The Americans - "The electricity stays on, the food is good, what's so bad about this place?"
Highly intriguing, FX delivers another promising drama, set in the cold war during the 1980's suburbia America. Philip & Elizabeth are masquerading as a typical American couple whilst secretly working for the KGB, spies on enemy soil. This type of show could only work on a cable show where the censor doesn't ruin the very adult themes. We're only one episode deep and already there is an abundance of rape, torture, murder, kidnapping, pedophile lynching & hand to hand combat. These violent themes aren't present just to shock the audience they're there to drive the story & the story is fascinating.
Keri Russel plays Elizabeth who is a cold, blunt instrument of the motherland Russia whilst her fake husband Philip played by Matthew Rhys is a more relatable human being who is torn between doing his duty and defecting to the Americans for an easier life, this decision weighs heavily on the marriage. They also have two biological children which complicate matters further. What the show did wonderfully was it refused to display any sort of affection or love to the children, they exist purely to sell the typical American family picture. Maybe I'm just overly cynical but it's a terrific element to the show, really drives home the state of mind these two spies share.
All the while the FBI is hot on the trail of KGB spies planted in America as President Ronald Reagan's paranoia deepens. And "who da thunk it" an FBI agent just happens to move into the same neighborhood as Philip and Elizabeth played by Noah Emmerich setting the tension level to off the charts. Have they been made? Are they on 24/7 watch? The writing is especially terrific, very fluid and action packed, never a dull moment.
The show also includes flashbacks to the 1960's in soviet Russia where the two meet and train as KGB officers as they prepare to infiltrate America. This gives a very necessary insight into their characters which in a way humanizes them. An emotional relief for the audience. It is an engrossing story, interspersed with great moments of tension,
decadence, and charm (who would've thought Phil Collins and Fleetwood
Mac could make such inspired choices for background score?). The writing
is top-notch. Matthew and Keri are excellent casting choices, since
portraying enemies as genuine people is not as easy as it looks. A very
positive start from the show's makers. 4/5
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Monday, 28 January 2013
Vanilla Sky Film Review
Vanilla Sky - "Once you've been driven off a bridge at 80 miles an hour, somehow you don't invite happiness in without a full body search."
Vanilla Sky is in a league of its own, visually, musically & emotionally. If you think this is a mere remake of "Open Your Eyes" then you're in need of a second viewing. It's a depressing film about the pursuit of happiness. Tom Cruise stars as David Aames, the man who had everything, or at least he thought he did. Good looks, money & women, what more do you need? What is happiness to you? What's missing in David's life is love, until he meets Sofia played by Penelope Cruz. When David meets Sofia his way of life is threatened by the board members of his company that wish to unseat him from his throne and 51% stake in the company. He is also being stalked by a supermodel Julie Gianni played by Cameron Diaz who is not forgiving of his interest in Sofia. "I refuse to be just your fuck buddy"
The film requires the audience to do some heavy lifting as the plot doubles back on itself after David's mental state is called into question by a deliberate car accident in which Julie tries to commit suicide with David in the passenger seat. He survives but his face becomes severely disfigured which lands him in front of the best plastic surgeons in New York as he desperately seeks reconstructive surgery as he barely recognizes himself in the mirror. The music plays such a pivotal role in the process of telling this story. Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Jeff Buckley & The Chemical Brothers feature heavily in many scenes, it's a very fitting soundtrack that really drives the plot forward....and backwards. Nancy Wilson wrote a very heartwarming score to accompany these great artists that hammers the nail right into the heart as David's world slowly but surely turns into a nightmare.
It's difficult to write about without completely spoiling the end but it's a real humdinger of a twist. To deal with the events that take place in the film David receives psychiatric help from McCabe played by Kurt Russel but as we witness these sessions it becomes clear all is not as it seems. The beginning of the film opens with a very surreal scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpOD5IwUUBE&feature=player_detailpage#t=139s in which David finds himself alone in Times Square, shot without the use of special effects, the production team were given unprecedented access to Times Square for three hours to film this scene. It set's the tone for the next two hours where you can't really tell what's a dream and what is real. It's a science fiction film that enthralls without having to rely on aliens and violence. It's probably Tom Cruises best performance to date too. Highly recommended if your into films that are a little left of center and edgy. 5/5
Vanilla Sky is in a league of its own, visually, musically & emotionally. If you think this is a mere remake of "Open Your Eyes" then you're in need of a second viewing. It's a depressing film about the pursuit of happiness. Tom Cruise stars as David Aames, the man who had everything, or at least he thought he did. Good looks, money & women, what more do you need? What is happiness to you? What's missing in David's life is love, until he meets Sofia played by Penelope Cruz. When David meets Sofia his way of life is threatened by the board members of his company that wish to unseat him from his throne and 51% stake in the company. He is also being stalked by a supermodel Julie Gianni played by Cameron Diaz who is not forgiving of his interest in Sofia. "I refuse to be just your fuck buddy"
The film requires the audience to do some heavy lifting as the plot doubles back on itself after David's mental state is called into question by a deliberate car accident in which Julie tries to commit suicide with David in the passenger seat. He survives but his face becomes severely disfigured which lands him in front of the best plastic surgeons in New York as he desperately seeks reconstructive surgery as he barely recognizes himself in the mirror. The music plays such a pivotal role in the process of telling this story. Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Jeff Buckley & The Chemical Brothers feature heavily in many scenes, it's a very fitting soundtrack that really drives the plot forward....and backwards. Nancy Wilson wrote a very heartwarming score to accompany these great artists that hammers the nail right into the heart as David's world slowly but surely turns into a nightmare.
It's difficult to write about without completely spoiling the end but it's a real humdinger of a twist. To deal with the events that take place in the film David receives psychiatric help from McCabe played by Kurt Russel but as we witness these sessions it becomes clear all is not as it seems. The beginning of the film opens with a very surreal scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpOD5IwUUBE&feature=player_detailpage#t=139s in which David finds himself alone in Times Square, shot without the use of special effects, the production team were given unprecedented access to Times Square for three hours to film this scene. It set's the tone for the next two hours where you can't really tell what's a dream and what is real. It's a science fiction film that enthralls without having to rely on aliens and violence. It's probably Tom Cruises best performance to date too. Highly recommended if your into films that are a little left of center and edgy. 5/5
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Before Sunset Film Review
Before Sunset - "
Life's hard. It's supposed to be. If we didn't suffer, we'd never learn anything"
Before Sunset is a rare example where the sequel turns out to be better than the first film. The team of Richard Linklater (director), Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke waited 9 years to write an appropriate evolution of these two very complicated characters and it paid off, it was never going to be for a cash grab or shelling out a sequel to please the fans. It was necessary to let the characters age and then set the film 9 years after the events of "Before Sunrise" to deliver a realistic continuation of this story. It also takes place in real time, Jesse & Celine are given one afternoon together to at last reunite. The story follows them stroll through Paris for the afternoon before Jesse must catch a flight back to New York. Again just like the first film a deadline approaches but our characters have matured and essentially already know one another so there isn't an extreme sense of urgency like in the first film, which gives it a relaxed tone. It was shot in sequence over 15 days all shot during one of the hottest Parisian summers to date and only in afternoons to keep with the continuity.
With age comes wisdom so the conversations they explore in this film are entirely different to the first film, ranging from unjustified wars, religion or the lack thereof, the environment & failed relationships. None of love though which contradicts the genre the film is set in, a romance with no love but the potential for love. Just like the first film the screenplay was written by the the director alongside Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy. For years they fleshed out dialogue that would be appropriate for the characters. It's not hard to see why it was nominated for an Oscar for best screenplay. The acting combined with the script is just so natural looking, it cements the audience in Paris as we accompany Jesse & Celine for one afternoon 9 years on. The dialogue is flowing, it's interesting & it's nothing short of poetic. There is unforeseen foreshadowing in the beginning of the film about cynicism and romantics which in turn leave the films tone completely up to the audience.
The film is crafted in such a way that 80 minutes of pure dialogue completely captures the audiences attention and never lets up. Why can't they just decide to be a couple already? We learn that Jesse is in a miserable marriage but has a 4 year old son he adores and Celine is in a relationship with a photographer who is away for 6 months of the year which is "convenient" for her. It begs the question have they been unconsciously longing for each other all these years? It's apparent the affection is still present and the ever nagging deadline of a flight back home becomes seemingly less & less important to Jesse as he continuously justifies to Celine that he has a little time left before having to depart. Not wanting to leave her company lest he never see her again. The ending to this film is so ambiguous and yet at the same time completely clear as to what happens to our characters. It ends with one line of dialogue from Jesse which could send his relationship with Celine down two very different roads. The audience get's to decide the ending which is why the script is so highly regarded. Everything is setup from the beginning of the film and as it progresses it's a ticking time bomb for the cynics and the romantics to make a decision on how the film ended. Highly recommended & has wonderful replay value. 5/5
Before Sunset is a rare example where the sequel turns out to be better than the first film. The team of Richard Linklater (director), Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke waited 9 years to write an appropriate evolution of these two very complicated characters and it paid off, it was never going to be for a cash grab or shelling out a sequel to please the fans. It was necessary to let the characters age and then set the film 9 years after the events of "Before Sunrise" to deliver a realistic continuation of this story. It also takes place in real time, Jesse & Celine are given one afternoon together to at last reunite. The story follows them stroll through Paris for the afternoon before Jesse must catch a flight back to New York. Again just like the first film a deadline approaches but our characters have matured and essentially already know one another so there isn't an extreme sense of urgency like in the first film, which gives it a relaxed tone. It was shot in sequence over 15 days all shot during one of the hottest Parisian summers to date and only in afternoons to keep with the continuity.
With age comes wisdom so the conversations they explore in this film are entirely different to the first film, ranging from unjustified wars, religion or the lack thereof, the environment & failed relationships. None of love though which contradicts the genre the film is set in, a romance with no love but the potential for love. Just like the first film the screenplay was written by the the director alongside Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy. For years they fleshed out dialogue that would be appropriate for the characters. It's not hard to see why it was nominated for an Oscar for best screenplay. The acting combined with the script is just so natural looking, it cements the audience in Paris as we accompany Jesse & Celine for one afternoon 9 years on. The dialogue is flowing, it's interesting & it's nothing short of poetic. There is unforeseen foreshadowing in the beginning of the film about cynicism and romantics which in turn leave the films tone completely up to the audience.
The film is crafted in such a way that 80 minutes of pure dialogue completely captures the audiences attention and never lets up. Why can't they just decide to be a couple already? We learn that Jesse is in a miserable marriage but has a 4 year old son he adores and Celine is in a relationship with a photographer who is away for 6 months of the year which is "convenient" for her. It begs the question have they been unconsciously longing for each other all these years? It's apparent the affection is still present and the ever nagging deadline of a flight back home becomes seemingly less & less important to Jesse as he continuously justifies to Celine that he has a little time left before having to depart. Not wanting to leave her company lest he never see her again. The ending to this film is so ambiguous and yet at the same time completely clear as to what happens to our characters. It ends with one line of dialogue from Jesse which could send his relationship with Celine down two very different roads. The audience get's to decide the ending which is why the script is so highly regarded. Everything is setup from the beginning of the film and as it progresses it's a ticking time bomb for the cynics and the romantics to make a decision on how the film ended. Highly recommended & has wonderful replay value. 5/5
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Before Sunrise Film Review
Before Sunrise - "Listen, if somebody gave me the choice right now, of to never see you
again or to marry you, I would marry you. And maybe
that's a lot of romantic bullshit, but people have gotten married for a
lot less."
Rebellious director Richard Linklater writes and directs this indie drama & romance starring two famous actors before they were famous. Ethan Hawke stars as Jesse a lost individual from New York riding trains all over Europe. Julie Delpy stars as Celine a native on her way home to Paris after visiting Budapest, they coincidentally meet on a train passing through Vienna and strike up a conversation which leaves them wanting more of each other. Jesse convinces Celine to spend the night with him in Vienna before he departs for New York the next morning and very willingly she goes with him.
The script is so gripping partly because a lot of the dialogue was written by the two protagonists but also because it's real dialogue that people would actually say. The film explores self-fulfillment & self-discovery through a significant other. These two themes are expressed in a way that's realistic, two strangers meet on a train, make a connection and try to understand not only themselves but the world in an unknowable universe. The scenery of Vienna is gorgeous as they leisurely stroll through parks and cobblestone streets, walk alongside rivers and stargaze sipping wine. The performances are what makes this film transcend the genre, it's a romantic film but it bares no cliches of typical romance films, there is no real mention of loving each other against all odds. It's not a Romeo & Juliet piece. They are two rational early 20's adults that know they have 12 hours and they must make the most of it. Jesse isn't a brooding loner in need of opening up like every male protagonist in a Nicholas Sparks novel and Celine isn't a damsel in distress that need's a man to fulfill her. She's strong willed, incredibly intelligent & a realist.
As the film progresses and time ticks away they begin to trust each other and intimate details aren't glossed over, they're maturity exceeds their age. There are many long running scenes without any cut's in which pages of dialogue are spoken which engrosses the audience even more because it's like watching a play, gives it a sense of hyper-reality as if we were walking alongside Jesse & Celine silently observing. Which is a testament to Richard Linklater's direction. His visual aesthetic really suits Europe as he uses the locations as a third character. Vienna is every bit as important as the characters. When you're traveling overseas even though the characters have complete anonymity they're much more open to experiences outside their usual realm.
"Uh, yeah, sure. I know happy couples. But I think they lie to each other." What set's this apart from all other romance films is that by the end of the film the lead characters aren't hopelessly in love with each other, rather they just don't want to part ways. They want more time to get to know each other and explore the connection they've created. It's sweet, it's funny & it's a relationship between a boy and girl where love isn't the center of their universe. They don't necessarily complete each other but they're willing to try, only to be thwarted by time and distance. The ending my not suit everyone and if it doesn't I would encourage you to watch the sequel "Before Sunset". Arguably one of the greatest romance films of all time for both men and women. 5/5
Rebellious director Richard Linklater writes and directs this indie drama & romance starring two famous actors before they were famous. Ethan Hawke stars as Jesse a lost individual from New York riding trains all over Europe. Julie Delpy stars as Celine a native on her way home to Paris after visiting Budapest, they coincidentally meet on a train passing through Vienna and strike up a conversation which leaves them wanting more of each other. Jesse convinces Celine to spend the night with him in Vienna before he departs for New York the next morning and very willingly she goes with him.
The script is so gripping partly because a lot of the dialogue was written by the two protagonists but also because it's real dialogue that people would actually say. The film explores self-fulfillment & self-discovery through a significant other. These two themes are expressed in a way that's realistic, two strangers meet on a train, make a connection and try to understand not only themselves but the world in an unknowable universe. The scenery of Vienna is gorgeous as they leisurely stroll through parks and cobblestone streets, walk alongside rivers and stargaze sipping wine. The performances are what makes this film transcend the genre, it's a romantic film but it bares no cliches of typical romance films, there is no real mention of loving each other against all odds. It's not a Romeo & Juliet piece. They are two rational early 20's adults that know they have 12 hours and they must make the most of it. Jesse isn't a brooding loner in need of opening up like every male protagonist in a Nicholas Sparks novel and Celine isn't a damsel in distress that need's a man to fulfill her. She's strong willed, incredibly intelligent & a realist.
As the film progresses and time ticks away they begin to trust each other and intimate details aren't glossed over, they're maturity exceeds their age. There are many long running scenes without any cut's in which pages of dialogue are spoken which engrosses the audience even more because it's like watching a play, gives it a sense of hyper-reality as if we were walking alongside Jesse & Celine silently observing. Which is a testament to Richard Linklater's direction. His visual aesthetic really suits Europe as he uses the locations as a third character. Vienna is every bit as important as the characters. When you're traveling overseas even though the characters have complete anonymity they're much more open to experiences outside their usual realm.
"Uh, yeah, sure. I know happy couples. But I think they lie to each other." What set's this apart from all other romance films is that by the end of the film the lead characters aren't hopelessly in love with each other, rather they just don't want to part ways. They want more time to get to know each other and explore the connection they've created. It's sweet, it's funny & it's a relationship between a boy and girl where love isn't the center of their universe. They don't necessarily complete each other but they're willing to try, only to be thwarted by time and distance. The ending my not suit everyone and if it doesn't I would encourage you to watch the sequel "Before Sunset". Arguably one of the greatest romance films of all time for both men and women. 5/5
Monday, 21 January 2013
Compliance Film Review
Compliance - "My name is officer Daniels"
Sadly the events that take place in this film are entirely identical to what actually happened to these unfortunate fast-food workers in real life. This is based on a true story of a fast-food store (McDonald's) receiving a prank phone call in Kentucky USA from a man claiming he was "Officer Scott" of the local police department. The dramatization of the real life events make for a very disturbing film about human behavior and how we concede to authority. Becky played by Dreama Walker is having a normal day at the cash register serving customers when her store manager Sandra played by the terrific Ann Dowd receives the phone call from the perverted "Officer Daniels" played by Pat Healy. Daniels accuses Becky of stealing money from a customer she had served earlier in the day and without question Sandra the store manager begins to interrogate Becky. Very quickly the situation descends into a nightmare of submission and obedience to "Officer Daniels".
The script is what makes this film seem so disturbingly real, every line of dialogue isn't a Shakespearean work of art for the audience to marvel at. Collectively however what the script does is portray natural human conversation, small talk about the weather, your schedule for the day, relationships, very everyday normal dialogue between co-workers. Every performance in this film is completely grounded in reality from the wonderful direction of Craig Zobel. Even if it's a background store worker who has 3 lines of dialogue it all seems very real. There are long sequences of sustained slow motion that not only add this dream like quality to the film but also a sense of dread as to whats to come. You know this situation is only going to get worse, there are never any still shot's and whenever the camera is focused on Becky the protagonist it will slowly shift downwards as the life drains from her face.
The demands of Officer Daniels become increasingly disturbing as the film progresses. He is insistent that Becky has hidden stolen money on her person, which eventually leads to a strip search & it doesn't stop there, I won't go into more details about that as it would spoil the experience towards these grotesque scenes. This is not an entertainment film and I've never seen more people walk out of the cinema. I counted 9 people get up and leave and each of them were women who were undoubtedly offended by the subject matter of the film and how this female is treated by men. It's not a feminist vehicle film to open the worlds eyes about the objectification of women as Becky is very attractive nor is it a misogynistic film that is condescending. It's sadly a testament to the failure of education in America. It's hard to believe that Officer Daniels with just one phone call deluded the entire staff into doing terrible things. Not an ounce of proof was requested to verify the identity of the man on the phone even when his demands become completely outlandish and frankly disgusting. I highly recommend seeing this film, it will shock you and leave you dumbfounded. 5/5
Sadly the events that take place in this film are entirely identical to what actually happened to these unfortunate fast-food workers in real life. This is based on a true story of a fast-food store (McDonald's) receiving a prank phone call in Kentucky USA from a man claiming he was "Officer Scott" of the local police department. The dramatization of the real life events make for a very disturbing film about human behavior and how we concede to authority. Becky played by Dreama Walker is having a normal day at the cash register serving customers when her store manager Sandra played by the terrific Ann Dowd receives the phone call from the perverted "Officer Daniels" played by Pat Healy. Daniels accuses Becky of stealing money from a customer she had served earlier in the day and without question Sandra the store manager begins to interrogate Becky. Very quickly the situation descends into a nightmare of submission and obedience to "Officer Daniels".
The script is what makes this film seem so disturbingly real, every line of dialogue isn't a Shakespearean work of art for the audience to marvel at. Collectively however what the script does is portray natural human conversation, small talk about the weather, your schedule for the day, relationships, very everyday normal dialogue between co-workers. Every performance in this film is completely grounded in reality from the wonderful direction of Craig Zobel. Even if it's a background store worker who has 3 lines of dialogue it all seems very real. There are long sequences of sustained slow motion that not only add this dream like quality to the film but also a sense of dread as to whats to come. You know this situation is only going to get worse, there are never any still shot's and whenever the camera is focused on Becky the protagonist it will slowly shift downwards as the life drains from her face.
The demands of Officer Daniels become increasingly disturbing as the film progresses. He is insistent that Becky has hidden stolen money on her person, which eventually leads to a strip search & it doesn't stop there, I won't go into more details about that as it would spoil the experience towards these grotesque scenes. This is not an entertainment film and I've never seen more people walk out of the cinema. I counted 9 people get up and leave and each of them were women who were undoubtedly offended by the subject matter of the film and how this female is treated by men. It's not a feminist vehicle film to open the worlds eyes about the objectification of women as Becky is very attractive nor is it a misogynistic film that is condescending. It's sadly a testament to the failure of education in America. It's hard to believe that Officer Daniels with just one phone call deluded the entire staff into doing terrible things. Not an ounce of proof was requested to verify the identity of the man on the phone even when his demands become completely outlandish and frankly disgusting. I highly recommend seeing this film, it will shock you and leave you dumbfounded. 5/5
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Stand Up Guys Film Review
Stand Up Guys - "They say that we die twice, once when the breath leaves our body and once when the last person we know says our name"
Stand Up Guys is about men of a certain age and at that age life starts to take more than it gives. Val played by Al Pacino and Doc played by Christopher Walken share a very sweet friendship that recommences after Val get's released from prison after a 28 year stint for taking the fall for a job back in their hay-day that went awry. Their old boss "Claphands" tells Doc that he has 24 hours to kill Val because for 28 years he's held a grudge for Val accidentally shooting his son. This creates a great conflict for Doc as he is a lonely old retired painter without many friends left. Val deduces the situation and tries to make the best of the time he has left.
Pacino and Walken have a very comical bromance as they share their struggles of getting older and all the medication that comes along with it. "When we were growing up our doctors said don't do drugs, now they tell me I need em' to live!". It's a non-stop 24 hour ride where Pacino breaks his parole in every way imaginable from stealing a car, getting high on a cocktail of drugs and breaking his old friend "Hirsch" played by Alan Arkin out of a retirement home. Alan Arkin has a brief but memorable performance as the old getaway driver of their crew, his comical timing is impeccable but it's short lived. Julianna Margulies has a brief appearance as Hirsch's daughter that's quaint but really only there to move the story along. There are some really touching scenes between our protagonist's at a diner that creates an unexpected story arch and plot twist which really elevates the films tone, gives it a sense of importance. It makes us empathize with Doc's choice and his lonely life in general. Imagine having to shoot your best friend for something that happened a quarter of a century ago?
It's hard to describe it as anything BUT a guy's movie. The dialogue is very male orientated, the trouble they get up to is very boyish and shows that these old timers are still a couple of kids at heart. It's probably not meant for everyone but if you think you can enjoy these thespians for for 2 hours getting up to all sorts of trouble and just delivering really rich dialogue that sounds grounded in reality then you'll have as much fun as I did. Jon Bon Jovi supplied pretty much all the music to this film and it's just so fitting, none of it's pop music it's subtle acoustics, it's almost as if Bon Jovi is present in the film using his music as a character to really tell this story.
This is a low budget independent film that deserves an audience and it's easy to see why some of the greatest actors in the world signed on, it's a story rarely told that finds its foundation in a great script. It does have it's flaws with some unnecessary vulgarity here and there that fell flat instead of its intended purpose of shocking the audience. The ending to the film could have been cut short in my humble opinion, it didn't necessarily have to go out with a bang and it seemed a little over the top, but no film is perfect. Highly recommended 4/5
Stand Up Guys is about men of a certain age and at that age life starts to take more than it gives. Val played by Al Pacino and Doc played by Christopher Walken share a very sweet friendship that recommences after Val get's released from prison after a 28 year stint for taking the fall for a job back in their hay-day that went awry. Their old boss "Claphands" tells Doc that he has 24 hours to kill Val because for 28 years he's held a grudge for Val accidentally shooting his son. This creates a great conflict for Doc as he is a lonely old retired painter without many friends left. Val deduces the situation and tries to make the best of the time he has left.
Pacino and Walken have a very comical bromance as they share their struggles of getting older and all the medication that comes along with it. "When we were growing up our doctors said don't do drugs, now they tell me I need em' to live!". It's a non-stop 24 hour ride where Pacino breaks his parole in every way imaginable from stealing a car, getting high on a cocktail of drugs and breaking his old friend "Hirsch" played by Alan Arkin out of a retirement home. Alan Arkin has a brief but memorable performance as the old getaway driver of their crew, his comical timing is impeccable but it's short lived. Julianna Margulies has a brief appearance as Hirsch's daughter that's quaint but really only there to move the story along. There are some really touching scenes between our protagonist's at a diner that creates an unexpected story arch and plot twist which really elevates the films tone, gives it a sense of importance. It makes us empathize with Doc's choice and his lonely life in general. Imagine having to shoot your best friend for something that happened a quarter of a century ago?
It's hard to describe it as anything BUT a guy's movie. The dialogue is very male orientated, the trouble they get up to is very boyish and shows that these old timers are still a couple of kids at heart. It's probably not meant for everyone but if you think you can enjoy these thespians for for 2 hours getting up to all sorts of trouble and just delivering really rich dialogue that sounds grounded in reality then you'll have as much fun as I did. Jon Bon Jovi supplied pretty much all the music to this film and it's just so fitting, none of it's pop music it's subtle acoustics, it's almost as if Bon Jovi is present in the film using his music as a character to really tell this story.
This is a low budget independent film that deserves an audience and it's easy to see why some of the greatest actors in the world signed on, it's a story rarely told that finds its foundation in a great script. It does have it's flaws with some unnecessary vulgarity here and there that fell flat instead of its intended purpose of shocking the audience. The ending to the film could have been cut short in my humble opinion, it didn't necessarily have to go out with a bang and it seemed a little over the top, but no film is perfect. Highly recommended 4/5
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Zero Dark Thirty Film Review
Zero Dark Thirty - "I'm going to smoke everyone involved in this op and then I'm going to kill Osama bin Laden"
Don't buy popcorn, don't purchase a drink from the candy bar it's long and you don't want to get up and pee and miss a crucial moment of expertly written dialogue. Just remember that the film you're about to watch is "mostly accurate" according to the CIA. These events happened, this is a dramatization of the 10 year long hunt for Osama Bin Laden. The desensitization of war and violence in the media today sadly just puts the fog of war in our heads but the ending to this film successfully opens our eyes to the brutality of it all. Jessica Chastain plays Maya, no surname given. Maya is a CIA officer who spent her entire brief career with the CIA on the "Al-Qaeda Intelligence Division", enemy #1 Osama Bin Laden.
Maya is relocated to Pakistan to work alongside CIA officer Dan, their daily routines usually consist of visiting "Black Sites" where they use "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" to cipher information from Saudi terrorists. Slowly her task force is whittled down to just her or at least it is in her mind and she feels the increasing pressure of Washington on her back, her zeal and determination on finding Abu Faraj al-Libbi who is believed to be OBL's personal courier and ultimately the man that lead to finding OBL's compound is a very harrowing journey for Maya. Jessica Chastain's performance is extraordinary as she evokes the loneliness and depression of being a blunt object within the CIA determined to achieve her goal.
Kathryn Bigelow recent Oscar winner for "The Hurt Locker" helms this terrific clear narrative of the hunt for OBL. Her visual aesthetic for the middle east is spot on, it really immerses the audience in these dangerous events. She even went as far as to hire an Australian production designer to literally rebuild the real life compound brick for brick in which Seal Team Six raids at the end. The script is pretty hard hitting at times, prepare to wince at some of the things CIA operatives discuss very nonchalantly.
Just like Ben Affleck's "Argo" it's difficult to make a thriller out of a historical event in which the audience knows the out-come. But succeed they do. The last 30 minutes of this film are so nail biting because we never really knew the finer details. We know OBL is dead but how did the raid go down? This is the story of the CIA agent who knew she was RIGHT. What a great year for women in film, such powerful and demanding roles like Sally Field in Lincoln, Naomi Watts in The Impossible, Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables, Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook and following in strong form Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty.
It's not an action film if that's what you're looking for, it's a thriller, so there is a lot of dialogue but none of it is trivial. There are some unnecessary jabs at the previous administration and their "certainty of WMD's in Iraq", which could have been a political statement on behalf the film makers but it wasn't as obtuse as it was in "Killing Them Softly", it padded the long running time and probably could have been left on the cutting room floor. There are many evidence sifting scenes and disturbing torture scenes perhaps too many. Was showing the water boarding and noninvasive torture techniques absolutely critical to the plot? Perhaps alluding to it would spare the audience some unwanted pain, which asks the audience a question of morals. Was it worth torturing Saudi terrorists and defying the nation of Pakistan to take down Osama Bin Laden? It's not perfect but it's pretty damn close. 4/5
Don't buy popcorn, don't purchase a drink from the candy bar it's long and you don't want to get up and pee and miss a crucial moment of expertly written dialogue. Just remember that the film you're about to watch is "mostly accurate" according to the CIA. These events happened, this is a dramatization of the 10 year long hunt for Osama Bin Laden. The desensitization of war and violence in the media today sadly just puts the fog of war in our heads but the ending to this film successfully opens our eyes to the brutality of it all. Jessica Chastain plays Maya, no surname given. Maya is a CIA officer who spent her entire brief career with the CIA on the "Al-Qaeda Intelligence Division", enemy #1 Osama Bin Laden.
Maya is relocated to Pakistan to work alongside CIA officer Dan, their daily routines usually consist of visiting "Black Sites" where they use "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" to cipher information from Saudi terrorists. Slowly her task force is whittled down to just her or at least it is in her mind and she feels the increasing pressure of Washington on her back, her zeal and determination on finding Abu Faraj al-Libbi who is believed to be OBL's personal courier and ultimately the man that lead to finding OBL's compound is a very harrowing journey for Maya. Jessica Chastain's performance is extraordinary as she evokes the loneliness and depression of being a blunt object within the CIA determined to achieve her goal.
Kathryn Bigelow recent Oscar winner for "The Hurt Locker" helms this terrific clear narrative of the hunt for OBL. Her visual aesthetic for the middle east is spot on, it really immerses the audience in these dangerous events. She even went as far as to hire an Australian production designer to literally rebuild the real life compound brick for brick in which Seal Team Six raids at the end. The script is pretty hard hitting at times, prepare to wince at some of the things CIA operatives discuss very nonchalantly.
Just like Ben Affleck's "Argo" it's difficult to make a thriller out of a historical event in which the audience knows the out-come. But succeed they do. The last 30 minutes of this film are so nail biting because we never really knew the finer details. We know OBL is dead but how did the raid go down? This is the story of the CIA agent who knew she was RIGHT. What a great year for women in film, such powerful and demanding roles like Sally Field in Lincoln, Naomi Watts in The Impossible, Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables, Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook and following in strong form Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty.
It's not an action film if that's what you're looking for, it's a thriller, so there is a lot of dialogue but none of it is trivial. There are some unnecessary jabs at the previous administration and their "certainty of WMD's in Iraq", which could have been a political statement on behalf the film makers but it wasn't as obtuse as it was in "Killing Them Softly", it padded the long running time and probably could have been left on the cutting room floor. There are many evidence sifting scenes and disturbing torture scenes perhaps too many. Was showing the water boarding and noninvasive torture techniques absolutely critical to the plot? Perhaps alluding to it would spare the audience some unwanted pain, which asks the audience a question of morals. Was it worth torturing Saudi terrorists and defying the nation of Pakistan to take down Osama Bin Laden? It's not perfect but it's pretty damn close. 4/5
Monday, 14 January 2013
2013 A Year In Film To Look Forward To!
1. Man Of Steel: Director Zach Snyder helms the new iteration of Superman, a challenging film to adapt from the comics where your hero is essentially invincible, but I have faith with Christopher Nolan contributing to the script and producing.
2. Oz The Great & Powerful: Director Sam Raimi tackles a prequel to "The Wizard Of Oz". A risky venture and with a budget of $200,000,000 I bet Disney is feeling a little nervous at throwing so much cash at a story that might not be so popular anymore. Remember the John Carter catastrophe?
3. Star Trek Into Darkness: J.J Abrams almost reluctantly returning as director to the 2009 critically acclaimed reboot of Star Trek and forced to post-convert it into 3D due to "economic reasons" cited by Paramount Pictures, lot's of potential for this sequel hope it lives up to the hype.
4. Iron Man 3: Lethal Weapon franchise creator Shane Black serves as director for this seemingly darker toned tale of Tony Stark facing the infamous "Mandarin". Iron Man 2 didn't quite hit the mark and it was time for Jon Favreau to step down and let a more talented director take his place.
5. Elysium: It seems like 2013 will be the year for science fiction, director Neill Blomkamp of District 9 fame directs an action thriller starring Matt Damon in which the Rich reside on a man-made space station whilst the poor reside on a dying earth. Can Neill hit 2/2?
6. Ender's Game: Based on the critically acclaimed science fiction novel written by Orson Scott Card, starring Harrison Ford & Asa Butterfield, tells the story of a gifted boy trained in military strategy from the age of 6 and is considered man-kinds last hope against an alien race that nearly wiped us out. Really nervous they'll butcher the amazing source material, one can only hope.
7. Thor The Dark World: Kenneth Branagh not returning to helm the sequel to Thor however I have faith in Alan Taylor, you needn't look further than his Game Of Thrones directing credits to know this story is in capable hands.
8. A Good Day To Die Hard: 59 year old Bruce Willis returns as John McClane and travels to Russia to bring down a Russian terrorist with the aid of his estranged son played by up and coming Aussie actor Jai Courtney. We can take solace knowing its rated R and not PG like unmentionable Die Hard 4.0.
9. RoboCop: The inevitable reboot of a long dead franchise, new cop, new suit, new villain. Aren't we fed up with remakes/reboots/sequels? If Gary Oldman & Samuel L. Jackson are attached it can't be THAT bad....right?
10. Robopocalypse: When Steven Spielberg finally get's the script he wants we'll hopefully see this adaptation from the novel of the same name that was given high praise from the likes of Stephen King, set to star the highly bankable Chris Hemsworth & Anne Hathaway. A bit like terminator in which a super intelligent A.I attempts to eradicate the human race to protect the earth.
11. Anchorman The Legend Continues: Almost 10 years later the entire cast return with hopefully a film that's as funny as the first and arguably Will Ferrell's funniest film to date. I hope for many memorable lines from Brick Tamland.
12. The Wolverine: Possibly Hugh Jackman's last outing at a character he's been playing for 15 years. Wolverine is on his way to Japan to train with the Samurai and with a competent director James Mangold and possibly an R rating we can forget Wolverine Origins ever happened.
13. World War Z: If you're like me and you've already read the novel it's based on, you can immediately see in this Brad Pitt vehicle the film has absolutely no resemblance to the novel whatsoever. Zombies don't run and this story is told DURING the war not after it like in the novel, what a shame.
14. Oblivion: Tom Cruise is now a bankable name again so why not jump into a popular genre. Adapted from the unreleased graphic novel written by Joseph Kosinski and also directed by Joseph Kosinski who's only previous credit was the mediocre Tron: Legacy. This film could go either way.
15. The Tomb: Arnold Schwarzenegger & Sylvester Stallone team up for a futuristic jailbreak movie where the man who created the prison is incarcerated after being framed, he must put his skills to the test and break free.
16. Evil Dead: The remake, I'm enthusiastic about this one with BOTH Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell serving as screenplay writers and producers and already saying "It's more horrifying than the original". However the iconic character of ASH was written out and I'm afraid it might mean "No Ash, No Cash"
17. Pacific Rim: Guillermo Del Toro is back in the directors chair with his right hand man and lucky charm Ron Perlman in this futuristic war for earth between Monsters from the deep and giant robot's. As corny as that sounds it looks like a hell of a ride.
18. White House Down: Now that Channing Tatum is a star, why not make him into an action star? $$$$$$ The White House is somehow taken over by terrorists and the only hope for President Jaime Foxx is Channing Tatum who was ironically applying for a Secret Service job the day the shit hit's the fan.
19. All You Need Is Kill: Adapted from a Japanese novel of the same name a soldier (Tom Cruise) in a future war with aliens finds himself in a time loop of the day he continuously get's killed in action, each time returning better skilled and closer to finding the key to changing his fate.
20. Gravity: Children Of Men director Alfonso Cuaron returns after a 7 year hiatus and helms a very depressing sounding science fiction film starring George Clooney & Sandra Bullock. After a routine space mission goes to shit the two astronauts are tethered to nothing but each other and are floating away into space. With little hope of returning.
2. Oz The Great & Powerful: Director Sam Raimi tackles a prequel to "The Wizard Of Oz". A risky venture and with a budget of $200,000,000 I bet Disney is feeling a little nervous at throwing so much cash at a story that might not be so popular anymore. Remember the John Carter catastrophe?
3. Star Trek Into Darkness: J.J Abrams almost reluctantly returning as director to the 2009 critically acclaimed reboot of Star Trek and forced to post-convert it into 3D due to "economic reasons" cited by Paramount Pictures, lot's of potential for this sequel hope it lives up to the hype.
4. Iron Man 3: Lethal Weapon franchise creator Shane Black serves as director for this seemingly darker toned tale of Tony Stark facing the infamous "Mandarin". Iron Man 2 didn't quite hit the mark and it was time for Jon Favreau to step down and let a more talented director take his place.
5. Elysium: It seems like 2013 will be the year for science fiction, director Neill Blomkamp of District 9 fame directs an action thriller starring Matt Damon in which the Rich reside on a man-made space station whilst the poor reside on a dying earth. Can Neill hit 2/2?
6. Ender's Game: Based on the critically acclaimed science fiction novel written by Orson Scott Card, starring Harrison Ford & Asa Butterfield, tells the story of a gifted boy trained in military strategy from the age of 6 and is considered man-kinds last hope against an alien race that nearly wiped us out. Really nervous they'll butcher the amazing source material, one can only hope.
7. Thor The Dark World: Kenneth Branagh not returning to helm the sequel to Thor however I have faith in Alan Taylor, you needn't look further than his Game Of Thrones directing credits to know this story is in capable hands.
8. A Good Day To Die Hard: 59 year old Bruce Willis returns as John McClane and travels to Russia to bring down a Russian terrorist with the aid of his estranged son played by up and coming Aussie actor Jai Courtney. We can take solace knowing its rated R and not PG like unmentionable Die Hard 4.0.
9. RoboCop: The inevitable reboot of a long dead franchise, new cop, new suit, new villain. Aren't we fed up with remakes/reboots/sequels? If Gary Oldman & Samuel L. Jackson are attached it can't be THAT bad....right?
10. Robopocalypse: When Steven Spielberg finally get's the script he wants we'll hopefully see this adaptation from the novel of the same name that was given high praise from the likes of Stephen King, set to star the highly bankable Chris Hemsworth & Anne Hathaway. A bit like terminator in which a super intelligent A.I attempts to eradicate the human race to protect the earth.
11. Anchorman The Legend Continues: Almost 10 years later the entire cast return with hopefully a film that's as funny as the first and arguably Will Ferrell's funniest film to date. I hope for many memorable lines from Brick Tamland.
12. The Wolverine: Possibly Hugh Jackman's last outing at a character he's been playing for 15 years. Wolverine is on his way to Japan to train with the Samurai and with a competent director James Mangold and possibly an R rating we can forget Wolverine Origins ever happened.
13. World War Z: If you're like me and you've already read the novel it's based on, you can immediately see in this Brad Pitt vehicle the film has absolutely no resemblance to the novel whatsoever. Zombies don't run and this story is told DURING the war not after it like in the novel, what a shame.
14. Oblivion: Tom Cruise is now a bankable name again so why not jump into a popular genre. Adapted from the unreleased graphic novel written by Joseph Kosinski and also directed by Joseph Kosinski who's only previous credit was the mediocre Tron: Legacy. This film could go either way.
15. The Tomb: Arnold Schwarzenegger & Sylvester Stallone team up for a futuristic jailbreak movie where the man who created the prison is incarcerated after being framed, he must put his skills to the test and break free.
16. Evil Dead: The remake, I'm enthusiastic about this one with BOTH Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell serving as screenplay writers and producers and already saying "It's more horrifying than the original". However the iconic character of ASH was written out and I'm afraid it might mean "No Ash, No Cash"
17. Pacific Rim: Guillermo Del Toro is back in the directors chair with his right hand man and lucky charm Ron Perlman in this futuristic war for earth between Monsters from the deep and giant robot's. As corny as that sounds it looks like a hell of a ride.
18. White House Down: Now that Channing Tatum is a star, why not make him into an action star? $$$$$$ The White House is somehow taken over by terrorists and the only hope for President Jaime Foxx is Channing Tatum who was ironically applying for a Secret Service job the day the shit hit's the fan.
19. All You Need Is Kill: Adapted from a Japanese novel of the same name a soldier (Tom Cruise) in a future war with aliens finds himself in a time loop of the day he continuously get's killed in action, each time returning better skilled and closer to finding the key to changing his fate.
20. Gravity: Children Of Men director Alfonso Cuaron returns after a 7 year hiatus and helms a very depressing sounding science fiction film starring George Clooney & Sandra Bullock. After a routine space mission goes to shit the two astronauts are tethered to nothing but each other and are floating away into space. With little hope of returning.
Saturday, 12 January 2013
Silver Linings Playbook Film Review
Silver Linings Playbook - "This is what I believe to be true, you have to do everything you can and if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining"
A film so good it's devastating. Picture you're standing in the ring with Rocky Balboa & every punch he throws at you is a direct emotional hit to the head. A romantic comedy that transcends the genre and evolves into an snowball that keeps rolling picking up such rich characters along the way. David O. Russell writes and directs Silver Linings Playbook based on the novel of the same name and is deserving of an Oscar. Pat played by Bradley Cooper is overly enthusiastic and upbeat for someone who was just released from an 8 month stint in a mental institution for treatment of bi-polar disorder. Eager to repair his marriage with Nikki played by Brea Bee he works out everyday to lose weight and reads famous works of literature that Nikki taught at high school, but we learn she's sold the house and moved away. Pat by law is forced to live with his parents Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver) until he's rehabilitated and clinically cleared by his Psychologist Dr. Cliff Patel played by the wonderfully charming Anupam Ker.
Early on Pat is introduced to Tiffany played by Jennifer Lawrence who is outstanding in this role as the slightly offbeat widower who expresses her depression through sex with many people. It's depressing seeing her character being taken advantage of and how it effects her state of mind. The two share a very funny scene where they banter about what medication they're on but it's beautiful to see two people who are essentially strangers share sensitive information about each other because they share an unseen burden. She promptly propositions Pat for sex after their first encounter and he turns her down claiming that he's married. Pat is completely in denial about his ex-wife Nikki with the restraining order who has moved away. The two form a beautifully sweet platonic relationship that isn't understood by anyone but them. Robert De Niro is a "Tour De Force" in his role of Pat Sr. the obsessive compulsive father who's not sure what to make of his son not realizing that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree at all as he suffers from "obsessive compulsive disorder". He's visibly in love with his long and endearing wife Dolores and harmlessly obsessed with the Philadelphia Eagles football team as he religiously watches every game and tries to bond with his son over football. De Niro and Cooper have a chemistry as father and son that is rarely scene in cinema, the performances are terrific but David O. Russell should be heavily credited in pairing the two for such challenging roles.
Through emotional blackmail Tiffany forces Pat into joining a local dance competition and the two spend more and more time together rehearsing dances. Whilst receiving some very funny off the cuff advice and criticism from the great comedic actor Chris Tucker who befriended Pat in the mental institution "Don't forget to black it up". The pairs relationship shifts dynamics and their issues become shared as they begin to rely on each other for mental stability and low and behold love is on the horizon, or at least for one of them. One of the many achievements this screenplay has to showcase is the side-by-side narrative of father and son tackling their mental problems, Pat Sr. with his book keeping on the Philadelphia Eagles and Pat Jr.s success in the dance competition. It's a film so well crafted that it's hard to believe it was made in this era of film making. The ending had me an emotional wreck as I cheered for our unlikely duo to find love and happiness. I implore you to see this overwhelming film about Love, Mental Stability, Great Acting & Family. 5/5
A film so good it's devastating. Picture you're standing in the ring with Rocky Balboa & every punch he throws at you is a direct emotional hit to the head. A romantic comedy that transcends the genre and evolves into an snowball that keeps rolling picking up such rich characters along the way. David O. Russell writes and directs Silver Linings Playbook based on the novel of the same name and is deserving of an Oscar. Pat played by Bradley Cooper is overly enthusiastic and upbeat for someone who was just released from an 8 month stint in a mental institution for treatment of bi-polar disorder. Eager to repair his marriage with Nikki played by Brea Bee he works out everyday to lose weight and reads famous works of literature that Nikki taught at high school, but we learn she's sold the house and moved away. Pat by law is forced to live with his parents Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver) until he's rehabilitated and clinically cleared by his Psychologist Dr. Cliff Patel played by the wonderfully charming Anupam Ker.
Early on Pat is introduced to Tiffany played by Jennifer Lawrence who is outstanding in this role as the slightly offbeat widower who expresses her depression through sex with many people. It's depressing seeing her character being taken advantage of and how it effects her state of mind. The two share a very funny scene where they banter about what medication they're on but it's beautiful to see two people who are essentially strangers share sensitive information about each other because they share an unseen burden. She promptly propositions Pat for sex after their first encounter and he turns her down claiming that he's married. Pat is completely in denial about his ex-wife Nikki with the restraining order who has moved away. The two form a beautifully sweet platonic relationship that isn't understood by anyone but them. Robert De Niro is a "Tour De Force" in his role of Pat Sr. the obsessive compulsive father who's not sure what to make of his son not realizing that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree at all as he suffers from "obsessive compulsive disorder". He's visibly in love with his long and endearing wife Dolores and harmlessly obsessed with the Philadelphia Eagles football team as he religiously watches every game and tries to bond with his son over football. De Niro and Cooper have a chemistry as father and son that is rarely scene in cinema, the performances are terrific but David O. Russell should be heavily credited in pairing the two for such challenging roles.
Through emotional blackmail Tiffany forces Pat into joining a local dance competition and the two spend more and more time together rehearsing dances. Whilst receiving some very funny off the cuff advice and criticism from the great comedic actor Chris Tucker who befriended Pat in the mental institution "Don't forget to black it up". The pairs relationship shifts dynamics and their issues become shared as they begin to rely on each other for mental stability and low and behold love is on the horizon, or at least for one of them. One of the many achievements this screenplay has to showcase is the side-by-side narrative of father and son tackling their mental problems, Pat Sr. with his book keeping on the Philadelphia Eagles and Pat Jr.s success in the dance competition. It's a film so well crafted that it's hard to believe it was made in this era of film making. The ending had me an emotional wreck as I cheered for our unlikely duo to find love and happiness. I implore you to see this overwhelming film about Love, Mental Stability, Great Acting & Family. 5/5
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Django Unchained Film Review
Django Unchained - "I spent my entire life surrounded by black faces, I only had one question, why don't they rise up and just kill the whites?"
This isn't so much a film as it is an expedition, the 8th expedition into Quentin Tarantino's large and expansive film universe. Quentin Tarantino relishes in writing long intricate dialogue sequences that can create immense tension like no other screenplay writer working today. He also makes no bones about the fact that violence is so much fun to watch as long as it is done with a certain sense of "Panache". Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx as Django with a silent "D" sold into slavery and separated from his wife Broomhilda played by Kerry Washington. As punishment for trying to escape their owners they receive the lash and like a flashlight, batteries are sold separately and Django needs his batteries back. As fortune has it a nomad bounty hunter, posing as a dentist by the name of Dr. King Schultz played by Christoph Waltz stumbles upon a chain gang of slaves and there two escorts and proceeds to delve into negotiations into buying Django because he has information he needs. Negotiations go south (ironically) and two white men on moral high horses are suddenly at the mercy of a chain gang of slaves and Django and Schultz begin their harmonious journey across America as bounty hunters.
Much is to be said of the script as it has garnered a lot of criticism for its use of the word "Nigger" but the year as stated in the film is 1858 two years before the civil war and "Nigger" was uttered nonchalantly as the time of day. The world in which the film is set has a hyper reality, showing you some truly brutal sufferings of the African-Americans in those days. Which speaks to the type of filmmaker Quentin is, he isn't censored by his longtime faithful producers "The Weinstein Brothers" and pretty much makes the film he wants to make. Django Unchained is like no other film Quentin has ever made and it would be a disservice to compare it to his predecessors. It's ultra violent as one might expect but it doesn't glorify it & it's never condoned. A noticeable aspect of the violence is that the blood sprays are practical effects, taking advantage of blood sachets and not lazily editing them in in post production with bad CGI like we see in most modern action films. It spans many genres but never muddles them up as the film evolves from a buddy comedy to a spaghetti western. It's a roaring good time if you can handle the violence. The script is so well crafted that it will horrify you whilst at the same time making you laugh.
Our two ambitious bounty hunters travel to Calvin Candies plantation aptly named "Candy Land" to rescue Django's wife & this is where the real fun begins. Our antagonist Calvin played by the terrific Leonardo DiCaprio is somewhat of a man-baby who has been spoon fed his entire life and enjoys such entertainment as Mandingo fighting and feeding slaves to dogs.....literally. Almost like a game of chess Dr. King Schultz must put certain pieces in place to achieve the ultimate goal, freeing Broomhilda. Only to be thwarted by the suspicious and malevolent "Stephen" played by an almost unrecognizable Samuel L. Jackson. Sam Jackson's performance in this film is so juicy and intriguing to watch as he waits on Calvin hand and foot in an almost loving fashion. Calvin successfully twisting Stephens mind into ratting on his own fellow slaves and doing his dirty work unconditionally.
The performances overall are terrific, except it was disappointing to see that Kerry Washington wasn't given any meaty dialogue to chew on which is contrary to Quentin's previous films that always feature headstrong and powerful female characters, if there were to be any criticism that would just about be it, other than that it's a perfect film that has a long running time but not once becoming tiresome or dull. My hats off to you Quentin. 5/5
This isn't so much a film as it is an expedition, the 8th expedition into Quentin Tarantino's large and expansive film universe. Quentin Tarantino relishes in writing long intricate dialogue sequences that can create immense tension like no other screenplay writer working today. He also makes no bones about the fact that violence is so much fun to watch as long as it is done with a certain sense of "Panache". Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx as Django with a silent "D" sold into slavery and separated from his wife Broomhilda played by Kerry Washington. As punishment for trying to escape their owners they receive the lash and like a flashlight, batteries are sold separately and Django needs his batteries back. As fortune has it a nomad bounty hunter, posing as a dentist by the name of Dr. King Schultz played by Christoph Waltz stumbles upon a chain gang of slaves and there two escorts and proceeds to delve into negotiations into buying Django because he has information he needs. Negotiations go south (ironically) and two white men on moral high horses are suddenly at the mercy of a chain gang of slaves and Django and Schultz begin their harmonious journey across America as bounty hunters.
Much is to be said of the script as it has garnered a lot of criticism for its use of the word "Nigger" but the year as stated in the film is 1858 two years before the civil war and "Nigger" was uttered nonchalantly as the time of day. The world in which the film is set has a hyper reality, showing you some truly brutal sufferings of the African-Americans in those days. Which speaks to the type of filmmaker Quentin is, he isn't censored by his longtime faithful producers "The Weinstein Brothers" and pretty much makes the film he wants to make. Django Unchained is like no other film Quentin has ever made and it would be a disservice to compare it to his predecessors. It's ultra violent as one might expect but it doesn't glorify it & it's never condoned. A noticeable aspect of the violence is that the blood sprays are practical effects, taking advantage of blood sachets and not lazily editing them in in post production with bad CGI like we see in most modern action films. It spans many genres but never muddles them up as the film evolves from a buddy comedy to a spaghetti western. It's a roaring good time if you can handle the violence. The script is so well crafted that it will horrify you whilst at the same time making you laugh.
Our two ambitious bounty hunters travel to Calvin Candies plantation aptly named "Candy Land" to rescue Django's wife & this is where the real fun begins. Our antagonist Calvin played by the terrific Leonardo DiCaprio is somewhat of a man-baby who has been spoon fed his entire life and enjoys such entertainment as Mandingo fighting and feeding slaves to dogs.....literally. Almost like a game of chess Dr. King Schultz must put certain pieces in place to achieve the ultimate goal, freeing Broomhilda. Only to be thwarted by the suspicious and malevolent "Stephen" played by an almost unrecognizable Samuel L. Jackson. Sam Jackson's performance in this film is so juicy and intriguing to watch as he waits on Calvin hand and foot in an almost loving fashion. Calvin successfully twisting Stephens mind into ratting on his own fellow slaves and doing his dirty work unconditionally.
The performances overall are terrific, except it was disappointing to see that Kerry Washington wasn't given any meaty dialogue to chew on which is contrary to Quentin's previous films that always feature headstrong and powerful female characters, if there were to be any criticism that would just about be it, other than that it's a perfect film that has a long running time but not once becoming tiresome or dull. My hats off to you Quentin. 5/5
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Gangster Squad Film Review
Gangster Squad - "A cop that's not for sale is like a dog with rabies, you just gotta put em' down"
Gangster Squad centers around a group of men who are enlisted by the Chief of Police, Chief Parker played by the wonderful and gravelly Nick Nolte to take down Mickey Cohen played by Sean Penn an East Coast crook who's taken over Los Angeles in a crime wave. Immediately after WWII in 1949, Detective O'Mara played by Josh Brolin leads the motley crew of famous faces into a guerrilla war with Mickey Cohen's gang, destroying supply trains of dope, money and hookers in an effort to drive Mickey out of the city.
There was hope that this film would be this generation's "The Untouchables" but sadly it falls apart at the seams. There are some odd choices of casting such as Ryan Gosling "The Sheep in wolf's clothing", his accent in the film was a little too effeminate and off putting. Emma Stone was by and large a prop more than a character, she served as just another pretty face to ogle. Together they have a romance that is a little too "Jack & Rose" from Titanic and it's noticeably cringy at times.
The people that do shine however are Robert Patrick as Officer Max Kennard, an old timer who's famous for shooting crooks rather than going by the books. Anthony Mackie as Coleman Harris is a terrific addition to the gangster squad and brings a certain air of charm to the screen. By and large the performances are fine, what does hold the film back though is the direction by Ruben Fleischer, his previous credits are "Zombieland" which was a solid film and " 30 Minutes or Less " which was critically and commercially panned. The digital colour correction of the film is distracting as they attempt to make it look like the 1940's. All too often you ask yourself why is the camera setup there at that angle, what shot were you trying to achieve? A different director with more experience was needed to tackle this subject matter.
There is unnecessary voice over from Josh Brolin, particularly at the end which is extremely laughable. The last 5 minutes needed to be left on the cutting room floor. This period needed to be gritty and violent which at times it was but the ending was too perky. In a time where countless people died in drive-by shootings and mob hits, the tone was too light. The majority of the cast shine whilst the script and direction are at times flawed. If you're looking for a fun film then by all accounts you will have a good time just don't have too high an expectation and don't expect "The Untouchables 2". Ultimately very disappointing, the colour saturation along with the super smooth no motion blur was distracting and the casting could have had a few alterations 2.5/5
Gangster Squad centers around a group of men who are enlisted by the Chief of Police, Chief Parker played by the wonderful and gravelly Nick Nolte to take down Mickey Cohen played by Sean Penn an East Coast crook who's taken over Los Angeles in a crime wave. Immediately after WWII in 1949, Detective O'Mara played by Josh Brolin leads the motley crew of famous faces into a guerrilla war with Mickey Cohen's gang, destroying supply trains of dope, money and hookers in an effort to drive Mickey out of the city.
There was hope that this film would be this generation's "The Untouchables" but sadly it falls apart at the seams. There are some odd choices of casting such as Ryan Gosling "The Sheep in wolf's clothing", his accent in the film was a little too effeminate and off putting. Emma Stone was by and large a prop more than a character, she served as just another pretty face to ogle. Together they have a romance that is a little too "Jack & Rose" from Titanic and it's noticeably cringy at times.
The people that do shine however are Robert Patrick as Officer Max Kennard, an old timer who's famous for shooting crooks rather than going by the books. Anthony Mackie as Coleman Harris is a terrific addition to the gangster squad and brings a certain air of charm to the screen. By and large the performances are fine, what does hold the film back though is the direction by Ruben Fleischer, his previous credits are "Zombieland" which was a solid film and " 30 Minutes or Less " which was critically and commercially panned. The digital colour correction of the film is distracting as they attempt to make it look like the 1940's. All too often you ask yourself why is the camera setup there at that angle, what shot were you trying to achieve? A different director with more experience was needed to tackle this subject matter.
There is unnecessary voice over from Josh Brolin, particularly at the end which is extremely laughable. The last 5 minutes needed to be left on the cutting room floor. This period needed to be gritty and violent which at times it was but the ending was too perky. In a time where countless people died in drive-by shootings and mob hits, the tone was too light. The majority of the cast shine whilst the script and direction are at times flawed. If you're looking for a fun film then by all accounts you will have a good time just don't have too high an expectation and don't expect "The Untouchables 2". Ultimately very disappointing, the colour saturation along with the super smooth no motion blur was distracting and the casting could have had a few alterations 2.5/5
Monday, 7 January 2013
How to fix Die Hard 5 and why the Hobbit is a trilogy
A Good Day to Die Hard will be gracing our screens soon, oddly however 20th Century Fox haven't released a classification for the film yet because as they saw last year with The Expendables 2, there will be a huge out cry from fans all over, universally saying that the PG-13 rating for kids, absolutely ruins actions films. Millennium Pictures were quick to assure the fans that decision had been reversed and that the Expendables 2 would be rated R.
Fox however don't have the balls for this and A Good Day To Die Hard just like its ugly predecessor Die Hard 4.0 will be rated PG-13 meaning that our iconic New York cop action hero Jon McClane won't swear nor will he be able to say his catchphrase "Yippee Ki-Yay Motherfucker" without disguising the sound of "FUCK" with a gun shot or explosion. Nor will there be visible impact wounds on anyone who get's shot or beaten to death by John McClane. It's all about the money, this billion dollar empire movie studio can't just give the fans what they want, they have to appeal to the children to, which this franchise was never intended for. Cut the cute shit, cut the porn shot's from the trailer of the woman undressing and give us the New York Cop movie that we all want with blood, foul language and a man with a bad attitude.
As the Hobbit marches towards a billion dollar gross at the box office it's suddenly clear why Warner Bros want a trilogy out of a 300 page children's book. There cash earning franchises like Batman & Harry Potter have both ended and now they're set to make upwards of $2.5 billion from these 3 movies alone. So who cares about pissing on the source material and making mediocre films with heaps of padding just to fill out the running time? Not to mention forcing the majority of the audience to watch it in 3D at 48 FPS which completely ruins the aesthetic of the film and is most definitely not an appealing factor. Warner Bros are completely set on making sequels and reboots their priority with The Mummy & Van Helsing both being rebooted, 2 sequels to independence day? Men in black 4 and not to mention another iteration of Superman this year.
Fox however don't have the balls for this and A Good Day To Die Hard just like its ugly predecessor Die Hard 4.0 will be rated PG-13 meaning that our iconic New York cop action hero Jon McClane won't swear nor will he be able to say his catchphrase "Yippee Ki-Yay Motherfucker" without disguising the sound of "FUCK" with a gun shot or explosion. Nor will there be visible impact wounds on anyone who get's shot or beaten to death by John McClane. It's all about the money, this billion dollar empire movie studio can't just give the fans what they want, they have to appeal to the children to, which this franchise was never intended for. Cut the cute shit, cut the porn shot's from the trailer of the woman undressing and give us the New York Cop movie that we all want with blood, foul language and a man with a bad attitude.
As the Hobbit marches towards a billion dollar gross at the box office it's suddenly clear why Warner Bros want a trilogy out of a 300 page children's book. There cash earning franchises like Batman & Harry Potter have both ended and now they're set to make upwards of $2.5 billion from these 3 movies alone. So who cares about pissing on the source material and making mediocre films with heaps of padding just to fill out the running time? Not to mention forcing the majority of the audience to watch it in 3D at 48 FPS which completely ruins the aesthetic of the film and is most definitely not an appealing factor. Warner Bros are completely set on making sequels and reboots their priority with The Mummy & Van Helsing both being rebooted, 2 sequels to independence day? Men in black 4 and not to mention another iteration of Superman this year.
Les Miserables Film Review
Les Miserables - "I had a dream my life would be so different from this hell I'm living!"
Despite it's considerable box office numbers, rumors have circulated that audiences struggled through this 157 minute epic musical from director Tom Hooper, receiving mixed reviews. This film definitely has a niche audience but seems to have caught the attention of the mainstream movie goers. It's grand in scale and in plot as it spans years and tries to capture the essence of this famous 1400 page novel from author Victor Hugo.
The film has a grand opening sweeping shot of an 18th century ship being hauled into a dry dock by our protagonist Jean Valjean played by Hugh Jackman as he and his fellow slaves burst into song. The impressive note about the singing is that it is essentially sung live. They didn't record the songs in a studio and synthesize the vocals.
The film by and large is mostly sung, there are a few lines of dialogue that serve no other purpose than to segue into another song. If you are a fan of musicals, or more specifically THIS musical then I doubt you will be disappointed as the performances, particularly Anne Hathaway as Fantine are tremendous. The film doesn't sugar coat the torturous journey's the characters suffer, whether it be Jean Valjean being sentenced to 19 years of incarceration for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family, or Fantine selling her beautiful locks of hair and then forced into prostitution so she can send money to her illegitimate daughter whose health is ailing.
Some notable instances where the film really shines is when Fantine sings the iconic song "I dreamed a dream" as she is visibly distraught & devastated as a bald, frail, prostitute that could sink no lower but isn't given a choice in her circumstances. Or when Hugh Jackman sings "Who am I?" after being shown a surprising showing of faith & kindness from a Bishop who saves his life.What also stands out are the production values, Tom Hooper's cinematography is extraordinary as he successfully captures the visceral look and core of the 1800's with the architecture of the buildings and the cobblestone paths. The costumes designs to the makeup, everything just screams France circa 1800's.
Les Miserables was never intended for everyone and it won't please everyone, whether it be the long running time or the constant singing some will be drawn to it, seeing it umpteenth times and others might appreciate a single viewing and leave feeling unsatisfied. But credit must be given where credit is due, they successfully immersed us in that period of history with the look and tone & the singing is impressive, even if at times in excess. 2.5/5
Despite it's considerable box office numbers, rumors have circulated that audiences struggled through this 157 minute epic musical from director Tom Hooper, receiving mixed reviews. This film definitely has a niche audience but seems to have caught the attention of the mainstream movie goers. It's grand in scale and in plot as it spans years and tries to capture the essence of this famous 1400 page novel from author Victor Hugo.
The film has a grand opening sweeping shot of an 18th century ship being hauled into a dry dock by our protagonist Jean Valjean played by Hugh Jackman as he and his fellow slaves burst into song. The impressive note about the singing is that it is essentially sung live. They didn't record the songs in a studio and synthesize the vocals.
The film by and large is mostly sung, there are a few lines of dialogue that serve no other purpose than to segue into another song. If you are a fan of musicals, or more specifically THIS musical then I doubt you will be disappointed as the performances, particularly Anne Hathaway as Fantine are tremendous. The film doesn't sugar coat the torturous journey's the characters suffer, whether it be Jean Valjean being sentenced to 19 years of incarceration for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family, or Fantine selling her beautiful locks of hair and then forced into prostitution so she can send money to her illegitimate daughter whose health is ailing.
Some notable instances where the film really shines is when Fantine sings the iconic song "I dreamed a dream" as she is visibly distraught & devastated as a bald, frail, prostitute that could sink no lower but isn't given a choice in her circumstances. Or when Hugh Jackman sings "Who am I?" after being shown a surprising showing of faith & kindness from a Bishop who saves his life.What also stands out are the production values, Tom Hooper's cinematography is extraordinary as he successfully captures the visceral look and core of the 1800's with the architecture of the buildings and the cobblestone paths. The costumes designs to the makeup, everything just screams France circa 1800's.
Les Miserables was never intended for everyone and it won't please everyone, whether it be the long running time or the constant singing some will be drawn to it, seeing it umpteenth times and others might appreciate a single viewing and leave feeling unsatisfied. But credit must be given where credit is due, they successfully immersed us in that period of history with the look and tone & the singing is impressive, even if at times in excess. 2.5/5
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Butter Film Review
Butter -"So, you want a cookie 'cause you're going to get pregnant? I get pregnant, like, once a month bitch!"
An extremely bold film written by Jason A. Micallef, with so much symbolism you're beaten over the head with it, but not in a bad way. This film is utterly hilarious and it's sadly so obvious why it was never released to theaters anywhere. The plot revolves literally around an annual Iowa contest of "Butter Carving". For the past 15 years it has been won by one man named Bob played by Ty Burrell who in the film is married to Laura played by Jennifer Garner who is a parody of Republican presidential hopeful 2012 bat-shit insane "Michelle Bachman" who was told by God himself to run for president.
Bob is asked to step down from entering the contest to give others a chance at winning which drives Laura to the brink of insanity as she feeds off the local fame she gains from her husbands accolades. Meanwhile a young African-American orphan is adopted by Rob Corddry & Alicia Silverstone who happens to be amazing at carving butter. So Jennifer Garner is left with one option, enter the contest herself to maintain the winning streak and her opponent is this little African-American orphan & a stripper played by Olivia Wilde. That is the plot in a nut-shell. The comedic timing in this film is perfect but it's so politically incorrect that it put's Sacha Baron Cohen to shame.
Some famous butter carvings in the film consist of "The Last Supper", "Schindler's List", "The Kennedy Assassination" & 2012 presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich riding a pig. So you can see what I mean about the political symbolism and how anti-republican party it is. Hugh Jackman makes an unforgettable appearance as a car salesmen who prays to God about how tight Jennifer Garners pussy is..... and it's utterly hysterical. Olivia Wilde plays a stripper who fucks Ty Burrell with force at the beginning of the film and then demands money afterwards, but Jennifer Garner gets in her way thus creating the conflict.
There is also an appearance from Ashley Greene of Twilight fame who is basically in the film to justify a homo-erotic scene between her and Olivia Wilde and it's so distastefully done but on purpose. It's one of the few American comedies of the past 10 years that actually delivers consistent laughs in every scene and has replay value. It's a shame American audiences weren't ready for it, or "The Weinstein Company" didn't take the risk in giving it a wide release as I believe it would have entertained an adult audience very successfully. A hell of a buttery ride. 8/10
An extremely bold film written by Jason A. Micallef, with so much symbolism you're beaten over the head with it, but not in a bad way. This film is utterly hilarious and it's sadly so obvious why it was never released to theaters anywhere. The plot revolves literally around an annual Iowa contest of "Butter Carving". For the past 15 years it has been won by one man named Bob played by Ty Burrell who in the film is married to Laura played by Jennifer Garner who is a parody of Republican presidential hopeful 2012 bat-shit insane "Michelle Bachman" who was told by God himself to run for president.
Bob is asked to step down from entering the contest to give others a chance at winning which drives Laura to the brink of insanity as she feeds off the local fame she gains from her husbands accolades. Meanwhile a young African-American orphan is adopted by Rob Corddry & Alicia Silverstone who happens to be amazing at carving butter. So Jennifer Garner is left with one option, enter the contest herself to maintain the winning streak and her opponent is this little African-American orphan & a stripper played by Olivia Wilde. That is the plot in a nut-shell. The comedic timing in this film is perfect but it's so politically incorrect that it put's Sacha Baron Cohen to shame.
Some famous butter carvings in the film consist of "The Last Supper", "Schindler's List", "The Kennedy Assassination" & 2012 presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich riding a pig. So you can see what I mean about the political symbolism and how anti-republican party it is. Hugh Jackman makes an unforgettable appearance as a car salesmen who prays to God about how tight Jennifer Garners pussy is..... and it's utterly hysterical. Olivia Wilde plays a stripper who fucks Ty Burrell with force at the beginning of the film and then demands money afterwards, but Jennifer Garner gets in her way thus creating the conflict.
There is also an appearance from Ashley Greene of Twilight fame who is basically in the film to justify a homo-erotic scene between her and Olivia Wilde and it's so distastefully done but on purpose. It's one of the few American comedies of the past 10 years that actually delivers consistent laughs in every scene and has replay value. It's a shame American audiences weren't ready for it, or "The Weinstein Company" didn't take the risk in giving it a wide release as I believe it would have entertained an adult audience very successfully. A hell of a buttery ride. 8/10
The Punisher Film Review
The Punisher - "God's gonna sit this one out"
Jonathan Hensleigh writes and directs the second installment & reboot of "The Punisher" franchise 15 years after the 1989 Dolph Lundgren version which failed commercially and critically to bring this iconic character to life. Thomas Jane however with the aid of a very experienced filmmaker successfully brought this very dark, gritty vigilante hero to life. Frank Castle was the best undercover operative the FBI had, but he had baggage, a family a wife & son which meant they constantly had to move so when ops finished his family weren't targeted and his cover never blown. He completes his last ever undercover op for the FBI but the son of Howard Saint played by John Travolta, a local Mob boss get's killed in the process so Howard Saint orders the death of every member of Franks family. Frank Castle get's shot 3 times and blown off a pier in a gas explosion during the massacre but staying true to the comics gets brought back to life by the "Witch Doctor" and becomes "The Punisher"
"This is not vengeance. Revenge is not a valid motive, it's an emotional response. No, not vengeance. Punishment" Frank Castle returns to punish those who slaughtered his family & in a very yet brutal fashion plans the demise of those who took everything from him. It's written in such a way that you couldn't associate it with any other type of vigilante justice film like Batman. The way the character is written in this iteration is different, in the way he operates, in how he thinks. I have to tip my hat to Jonathan Hensleigh as he has not only been faithful to the comics & fan base but modernized it in such a way that doesn't come off cheesy or over the top.
John Travolta is as usual is a terrific villain, he's a sadist, completely disregards morality and is most definitely NOT in it for the money. His coveted wife, his faithful henchmen, his empire is above the law, untouchable and not a single one of them go to jail for the death of Frank's family. This only drives our protagonist into a frenzied rage and it really shows in Thomas Jane's portrayal. The way the film twists itself in and out of genres has the audience one minute roaring for the success of Frank and then makes us empathetic to his victims. There are times when the audience itself feels like it has a personal stake in the outcome. Do we really want him to succeed in delivering natural justice amongst all the carnage?
The director does a terrific job of blurring the moral lines of the films plot and where Frank has gone too far in delivering punishment and where he is held reserved by the memories of his dead family. Throughout the film he is slowly drinking himself to death & it's really depressing, but I suppose that was the point it's no puppies & rainbows comic book character, he's a bad man with questionable motives and this film does an excellent job of adapting Frank Castle to the screen. Highly recommendable 7.5/10
Jonathan Hensleigh writes and directs the second installment & reboot of "The Punisher" franchise 15 years after the 1989 Dolph Lundgren version which failed commercially and critically to bring this iconic character to life. Thomas Jane however with the aid of a very experienced filmmaker successfully brought this very dark, gritty vigilante hero to life. Frank Castle was the best undercover operative the FBI had, but he had baggage, a family a wife & son which meant they constantly had to move so when ops finished his family weren't targeted and his cover never blown. He completes his last ever undercover op for the FBI but the son of Howard Saint played by John Travolta, a local Mob boss get's killed in the process so Howard Saint orders the death of every member of Franks family. Frank Castle get's shot 3 times and blown off a pier in a gas explosion during the massacre but staying true to the comics gets brought back to life by the "Witch Doctor" and becomes "The Punisher"
"This is not vengeance. Revenge is not a valid motive, it's an emotional response. No, not vengeance. Punishment" Frank Castle returns to punish those who slaughtered his family & in a very yet brutal fashion plans the demise of those who took everything from him. It's written in such a way that you couldn't associate it with any other type of vigilante justice film like Batman. The way the character is written in this iteration is different, in the way he operates, in how he thinks. I have to tip my hat to Jonathan Hensleigh as he has not only been faithful to the comics & fan base but modernized it in such a way that doesn't come off cheesy or over the top.
John Travolta is as usual is a terrific villain, he's a sadist, completely disregards morality and is most definitely NOT in it for the money. His coveted wife, his faithful henchmen, his empire is above the law, untouchable and not a single one of them go to jail for the death of Frank's family. This only drives our protagonist into a frenzied rage and it really shows in Thomas Jane's portrayal. The way the film twists itself in and out of genres has the audience one minute roaring for the success of Frank and then makes us empathetic to his victims. There are times when the audience itself feels like it has a personal stake in the outcome. Do we really want him to succeed in delivering natural justice amongst all the carnage?
The director does a terrific job of blurring the moral lines of the films plot and where Frank has gone too far in delivering punishment and where he is held reserved by the memories of his dead family. Throughout the film he is slowly drinking himself to death & it's really depressing, but I suppose that was the point it's no puppies & rainbows comic book character, he's a bad man with questionable motives and this film does an excellent job of adapting Frank Castle to the screen. Highly recommendable 7.5/10
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Dredd Film Review
Dredd - "Negotiation's over. Sentence is death."
This 2012 re-imagining of Judge Dredd is far beyond its predecessor. Karl Urban of Lord Of The Rings fame plays Dredd, a strictly by the book Judge of the futuristic city "Mega City 1". In the opening scene we are thrust into an intense car chase sequence where Dredd is forced to make on the spot sentences of the criminals he is in pursuit of. This is the power given to Judge's and it's usually death. This immediately gives us not only the tone of the character but of the entire film, desperate, raw, gritty and terribly bloody. Karl Urban's face is hidden in the film by his helmet which stays true to the comics so a lot of his acting comes vocally and through his lower facial structure which can be seen, particularly his mouth.
The central plot revolves around Dredd taking out a rookie on her first day named "Anderson" played by the incredibly sexy Olivia Thirlby who does not don the famous Judge helmet because it would interfere with her psychic abilities, which sounds cheesy but within the realm of the film is perfectly plausible. She's an orphan that was born and raised not far from where a nuclear fallout happened and was thus born with a deformity. These people are called "mutes" in the film, short for mutant. Olivia Thirlby is extremely convincing in her role and totally believable as a strong female character who's able to kick the living shit through anyone that stands in her way.
The unlikely duo are called to "Peach Trees" a shopping mall 200 stories high to investigate a triple homicide of three men thrown from the top floor by the films antagonist "Ma-Ma" played by Lena Headey, who as we all know can play an absolute thunder-cunt in Game Of Thrones. She's the manufacturer of a new drug that's making waves in the city called "SLO-MO" which makes the brain feel as if time is passing at 1% its normal speed. Anderson uses her abilities to obtain this information from their chief suspect so "Ma-Ma" puts a price on the two Judges heads and every gang in the building suddenly has two Judges in their sights. The stage is set "Are you ready rookie? You don't look ready, we're gonna have to go through em".
The look of this film is reminiscent of District 9 but it's a much smaller, intimate film which corrected the mistakes of Sylvester Stallone's Judge Dredd film which was too grand in scale. The acting is particularly impressive for an action film so are the special effects, they are used sparingly however as there are many practical effects. The SLO-MO scenes are amazing, visually stunning but not for the feint of heart. It was the surprise under-dog of 2012, huge critical praise from fans and critics alike but it completely bombed financially which is a real shame because a trilogy was planned. If the DVD sales are big enough the producers have agreed to do a sequel so we can only hope.
Highly recommendable, it's visceral entertainment of the highest order. Kudos to the director Pete Travis for taking advantage of the unique look of South Africa, the cinematography was gorgeous. 8/10
This 2012 re-imagining of Judge Dredd is far beyond its predecessor. Karl Urban of Lord Of The Rings fame plays Dredd, a strictly by the book Judge of the futuristic city "Mega City 1". In the opening scene we are thrust into an intense car chase sequence where Dredd is forced to make on the spot sentences of the criminals he is in pursuit of. This is the power given to Judge's and it's usually death. This immediately gives us not only the tone of the character but of the entire film, desperate, raw, gritty and terribly bloody. Karl Urban's face is hidden in the film by his helmet which stays true to the comics so a lot of his acting comes vocally and through his lower facial structure which can be seen, particularly his mouth.
The central plot revolves around Dredd taking out a rookie on her first day named "Anderson" played by the incredibly sexy Olivia Thirlby who does not don the famous Judge helmet because it would interfere with her psychic abilities, which sounds cheesy but within the realm of the film is perfectly plausible. She's an orphan that was born and raised not far from where a nuclear fallout happened and was thus born with a deformity. These people are called "mutes" in the film, short for mutant. Olivia Thirlby is extremely convincing in her role and totally believable as a strong female character who's able to kick the living shit through anyone that stands in her way.
The unlikely duo are called to "Peach Trees" a shopping mall 200 stories high to investigate a triple homicide of three men thrown from the top floor by the films antagonist "Ma-Ma" played by Lena Headey, who as we all know can play an absolute thunder-cunt in Game Of Thrones. She's the manufacturer of a new drug that's making waves in the city called "SLO-MO" which makes the brain feel as if time is passing at 1% its normal speed. Anderson uses her abilities to obtain this information from their chief suspect so "Ma-Ma" puts a price on the two Judges heads and every gang in the building suddenly has two Judges in their sights. The stage is set "Are you ready rookie? You don't look ready, we're gonna have to go through em".
The look of this film is reminiscent of District 9 but it's a much smaller, intimate film which corrected the mistakes of Sylvester Stallone's Judge Dredd film which was too grand in scale. The acting is particularly impressive for an action film so are the special effects, they are used sparingly however as there are many practical effects. The SLO-MO scenes are amazing, visually stunning but not for the feint of heart. It was the surprise under-dog of 2012, huge critical praise from fans and critics alike but it completely bombed financially which is a real shame because a trilogy was planned. If the DVD sales are big enough the producers have agreed to do a sequel so we can only hope.
Highly recommendable, it's visceral entertainment of the highest order. Kudos to the director Pete Travis for taking advantage of the unique look of South Africa, the cinematography was gorgeous. 8/10
Punisher: War Zone Film Review
Punisher: War Zone - "Sometimes I would like to get my hands on God"
This 2008 abortion of a sequel to Jonathan Hensleigh's very dramatic & thrilling version of "The Punisher" with Thomas Jane should never have been made. There's no case to be made in defense of this infuriatingly bad film. Frank Castle the Punisher is back except with a different actor because Thomas Jane took one look at this script and said.....no. Ray Stevenson replaces him and tries to deliver on the coat-tails of a script that could have been written by M. Night Shyamalan & Adam Sandler. This time Frank Castle faces the villain Jigsaw played by Dominic West, who in his own right is very good actor, hell he was in HBO's "The Wire". He is of British descent & is required to put on a New York accent that is so horribly cringe worthy that it could have been a comedy skit & an insult to all New Yorkers.
The complete lack of a plot left the director Lexi Alexander nothing to do than to put a gun in Ray Stevenson's hand and say "Shoot everyone on screen, we'll call it entertainment". I like Ray Stevenson as an actor he's fantastic in "Rome, Book of Eli, Dexter, Thor & King Arthur. But he was just not able to evoke the same amount of guilt & agony that Thomas Jane did in his Punisher film. The complete lack of logic in this film is startling, the way scenes play out is confusing, one minute the ball is in his corner where absolutely nothing could go wrong for him & he just let's the multitude of bad guy's slip away. The police force in this film are basically "The Three Stooges" slapstick humor and all. A completely useless aspect of the film.
One positive would be the casting of Wayne Knight (Newman from Seinfeld) as "Micro" who in the comics is the chief supplier of weaponry for Frank Castle, his friendship provided ONE scene of good dialogue but again he was poorly misused by the director who at the time had one other credit to her name "Green Street Hooligans". By all means a decent film but she was 23 years old and given $35 million to direct a brutal action sequel and failed miserably. Why take that risk as a studio? At no point in the film is Frank ever in a situation where he really is in danger, he is bullet proof, and the villain (if you can call him that) has absolutely no combat training whatsoever and poses no threat to Frank at all, and the only reason conflict arises is because Jigsaw kidnaps a family that Frank Castles owes a debt to.
It's over the top, unwatchable, not a thespian in sight & poorly directed. They somehow ruin the setting of New York and it's frustrating to see a once promising franchise get flushed down the toilet. We can all take solace in the fact that the film rights to the Punisher have reverted back to Marvel Studios and that in 2014 The Punisher will make a come-back. Thomas Jane last year made a short independent film called "Dirty Laundry" with Ron Perlman where he reprises his role as Frank Castle and that short 10 minute film is light years ahead of this studio funded garbage 1.5/10. Link here http://youtu.be/bWpK0wsnitc
This 2008 abortion of a sequel to Jonathan Hensleigh's very dramatic & thrilling version of "The Punisher" with Thomas Jane should never have been made. There's no case to be made in defense of this infuriatingly bad film. Frank Castle the Punisher is back except with a different actor because Thomas Jane took one look at this script and said.....no. Ray Stevenson replaces him and tries to deliver on the coat-tails of a script that could have been written by M. Night Shyamalan & Adam Sandler. This time Frank Castle faces the villain Jigsaw played by Dominic West, who in his own right is very good actor, hell he was in HBO's "The Wire". He is of British descent & is required to put on a New York accent that is so horribly cringe worthy that it could have been a comedy skit & an insult to all New Yorkers.
The complete lack of a plot left the director Lexi Alexander nothing to do than to put a gun in Ray Stevenson's hand and say "Shoot everyone on screen, we'll call it entertainment". I like Ray Stevenson as an actor he's fantastic in "Rome, Book of Eli, Dexter, Thor & King Arthur. But he was just not able to evoke the same amount of guilt & agony that Thomas Jane did in his Punisher film. The complete lack of logic in this film is startling, the way scenes play out is confusing, one minute the ball is in his corner where absolutely nothing could go wrong for him & he just let's the multitude of bad guy's slip away. The police force in this film are basically "The Three Stooges" slapstick humor and all. A completely useless aspect of the film.
One positive would be the casting of Wayne Knight (Newman from Seinfeld) as "Micro" who in the comics is the chief supplier of weaponry for Frank Castle, his friendship provided ONE scene of good dialogue but again he was poorly misused by the director who at the time had one other credit to her name "Green Street Hooligans". By all means a decent film but she was 23 years old and given $35 million to direct a brutal action sequel and failed miserably. Why take that risk as a studio? At no point in the film is Frank ever in a situation where he really is in danger, he is bullet proof, and the villain (if you can call him that) has absolutely no combat training whatsoever and poses no threat to Frank at all, and the only reason conflict arises is because Jigsaw kidnaps a family that Frank Castles owes a debt to.
It's over the top, unwatchable, not a thespian in sight & poorly directed. They somehow ruin the setting of New York and it's frustrating to see a once promising franchise get flushed down the toilet. We can all take solace in the fact that the film rights to the Punisher have reverted back to Marvel Studios and that in 2014 The Punisher will make a come-back. Thomas Jane last year made a short independent film called "Dirty Laundry" with Ron Perlman where he reprises his role as Frank Castle and that short 10 minute film is light years ahead of this studio funded garbage 1.5/10. Link here http://youtu.be/bWpK0wsnitc
Friday, 4 January 2013
Lincoln Film Review
Lincoln - "Blood's been spilled to afford us this moment"
Steven Spielberg helms a momentous expedition into film making by undertaking the 3 month period in which the 13th amendment is discussed on the floor of congress. The 13 amendment would mean the end to the American civil war which raged from 1861 to 1865 and took roughly 618,000 lives along with it. It would also abolish slavery to which the democrats at the time opposed.
Daniel Day-Lewis bravely dived into the role of Abraham Lincoln after Steven Spielberg offered it to him multiple times after Liam Neeson dropped out fearing his age would be problematic. Sally Field who I believe to be horribly miss cast at the age of 66 portrayed Mary Todd Lincoln who at 1865 was only 47 years old was really the crutch of the film. It was awkward to watch her pale in comparison to the marvelous Daniel Day-Lewis who is likely to win an Oscar. She is so visibly older than him, that I can't help but wonder how she got Steven Spielberg to cave into giving her the role. She openly campaigned for the role which should have gone to someone much younger.
The script is so rich in engrossing dialogue it's mouth watering, so many quotable & memorable lines. The cast is star studded but a few stand out amongst the rest. Particularly James Spader as W.N. Bilbo who is tasked with procuring 20 democratic votes by any means necessary to gain the majority in congress which would get this bill passed. His performance is rich in humor, it's almost as if Steven Spielberg unleashed him and pointed the camera at him and said GO! Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens is simply marvelous, his performance is so subtle, but comes off extremely urgent due to the subject matter. It's a silent strong performance that's award worthy. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Lincoln, the rebellious son of Abraham is such an important role as he defies his father and enlists in the army which only makes Lincoln's cause that much more important. How could a man forgive himself if his son died in a war he was trying to end?
Janusz Kaminski, Spielberg's faithful cinematographer did a terrific job at recreating the era in which this historic moment took place, there's very little CGI and the use of practical effects really enriches the look of the film. It would have been too easy to CGI the landscape and old buildings and the crew should be congratulated especially the art department. There is one very violent civil war scene that opens the film that truly showcases the atrocities of the war. Bayonet warfare was ugly. However it was important for us the audience to see this brutality in order to really understand the urgency of ending the war.
It's an important film for all ages, don't shy away at a character piece driven by dialogue, it's entertaining, it will hold your attention. My eyes were glued to the screen from beginning to end, it would have been perfect if not for the poor casting of the clearly too old Sally Field. 9/10
Steven Spielberg helms a momentous expedition into film making by undertaking the 3 month period in which the 13th amendment is discussed on the floor of congress. The 13 amendment would mean the end to the American civil war which raged from 1861 to 1865 and took roughly 618,000 lives along with it. It would also abolish slavery to which the democrats at the time opposed.
Daniel Day-Lewis bravely dived into the role of Abraham Lincoln after Steven Spielberg offered it to him multiple times after Liam Neeson dropped out fearing his age would be problematic. Sally Field who I believe to be horribly miss cast at the age of 66 portrayed Mary Todd Lincoln who at 1865 was only 47 years old was really the crutch of the film. It was awkward to watch her pale in comparison to the marvelous Daniel Day-Lewis who is likely to win an Oscar. She is so visibly older than him, that I can't help but wonder how she got Steven Spielberg to cave into giving her the role. She openly campaigned for the role which should have gone to someone much younger.
The script is so rich in engrossing dialogue it's mouth watering, so many quotable & memorable lines. The cast is star studded but a few stand out amongst the rest. Particularly James Spader as W.N. Bilbo who is tasked with procuring 20 democratic votes by any means necessary to gain the majority in congress which would get this bill passed. His performance is rich in humor, it's almost as if Steven Spielberg unleashed him and pointed the camera at him and said GO! Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens is simply marvelous, his performance is so subtle, but comes off extremely urgent due to the subject matter. It's a silent strong performance that's award worthy. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Lincoln, the rebellious son of Abraham is such an important role as he defies his father and enlists in the army which only makes Lincoln's cause that much more important. How could a man forgive himself if his son died in a war he was trying to end?
Janusz Kaminski, Spielberg's faithful cinematographer did a terrific job at recreating the era in which this historic moment took place, there's very little CGI and the use of practical effects really enriches the look of the film. It would have been too easy to CGI the landscape and old buildings and the crew should be congratulated especially the art department. There is one very violent civil war scene that opens the film that truly showcases the atrocities of the war. Bayonet warfare was ugly. However it was important for us the audience to see this brutality in order to really understand the urgency of ending the war.
It's an important film for all ages, don't shy away at a character piece driven by dialogue, it's entertaining, it will hold your attention. My eyes were glued to the screen from beginning to end, it would have been perfect if not for the poor casting of the clearly too old Sally Field. 9/10
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Jack Reacher Film Review
Jack Reacher - "On second thought I'd really like to kill you"
The Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie both writes and directs Tom Cruises new action/thriller "Jack Reacher" originally titled "One Shot" based on the novel of the same name by author Lee Child. The interesting thing about the trailer is it gives little to nothing away about the intricate plot to this extremely well crafted motion picture.
Jack Reacher starts out with an intense 8 minute, no dialogue scene of a man wearing rubber gloves drive a van up to a parking garage opposite a sports stadium and unfold a sniper rifle. Immediately we are thrust into a dire situation in which the camera expertly follows the snipers movements almost hypnotically as he shifts the cross-airs from one target to the next. The attention to detail in this scene is key. The sniper's breathing is the only thing audible, when he finally unleashes carnage onto the innocent unsuspecting crowd his breathing stops which enables any sniper to have better aim. This implies he is not an amateur.
Thus the stage is set 6 rounds fired, 5 people dead & with a boatload of evidence left behind it seems like an open & shut case for the district attorney until the accused military sniper they arrest asks for Jack Reacher. Who is Jack Reacher? Jack Reacher is a ghost, living off the grid, no cell phone, credit cards, permanent residence, drivers license or luggage. He is a fully self sustained man that lives off the pension he was granted after a long service in the military police. "By all accounts a brilliant investigator".
Without being called or contacted in anyway Jack Reacher shows up to the District Attorney's office to assist in the investigation as to whether or not the accused James Barr is actually guilty. The men behind the curtain catch wind of Jack Reacher rolling into to town and try to take steps to put him down before he starts digging & uncovering the really dirty truth. Every time Tom Cruise walks into a building or is faced with an impending fight he is intimidating and deft at the art of combat. He calculates the height and weight of his adversaries and uses his elite training to cripple them, it's actually quite brutal. His performance is a few different shades of grey as he is equally stoic and charismatic. His co-star Rosamund Pike the district attorney's daughter is not the greatest actress, is often seen with a wide-eyed expression that is a little strange looking. Richard Jenkins as the district attorney does his part well but isn't given any meaty or important dialogue to contend with which is a waste of talent.
Legendary documentary film-maker Werner Herzog plays a very creepy, physically deformed villain with sinister motives and a cursed past, his main henchman Charlie played by Australian new-comer Jai Courtney is chilling & a worthy adversary of Jack Reacher, their throw down is enthralling to watch. With one of the best car chases ever, a Tom Cruise at the top of his game, an interesting villain & intricate plot I implore you to buy a ticket, you will be entertained.4.5/5
The Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie both writes and directs Tom Cruises new action/thriller "Jack Reacher" originally titled "One Shot" based on the novel of the same name by author Lee Child. The interesting thing about the trailer is it gives little to nothing away about the intricate plot to this extremely well crafted motion picture.
Jack Reacher starts out with an intense 8 minute, no dialogue scene of a man wearing rubber gloves drive a van up to a parking garage opposite a sports stadium and unfold a sniper rifle. Immediately we are thrust into a dire situation in which the camera expertly follows the snipers movements almost hypnotically as he shifts the cross-airs from one target to the next. The attention to detail in this scene is key. The sniper's breathing is the only thing audible, when he finally unleashes carnage onto the innocent unsuspecting crowd his breathing stops which enables any sniper to have better aim. This implies he is not an amateur.
Thus the stage is set 6 rounds fired, 5 people dead & with a boatload of evidence left behind it seems like an open & shut case for the district attorney until the accused military sniper they arrest asks for Jack Reacher. Who is Jack Reacher? Jack Reacher is a ghost, living off the grid, no cell phone, credit cards, permanent residence, drivers license or luggage. He is a fully self sustained man that lives off the pension he was granted after a long service in the military police. "By all accounts a brilliant investigator".
Without being called or contacted in anyway Jack Reacher shows up to the District Attorney's office to assist in the investigation as to whether or not the accused James Barr is actually guilty. The men behind the curtain catch wind of Jack Reacher rolling into to town and try to take steps to put him down before he starts digging & uncovering the really dirty truth. Every time Tom Cruise walks into a building or is faced with an impending fight he is intimidating and deft at the art of combat. He calculates the height and weight of his adversaries and uses his elite training to cripple them, it's actually quite brutal. His performance is a few different shades of grey as he is equally stoic and charismatic. His co-star Rosamund Pike the district attorney's daughter is not the greatest actress, is often seen with a wide-eyed expression that is a little strange looking. Richard Jenkins as the district attorney does his part well but isn't given any meaty or important dialogue to contend with which is a waste of talent.
Legendary documentary film-maker Werner Herzog plays a very creepy, physically deformed villain with sinister motives and a cursed past, his main henchman Charlie played by Australian new-comer Jai Courtney is chilling & a worthy adversary of Jack Reacher, their throw down is enthralling to watch. With one of the best car chases ever, a Tom Cruise at the top of his game, an interesting villain & intricate plot I implore you to buy a ticket, you will be entertained.4.5/5
Flight Film Review
Flight - "The most fascinating person that I've never met"
Robert Zemeckis returns after a 12 year hiatus of live action feature films, his last being "Cast Away" in 2000 starring Tom Hanks. Flight being a multifaceted title for this harrowing feature film opens with our protagonist "Whip Whitaker" played by Denzel Washington waking up from a binge night of drinking next to another member of his flight crew, a young stewardess who bravely graces the screen completely nude. The importance of her being nude is ground in the reality of this film. It is heavily implied if not completely obvious that they had, had sex the night before and not bothered to put their clothes back on, which would be the likely situation if this were real life and not a fictional film.
Captain Whitaker proceeds to hit two lines of cocaine to wake himself up for his morning flight and thus sets the tone for the film and puts the audience on edge. As the plane takes off & ascends through a storm, that is literally shaking the cabin and rattling the 102 souls on board with turbulence we bare witness to Captain Whips abilities to fly under the influence of both alcohol and cocaine through the eyes of his younger co-pilot who eyes him suspiciously. The symbolism of the soundtrack is all too relevant as "Feelin Alright by Joe Cocker" plays in the background. We are given a false sense of security once the storm passes and the flight crew casually addresses the passengers.
This is when......the plane falls apart at 30,000 feet in the air and nose dives. Whip Whitaker suddenly has responsibility thrust upon him and the steps he and the flight crew take to land the plane as safely as possible are extraordinary. I haven't seen Denzel Washington play such a self-destructive character since training day in 2001 which won him an Oscar for best leading actor. His alcoholism & depression combined with his personal denial is startling to watch as you beg him to put the bottle down. Bruce Greenwood plays his best friend and former co-pilot in the film and has to watch at a distance as Whip slowly descends into an abyss of family issues, alcoholism and an impending trial that will decide the fate of Captain Whip Whitaker & whether or not he will be blamed for the calamity of the flight.
Don Cheadle is assigned to Whip as his attorney defending both Whip and the pilots union and does an excellent job of being the voice of reason in this film. John Goodman plays Whip's personal drug dealer & every scene he's in "Sympathy for the devil by The Rolling Stones" plays in the background, one could argue it's not subtle but it's very fitting. He supplies Whip with alcohol and cocaine during the film which should make us dislike him but his performance is so "devilishly" charismatic you can't help but enjoy his scenes. We are told that 10 other pilots were placed in flight simulators where the flight is recreated and not one was able to successfully land the plane but the fact remains that Captain Whip Whitaker was under the influence of severe drugs and should not have flown. It is a very personal journey we accompany Whip on and you can't help but feel sympathy for him. One of the years best films & I'm not surprised the awards have already started "flying" it's way. 10/10
Robert Zemeckis returns after a 12 year hiatus of live action feature films, his last being "Cast Away" in 2000 starring Tom Hanks. Flight being a multifaceted title for this harrowing feature film opens with our protagonist "Whip Whitaker" played by Denzel Washington waking up from a binge night of drinking next to another member of his flight crew, a young stewardess who bravely graces the screen completely nude. The importance of her being nude is ground in the reality of this film. It is heavily implied if not completely obvious that they had, had sex the night before and not bothered to put their clothes back on, which would be the likely situation if this were real life and not a fictional film.
Captain Whitaker proceeds to hit two lines of cocaine to wake himself up for his morning flight and thus sets the tone for the film and puts the audience on edge. As the plane takes off & ascends through a storm, that is literally shaking the cabin and rattling the 102 souls on board with turbulence we bare witness to Captain Whips abilities to fly under the influence of both alcohol and cocaine through the eyes of his younger co-pilot who eyes him suspiciously. The symbolism of the soundtrack is all too relevant as "Feelin Alright by Joe Cocker" plays in the background. We are given a false sense of security once the storm passes and the flight crew casually addresses the passengers.
This is when......the plane falls apart at 30,000 feet in the air and nose dives. Whip Whitaker suddenly has responsibility thrust upon him and the steps he and the flight crew take to land the plane as safely as possible are extraordinary. I haven't seen Denzel Washington play such a self-destructive character since training day in 2001 which won him an Oscar for best leading actor. His alcoholism & depression combined with his personal denial is startling to watch as you beg him to put the bottle down. Bruce Greenwood plays his best friend and former co-pilot in the film and has to watch at a distance as Whip slowly descends into an abyss of family issues, alcoholism and an impending trial that will decide the fate of Captain Whip Whitaker & whether or not he will be blamed for the calamity of the flight.
Don Cheadle is assigned to Whip as his attorney defending both Whip and the pilots union and does an excellent job of being the voice of reason in this film. John Goodman plays Whip's personal drug dealer & every scene he's in "Sympathy for the devil by The Rolling Stones" plays in the background, one could argue it's not subtle but it's very fitting. He supplies Whip with alcohol and cocaine during the film which should make us dislike him but his performance is so "devilishly" charismatic you can't help but enjoy his scenes. We are told that 10 other pilots were placed in flight simulators where the flight is recreated and not one was able to successfully land the plane but the fact remains that Captain Whip Whitaker was under the influence of severe drugs and should not have flown. It is a very personal journey we accompany Whip on and you can't help but feel sympathy for him. One of the years best films & I'm not surprised the awards have already started "flying" it's way. 10/10
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