of the first mutants to be brought to the attention of the government. The backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 provides an interesting, realistic setting for the otherwise fantastical events taking place. Although the film can’t resist the odd knowing, ironic joke, and playing to the audience who’ve seen the first three (four?) films, or read the comics (the scene with Wolverine springs to mind). There are some slightly ridiculous moments, but the movie in general is concerned with real issues, if perhaps a bit too portentous at times. The whole thing is greatly helped by the very good performances of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Perhaps this isn’t the place to criticise a whole franchise, but the mutations seem random – that is, with no theme to them except to provide good cinema viewing, and interesting fight scenes (compare Heroes, or Fantastic Four). We have to take this film for what it is and what it attempts to achieve, however, and on those terms it succeeds admirably.

Thor

I had virtually no intention of seeing Thor, until I noticed that it was directed by Kenneth Branagh. Yes, exactly. It stars Chris Hemsworth as the Norse god of thunder who is banished from Asgard and sent to Earth (why Earth? It’s not clear). This is not a storyline based on Norse mythology, though, but the Marvel Comics’ characters. It proceeds to rip apart, debase and trivialise that elegant, ancient mythology. We live in an age, however, when myth, history, literature and art are rehashed and remodelled to service movies, video games, popstars, clothing brands, websites and apps. So, I suppose we must embrace it. The incongruity of the mighty god in a remote New Mexico town is played with humour and post-modern irony (as we’ve come to expect from adaptations such as this). There is a slight fault in the structure in the way we start with his arrival on Earth, then go back to explain how he got there. It may have been better to do without the explanation completely, as his time on Earth seems fairly short and insignificant by the end, which is perhaps not what was intended. The romance with Natalie Portman is amusingly quirky and perverse, and has a sensitive conclusion. For all their vast powers, the gods are reduced to taking part in fist fights to decide anything, but this seems like an inescapable outcome for many movies like this. It isn’t the best, but it isn’t the worst, of these modern remakes of comic characters. This is partly explained when we find out that the film was only made to introduce the character of Thor for the forthcoming The Avengers film – also starring your old favourites Iron Man, Captain America and the Incredible Hulk. Again, this would seem like a terrible idea (the term ‘cash cow’ can’t be far from many people’s minds), but it is being written and directed by Joss Whedon, so there is hope. Fans of Kenneth Branagh might be mildly disturbed by this film, but fans of comic books might understand the oddities better when they realise who the director is.