Like the cinema industry itself I have taken to abandoning original thought and simply looking to what was semi-successful a year ago, giving it a modern gloss over and pawning it off to the public as if there was no difference. Yes, it is indeed a new year and with that comes my over-long preview of this years biggest cinema events which becomes more tired and more controversial as it goes along as I desperately try to keep the introductions relevant. I hope you all had a good 2012, Merry Christmas and a New Year not spent in a pool of your own vomit having your face licked by dogs; I myself spent most of the year trying to shake off my 5 star prediction for Prometheus. Oh, so many sleepless nights. So please join me over the next 12 days as I run you through the biggest and (potentially) best movies that you will be coming to WhatCulture to bad mouth for the next year. Part 1: Sean Penn does his best impression of Jack Nicholson and Ryan Gosling tries to prove he can still be charismatic in The Departed with more Hats. AKA: Gangster Squad.
What Could Be Awesome About It:
Featuring an all star cast of Academy Award botherers in the season of Academy Award bothering; this has all the characteristics of something we will forget by September but be a huge event in the award season. A period piece based on a true story which features a former Oscar winner in Sean Penn and potential Oscar winner in Ryan Gosling has all of the potential to take this winter by storm. On top of the inevitable Oscar potential that will be touted by unimaginative people like myself, this has an intriguing concept and visual style that could help make this feel like a completely fresh type of period piece. Promising 21st century action in a hat-wearing era with vibrant, Scorsese-esque visuals, this could be a brilliant creative spark that will kick off 2013s big movies in incessantly glitzy style. Though some films of this ilk are churned out with dull predictability and an overriding sense of self-importance, Gangster Squad looks like its taking a serious, dark tone and embracing its bloody violence whilst smashing it together with some early era Hollywood over-stylisation to make it a serious period piece that puts entertainment ahead of pretentious award-hunting.
What Could Suck About It:
My early comparison to Sean Penn doing his best impression of Jack Nicholson is a comment on this film's potential similarities to The Departed, and one of those chief similarities looks to be the Greek tragedy-style acting looking to be displayed by Sean Penn as it was done by Nicholson in Scorseses gangster epic. Spending the entire trailer affronting the camera with a sneer as broad as the accents he uses in any given sentence, this looks like it could be hampered by an actor trying to do too much with a part that could require a more mature display. On top of this the dialogue seems to have the taste of "13 year old boy who doesnt know how to talk to people and instead writes scripts detailing this" syndrome. Ryan Goslings chat-up line for the plot-pointless, diversity-important Emma Stone is as preposterous as it wouldnt be effective in any situation, ever. Even a prostitute would hesitate to what he says. Where its visual flair and creative edge might help this be a genre defining picture, an over the top embracement of the highly stylised nature might make this film feel silly. If it is aware of how potentially cool it could be then it might start to undermine itself.
Predicted Star Rating: 4/5
Looks to be visually stunning and an exciting piece that will push the serious gangster film in to new realms of enjoyment; any flaws this film has will be minimal and may only be felt in Sean Penns seemingly farcical performance. See the trailer here:What do you think?! Are you excited to see Ganster Squad? Comment below!