film
by Keiron Self
MUPPETS MOST WANTED ****
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL ****
Dir: James Bobin (PG, 112 mins)
The Muppets. Ahhh. Although their first foray back onto the big screen after a
fallow period wasn’t as great as it could have been, it was still an enjoyable felty
romp that yielded an Oscar for Flight Of The Conchords’ Brett Mackenzie for
best original song, Man Or Muppet. The budget and scope are raised with this
sequel, a Eurocaper that takes them on a thoroughly enjoyable ride around famous
landmarks with fuzzy vim and anarchic mayhem. The Muppets are on a grand
world tour when they find themselves embroiled in a jewel heist, with Kermit
kidnapped and sent to a Russian gulag whilst evil doppelgänger and criminal
mastermind Constantine takes his place. None of the Muppets notice, despite
his cerraazzeee French accent and newfound karate skills. Amidst the strings,
there are some humans: Tina Fey’s Russian prison warden, Ty Burrel’s French
policeman and Ricky Gervais’ evil henchman plus a host of celebrity cameos
ranging from Ray Liotta to P Diddy. There will be tunes again of course, courtesy
of Mackenzie whose fellow Conchord Jermaine Clement also pops up, plus a
thriller theme and some terrible puns. Sequel! Opens Mar 28
Dir: Wes Anderson (15, 99 mins)
Wes Anderson’s films are often too idiosyncratic and empty to really connect,
they are quirk fests that appeal to a select group who get them. Rushmore and
The Royal Tenenbaums were deeply satisfying, The Life Aquatic with Steve
Zissou not so much. His last film Moonrise Kingdom, although arch, had some
welcome poignancy amidst the exquisite tableaus. The Grand Budapest Hotel,
greatly helped by Ralph Fiennes central performance, has more heart amidst the
inevitable directorial Russian doll flourishes. Through a series of framing devices
we are led back to an Alpine hotel in the 1930s run by Gustave H (Fiennes), a
womanising taskmaster who is left a priceless painting by one of his ancient
lovers – in fact Tilda Swinton in layers of makeup. A detective story/whodunnit
ensues with a fabulous supporting cast including Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, Bill
Murray, Owen Wilson and many more. Fiennes anchors the stylistic absurdities
ably and Anderson, despite some wildly varying tones, creates a pleasing rather
than contrived confection with a bittersweet bite. Opens Mar 7
GRACE OF MONACO ***
HALF OF A YELLOW SUN ***
NEED FOR SPEED ***
Dir: Olivier Dahan (15, 100 mins)
A troubled biopic of the Hollywood star turned Princess of
Monaco, Grace Kelly. This was to have been a contender
for the 2014 Oscar race, but has faced acrimonious edit
room shenanigans between director Dahan and producer
Harvey Weinstein. Detailing a brief time in the life of Kelly,
played by Nicole Kidman, as she decides to turn her back
on Hollywood and stand by Prince Ranier III of Monaco
played by Tim Roth. Dahan has form with the biopic, his
film La Vie En Rose was a fantastic snapshot of songstress
Edith Piaf, and Kidman’s glacial beauty is a good fit for
Kelly. Frank Langella is also on hand as the priest and
confidante to the Princess, who must decide whether to
answer a call from Hitchcock to play Marnie or remain in
Monaco and help her husband, whose kingdom and tax
haven was threatened by French President Charles De
Gaulle. What cut will arrive in cinemas is open to debate,
but it should provide an interesting glimpse into the life of
real Hollywood royalty. Opens Mar 14
Dir: Biyi Bandele (15, 117 mins)
This adaptation of the novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
chronicles a period in Nigerian history between the 60s
and 70s when the country underwent a coup and briefly
established the Republic of Biafra. Amidst the African
politics however is a soap opera-esque tale of fractured
families, Thandie Newton’s rebelling rich girl shacking
up with Chiwetel Ejiofor’s academic. This coupling is not
desired by Ejiofor’s harridan of a mother who sets about
trying to split the pair up. Meanwhile an English novelist,
the excellent Joseph Mawle, embarks on a relationship with
Newton’s twin sister Anika Noni Rose in an underdeveloped
subplot. When the violence erupts it shocks and grips
but the film struggles to engage in its dialogue-heavy
expeditionary sections. Ejiofor and Newton are strong
but Mawle has more impact as the compromised white
man in Africa. A history lesson told with more soap than
substance, this nevertheless has moments of power but
may disappoint fans of the novel. Opens Apr 11
Dir: Scott Waugh (12A, 100 mins)
Another computer game is brought to life, although as
EA’s hugely popular racing franchise has little in the way
of plot, just lots of law-breaking car chases, it’s a blank
page in terms of script. Aaron Paul, fresh from cooking
crystal meth in Breaking Bad, plays street racer Tobey
Marshall, set up by dastardly former associate Dino,
current Fleming star Dominic Cooper. Paul goes to jail
for a year and comes out wanting revenge, and the best
way to do it is to take part in a 48-hour road race from
New York to California to get at Cooper, who of course has
put a bounty on his head. Watch the stuntage ensue. With
more than a nod to the great car chase films of the 70s,
Need For Speed ditches the CGI trickery of the Fast And
Furious saga; cars are trashed for real and no one drives
a tank on a freeway. Director Waugh is an ex-stuntman,
so knows his gear changes, and hopefully a cast that also
involves Michael Keaton and Imogen Poots will deliver
more than an expensive skidmark. Opens Mar 14
ALSO RELEASED: THE STAG (15) A comedy about a stag night starring Professor Moriarty himself Andrew Scott. Hope he doesn’t ludicrously fake his own death in this one… ABOUT LAST
NIGHT (15) Remake of About Last Night which was itself based on Sexual Perversity In Chicago by David Mamet and is essentially about the lo