Scott Pilgrim Creator Interview

Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley chats while meeting excited fans at Forbidden Planet in London ahead of the red carpet European premeire of Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Bryan talks about the origins of Scott Pilgrim and his real life inspirations. He shares the secrets of mysterious dreamgirl Ramona Flowers and the seven evil exes. Bryan also shares his artistic and video game passions and his excitement for seeing his creation on the big screen. Full movie review below

Scott Pilgrim vs.The World Review

For those unfamiliar with the epic awesomeness of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels, the basic plot of Scott Pilgrim is both devastatingly simple and brilliant. Awkward twentysomething slacker Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) has to fight and defeat the seven evil ex-boyfriends of his mysterious dream girl Ramona Flowers in order to date her. Set in a world fuelled by ninjas and alternative rock, it’s a perfect metaphor for the painful obstacles people readily overcome to be with someone utterly unobtainable and alluring.

Director Edgar Wright is rapidly distinguishing himself as an impressive indie-savant. His unique talents for fusing nerdish pop-culture with intelligent visual comedy are a perfect match for O'Malley's own genius. Wright is completely fluent in the language of cherished video games and old kung fu movies that defines the world of Scott Pilgrim. His flair for rapid fire editing and joyous insanity also made him just about the only person equipped to bring Scott Pilgrim to the big screen.

Michael Cera’s signature brand of post-adolescent awkwardness divides opinion intensely. His nuanced shyness treads a fine line between indie charm and irritation. Cera’s fiercest critics have accused him of being a one note performer overly reliant on geek-chic. Whilst deploying all his typical mannerisms, Scott Pilgrim does also add determined anger to his repertoire of emotions. But if you still really can’t stand Michael Cera, at least you can console yourself with seeing him repeatedly punched in the face and thrown through walls.

The film’s fight sequences are a dizzying explosion of colour and motion, propelled by a blistering paced garage rock soundtrack that sound exactly like a rush of adrenalin in sonic form. Understandable doubts about Cera’s action hero credibility melt away instantly as we witness him efficiently dispatch foes with brutal Kung Fu combos or a flaming Katana sword. The only danger is that the neon blur of computer game graphics might cause a sensory overload for some people. There’s an awful lot of information and imagination thrown at audiences.

The film does differ from the graphic novels, particularly in its later stages. Subplots are sacrificed and simplifications made in the quest for fluid storytelling and a run-time less than two hours. But the movie remains fiercely faithful to the tone and style of the books; preserving practically all of their humour, heart and raw visual charm. The film sets a new standard for seamlessly integrating comic book art and wonders into a credibly mundane real world.

Beyond the debated charisma of Michael Cera, Scott Pilgrim has a likeably magnificent supporting cast. Particular highlights include Brandon Routh’s amusingly vacant vegan rock star and newcomer Ellen Wong as an adorably infatuated high schooler. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is also perfectly aloof as Ramona, the understandable object of our hero’s affection.

If you’re a fan of Wright’s previous films or the original graphic novels, then this will be a satisfying 112minutes of familiar magic. For the uninitiated, this will still likely be an enjoyable ride, unless you have a particularly strong aversion to Michael Cera. Go see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World... the winner is you

Marmaduke review

The miracle of CGI has created a monster, an unwelcome tidal wave of talking-animal comedies. Now, with the novelty of watching lips move on animals wearing dangerously thin, Owen Wilson lends his likeable voice to a Great Dane called Marmaduke. In a film based on the inexplicably long running and rarely amusing newspaper cartoon.

It’s a real challenge to stretch a one joke comic strip into a feature length story. So the film predictably relies on all the familiar elements of a standard family comedy. A success-hungry father drags his reluctant family and troublesome pet dog to a new life in California, where his demanding boss keeps him too busy to notice his unhappy children. Meanwhile, our canine hero has to deal with doggy social cliques, love interests and a pedigree bully in a new park.

The most magical films are those which have the power to enchant children and adults in equal measure. Unfortunately, Marmaduke panders aimlessly to both audiences and rarely satisfies either. A few misplaced pop culture references won’t keep mum and dad interested and young kids will likely grow grouchy at the surprising lack of silliness. It’s impossible to avoid unflattering comparisons with the wealth of wonders that Disney and Pixar have gifted to the world.

The most confusing thing about Marmaduke is that the film seems frequently targeted at teenagers, the one demographic guaranteed to avoid watching it at all costs. Marmaduke’s journey of self discovery, as he loses sight of his real friends in an effort to fit in with the popular dogs, is borrowed heavily from classic teen movie Mean Girls. Different doggy breeds are an easy analogy for high school social clichés but it’s not that relevant to an audience of toddlers and grownups.

It’s surprising how much vocal talent has been lured into this film. Kieffer Sutherland, Emma Stone, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Sam Elliot all do their very best with mostly recycled material. But even Owen Wilson’s resilient charms can’t disguise a lack of genuine wit in Marmaduke’s constant narration. The film’s real problem is that the essence of almost every joke is the same. It’s all supposed to be funny because the characters act like people but really they’re dogs.

Twenty years ago a genuine talking dog would have been a must see attraction, but sadly they don’t impress anyone in a world where meerkats sell us insurance on TV. Pigs, Gerbils, Chipmunks and Chihuahuas... they’ve all talked and shamefully we’ve listened. But it’s not enough anymore, unless they have something new to say and Marmaduke doesn’t.

If you’re looking for a film that allows you to combine your mutual love of dogs and Owen Wilson you’re better off sticking with your Marley and Me DVD.

The Expendables

This film is an unprecedented act of muscle-bound unity. A vast posse of waning action stars have thrown themselves together in one film in the hopes of creating a macho supernova dazzling enough to impress their collective army of fanboys and save them all from a tragic fate of straight to DVD sequels. Written and directed by Sly Stallone, it’s a brave effort to recapture action hero glory which doesn’t quite succeed.

The film’s plot is standard issue B-movie fare. An elite team of mercenaries gets hired by the CIA to take out a local tyrant and his drug dealing puppetmaster on an obscure South American island. It’s an obvious suicide mission which predictably turns personal and explosive. By the looks of things the script was basically the phrase “It blows up!” written about a hundred times in very angry crayon.

To give the film its fair dues, they really do blow up an awful lot of stuff. Helicopters, trucks, buildings, people... it turns out absolutely anything can explode. The films’ hulking cast is also very gifted at punching, stabbing or shooting other people in the face. Clearly, they’ve had practice. There’s an abundance of bone crunching brawls and excessive CGI blood splatter to keep genre fans happy. It’s grisly and ruthless, but lacks much of the one liner charm of the best old school action flicks.

Sly Stallone, Mickey Rourke and Jason Statham have never been great enunciators, but their growling mumbles leave portions of this film in dire need of subtitles. For most movies this would be a major problem, but it probably won’t bother fans content with big bangs and bruising mayhem. It helps that the intricacies of the plot can be explained in one sentence and the cast basically play broad stereotypes of themselves.

The Expendables’ most interesting scene is the much hyped but brief onscreen union of Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s hard to imagine a more curious and unlikely spectacle than seeing these three titans of testosterone together at last. It’s just a pity that Arnie couldn’t be persuaded to make more than a token appearance at the party. That really would have been worth watching.

The Expendables squeezes every drop of adrenalin leftover from the 80s and 90s into one glass, but unfortunately it still feels only half full. The films’ parade of familiar faces will delight hardcore fans, but mostly misses the opportunity for greatness and self-referential humour. A mix of curiosity, nostalgia and star power should guarantee box office success. It might even force a sequel. Let’s just hope it’s not straight to DVD.

Knight and Day Red Carpet Interviews

Chatting to Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on the red carept at the UK Premiere of Knight and Day.