Camp X-Ray Review
The Plot
A young American soldier stationed as a guard at Guantanamo Bay finds herself discovering an unlikely and at times reluctant connection with one particular ‘detainee’, throwing into question her view of right and wrong.
The Good
Guantanamo Bay and the questionable ethics behind America’s infamous prison camp for ‘evil doers’ has been the subject of much political soap boxing and geo-political debate. The success of Camp X-Ray is that it doesn’t allow itself to ever be distracted from a simple but compelling human drama by political controversy. The film isn’t driven by any overt political agenda and doesn’t waste time with heavy handed dialogue and sermons. Defying expectations and assumptions, this isn’t a film about American foreign policy or religious extremism. It’s actually a much more simple but poignant examination of incarceration and freedom.
Twilight star Kristen Stewart is a very good fit for the increasingly troubled Pvt Amy Cole. Having long ago perfected a pained but stoic expression, she easily captures the constant unease of her character. Her typically restrained performance matches the claustrophobic surroundings and situation perfectly.
Peyman Moaadi is an absolute revelation as Ali, the detainee who forges an unlikely bond with Stewart’s young soldier. The film wisely avoids making the issue of his guilt or innocence ever feel like a relevant question. He is neither an evil enemy combatant nor a symbolically innocent victim. He is simply a rational man stripped of dignity and at times sanity by 8 years of oppressive confinement. His performance is the true heart of the film and the source of much of its emotional credibility.
Watching the film’s two leads exchanging furtive conversations mostly through a tiny prison window gives the audience an even greater sense of the true claustrophobic reality of this place and these people’s lives. Whether tinged with humour or hatred, their exchanges are consistently honest and intensely intimate. The ultimate affect and the film’s biggest achievement is to give the audience an immersive experience which is somehow both horrific and hopeful.
The Bad
Kristen Stewart divides audience opinions almost as much as Guantanamo Bay divides political opinion. Those unimpressed by her acting talents or media persona will no doubt find plenty of ammunition to criticise her performance as awkward or sullen. However those criticisms perhaps wilfully miss the entire point of this film. Her character deliberately wears a gaunt troubled expression as a permanent piece of armour, against the hatred and oppression which surrounds her, meaning that when a rare smile does break through it actually truly means something.
Those hoping for some kind of an examination of the complex political and military realities that lead to the continued existence of the infamous Gitmo prison may be disappointed that the film doesn’t delve into these issues. However in truth the film gives audience an insight into the human experience of those working and imprisoned inside. Proving a far more persuasive and subtle voice of protest than any number of grandstanding speeches about justice and freedom.
The Ugly Truth
Kristen Stewart continues to establish herself as a credible dramatic talent outside of the assured box office success of the Twilight Saga. Helping Camp X-Ray deliver a compelling insight into one of the most mysterious and controversial places on earth. Though the film leaves audiences to draw their own political and emotional conclusions its impact is undeniable.
Asian Achievers Awards 2014 Winners
Award winners talked to Red Carpet News at the 14th annual Asian Achievers Awards ceremony in London at a star-studded gala event at the Grosvenor House Hotel, on London’s Park Lane.
Winners included Hanif Kureshi CBE for Media, Arts and Culture; Mahmud Kamani, co-founder of boohoo.com for Business Person of the Year; and Wasim Khan MBE, the first British-Pakistani to play professional cricket in England, for Achievement in Community Service.
Picking up the Editor’s Award for Rising Star, was ground-breaking music producer, Naughty Boy, aka Shahid Khan, who shot to fame and critical acclaim last year with his hit single, ‘La La La’; and also the late Flight Lieutenant Rakesh Chauhan, whose parents collected the Editor’s Award for Bravery and Patriotism. Fl Lt Chauhan tragically lost his life in Afghanistan during a routine flight and was honored for his service to his country.
Full 2014 Winners list below:
Business Person Of The Year – Mahmud Kamani Co-Founder boo.hoo.com
Entrepreneur Of The Year – Dr. Richie Nanda
Executive Chairman, The Shield Group, the UK’s largest independent Total Security Solutions provider
Sports Personality Of The Year – Dilawer Singh MBE
Sports Council for Glasgow Elected Director
Uniformed And Civil Services – Nazir Afzal OBE
Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West
Media, Arts And Culture – Hanif Kureishi CBE
Playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker and novelist. In 2008, The Times included Kureishi in their list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945″
Woman Of The Year – Priya Lakhani OBE
Ethnic food entrepreneur, founder of Masala Masala, an Indian stir-in sauce
Achievement In Community Service – Wasim Gulzar Khan MBE
Chief Executive, The Cricket Foundation and CEO, Chance to Shine.
Professional Of The Year – Prof Sir Tejinder Singh Virdee, FRS
Experimental physicist and Professor of Physics at Imperial College London and one of the ‘founding fathers’ of CMS
Editor’s Award for Rising Star – Shahid Khan, aka Naughty Boy
Music producer, acclaimed for his global summertime hit single ‘La La La’, featuring Sam Smith and A-list collaborations
Editor’s Award for Bravery & Patriotism – The Late Fl Lt Rakesh Chauhan
29-year-old RAF Officer who died in Afghanistan when his helicopter (Lynx) crashed during a routine flight.
Downton Abbey Series 5 Gets Charity Premiere
The Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF), the leading charity for the UK film, cinema and commercial television industries, has announced it is hosting a world exclusive preview screening of the Series Five opener of ITV’s hugely-popular Downton Abbey. Thanks to ITV and production company Carnival, the red carpet event will take place at the iconic Empire Leicester Square, on 17th September alongside the show’s cast and creators.
Bringing high-society glamour to the West End, the cast and creators will arrive on the red carpet in a classic car plucked from the twenties, with guests including series creator Julian Fellowes, Executive Producer Gareth Neame and cast members Jim Carter (Mr. Carson), Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith) and Lesley Nicol (Mrs Patmore).
Richard Wilson, CEO of The CTBF, said:
‘We are absolutely delighted to showcase Downton Abbey to members of the public, in what is a special and unique event for The CTBF. In an evening fit for an Earl, guests will witness the stunning first episode of Season 5, knowing they have raised crucial funds for our beneficiaries who work behind the scenes in film and television.’
Gareth Neame, Managing Director, Carnival added:
‘The chance to see these much-loved characters on the new IMAX screen at The Empire Leicester Square is not to be missed, and we can’t wait for audiences to get their first glimpse of the thrilling new series. We are of course delighted to support The CTBF as a charity dedicated to providing exceptional support for our industry’.
Series Five of the multi-award winning, worldwide cultural phenomenon will see the return of the Crawley family as the roaring twenties continue apace and the decade’s transformations bring change both upstairs and down. Already announced to join the cast for the new series are Richard E. Grant and Anna Chancellor.
Tickets include red carpet arrival, a glass of champagne and exclusive Q&A preceding the screening, and are available to purchase from www.ctbf.co.uk/downton
Exclusive Interview with Julian Fellowes below:
The Boxtrolls Review
The Plot
When the evil Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) targets the underground cave-dwellers known as the boxtrolls, their adopted human, Eggs (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) must fight to save them from being flattened in Snatchers plans to move up in the world and finally be awarded the privilege of sitting amongst the illustrious White Hats group.
The Good
Stop motion animation studios Laika are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with and yet this latest feature length offering is only their third film after Coraline and Paranorman. Laika keeps up the good work and even somehow manages to surpass it in Boxtrolls, though.
Set in the aptly named cheese obsessed town of Cheesebridge, Boxtrolls is, quite simply, an absolute pleasure to behold. Each and every frame of the film has been clearly made with the same care as Coraline and Paranorman, that sucks you into the weird and wacky world and brings life to each and every character flawlessly. The perfection doesn’t stop there however, with a host of incredible voice talent bringing such admirable accents to the characters.
It’s impossible to choose exactly which of the cast stands out most in this film, but highlights include the aforementioned Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3) as the delightfully detestable Archibald Snatcher; Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows) as the town leader and chief cheese taster, Lord Portley-Rind; and Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd) as Snatchers henchman, Mr Pickles, to name just three.
With plenty of jokes to keep both adults and children chortling throughout, the best of which is such a minor passing moment that is barely even concentrated on but still ends up being one of the films biggest highlights. You’ll no doubt know it when you see it but without giving too much away, it is the most perfect of puns. It’s moments like this that really bring the sense of what Laika is so brilliantly achieving. A fantastically made stop animation feature which seems to draw back and let the art speak for itself without appearing to be boastful at all in it’s achievements in animation.
The Bad
It brings so much joy to report that there really isn’t any downside to The Boxtrolls. If you were to truly have any problems with the film the only criticism you could really come away with is the slightly unexplained cause of the rather advanced vocabulary that young Eggs seems to have somehow picked up over his years of being raised with a group of inarticulate boxtrolls. However this is a minor concern which is easily ignored thanks to the multitude of distractions laid out on screen.
The Ugly Truth
Topped with a host of memorable moments and a genuinely enchanting story that will please both children and adults alike, The Boxtrolls is an instant classic that will surely stand the test of time. And although awards season is still a good few months away, we won’t be surprised in the least to see Laika’s latest bag a fair few well deserved gongs.
Let’s Be Cops Review
The Plot
When two struggling LA underachievers Ryan & Justin dress up a cops for a fancy dress party they find their surprisingly convincing outfits give them newfound street cred and better luck with the ladies. Embracing their new identities soon lands them in trouble though when they get caught up with real life gangsters
The Good
Jake Johnson has recently climbed out of supporting cast obscurity thanks to his work opposite Zooey Deschanel in small screen hit New Girl. He carries a certain degree of charm over to the big screen, making an effortless fit yet again as a vaguely likable slacker. His cheerful but clearly misguided enthusiasm for life as a pretend cop helps inject a sense of fun into proceedings. A reluctant Damon Wayans Jr. likewise does a fine job in the role of his convincingly nervous sidekick.
The film’s leading pair work well to ring maximum laughs from a script lacking in complexity. To its credit the film never resorts to charmless gross out gags or increasingly implausible blockbuster action, as most of the recent spree of law enforcement themed comedies have done.
The film provides a few memorable moments of physical comedy, mostly sold through Jake Johnson’s gleeful reactions. Brawling with naked thugs, huge hysterical women and bemused gangsters are among some of the typical slapstick delights on offer for your viewing pleasure.
The Bad
Let’s Be Cops takes a very simple comedy concept of mistaken identity and stretches it into an entire feature length adventure. Whilst the film offers occasional laughs, in truth the whole escapade could have been dealt with quite adequately in a single episode of a moderately successful TV sitcom.
It’s also hard to ignore obvious comparisons to the 21 Jump Street franchise. As Let’s Be Cops attempts to ring laughs yet again from the increasingly familiar formula of foolish friends bungling efforts to emulate Hollywood cop movies. The fact that both Jake Johnson and Rob Riggle previously starred in the 21 Jump street films makes the comparisons even more unavoidable.
The film would have undoubtedly benefited from a bigger role for supporting star Andy Garcia and a more convincingly menacing villain than James D’Arcy’s generic hoodie wearing street-thug.
Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. may be watchable buffoons but the film lacks any hint of originality. An attempt to inject some kind of moral lesson into the end of the duo’s predictable adventure whilst casually setting up the possibility of a sequel seems heavy handed and overly ambitious.
The Ugly Truth
Let’s Be Cops is an easy watch and should certainly amuse any fans of recent efforts like 22 Jump Street or Ride Along. Overall a likable leading duo makes this an adequate but forgettable addition to the cop comedy genre.