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Out on Friday 12 June
Chris Pratt may or may not be eaten by a dinosaur. Londoners sing about local tragedies. Joshua Oppenheimer follows up The Act Of Killing. Yes, heres this weeks new releases. Click on for our reviews of Jurassic World, London Road, Gascoigne, The Look Of Silence, Age Of Kill, Freaks, The Misfits and West. For the best movie reviews, subscribe to Total Film.
JURASSIC WORLD
No ones impressed by dinosaurs anymore, says Bryce Dallas Howards tightly-wound Claire Dearing, early on in Jurassic World. Its a fair point: some 22 years since Steven Spielberg brilliantly breathed life into these prehistoric creatures in Jurassic Park, seeing dinosaurs roam the Earth or rather on a private island near Costa Rica is no longer quite the wonder it once was. Even if the T. rex and its pals have been largely absent from cinemas since 2001s Joe Johnston-directed Jurassic Park III, their mythological counterparts have not. From Pacific Rim to Godzilla, modern audiences have been well-served with CG-driven beasts causing wanton destruction on the big screen. So, like the lady says, why on earth do we need another Jurassic Park? Incoming director Colin Trevorrow approaches the question with zeal. Inspired by a trio of ideas bestowed to him by Spielberg, Jurassic World is a fiendishly crafted blockbuster: old-fashioned thrills, heroism and romance, locked inside a smart, self-aware shell. Quite an achievement for a director whose only previous experience was the likeable-but-limited 2012 time-travel indie Safety Not Guaranteed. Unlike Johnstons sequel and Spielbergs own earlier 1997 follow-up The Lost World, both of which were guilty of recycling ideas and characters from the original, Jurassic World finally realises the vision of Richard Attenborough's John Hammond, the billionaire who first dreamt of a theme park full of prehistoric dinosaurs. Heading back to Isla Nubar, we learn that this ultimate attraction has been open to the public for a decade backed now by Masrani Global, the corporation that took over Hammonds InGen after his death. With ticket sales dwindling, Irrfan Khans helicopter-flying tycoon Simon Masrani has opted to radically stimulate interest in Jurassic World with a genetically-modified dinosaur hybrid thats been bred in isolation. With this so-called Indominus rex set to be unveiled, overseeing final safety checks is Howards aforementioned operations manager on the very same weekend her two nephews, the hormonal teen Zach (Nick Robinson) and his younger, dinosaur-crazy brother Gray (Ty Simpkins), are set for a long-overdue visit. It doesnt take a palaeontologist to predict the Indominus rex will escape, nor that these squabbling siblings are set to be prime dino-feed. With this in mind, more than any other characters, Trevorrow and his co-writer Derek Connolly who veered significantly from an earlier script by the co-credited Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver work hard to establish their relationship. Between Zach mooning over girls and Gray tearing up about his parents divorcing, youll care about these two nippers in peril. Saving the day is largely left to easy-on-the-eye Chris Pratts park ranger Owen Grady. Part David Attenborough, part Steve McQueen, hes soothing Velociraptors one minute, racing with them on motorbikes the next. If Guardians Of The Galaxys Peter Quill was Pratts Han Solo, then Grady is his Indiana Jones. Should the rumours of Pratts appointment as a rebooted Dr. Jones come to pass, then surely the barrel-roll he does under a closing gate of the raptor enclosure serves as the ideal audition. More problematic is Bryce Dallas Howards contribution. This is her first role since 2011's The Help; with her character forced to cross a far bigger emotional canyon than Pratt, it makes for a tricky comeback. Given her arc cold-hearted careerist who must find her soul en route to survival - its not hard to see why Joss Whedon tweeted that early footage of her made him think of 70s era sexism. It doesnt help that, rather ridiculously, she spends the entire film in high heels (even sprinting in them, in one slow-mo sequence). As he did with Safety Not Guaranteed, Trevorrow toys with archetypes and, to be fair, the banter between Pratt and Howard is more enjoyable than offensive. Think Harrison Ford and Kate Capshaw in Spielbergs own Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom. Impressively, when romance flares, its swift, unexpected and makes the heart leap. And while a safety-video bit falls flat, the humour is largely well-timed notably an attempted kiss, amid the height of panic, that goes disastrously wrong. Like Spielberg, Trevorrow pays great attention to what makes a summer blockbuster tick. Set-pieces are brisk but well-executed whether its Zach and Gray trapped, like figures in a snow globe, by the Indominus rex, or the later scenes of park-wide carnage when the dinosaur droppings really hit the fan. Trevorrow may never quite match some of the classic scares of Jurassic Park the blood is kept to a few splatters on the wall in this 12A but its an electrifying watch, capped by a superb smackdown of a finale every bit as beastly as Godzilla or Pacific Rim. Aiding the adrenaline is the excellent 3D conversion. Understanding depth and perspective like few other blockbuster directors, Trevorrow reserves the leap-out-from-the-screen moments until strictly necessary, but youll really feel like you bought a ticket to Jurassic World. The blend of animatronics and CGI is also as seamless as you might expect: the director clearly recognises the need for us to feel the textures of the earlier films, which is just as important as hearing that wonderful John Williams score again. Not everything clicks: a fight in the jungle between Special Forces soldiers and the Indominus rex feels like Trevorrow and co. spent the night watching Predator. And a storyline involving Vincent DOnofrios scheming employee planning to use Owens trained raptors as military-grade weapons is rather underdeveloped. But these are minor gripes in a film that is unquestionably the best entry in the franchise since the 1993 original. Not impressed by dinosaurs anymore? Just you wait. THE VERDICT: Reminding us why we loved the original Jurassic Park, Trevorrow puts a fabulously fresh spin on familiar material. Director: Colin Trevorrow Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent DOnofrio, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, BD Wong, Judy Greer Theatrical release: 11 June 2015 James Mottram
LONDON ROAD
The vogue for "verbatim theatre", where interviews or testimonies form the basis of the text, reached a zenith in London Road, a verbatim musical first staged at the National Theatre in 2011. Five-star reviews greeted Alecky Blythes orchestrated accounts of residents of the Ipswich street where the murderer of five sex workers lived. Actors took multiple parts, their Greek chorus of doubts, accusations and the aftermath making unusual yet enthralling theatre, as memorable for its sparse staging as its decidedly unlyrical subject matter. Yet for every Les Mis movie theres a Jersey Boys or Rock Of Ages. Having directed the stage version, Rufus Norris is in a better position than most to ease the transition of London Road but he has far less traditional material to work with. Blythe and composer Adam Corks songs are built around quirks of speech rather than poetry, with um more likely to feature than love and repetition often taking the place of melody. If youve seen Clio Barnards debut The Arbor, youll recognise the format of actors precisely re-enacting real people but the execution is still likely to surprise as anoraks, chintz, gasworks and normality form a backdrop to unimaginable evil. Outside the accepted artificiality of a theatre space, however, its a far bigger ask of an audience; Norris has opted for veracity over fantasy, making the aria-ing news anchors all the more extraordinary in the real world. In trimming the running time a chunk of the first act has been sacrificed, including the first rendition of London Road In Bloom (reprised at the finale); without it early on, theres a trudge to the pacing. Its been repositioned to force a more upbeat arc, as residents (including Olivia Colman) reclaim their street while one of the working girls (Kate Fleetwood) experiences a brief moment of belonging, but it dulls the edge of this iteration. The charm of the choruses is lost in translation, the horror of the crimes a barely there backstory. THE VERDICT: Tom Hardys incongruous appearance as a psycho-obsessed taxi driver is worth a watch but whether it works for you depends on a willingness to indulge the oddness. Director: Rufus Norris Starring: Olivia Colman, Kate Fleetwood, Michael Shaeffer, Anita Dobson, Tom Hardy Theatrical release: 12 June 2015 Emma Morgan
GASCOIGNE
Paul Gascoigne is the special one, announces Jos Mourinho at the outset of Jane Prestons affectionate if unspectacular documentary about one of Englands most (in)famous footballers. Dressed in a suit and shirt, Gazza recounts his life and football career, from his early days with Newcastle, his coming-of-age at Spurs and his legendary, tear-strewn appearance at the World Cup in 1990. For any football fan, the chance to watch Gazzas career highs on the big screen is a real pleasure. The goal against Scotland in the 1996 European Championships. That free kick against Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final. Even the header he scored in the derby with Roma, when he joined Lazio after Spurs. Preston provides plenty of chance to bask in his brilliance, with the likes of Mourinho, Wayne Rooney (who briefly played with him when he joined Everton) and Gary Lineker (his Tottenham teammate) all waxing lyrical. As you might expect, the film is a mixture of antics and agony. There are tears early on, when he recalls a childhood friend who died in front of him after being knocked down by an ice-cream van. But you are left with plenty to laugh about from Vinnie Jones famously squeezing his balls during a particularly frisky tackle to Gazza kissing Princess Dianas hand before a game (The first time I played a match with a hard-on, he jokes). If anything is disappointing (though not unsurprising), its that Gascoigne soft-soaps the post-football years. Theres only brief mention of his battles with alcohol and drugs I know how to stay sober and I know how to relapse, he says and the fact Gascoigne was one of the victims of the media phone-hacking scandal, with his mobile tapped for a staggering 11 years. You suspect there were far more stories from this era of Gazzas life, but we dont get to hear them. THE VERDICT: Safe and sanitised, this portrait of Gazza is good for those looking to wallow in some footie nostalgia. But if you want a warts-and-all doc, this hits the crossbar. Director: Jane Preston Starring: Paul Gascoigne, Gary Lineker, Wayne Rooney, Jos Mourinho Theatrical release: 8 June 2015 James Mottram
THE LOOK OF SILENCE
Joshua Oppenheimers previous doc The Act Of Killing examined genocide in mid-60s Indonesia in startling fashion: by inviting the atrocities boastful perpetrators to re-enact their unpunished crimes in the film genre of their choice. Less flamboyant but equally powerful, this companion piece turns its focus to the traumatic experiences of the victims relatives. The central figure here is Adi, a middle-aged ophthalmologist who sets out to confront the men who hacked his brother to death. Its a genuinely brave film, illustrating how a countrys horrifying past continues to haunt the present-day lives of its citizens. Director: Joshua Oppenheimer Theatrical release: 12 June 2015 Tom Dawson
AGE OF KILL
Not to be confused with the Age Of Adaline, although you may wish you had, Neil Jones threadbare Brit thriller short-changes all comers, particularly lead Martin Kemp, who plays a government hitman blackmailed into going rogue, and co-stars Nick Moran and Patrick Bergin, who add some undeserved class. From the stunt casting Dani Dyer subbing for her father; glamour model Lucy Pinder to the dreadful stunts (the Kemp vs helicopter sequence is a shocker), its an 84-minute amateur hour. Pity, because theres some ambition on display, plus enough 1990s stalwarts to staff a Guy Ritchie film. Director: Neil Jones Starring: Martin Kemp, Philip Davis, Dexter Fletcher, Donna Air, April Pearson Theatrical release: 12 June 2015 Matt Glasby
FREAKS
From scandalous Hollywood outcast to influential cult classic, Tod Brownings 1932 dark drama about (and starring) freak-show performers is now truly one of us. Browning had worked in travelling circuses and demonstrates an insiders affection for his cast of bearded women and conjoined twins, providing an unrivalled document of a long-lost subculture. Nonetheless, the story is inherently exploitative, bringing a deeper discomfort as it tips, memorably, into horror. Extensive cuts were ordered by MGM to dilute its power; instead, they distilled its enduring ambiguity of subtext and spectacle. Director: Tod Browning Starring: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Roscoe Ates Theatrical release: 12 June 2015 Simon Kinnear
THE MISFITS
Directed by John Huston, the final film completed by Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe ripples with tragic foreboding beneath its flawed plot. Arthur Millers literate script is patchy but biographical echoes boom as Monroes divorce joins jaded cowboy Gable (and Montgomery Clift) on the rodeo. Monroe becomes a potential saint to these last-chance frontier-men, who kill mustangs for pet food; her screaming protest is electric. And Millers wordy script summons moments of lyricism, like Gables take on lifes yearning: Its like ropin a dream Director: John Huston Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift Theatrical release: 12 June 2015 Kevin Harley
WEST
East Germany, its generally accepted, was a grim oppressive place. (See The Lives Of Others.) But, as Christian Schwochows film suggests, life on the western side wasnt always the paradise of freedom it was cracked up to be. Nelly (Jrdis Triebel), a single mother who with her young son, Alexei (Tristan Gbel), makes the crossover from East to West Berlin in 1978, soon finds out as much. West vividly evokes the heightened paranoia of the Cold War, while hinting at after-effects that are still felt today. A troubling drama with a deeply felt central performance from Triebel. Director: Christian Schwochow Starring: Jordis Triebel, Tristan Gobel Theatrical release: 12 June 2015 Philip Kemp
