Kentish Express Ashford & District - What's On
The geeks shall inherit the virtual earth
the Internship (12a)
Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne, John Goodman Product placement in Hollywood films dates back to the 1920s and nowadays it’s commonplace for blockbusters to offset some of their astronomical budgets with shameless plugs. This summer, Superman’s titanic battle with General Zod in Man Of Steel razed all of Metropolis except for one branch of a nationwide shop chain and Brad Pitt took time out from battling the undead in World War Z to chug a can of his favourite soft drink in glorious close-up. The Internship takes promotional tie-ins to the next level, constructing an entire film around one globally recognisable brand and extolling its virtues for almost two hours. “It’s rated the best place in America to work,” rhapsodises Vince Vaughn at the beginning of the film as he and Owen Wilson embark on a quest for “the intangible stuff that made a search engine an engine for change”. They play watch salesmen Billy (Vaughn) and Nick (Wilson), who are stunned when their company goes out of business. Billy applies for an internship and the two men are delighted to sail through a video conference interview. Arriving on the west coast, Billy and Nick discover they will be pitted against other applicants in team-based challenges that will weed out the mental wheat from the chaff. The buddies are paired with oddballs Neha Patel (Tiya Sircar), Stuart Twombly (Dylan O’Brien) and Yo-Yo Santos (Tobit Raphael), who are mentored by lovable geek Lyle (Josh Brener). From the first assignment, Billy and Nick’s team fails to impress Mr Chetty (Aasif Mandvi), who runs the internship programme, and they lag behind posh rival Graham Hawtrey (Max Minghella) and his high-fliers. The central narrative feels like it could have been generated by a computer from the keywords ‘misfits’, ‘triumph’ and ‘adversity’, duly delivering an uplifting, feel good resolution to confirm the geeks shall indeed inherit the virtual earth.
Rating: **
Chasing Mavericks (pG)
Gerard Butler, Jonny Weston, Elisabeth Shue Like the daredevil teenage surfer whose incredibly true story is dramatised in this adrenaline-pumping biopic, Chasing Mavericks almost wiped out, but managed to ride its luck. Director Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential) fell ill midway through production and Buckinghamshire-born filmmaker Michael Apted stepped in to complete the inspirational tale. They share credit for an overly reverential tale of rousing triumph against the odds. Traumas behind the scenes haven’t generated any ripples on the big screen because Chasing Mavericks is an uplifting, if formulaic, sports movie that benefits from breathtaking sequences on the water. Screenwriter Kario Salem restructures the facts into a snappier timeframe, and his affection for legendary surfer Jay Moriarity, who conquered the mythical Mavericks break in California at the age of 15, rings loud and clear in every glib line of dialogue. Lead actors Gerard Butler and Jonny Weston performed most of their own stunts, which adds to the spectacle, although some judicious editing clearly slows for stunt doubles to take to the monster waves in key sequences. Jay Moriarity (Weston) feels at home on the waves and he is determined to ride the monstrous waves close to the home he shares with his depressed mother (Elisabeth Shue). His father left when he was eight so Jay became the man of the house, putting aside adolescent crushes on best friend Kim (Leven Rambin). After much pestering, Jay convinces veteran surfer Frosty Hesson (Butler) to train him for the epic trial of riding Mavericks, which can swell to 50 feet high. A father-son bond forms between the prodigy and the old-timer and Frosty neglect his wife (Abigail Spencer) and children to guide Jay to greatness . Chasing Mavericks paints Moriarity as a sun-kissed saint on a surfboard, who led a clean, honest life devoid of drugs and alcohol. Butler’s American accent is not as robust as his abilities on a board, but he’s an appealingly gruff curmudgeon who warms to his protege.
Rating: **