Author: Alex Cole

In a rare failure of form, Juan José Campanella, director of Oscar winning The Secret in Their Eyes, finds himself in a relegation battle with the release of joint Spanish and Argentinian venture The Unbeatables.

When playground bully Flash (Anthony Head) returns to his small village to crush his nemesis, the one boy who had ever beaten him at anything, local table football god Amedeo (Rupert Grint), the village is threatened by destruction. If he is to save his village, Amadeo, with the help of table footballers come to life (and his VERY annoying girlfriend), must defeat his nemesis in a football match of epic proportions.

Originally released in 2013 in Latin America, The Unbeatables has been dubbed so terribly that had the plot not been stretched so thin it was it impossible to see the point; this would still be a poor film. Strangely, the English dialogue has been focused more on matching the sounds to the characters mouths as opposed to making any sense. The writers seemed to have enough difficulty weaving together the human/table footballer plotlines together as it was, without it being capitulated by often nonsensical dialogue. Unfortunately, what could have been, and what seemed to be a light-hearted film about the power of imagination turned into something, well, something almost impossible to explain.

Half the film is spent re-uniting table footballers, only for them to have almost minimal effect on the conclusion and whilst widely advertised using the table footballers as their sales pitch, Amedeo seemed the tentative focus of the film, a character almost absent from any posters. The Unbeatables would have been better suited focusing itself on one set of characters and not attempting to mingle them at all. The characters were hollow and the settings, yes fantastical, but often ridiculously so.

Not much can really be said for the acting performances, they were generic for the most part and downright terrible in some, but the blame really lies with the script.

With the whole film distracting from the genius line that is ‘Trust me – I’ve worked at FIFA’ The Unbeatables is unfortunately not a film I’d recommend.

Distinctively cold and austere, Stations of the Cross follows the path of Maria (Lea van Acken) on her path to martyrdom as she battles with family dysfunction, her dedication to God and a sick brother all wrapped up with teenage angst.

Presented in 14 static shots as rigid as the orthodoxy it portrays, this is a penetrating examination of fundamental dogma in modern Germany, but whilst child abuse, societal pressure and spiritual sacrifice dominate, Dietrich Bruggemann creates a natural warmth throughout. Stations of the Cross contains an unequalled level of realism delivered with a thumping emotional punch.

Whilst openly inviting us to question the force of dogma and its place in the modern world, Stations of the Cross does not ignore the pervasive effects of faith. Maria is stalwart in her faith and her dedication is as beautiful as her motivation for sacrifice. Far from presenting her faith as misguided and irrelevant, Stations of the Cross appears to accept the miraculous and its place in an ever changing world. As her journey to martyrdom progresses we’re treated to every aspect of fundamentalism; with the opening we’re given excitement and zeal as Maria prepares for confirmation, her restricted home life details the abuse she suffers whilst her relationship with au pair Bernadette (Lucie Aron) shows true love and compassion. Maria’s eventual death come suicide presents us with sacrifice and miracle in equal measure in a powerful scene has the strength to make you question your own convictions. Maria’s journey is shown to us as a repeat of the biblical stations of the cross, mapping Jesus’ last moments before crucifixion and is a perfect metaphor for this film. It is both miraculous in its circumstance and heart-breaking at its core.

Stations of the Cross is filled with spectacular performances. The static shots Bruggemann gives us puts their talents on show throughout leaving them nowhere to hide. Naturalism fills this film and there is not only a wide array of emotions but characters as well. The silence and irrelevance of the character known only as Vater (Father – played by Klaus Michael Kamp) is as powerful as the dominant performance of Franziska Weisz as Mutter (mother).

This really is a beautiful film. For those looking for a slower pace, make you look deep within yourself and truly tug the heartstrings , Stations of the Cross can hardly be bettered. The strength of German cinema is really on show with this film and based on this outing alone I am confident Bruggemann alongside his co-writer and wife Anna Bruggemann are set for great things as are many of its stars.

Watch it!

Stations of the Cross is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD through Arrow Films.

It’s been a while since its arrival in July 2014, but with the Oscars just around the corner it’s about time we took another look at some of the nominees!

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (HTTYD 2) is set a few years after the conclusion of HTTYD and focuses once again on Hiccup’s battle to liberate dragons; but this time he must not only compete against a vicious enemy in Drago (Djimon Hounsou), a dragon master hell-bent on capturing a deadly dragon army to take over the world, but also the re-discovery of the mother he’d thought long dead.

HTTYD 2 captures a perfect mix of lovable characters, humour, drama and cuteness and marks a spectacular big screen return for the How to Train Your Dragon franchise which has been spitting our shorts ever since it first debuted in 2010. A series of new characters don’t detract at all from the relationships built up in the first film and you’ll find yourself falling in love all over again with toothless. The plot is simple but effective and there are some great moments with beautifully imagined scenery throughout, but most importantly, dragon after dragon.

Of course this is bound to be a big hit with fans of the first film; but for those uninitiated with the world of dragons, HTTYD 2 has enough about it to ease you in and make it enjoyable regardless. With a cast including Game of Thrones’ Kit Harrington (Eret), Jonah Hill (Snotlout) and Gerard Butler (Stoick) there’s also a hug array of talent on show.

HTTYD 2 will certainly leaving you wanting a dragon of your own!

Nominated for Best Animated Feature, HTTYD 2 was an absolute hit. Whilst not quite at the peak of HTTYD it’s still deservedly one of the hot contenders to come away with at least one Oscar this year. Competing against the latest outing by Studio Ghibli (disgracefully not out in the UK yet) Princess Kaguya and Big Hero 6; HTTYD 2 smashes the competition in a year without any real standout performers. Princess Kaguya simply isn’t big enough and with its only real competition, Big Hero 6, so far not getting huge exposure, for me, HTTYD 2 is a sure winner.

So…what do you think? Who are you piping to be this year’s Best Animated Film?

Fun, cheerful, kind hearted and unequivocally British; Paddington is a revelation!

Adapted from the Michael Bond books Paddington tells the tale of a grief stricken marmalade addicted Bear who travels from ‘Darkest Peru’ to London in search of a new home and a new family. Despite carefully calculated reservations Paddington is eventually taken in by the Brown family, who in their quest to find Paddington a home with the explorer who brought Marmalade to the jungle, are caught up in the adventure of a life time.

The skill in a family film is to make every generation laugh. They’re looking to force kids into fits of giggles and reduce Mum and Dad into 5 year olds, chuckling to a talking Bear. Paddington is flawless in its subtlety and its ability to weave adult humour into a child’s tale. Wordplay including ‘Dog’s must be carried’ causing Paddington to steal a dog before attempting to travel on the tube may go over some children’s head, but is the very reason this film is so fantastic. I couldn’t help but laugh at everything and rarely have I left the cinema with such a smile on my face and it was difficult not to notice the bursts of laughter from children in the audience throughout. It’s hard to believe a great children’s film could come from the director of The Mighty Boosh; but by bringing the sarcasm and playfulness of British humour that made Mighty Boosh so popular, Paul King has managed to create a masterpiece. In a world saturated with outlandish and loud American comedies, Paddington provides much needed rest bite.

Paddington is a character everyone will fall in love with and is supported by a fantastic cast. The characters contrast one another perfectly. The angst filled teen (Madeleine Harris) with the playful younger brother (Samuel Joslin), the uptight insurance salesman (Hugh Bonneville) and his children’s author wife (Sally Hawkins) combine perfectly with the lovable but clueless bear voiced by Ben Whisaw. And we can’t forget Julie Walters’ brilliant performance as Mrs Bird.

Funny, cuddly and simply brilliant, Paddington is a must see; and though some may call this too much, in my opinion, this should have been nominated for an Oscar and is certainly a BAFTA winner!

Paddington has been nominated for two BAFTAs – Adapted Screenplay & Outstanding British Film

Frédéric Jardin’s Sleepless Night (Nuit Blanche) tells the tale of Vincent, a police officer with unknown loyalties who after being identified in the botched theft of a gang leader’s next delivery is forced to reveal his secret life as he fights to save his son.

Set predominantly in a French nightclub; Sleepless Nights is an archetypal French thriller akin to Point Blank or The Prophet; as only Jardin’s second major feature and produced on a small budget Sleepless Nights is a relative success and surpassed my expectations by some way.

Having reportedly taken the role immediately after reading the script Tomer Sisley gives a commanding performance as Vincent and is beaten, bloodied and bruised through his journey by a strong supporting cast.

The action sequences are fierce and realistic with Sisley insisting on performing his own stunts in what turns out to be performance making decision. With no restrictions on camera positioning with no need to hide any faces or make adjustments for stunt doubles Jardin is given real freedom to create picture perfect shots. The versatility and beauty of this is shown best in one of the biggest fight scenes in the nightclubs kitchen. Jardin didn’t design this scene for the action audience and this is apparent from the onset. It is far more realistic and features little of the exaggerated violence and human abilities seen in popular action. This is a growing feature in French thriller, but in this scene Jardin has undoubtedly created something awe inspiring.

As a whole this feature is far from award winning. It has some questionable dialogue and the acting isn’t outstanding throughout; but with glimpses of magic and some unique camera work and directorship Sleepless Night is well worth watching and one I’d recommend to all.

Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of subtitles, Warner Bros have already bought the rights for a remake!