Time and time again

Despite impressive visuals and a star cast, you'll have to stay alert to keep up with the complicated plot

Cloud Atlas ***

THE fact that Cloud Atlas has been made into a movie is surprising. David Mitchell's book is a complex epic that starts in the 19th century and stops in a distant, apocalyptic future.

It follows five narratives, each located in a different time and place, but a sixth narrative returns to each one of those stories to bring it all together.

The novel won a couple of literary prizes and several nominations, one for the prestigious Booker award. Now Hollywood has made a film version - a big, star-studded allegory that runs close to three hours and is in itself a risky move.

Some critics have suggested that the novel might have been more elegantly explored - and more clearly understood - in a TV-series format. Directors Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski siblings, however, insisted that the stories and themes that make Cloud Atlas so particular and personal deserve to be contained in a single film.

So they went ahead, with the Wachowskis directing three segments and Tykwer the rest. They interwove the various storylines into a complex matrix of good and evil, love and hate, truth and lies, and - above all - the weakness and courage that are part of being human.

For example, Tom Hanks plays a wide range of characters. In one segment, he's a tattooed island chieftain, uttering sacred words at a campfire. Then he morphs into a devious ship's doctor and goes on to play a greedy landlord, a nuclear scientist battling with his conscience, and a nasty gangster in London's East End.

Halle Berry also goes through various characters and in one of those incarnations she meets Rufus Sixsmith (James D'Arcy). She shares a gentle and heartbreaking interaction with a young man who is in love with another man, an aspiring musician (Ben Whishaw). They create a piece of music - The Cloud Atlas Sextet - that is used throughout the film.

But what does it all mean? Is it about reincarnation? Is it about how a spirit seeks to gather wisdom? The audience will have to work that out for themselves but I was surprised and challenged by the film - and that doesn't often happen.

Apart from the interesting visuals and the various styles of tragedy and comedy, the cast of top stars does a sterling job; the detailed performances from actors like Jim Broadbent, Susan Sarandon and an almost totally unrecognisable Hugh Grant make for fascinating viewing.

Nonetheless, you need to stay alert to follow the convoluted 172-minute story. That takes some doing because there's a lot going on. It is interesting to see Hollywood producers tackling a film that focuses on the journey of a human soul through the ages. Face it, spiritual lessons from Hollywood are a rare commodity, but surprisingly, Cloud Atlas gets it right.

The mix of glossy, A-list movie stars works hard at this serious spiritual story in which souls move from era to era, and from life to life. It's the kind of movie we seldom see in our cinemas and even though Cloud Atlas is odd and unsettling, it makes for good viewing.

I will leave you with this quote from the book's author, David Mitchell. He wrote: "All of the main characters, except one, are reincarnations of the same soul in different bodies that are, throughout the novel, identified by a birthmark ... a symbol of the universality of human nature. The title refers to the constant shifts and changes in our world."

So, whether you're seeking a deep truth about human nature, or just enjoy watching a galaxy of movie stars strut their stuff, this genuinely odd movie is worth a look.

Short Takes

The Odd Life of Timothy Green ***

Within this whimsical fantasy there is a core of sadness and loss. It's about a couple - Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim (Joel Edgerton) - who yearn for a child but their hopes have been dashed so often they have given up.

One night, a young boy appears in their garden. They try to find out where he came from but nobody knows him. Eventually their longing for a child of their own leads them to make a serious choice: they will name him Timothy and call him their son. But there's just one twist: Timothy has green leaves growing out of his ankles.

They are not pasted on and any attempt to cut them off fails. That's when this family drama morphs into a magical tale. At that point, I suspect that at least half of the audience will throw up their hands and walk out. I stayed to see how this strange fable turns out and also because I saw Peter Hedges mentioned in the cast list as writer and director.

He's written edgy, whimsical scripts about strange families like What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Pieces of April and About a Boy and this is, by far, his most edgy film. To say more would be to spoil it, but it is beautifully acted by all involved, and if you are looking for something entirely different, this is the movie to see.

Alex Cross ***

Tyler Perry made his name playing a feisty old lady called Madea and in the process became rich and famous.

His other films, in which he plays a male character, have not been successful and now he has taken to crime. In Alex Cross he plays a tough detective. Cross has been played before, by Morgan Freeman, and it's immediately obvious that Perry has worked hard to do things differently.

 For example, he does not have the presence or the skill to make the audience see him as the focus of the film. The sadistic killer Picasso, played by Matthew Fox, creates such a charismatic character that you hardly care about Cross.

To compensate, the script includes sentimental, unnecessary tweaks. For example, we see Cross fawning over the news that his wife (Carmen Ejogo) is pregnant. There are also sentimental moments with his "Nana Mamma" played by Cicely Tyson. Mixing domestic cuteness and a bloody, hectic race to find a killer makes for an uneasy mix.

Close Up

Paranorman: 3D ****

This animated comedy has a horror-movie aspect to it and while the younger kids might be scared by some scenes, an older audience will enjoy this eerie black farce. It takes place in an old American colonial tourist town, Blithe Hollow, where there is a legend about an aged but truly wicked witch.

Nobody believes it, except Norman (pictured), voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee, who has a secret skill. He can hear and see the long-dead citizens of the town, but when he tries to tell people about it, he is either mocked or ignored. Nonetheless a ghostly presence informs Norman that a 300-year-old witch is seeking vengeance for the violent deed that she suffered many years ago.

 It's left to Norman, and a couple of interesting ghostly companions, to finally destroy the witch but even that has an interesting twist. It's an edgy comedy, beautifully designed, with a really twisted sense of black humour.

 The animation is first class, and the crazy race to destroy the undead woman has a genuine urgency. It won't be to everyone's taste, but if you are an animation fan, this film is worth a look.