Rental: Charlie St. Cloud

CHARLIE ST. CLOUD
Writer- Craig Pearce & Lewis Colick
Director- Burr Steers
Starring- Zac Efron, Charlie Tahan, Amanda Crew, Augustus Prew, Ray Liotta.

The whole premise of the shameless Zac Efron vanity vehicle that is Charlie St. Cloud could be summed up in its terrible tagline- Life is For Living. It tells the story of a young sailor (Efron) whose life crumbles after the death of his younger brother (Tahan). Even still, he decides to keep a pact they made when they were both still living- they would meet everyday to practice their baseball skills.

There's not much that can save this shipwreck- not even Ray Liotta and Kim Basinger in severely underwritten roles can keep it from sinking. Everybody seems to be trying their very best, and all take it ever so seriously, but their efforts are in vain. Close-ups of Efron's face are abundant, as is an incredibly corny screenplay and heavy handed direction. This film is so cloying, so sickly sweet, that it's impossible to take seriously. Its plot twists are cliched, the end is ridiculous and its character development almost non-existent. The generic, intrusive score tries to sound inspirational, but falls dead flat. One of the very few redeeming features of the film is the cinematography, with an interesting shot here and there to liven things up a little. Abandon ship.

The bottom line- If all you want in a film are shots of an (occasionally) bare chested Zac Efron, then you're in for a real treat. Anyone else, stay well away.

1/10

True Grit Review

TRUE GRIT

Writer/Director- Joel and Ethan Coen

Starring- Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper.


After it romped in with 10 Oscar nominations earlier in the week, recieved stellar reviews and great box office performance, one could assume the new Coen Bros. film had a lot going for it. The film, of course, is True Grit.

Based on the Charles Portis novel, it tells the story of Mattie Ross (Steinfeld), a sharp, steely 14 year old whose father gets murdered and pillaged. She wants revenge, so she recruits a one eyed, trigger-happy US Marshal by the name of Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (Bridges, in the same role that John Wayne got his Oscar for). Accompanying them on their quest to find the killer, Tom Chaney (Brolin), is a boastful Texas Ranger (Matt Damon).

Not as eccentric as the Coen Bros. previous offerings, the film stays true to the source novel and works well as a Western. The performances are all fine, newcomer Hailee Steinfeld holding up against the heavyweights she's acting alongside. One problem with Jeff Bridges, though, is his almost undecipherable murmuring- in one particular coutroom scene it is extremely hard to follow. The cinematography by the great Roger Deakins is breathtaking, and the art direction impeccable.

So, this should be a brilliant film, shouldn't it?

Well, no.

As solid as it is, there's a certain dullness, an emotional detachment, that hinders the film. The film seems to go on without much excitement (apart from a few scenes), and so by the end of the film, it's hard not to have a feeling of unfulfilment.


The bottom line- Watch it if you want to see a good Western that's beautiful to look at, but don't expect usual Coen Brothers fare.



7/10