Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

One of the best films this year

Hater: Taken from IMDB
"I was in Venice last week so saw this film before its general release. I've been inspired to write the review because of the sheer volume of PR the producers are throwing at this movie ahead of its UK release, making out that it the greatest thing since Citizen Cane and a sure-fire Oscar winner. My main feeling at the end of the film was, "What was the point of that? Why on earth would someone want to remake a 70s spy drama as a carbon copy of countless BBC efforts". There was no attempt to bring anything new to the genre, no hint that they might be making some comment about the modern world (or even the Cold War world) or telling us something we didn't know. If you are over thirty (and you're the target audience) you have seen this all before. The roles are not exactly taxing for the actors who get to speak in their usual RADA accents and be as stiffly upper-lipped as possible. The plot itself is pretty silly (yes, I know it's based on all the Kim Philby type cases but I'm referring to the specific twists and turns of the storyline) and the pace of the action plodding. It's by no means the worst film ever made, just completely unnecessary and on the whole not entertaining."

Too much opinion really, completely unfair when you consider the shed load of positive reviews it’s had.

Lover: Quoted from Anthony Quinn (Film critic for the independent)
"With this new adaptation of John le Carré's Cold War classic we could be looking at the most unglamorous spy movie ever made. It is set (almost inevitably) in the early 1970s and comes wrapped in about a hundred different shades of brown. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the anti-Bond movie par excellence. Instead of sex and speedboats we get a dinosaur museum of predigital telephones, drab duds and anonymous office space. A dab of colour in this setting is like a party balloon emerging from an ash cloud.”

Just because I couldn’t put it better myself really.

What I thought:
It’s very telling that at the time of writing this I cannot find a single bad review of this quiet masterpiece of a film. Just watch the trailer and you know you’re in for a treat, just look at the cast headed by Gary Oldman; you have Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, John Hurt and Benedict Cumberbatch and that’s only touching the surface of the talent involved. You’ll be happy to hear that everyone one them performs at the peak of their abilities and tying it altogether is Tomas Alfredsons sublime subtle shooting style, tying many a thread together to make a web of intrigue that is the best who-dunnit in years.

If it sounds like I’m gushing it’s because I am, it’s not too often a film like this comes along. I like the fact that I haven’t read the book or even seen the ever praised series with Alec Guiness. It made this adaptation the first time I have seen this story and I was blown away by how simple they made it to follow what could have been a complex story with more questions than answers.

That’s not to say there’s no reason not to concentrate, making sure your watching this film in detail will only reward you more. As the plot thickens and the chess pieces move into place, it’s such a delight watching all the strands come together. Gary Oldman is as good as you may heard, the power he holds in words is worth a 100 folded up newspapers wielded by Jason Bourne or even laser watches put to good use by Bond.

I’m not completely full of praise, though there are some stand out moments during the film that are nail biting as you would expect, the rest just serenely trickles past in a flow of superb acting and great shooting. I’m trying to say it’s not as much a nail biter as I was expecting basically but that’s small criticism of what is easily one of the best films of the year and surely at least an Oscar nod For Oldman.

In Cinemas now
Running Time: 127 mins
Cert: 15

New Film: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

A brilliant one here Gary Oldman leads an incredible cast in this thriller.



Synopsis
The spy thriller features a stellar cast including Gary Oldman, Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Konstantin Khabensky, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Roger Lloyd Pack, and Mark Strong. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (“Let The Right One In”) it is a Working Title production for STUDIOCANAL.

Set in the 1970s, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY finds George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a recently retired MI6 agent, doing his best to adjust to a life outside the secret service. However, when a disgraced agent reappears with information concerning a mole at the heart of the Circus, Smiley is drawn back into the murky field of espionage. Tasked with investigating which of his trusted former colleagues has chosen to betray him and their country, Smiley narrows his search to four suspects - all experienced, urbane, successful agents - but past histories, rivalries and friendships make it far from easy to pinpoint the man who is eating away at the heart of the British establishment.

The screenplay is by Peter Straughan and Bridget O’Connor and the film, which was shot in London, Budapest and Istanbul is produced by Working Title’s co-chairmen Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner and Robyn Slovo. The executive producers are Debra Hayward, Liza Chasin, Douglas Urbanski, Peter Morgan, Olivier Courson, Ron Halpern and John le Carré.

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

The bar had been set.

Lover: Taken from IMDB
“Alfonso Cuarón's masterful adaptation does the source material immeasurable justice by exploring its underlying concepts in an intelligent manner. Of course, it certainly helps that the aesthetics of the film are incredible, the acting remains stellar (and the trio of young actors handle their roles admirably), and John Williams offers an amazing (and eclectic) score. Character development is superb - Steve Kloves penned a great script. First-time and young viewers will likely enjoy the film for its merits based on plot and 'adventure' alone, but it takes multiple viewings and a critical eye to enjoy the abstract ideas and nuances. Cuarón himself credited the source material as being laden with real-world issues: oppression, racism, loneliness, power, friendship, justice and so forth. This is the Harry Potter film that stands on its own and as a tremendous cinematic achievement. It challenges viewers and yet doesn't patronize them or attempt to offer answers to all of the questions presented. For instance, the ending is bittersweet at best and retains a healthy amount of ambiguity. If you've never read the books or understood the acclaim of the series as a whole, watch Cuarón's 'Prisoner of Azkaban' and you'll understand why this entry is clearly the zenith of the seven.”

A good review, very true.

Hater: Taken form IMDB
"I am a devout fan of the Harry Potter series, however, when I saw the Prisoner of Azkaban, needless to say, I was utterly disappointed. I was offended with the way the director decided to portray the Dementor's Kiss. Dementors do NOT suck out the happy thoughts, and so causing the soul to come out of the mouth. This movie was a disgrace to the Harry Potter movies and I hope the director burns in Hell. Secondly, what the hell happened to the Quidditch Final?! Gryffindor winning that match is a major plot point and cannot be cut then filled with some stupid choir singing a rip-off of Shakespeare. Although not a main character, it was indeed a shame to lose Sir Cadogan. I appreciate that certain characters and scenes need to be cut from the final edit, but to totally disregard the main plot and replace it was some cheap imitation is unforgivable. Also, I was disgusted the way the director 'Americanised' this movie by making the students run around in non-uniform. Perhaps it would be a better idea to get someone who knows the British culture and ask him/her to direct instead.This movie is a total disgrace and should be remade by someone a lot better than Alfonso Cuarón.”

A “Disgrace” and the “Director should burn in hell”? Wow, that’s pretty harsh. This Harry Potter fan clearly getting their knickers in a twist over what are negligible changes from the book, the truth is they were never going to like it.

What I thought:
Azkaban as a book is a big step forward from Chamber of Secrets, It prepares the younger audience for the horror's that come. With Warewolves, Mass Murderers, Prisoners on the run and of course the Dementours. All of which had to be handled with the right kind of dread mixed with the magic of the first two. In came Alfonso Cauron and his almost dark fairy tale feel to the third instalment of the Harry Potter franchise. It is a testament to the Directors eye and the rest of the creative team that the style they went for stuck for the rest of saga. Take for instance Hogwarts itself, the entire look and feel of the place changed. The Whomping Willow was moved and a strange gothic stone circle appeared.

Ok so the films got more interested in realism as they went on, slipping more and more into our world to reflect Voldermorts almost omnipresence. Here is where this all started though and sadly in my humble opinion as a Harry Potter fan was never bettered. For me this style works wonderfully, the plot winds through what is effectively a thriller, with Serious Black as the ominous dark cloud over all preceding’s. The children starting to show some real maturity, the effects finally catching up with the likes of Buckbeak, various transformations and the Dementours all complete a great film.

It must be said I’m a little biased towards this book as my favourite character makes his first appearance. The shabby looking but oh so likeable Remus Lupin (I have his wand, no really I do), played to perfection by David Thewlis who gives Lupin just the right amount pathos behind those pale eyes. Of course that brings me to the adult casting which yet again excels, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black and Emma Thompson is Trewlaney is inspired casting!

The first wo Harry Potters were a wonderful joyride for kids but for anyone who’s read the books, Harry’s journey is far from those early days. Azkaban started off a whole new look and feel to the Potter series and set the bar for all subsequent entries.