Darkmatters Review: SUPER

SUPER (18)

Dir. James Gunn

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“Shut Up Crime!!”

There comes a time when society pushes people too far. When someone snaps and decides to stand up to the rampant crime and sheer injustice…

That man is KICK ASS, no wait, that was last year…

That man is The Crimson Bolt (Rainn Wilson) also known as big time loser Frank D’Arbo. Franks a religious guy whose had a rubbish life – he has just two moments that he’s been proud of ‘his golden moments’ one was when he tipped off a policeman as which way a robber ran, and the other was his wedding day to his unfeasibly hot wife, Sarah (Liv Tyler).

One day Sarah leaves Frank for a slick pimp / drug dealer called Jacques (a nicely slimy Kevin Bacon). It triggers a breakdown / psychosis in Frank who sees a vision of the ‘finger of God’ touch his brain and answers what he believes to be calls of a ultra fundamentalist religious TV show starring a saintly superhero The Holy Avenger (Nathan ‘Serenity / Firefly’ Fillion) to take the fight to evil… So “The Crimson Bolt” is born with a mission to take the fight to evil with his battle cry of “SHUT UP CRIME!”

"Ellen page = hot sidekick Boltie"

Director James Gunn cameos as ‘Demonswill’ – Holy Avenger’s nemesis and has a blast in trying to lead teens into sexual promiscuity and general debauchery. But the film is totally stolen by the Crimson Bolt’s sexy sidekick ‘Boltie’ otherwise known as Libby (Ellen ‘Inception’ Page channelling the spirit of a sexed up older ‘Hit Girl’)… She throws all inhibitions aside and delivers a performance that has ‘iconic’ written all over it.

Super is an edgy and supremely ‘wrong’ film – not for anyone who can’t deal with darkest possible humour and grim violence. Several critics seem to have seriously missed the point – moaning about how Super isn’t a Kick Ass 2. I’d just say that Super works as more twisted comic sidepiece to Kick Ass, same genre, very different films.

Challenging, heartfelt and scattershot – Super is a film that doesn’t know any boundaries and is all the better for it. Do the words ‘cult classic’ mean anything to you?

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - over the edge and spewing black fumes)...

Awesomeness öööö – seriously awesome in places

Laughs öööö – very funny but worryingly wrong

Horror öööö – disturbing stuff ahoy

Babes öööö – hot sidekick action

Spiritual Enlightenment öööö - touched by the hand of God

"everyone needs a sidekick"

Juno - review

Juno (12a)

Dir. Jason Reitman

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Teenage pregnancy is certainly no laughing matter but cool indie film Juno manages to deliver plenty of sharp comedy as well as a refreshing edginess in tackling a difficult subject head on. Jason ‘Thank You For Smoking’ Reitman directs this poignant and excellently written insight into world that is taboo to many and uncomfortable to most.

Juno MacGuff (the lovely and unbelievably talented Ellen ‘Hard Candy’ Page) is a cool sixteen year old who finds herself pregnant after an ill advised one off liaison with her friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael ‘Superbad’ Cera). Eschewing the option of having a termination, Juno decides to have the baby and to give him/her up for adoption to a successful childless couple. Wannabe parents Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) seem to have it all and Juno’s surrogate child looks set to complete their lives – but life itself has a funny way of throwing a curve ball into any situation and Juno turns out to be no fairytale.

Page has been Oscar nominated for her performance as Juno and it’s easy to see why. Juno is a girl who sparkles with a spiky clued up subversive attitude – a mature acceptance of how her life has fundamentally changed and the repercussions of her foolish actions. Juno’s parents (a brilliant combination of dad - Mac J.K. Simmons and step mum Bren - Allison Janney) are fantastic in their relationship with their daughter offering unstinting support and a tangible feeling of parental love.

Juno has so much going for it, a fantastic cast, a rich and kookily left field comic vein and even a cool soundtrack. Respect must be given to the filmmakers for not shirking the difficult issues faced by the characters and packs sufficient dramatic complications to make this absolutely compulsive watching. It is also possibly important to note that this is the film where a torch of being the new ‘hot upcoming actress’ is passed from Jennifer Garner to Ellen Page.
I freely confess that I wasn’t really ‘expecting’ a lot from Juno despite it being up for the Best Picture Oscar, just goes to show that sometimes it might be worth taking a risk on a young pregnant girl – because she might just blow your socks off, um, you hopefully know what I mean!? This is a comedy about growing up... and the bumps along the way, I’d say that it’s also potentially the best comedy of the year already. Treat yourself, go and check it!

DARKMATTERS RATING SYSTEM (all ratings out of maximum 10):

Endorphin Stimulation: öööööööö (8)
- wild and wacky things to ponder here...

Tasty Action: öööööö (6)
- No gunfights or kung fu but emotional sparring aplenty

Gratuitous Babeness: öööööööö (8)
- Ellen Page is gorgeous in a cool 'off beat' way

Mind Blight / Boredom: öö (2)
- No dull moments

Comedic Value: öööööööö (8)
- Quality and smart funny stuff

Arbitrary final rating: ööööööööö (9)
- A perfect storm of superb writing and great performances

Liable to make you:
"reconsider how smart teenagers can be"

DM Poster Quote:
“You'll fall for Juno... ”


"please note - it's not the shaking hands that gets you pregnant"

Read: Matt meets Ellen Page - (click here)

Darkmatters: H O M E

Matt Adcock meets Ellen Page

"cool"


"almost 21"


"and did I mention cool?"

Matt Adcock meets Ellen Page

So there I am in this swish London hotel and suddenly I’m joined by the cutest, coolest, shortest and possibly ‘most likely to be mistaken for a pixie-est’ ever – Ellen Page. Almost 21, fresh from bagging an Oscar nomination and riding the wave of positive buzz around new Oscar nominated film Juno (which is excellent by the way), Ellen radiates a beguiling mixture of shyness and confidence, for a minute I don’t quite know what to say.


MA: Ellen hey, I’m a fan. You’ve already played some incredible characters, what attracted you to the role of a pregnant teenager Juno?

EP: I was blown away when I read the screenplay and just wanted to be that girl. I love this character because she’s so interesting. She is honest; she stays true to herself and it’s so refreshing to find someone like that in a movie. I just feel really passionate about this film. I think it is appealing to play someone who is outside the typical teen stereotypes that you see on film.


MA: What can you say about Juno herself, what kind of girl is she?

EP: Juno says what she thinks and listens to her own kind of music, she is not influenced by fashion or trends. She likes what she likes and wears the clothes she wants to wear. She could not care less about the way people are judging her or what anyone thinks of her and I really respect that.


MA: The Music is a real feature in the film, did you have a say in picking it?

EP: I did. Early on I was in Jason Reitman’s office with him and he asked me what kind of music I thought Juno would listen to and I said instantly ‘The Moldy Peaches.’ I went onto his computer and played him some songs by them and he liked it and decided to them.


MA: You’ve played some dark roles, was it a conscious decision to choose a comedy at this point in your career and are there any film genres you wouldn’t consider?

EP: It just made sense for me to do this comedy after my film An American Crime. It was a very hard film to shoot, especially because it was based on a true story about a teenager that was very dark and disturbing and upsetting. I remember just thinking at the end of that film: ‘oh my God I have to do comedy next, I have to laugh’. So I was delighted to do Juno. And I’m pretty interested in whatever good roles come along whatever the genre – although I may not do any porn.


MA: Your youthful looks must be handy for playing a sixteen year old, but do people generally treat you as younger?

EP: I can’t even begin to tell you, it’s a daily thing. I really believe that ageism exists and I suffer from it. I am sometimes treated really badly because I do look young. People always think I’m younger than I am and I’m often asked for my driving license.


It’s true though – Ellen might have played a paedophile hunting vigilante in Hard Candy and an iconic X-men super heroine in Xmen: The Last Stand but it’s smart, left field role as a young teenage mother-to-be Juno that has really ignited their career. And although only just over 5 foot, I predict they are going to be huge.





Darkmatters: H O M E