Chasing Mavericks

Dir: Curtis Hanson, Michael Apted

2012

**

Chasing Mavericks is a biopic of a celebrated surfer called Jay Moriarity, who I'm afraid I knew nothing about before watching. After a little further research, I believe Moriarity's story to be rather touching, compelling and something to aspire to, you just wouldn't think it after watching the 2012 film of his life. The production had some issues, the original director Curtis Hanson feel ill within a few days of shooting after having heart surgery a few months before filming began, Michael Apted took over but it would be the last film Hanson would ever work on. Both directors were well suited to a film such as this but the film is unquestionably disjointed due to a conflict of direction styles. It must have been quite tough on the cast and crew also, especially on such a gruelling shoot. That said, Chasing Mavericks still looks amazing, the surf footage being as good as any I've seen in similarly themed movies, the real problem for me was the acting. Jay and his mentor Frosty Hesson were said to have been close but I never felt that watching actors Jonny Weston and Gerard Butler interact. The chemistry between the two just isn't there and it is a huge distraction. I have no idea what the story behind Jay's personal life was like but the bullying story-line was poorly handled and the romance between he and his childhood sweet-heart Kim (who he married in real life) was terribly unconvincing. Elisabeth Shue was cast as Jay's mother, she's an amazing actor, one of my favourites, but she was given absolutely nothing to do and barely ten lines in the whole film. Certain aspects of Jay's life were touched upon but never really explored, even though it was made clear that they were important in his development. Absolutely nothing about the film felt believable or true, I don't think Jonny Weston did a particularly great job in portraying Jay and Gerard Butler seemed somewhat uninspired for the duration of the story. The less said about his awful accent the better. The film is largely underwhelming, with only the final surf scene being suitably impressive. That said, it was the boats going over the maverick waves that was more exciting than the surfers themselves. Another thing that annoyed me was an early scene set in 1994 (the first scene said it was 1987, the scene in question said seven years later, making it 1994) where Jay is working in a Pizza restaurant. Everything appears like it is 1994 until 1997's Brimful of Asha comes on the radio. It is an unimportant mistake but you do have to wonder what other detail they might have got wrong. It's a pet hate of mine. It is a generally forgettable film and something of a poor tribute to a guy who has clearly been an inspiration to many.

The World Is Not Enough
Dir: Michael Apted
1999
****
The World Is Not Enough is the nineteenth Bond film of the series and is easily Pierce Brosnan's best. It's far from perfect but the producers were starting to get things right after the legendary Cubby Broccoli had past away. Pierce Brosnan had eased into the role a little more and it felt like there was less spent effort in convincing the audience it was a Bond film and more time was concentrated in actually telling a story. The balance seemed almost right again. Robert Carlyle played a particularly interesting villain made more frightening by the fact he was dying and was fueled purely by revenge. I have read interviews with Carlyle where he has said that he had the time of his life working on Bond 19. He said that he, Brosnan, Robbie Coltrane (who made a welcome return as Valentin Zukovsky, last seen in GoldenEye) and Drum & Bass maestro Goldie, who played Zukovsky's lead henchmen, would laugh constantly on set and socialise every night after filming, much to Michael Apted's annoyance. It is clear in the film that each actor is relishing their role and it is quite lovely to see. Goldie has since said that it was one of the highlights of his career, saying that in 20-30 years time, he looked forward to sitting down to watch his Bond film when it is shown on TV around Christmas (as they so often are) with his grandchildren, so he can say "Look, that's your Granddad" with a big smile on his face. The plot is full of twists and turns, which makes it quite a competent thriller, thanks to the hit and miss writing duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. I say hit and miss as that is what their filmography is, a mixture of great films and awful ones, The World is Not Enough being one of the great ones. This is the first of five Bond films the pair have written, starting with a hit, followed by a miss and continuing in that order. Michael Apted directed, and did a good job, although it is a shame that Peter Jackson, who was considered early on, wasn't chosen. The theme song by Garbage was okay but the score, by the brilliant David Arnold, was something quite special. The only real issue I had with the film was Denise Richards' character, Christmas Jones. Richards said of the role " I liked played her because she was brainy, athletic and had depth of character, in contrast to Bond girls from previous decades". I couldn't disagree more. Indeed, she has been voted the worst Bond film several times and my Wife won't watch the film again because of her. Her character and performance is a complete contrast to Sophie Marceau's Elektra King, who sizzles in every scene she is in. Another notable performance was that of Colin Salmon's. Slamon played MI6's Chief of Staff and should have been the next Bond in my opinion. However, the best part of the film was also the films most powerful and poignant. The World Is Not Enough was to be Desmond Llewelyn's last Bond film, although it is not clear whether it was intended to be, it did feel like it and sadly after he died in a car crash months after the films premiere, it was. His last scene is something quite wonderful. After Q introduces Bond to his new assistant, played by John Cleese, Bond asks if he was thinking of retiring. Q answers with "I've always tried to teach you two things. First, never let them see you bleed..", and so Bond asks "And the second?" at which point, Llewelyn tilts his head, gives a wry smile and suddenly lowers slowly into the floor through an escape hatch and says "Always have an escape plan". There is a sadness and vulnerability in Brosnan's face that is like that of a child, fearing the death of his father. It takes a heart of ice not to get choked up when re-watching that scene but what a great way for the character to exit the series. The World Is Not Enough was taken from a line from On Her Majesty's Secret Service and was said to be the Bond family motto. For me this this is an example of the producers finally thinking in the right way about Bond and his mythology, unfortunately it didn't last long.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Dir: Michael Apted
2010
***
Once again, this is a pretty good adaptation of a very tricky book to make into a film. I remember this being one of my favourites of the 7 books and I'm glad they did a lot of the The Dawn Treader scenes properly. The special effects are by far the best reason to watch, the not too much but not to little approach really pays off. My only grievance is Will Poulter. I remember when he first turned up on British TV and I thought he was funny and impressive for a young lad his age. I now just find him annoying beyond belief. Anyway, the ending was handled really well and I'm actually a little sad that it looks like this is the end. The other books where never a favourite as a child but it would be nice to see someone have a go at them. A financial risk too far no doubt.