Post auscopalyptic? :) Guy Pearce is enough to get me excited to see this one. Looks like an Aussie - "The Road" - 100% filmed in S.A!!
Or better to watch direct from YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChM2icbWo9w
Showing posts with label Drama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drama. Show all posts
The Rover (Preview)
Holy shit! Bout time the Aussies had a crack!
Post auscopalyptic? :) Guy Pearce is enough to get me excited to see this one. Looks like an Aussie - "The Road" - 100% filmed in S.A!!
Or better to watch direct from YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChM2icbWo9w
Post auscopalyptic? :) Guy Pearce is enough to get me excited to see this one. Looks like an Aussie - "The Road" - 100% filmed in S.A!!
Or better to watch direct from YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChM2icbWo9w
The Returned
Yes, another zombie film. But don't sigh just yet as this one is quite refreshingly different. Firstly don't confuse this movie with the French series of the same translated name (Les Revenants) which is pretty decent in it's own right, but not at all related.
Why is this one different? It's actually set in a world AFTER the 'zombie virus' outbreak, where it has been controlled. If an infected is given an antidote within a certain time frame the effects can be reversed. Provided they take their 'medicine' every day all is well and they can live normal lives. These people are referred to as 'The Returned'.
The movie portrays a very believable and realistic future where 'The Returned' are not quite accepted by normal society and seen more like ticking time bombs. Things get a lot worse as it is revealed that the antidote is running out and we can watch the thin threads holding the society together start to break away.
As a lover of most things Zombie (even though the genre has been completely thrashed of late) I really enjoyed this new spin. It was a brilliant script and although obviously low-ish budget, was presented with great cinematography and production. An indy film maker's wet dream really. It was directed by Manuel Carballo who I've not come across before but might be one to keep an eye on.
The majority of acting was 'ok' - however a stand out performance by the lead female - Emily Hampshire really helped carry it across the line.
I recommend giving this one a go if you you're keen for an interesting story and a fresh new take - but be warned there isn't the usual violence and mayhem of a zombie horror.
I only have one complaint. One of the characters drops a case with 60 antidote vials on the ground and every single one of them smashes....... Really? I get we need to build tension with lack of antidote but shiiiiiitt... <insert Marlon Wayans 'shiiiit' from Requiem for a Dream>
7/10
IMDB Info
Why is this one different? It's actually set in a world AFTER the 'zombie virus' outbreak, where it has been controlled. If an infected is given an antidote within a certain time frame the effects can be reversed. Provided they take their 'medicine' every day all is well and they can live normal lives. These people are referred to as 'The Returned'.
The movie portrays a very believable and realistic future where 'The Returned' are not quite accepted by normal society and seen more like ticking time bombs. Things get a lot worse as it is revealed that the antidote is running out and we can watch the thin threads holding the society together start to break away.
As a lover of most things Zombie (even though the genre has been completely thrashed of late) I really enjoyed this new spin. It was a brilliant script and although obviously low-ish budget, was presented with great cinematography and production. An indy film maker's wet dream really. It was directed by Manuel Carballo who I've not come across before but might be one to keep an eye on.
The majority of acting was 'ok' - however a stand out performance by the lead female - Emily Hampshire really helped carry it across the line.
I recommend giving this one a go if you you're keen for an interesting story and a fresh new take - but be warned there isn't the usual violence and mayhem of a zombie horror.
I only have one complaint. One of the characters drops a case with 60 antidote vials on the ground and every single one of them smashes....... Really? I get we need to build tension with lack of antidote but shiiiiiitt... <insert Marlon Wayans 'shiiiit' from Requiem for a Dream>
7/10
IMDB Info
The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman
"While traveling abroad, a guy falls for a Romanian beauty whose
unreachable heart has its origins in her violent, charismatic ex." (IMDB)
Decent summary really and along the journey of this love story you can enjoy a nice mix of comedy, violence and generally entertaining cinema. Our main guy Charlie played by Shia LaBeouf sets off to Bucharest, Romania for some soul searching after his mums death. After a very strange welcome into the country he meets this 'Romanian Beauty' (played by Evan Rachel Wood in a very decent performance) and things really start to spiral out of control.
Early on in the piece though Charlie makes his way to the Marco Polo youth hostel where he meets up with a couple of party heads from the UK. If you're a fan of either Harry Potter or the Inbetweener's you will love this part as much as I did as these guys are played by Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and James Buckley (Jay). They down a shitload of LSD and X and some really funny shit ensues captured well with some great filming and "I'm on drugs" effects. I read that LaBeouf actually took LSD for the scene to make it more authentic, would have been a fun day on set no doubt. A good quote from Buckley - "If I can't take my tin of drugs around with me then the terrorists have already won". True that!
But then things get more serious as Charlie starts inadvertently getting involved with some pretty nasty fellas. The poor bastard cops a lot of beatings but he remains true to the cause. Reminded me a bit of Brick where J.G.L just kept getting pounded into a bloody mess. Full credit to the casting of the bad guys too - Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) and Til Schweiger (Inglorious Basterds) ... not a pair you would want to cross in a hurry.
Overall the movie is a bit of muddle but the changing style keeps it quite interesting and the story moves along quick enough. LaBeouf wears a little bit too much dark eye shadow for my liking, makes him look like Khal Drogo but don't let that put you off. It's worth watching just to see Ron Weasley pop 5 viagra.
7/10
IMDB Info
Decent summary really and along the journey of this love story you can enjoy a nice mix of comedy, violence and generally entertaining cinema. Our main guy Charlie played by Shia LaBeouf sets off to Bucharest, Romania for some soul searching after his mums death. After a very strange welcome into the country he meets this 'Romanian Beauty' (played by Evan Rachel Wood in a very decent performance) and things really start to spiral out of control.
Early on in the piece though Charlie makes his way to the Marco Polo youth hostel where he meets up with a couple of party heads from the UK. If you're a fan of either Harry Potter or the Inbetweener's you will love this part as much as I did as these guys are played by Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and James Buckley (Jay). They down a shitload of LSD and X and some really funny shit ensues captured well with some great filming and "I'm on drugs" effects. I read that LaBeouf actually took LSD for the scene to make it more authentic, would have been a fun day on set no doubt. A good quote from Buckley - "If I can't take my tin of drugs around with me then the terrorists have already won". True that!
But then things get more serious as Charlie starts inadvertently getting involved with some pretty nasty fellas. The poor bastard cops a lot of beatings but he remains true to the cause. Reminded me a bit of Brick where J.G.L just kept getting pounded into a bloody mess. Full credit to the casting of the bad guys too - Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) and Til Schweiger (Inglorious Basterds) ... not a pair you would want to cross in a hurry.
Overall the movie is a bit of muddle but the changing style keeps it quite interesting and the story moves along quick enough. LaBeouf wears a little bit too much dark eye shadow for my liking, makes him look like Khal Drogo but don't let that put you off. It's worth watching just to see Ron Weasley pop 5 viagra.
7/10
IMDB Info
Noah
I guess I
should preface this review by revealing I am not a very religious person. I’m
not actually sure if that works for, or against, being a viewer of the latest Darren
Aronofksy movie Noah, but I think it’s worth mentioning.
Possibly if I had studied the Bible more I would have been aware of some
amazing facts of the times!
- The humans of old had
amazing metallurgy skills being able to make metal piping, seemingly
windmill type devices and all sorts! And possibly long before Noah there
were metal based cities or villages or something, with pipes n stuff.
- There were walking, talking
huge rock people. Yep.
- Some of the rocks could
ignite into all sorts of fires just by hitting them with the right motion.
Oh, and they glowed and fizzed.
- There were some amazing
dried herbs that magically put animals to sleep without them needing to
eat or pooh or anything. But it didn’t affect humans, only animals.
- How the fuck did all those
animals know at what time to come together, where the ark was, how to move
together, which two of the many were the special two, etc, etc, etc?
- Plants and indeed, entire
forests, can grow in approximately 10 seconds flat.
- I could go on, but I think
you get the idea.
This
movie makes no sense. It is truly unbelievable and truly impossible to grasp or
believe in any part of it. There is a large amount of repetitive imagery
showing ... something ... I’m not too sure what, but it seems to mean different
things at different times. Some of the imagery was truly profound such as a bit
showing silhouettes of different generations fighting each other, but most of
it was embellished meaningless crap.
The story
was terrible. It tried to make something huge and emotional and grand and epic,
but at the end of the day it failed miserably. It became too engrossed in
trying to be worthwhile that it lost its way. It’s also truly dark and
depressing. By the end when I think I’m supposed to feel elated that humans are
still around and thank Russell for being a good drunkard, or father or
something, I actually felt even more depressed that humans are still around
than I did before I watched the frickin thing.
The one
saving grace was the acting. Russell Crowe was excellent, Emma Watson
was as good as even, Jennifer Connelly was great, the three brothers
were all surprisingly great too in light of who they were acting with. Ray
Winstone was very miscast in my opinion, and is in fact not a very good
actor at all if you ask me. He was far too comically evil for this movie and
really fell flat the whole time. Even being seemingly written out for a good
20mins before popping up at the end as the bad guy you thought was gone. And, Anthony
Hopkins was good but .. I don’t know what he was in the film for to be
honest.
The
special effects went from astoundingly good to astoundingly bad. I’m not sure
if this was a budget, time or intentional effort as it was glaringly obvious
but it helped me realise that this film was just all over the shop the whole
time. Some of it was really quite beautiful and profound but mostly it’s a
bumbling boring mess of a film. I really can’t recommend anyone go and see this
film unfortunately. Definitely stick to Aronofsky's other flicks they are well
and above this film in every conceivable way.
SCORE:
4/10 (4
points for the acting and batshit crazy idea of even trying to make this movie)
Short Term 12
Been saving this one for the right mood and definitely glad I did. Unfortunately I don't think I'm even close to qualified for reviewing it. I think production wise it is almost perfect for the genre and story it was delivering. I would love to crap on about the use of camera angle's, lenses, shooting style etc but I'm completely out of my league so will just say it's 'beautifully shot'.
Short Term 12 is more of an experience than a story. We are immediately thrown into the world of a handful of carers looking after troubled youths and once we settle into this environment we can see like all things in life it's not as black and white as we may have thought. Again I say I'm not qualified, being a middle class 'white dude' whose biggest problem growing up was not getting a Nintendo 64 for Christmas, it's hard to relate to the trauma and experiences these kids must have gone through - but the film does a good job of putting this in perspective.
In fact I think perspective is a key focus of this film. It almost becomes a lesson in the power of perception. The perception of authority, perception of what we fear, and for us the viewer the perception of who or what is fucked up, or considered fucked up.
Snap out of it! Too deep, sorry. Bottle of cheap Barossa red + antibiotics for an ear infection that is giving me nothing but Mono sound at best... maybe over thinking it all.
Moving on... It's a potentially dark subject but captured in quite a positive light. The main characters have a lot to do with this adding some humour, but also the music is very up-beat and happy even during moments that could be perceived as higher tension. I think this worked really well.
The acting is crazy good. I didn't recognise anyone in the cast but quality was top notch. There were a few story telling type scene's which helped add the humour but also just felt so natural and well acted. I honestly hope this film kick starts a few careers here.
As always I have to make a small complaint. There is a scene involving a suicide attempt and I would like the makers of this film to look up the number of litres of blood in the human body, and how many of those litres are expelled when slicing certain areas. I don't think a smear on the wall covered it, but hey - maybe they were going for PG rating?
Overall though an incredibly well made film. It loses a point for re-watch ability, definitely think this is a once only for me. That said though if I see the next title from Destin Cretton, writer and director, I will definitely be checking it out.
8/10
IMDB Info
Short Term 12 is more of an experience than a story. We are immediately thrown into the world of a handful of carers looking after troubled youths and once we settle into this environment we can see like all things in life it's not as black and white as we may have thought. Again I say I'm not qualified, being a middle class 'white dude' whose biggest problem growing up was not getting a Nintendo 64 for Christmas, it's hard to relate to the trauma and experiences these kids must have gone through - but the film does a good job of putting this in perspective.
In fact I think perspective is a key focus of this film. It almost becomes a lesson in the power of perception. The perception of authority, perception of what we fear, and for us the viewer the perception of who or what is fucked up, or considered fucked up.
Snap out of it! Too deep, sorry. Bottle of cheap Barossa red + antibiotics for an ear infection that is giving me nothing but Mono sound at best... maybe over thinking it all.
Moving on... It's a potentially dark subject but captured in quite a positive light. The main characters have a lot to do with this adding some humour, but also the music is very up-beat and happy even during moments that could be perceived as higher tension. I think this worked really well.
The acting is crazy good. I didn't recognise anyone in the cast but quality was top notch. There were a few story telling type scene's which helped add the humour but also just felt so natural and well acted. I honestly hope this film kick starts a few careers here.
As always I have to make a small complaint. There is a scene involving a suicide attempt and I would like the makers of this film to look up the number of litres of blood in the human body, and how many of those litres are expelled when slicing certain areas. I don't think a smear on the wall covered it, but hey - maybe they were going for PG rating?
Overall though an incredibly well made film. It loses a point for re-watch ability, definitely think this is a once only for me. That said though if I see the next title from Destin Cretton, writer and director, I will definitely be checking it out.
8/10
IMDB Info
12 Years A Slave
12 Years A Slave is a real masterpiece. I'm so very happy that Steve McQueen has finally won a well deserved Oscar for his ability as a filmmaker and this film is the perfect fit for his skills and the Academy's tendencies of what type of film to award best picture to.
Having said that, of the three films I've seen by Steve McQueen this is his least amazing to me. So, how can a filmmakers least amazing film be the best picture winner? Well, it would be fair to say that his other two films Hunger and Shame are a lot less accessible than 12 Years A Slave. The first is a truly harrowing, no holds barred, account of the will of the IRA to starve themselves to death when arrested for their crimes. It is one of the hardest movies I have ever watched and has stayed very clear in my minds eye even to this day. There are some of the most beautifully horrible shots comprised in that movie, and some of the most chilling actions conveyed without any thought of watering down, or covering something up. It is a hard film to watch, but its more than a masterpiece, its a film that cannot be equalled in many ways. But its no best picture winner.
Shame was my favourite movie of 2013 (it was released in 2011 but I hadn't seen it before). Once again, it is composed of the most beautiful shot making and acted to perfection. The direction given to the team making that film is nothing short of some of the best direction that has ever been given to a filmmaking team. The story is once again very confronting talking about taboo topics and showing horrible acts by deplorable people, however, you simply cannot stop watching. It sucks you into this mans world and make you feel what he is feeling, even if you do not understand it all. And as I've said many times in the past simply has the best ending to a movie ever. But, yes, it is no best picture winner.
That brings me to 12 Years A Slave. Many have said the scenes of brutal torture put on black people in slavery is too much, that the film is more interested with making you feel this pain and disgust than it is with opening up a discussion about slavery itself. They do not understand Mr McQueens filmmaking skills. You are supposed to feel the impacts of slavery to Solomon, it is supposed to make you understand slavery from one mans perspective. It is just like Hunger and Shame: an investigation into an issue from the point of view of one man. The film makes you feel everything that one man feels so you can connect to it and relate to it.
The brutality of 12 Years A Slave is non negotiable. It shows some heinous acts. But this is the toned down version of the film in comparison to what Mr McQueen has done in both his other films, and that dear readers, is exactly what amazes me the most. Astounds me. The director and the filmmaker within him has seen his need to reduce his skills, just a little, to make his film more accessible. He wanted more people to see this movie, and more people to be able to sit through and recommend it as passionately as I do his other films. And he knew, by toning it down a smidge, that it could get a best picture oscar. Guess what? It did. What an amazing human being Steve McQueen is, what an amazing filmmaker he is, what an amazing film he has made in 12 Years A Slave and what amazing things will he be able to go on to do now he has won that prestigious prize?
IMDB Info for 12 Years A Slave
SCORE: 9/10
Having said that, of the three films I've seen by Steve McQueen this is his least amazing to me. So, how can a filmmakers least amazing film be the best picture winner? Well, it would be fair to say that his other two films Hunger and Shame are a lot less accessible than 12 Years A Slave. The first is a truly harrowing, no holds barred, account of the will of the IRA to starve themselves to death when arrested for their crimes. It is one of the hardest movies I have ever watched and has stayed very clear in my minds eye even to this day. There are some of the most beautifully horrible shots comprised in that movie, and some of the most chilling actions conveyed without any thought of watering down, or covering something up. It is a hard film to watch, but its more than a masterpiece, its a film that cannot be equalled in many ways. But its no best picture winner.
Shame was my favourite movie of 2013 (it was released in 2011 but I hadn't seen it before). Once again, it is composed of the most beautiful shot making and acted to perfection. The direction given to the team making that film is nothing short of some of the best direction that has ever been given to a filmmaking team. The story is once again very confronting talking about taboo topics and showing horrible acts by deplorable people, however, you simply cannot stop watching. It sucks you into this mans world and make you feel what he is feeling, even if you do not understand it all. And as I've said many times in the past simply has the best ending to a movie ever. But, yes, it is no best picture winner.
That brings me to 12 Years A Slave. Many have said the scenes of brutal torture put on black people in slavery is too much, that the film is more interested with making you feel this pain and disgust than it is with opening up a discussion about slavery itself. They do not understand Mr McQueens filmmaking skills. You are supposed to feel the impacts of slavery to Solomon, it is supposed to make you understand slavery from one mans perspective. It is just like Hunger and Shame: an investigation into an issue from the point of view of one man. The film makes you feel everything that one man feels so you can connect to it and relate to it.
The brutality of 12 Years A Slave is non negotiable. It shows some heinous acts. But this is the toned down version of the film in comparison to what Mr McQueen has done in both his other films, and that dear readers, is exactly what amazes me the most. Astounds me. The director and the filmmaker within him has seen his need to reduce his skills, just a little, to make his film more accessible. He wanted more people to see this movie, and more people to be able to sit through and recommend it as passionately as I do his other films. And he knew, by toning it down a smidge, that it could get a best picture oscar. Guess what? It did. What an amazing human being Steve McQueen is, what an amazing filmmaker he is, what an amazing film he has made in 12 Years A Slave and what amazing things will he be able to go on to do now he has won that prestigious prize?
IMDB Info for 12 Years A Slave
SCORE: 9/10
Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey just cracked the big league. This performance puts him in such company as Christian Bale and Daniel Day Lewis. Had the film been made earlier it would be in contention for a spot on the top 10 male performances of all time list.
Dallas Buyers Club is based on a true story about Ron Woodroof, a Texas electrician who contracts the H.I.V virus in the mid 80's and his subsequent struggle to attain the right medicines he needs to survive. He finds a market selling non-approved drugs to other H.I.V patients and sets up the "Dallas Buyers Club" which provides all the drugs you need for the price of a monthly membership. Through this he begins his own research and improves the lives of many people however maintains a constant fight with the F.D.A, the police and the I.R.S to provide the drugs.
It must have been a very frustrating time for those infected by the virus. The usual government corruption led to a drug known as AZT being approved for human trials and this was having very mixed results amongst patients. Different drugs were available in other countries but were not approved by the F.D.A so couldn't be brought into or sold in the U.S. Woodroof worked around the system and traveled to many countries finding suppliers and giving the people an alternative option to AZT, one that appeared to be far more successful.
The craziest thing about this movie was that it was made for 4.5 million. Obviously a passion project for McConaughey who would normally draw that amount in salary alone. It is well shot, incredibly acted and is quite an interesting story on a controversial subject. I was pleased to read that it made about 25 million worldwide which is a great result for 4.5 million budget.
Jared Leto co-stars as Rayon, a trans-gender male with H.I.V who opens up the market for Woodroof and becomes a partner in the business. Both McConaughey and Leto are fantastic. They both had to lose insane amounts of weight and it is just disturbing how skeletal they are in some shots - similar to Christian Bale in 'The Machinist' or as Dicky in 'The Fighter'. It really adds authenticity to the characters though.
My only criticism is that the story is very slow. I think Macca used the term 'snails pace' and I would have to agree. Given the true content of the story I'm not quite sure how they could have changed this, perhaps shaved 20 minutes off the run time, not sure. It was a good watch though but not one I will be in a hurry to watch again.
7/10
IMDB Info
Dallas Buyers Club is based on a true story about Ron Woodroof, a Texas electrician who contracts the H.I.V virus in the mid 80's and his subsequent struggle to attain the right medicines he needs to survive. He finds a market selling non-approved drugs to other H.I.V patients and sets up the "Dallas Buyers Club" which provides all the drugs you need for the price of a monthly membership. Through this he begins his own research and improves the lives of many people however maintains a constant fight with the F.D.A, the police and the I.R.S to provide the drugs.
It must have been a very frustrating time for those infected by the virus. The usual government corruption led to a drug known as AZT being approved for human trials and this was having very mixed results amongst patients. Different drugs were available in other countries but were not approved by the F.D.A so couldn't be brought into or sold in the U.S. Woodroof worked around the system and traveled to many countries finding suppliers and giving the people an alternative option to AZT, one that appeared to be far more successful.
The craziest thing about this movie was that it was made for 4.5 million. Obviously a passion project for McConaughey who would normally draw that amount in salary alone. It is well shot, incredibly acted and is quite an interesting story on a controversial subject. I was pleased to read that it made about 25 million worldwide which is a great result for 4.5 million budget.
Jared Leto co-stars as Rayon, a trans-gender male with H.I.V who opens up the market for Woodroof and becomes a partner in the business. Both McConaughey and Leto are fantastic. They both had to lose insane amounts of weight and it is just disturbing how skeletal they are in some shots - similar to Christian Bale in 'The Machinist' or as Dicky in 'The Fighter'. It really adds authenticity to the characters though.
My only criticism is that the story is very slow. I think Macca used the term 'snails pace' and I would have to agree. Given the true content of the story I'm not quite sure how they could have changed this, perhaps shaved 20 minutes off the run time, not sure. It was a good watch though but not one I will be in a hurry to watch again.
7/10
IMDB Info
Filth
A very fitting title for this one. Violent, gross, racist, sexist... FILTHY. Think Bad Lieutenant (Nick Cage) crossed with Trainspotting. *edit* - just looked up this one and see it was based on Irvine Welsh's novel. That explains the Trainspotting!
In Filth we are thrust straight into the insane life of police officer Bruce Robertson played by James McAvoy. What this guy does in a day most of wouldn't do in a life time. We follow him through a montage of drinking, drugs, sex, terrible police work and overall just being an absolute wanker. But amongst this chaos is a deeper story and we can see there is more to Bruce than meets the eye.
It's quite an engaging film to watch. Snappy editing provides a fairly fast pace and when the story backs off a bit there's enough on screen appealing to our 'depraved' curiosity to keep watching intently.
I felt a bit like the movie didn't know quite which direction to take. At times it was completely hilarious, others quite clever, also a little serious at times and others just down right crazy. Although this was probably deliberate, by the end I was still waiting for the POINT! I get there's a lot of filth in the world but what are you saying about it? This may have been driven home better in the book methinks.
McAvoy is good playing Robertson. Couldn't fault his acting. However, to me he felt poorly casted. I don't know if it is just his face, or something about his take on the character but something didn't fit here. No other performances really worth mentioning except maybe Jim Broadbent as the doctor. Under the influence of certain 'enhancers' his character would have provided plenty of "WTF" moments. In fact even without there were enough.
There were a couple of scene's though that had me literally laughing out loud which is an achievement in a movie when watching alone I reckon. One involved a very interesting game I might try out at the next work party involving a xerox machine. The finale of this though was priceless - "Fuck me with that horses cock!...... What????". The second involved some drink spiking of Bruce's 'best friend' Bladesey. Anyway I apologise for describing scene's if you haven't seen it yet.
Overall quite an interesting and unique watch. Definitely won't suit those with milder taste. If you're a fan of Welsh's work this will be a must see. I loved Trainspotting but don't think Filth is up there in the same category.
P.S - what the fuck is up with that PIG?
6/10
IMDB Info
In Filth we are thrust straight into the insane life of police officer Bruce Robertson played by James McAvoy. What this guy does in a day most of wouldn't do in a life time. We follow him through a montage of drinking, drugs, sex, terrible police work and overall just being an absolute wanker. But amongst this chaos is a deeper story and we can see there is more to Bruce than meets the eye.
It's quite an engaging film to watch. Snappy editing provides a fairly fast pace and when the story backs off a bit there's enough on screen appealing to our 'depraved' curiosity to keep watching intently.
I felt a bit like the movie didn't know quite which direction to take. At times it was completely hilarious, others quite clever, also a little serious at times and others just down right crazy. Although this was probably deliberate, by the end I was still waiting for the POINT! I get there's a lot of filth in the world but what are you saying about it? This may have been driven home better in the book methinks.
McAvoy is good playing Robertson. Couldn't fault his acting. However, to me he felt poorly casted. I don't know if it is just his face, or something about his take on the character but something didn't fit here. No other performances really worth mentioning except maybe Jim Broadbent as the doctor. Under the influence of certain 'enhancers' his character would have provided plenty of "WTF" moments. In fact even without there were enough.
There were a couple of scene's though that had me literally laughing out loud which is an achievement in a movie when watching alone I reckon. One involved a very interesting game I might try out at the next work party involving a xerox machine. The finale of this though was priceless - "Fuck me with that horses cock!...... What????". The second involved some drink spiking of Bruce's 'best friend' Bladesey. Anyway I apologise for describing scene's if you haven't seen it yet.
Overall quite an interesting and unique watch. Definitely won't suit those with milder taste. If you're a fan of Welsh's work this will be a must see. I loved Trainspotting but don't think Filth is up there in the same category.
P.S - what the fuck is up with that PIG?
6/10
IMDB Info
All is Lost
When it comes to the quality of this film, all is definitely not lost.
Writer and Director J.C Chandor delivers an incredibly realistic survival story set in the vast Indian Ocean. We are introduced immediately to the only character in the movie (we never learn his name), played by Robert Redford as he wakes to find his yacht damaged by a rogue shipping container floating in the middle of nowhere overnight. It's nothing but survival from this point onwards as he faces a string of bad luck yet luckily has the Macgyver-esk skills to overcome most obstacles.
A warning to all those action heads out there - this is a very in depth, slow burning movie. There are only a handful of words spoken and every event is played out in absolute detail and precision as though you were on the boat watching directly. It is beautifully shot, but one thing they especially nailed was the underwater to above water transitions and vise-versa - absolutely seamless. Being a single boat in the middle of the ocean, the team could concentrate heavily on creating the perfect sets for in and out of the yacht. Inside of the yacht was quite spectacular and was even built to be able to capsize which provided some incredible internal action shots during some stormy scene's.
When a movie only has a single character - casting must become the single most important decision I reckon. If you're not captivated by the character then yes, All Is Lost. To be honest at first I thought Redford might have been the wrong decision. He looked almost too far past expiry to pull off the role, quite slow and sore. That said though, about half way through I was sold. Fantastic performance. He never tried to over compensate for the lack of dialogue by over-acting his emotions. I think the reason why I initially doubted was because it was so different to the usual acting we see but after adjusting and thinking on it, it felt very authentic. Our reactions when alone are quite different to with company and I think Redford and Chandor nailed it.
I love survival stories. I remember reading 'Hatchet' in school which was a great little story and then later saw movies like 'Survive the Savage Sea' and of course 'Cast Away' which was just brilliant. I would compare 'All is Lost' a little to 'Cast Away' in some elements from the time Hanks left the Island. If you're a fan of this type of stuff also then definitely add to the watch list. I originally gave it a 9 and in lot of area's it definitely deserved but I took it down to an 8 after considering re-watch value. Will definitely be watching again but will give it a few years I think to recharge ready for the slow burn once again.
8/10
IMDB Info
Writer and Director J.C Chandor delivers an incredibly realistic survival story set in the vast Indian Ocean. We are introduced immediately to the only character in the movie (we never learn his name), played by Robert Redford as he wakes to find his yacht damaged by a rogue shipping container floating in the middle of nowhere overnight. It's nothing but survival from this point onwards as he faces a string of bad luck yet luckily has the Macgyver-esk skills to overcome most obstacles.
A warning to all those action heads out there - this is a very in depth, slow burning movie. There are only a handful of words spoken and every event is played out in absolute detail and precision as though you were on the boat watching directly. It is beautifully shot, but one thing they especially nailed was the underwater to above water transitions and vise-versa - absolutely seamless. Being a single boat in the middle of the ocean, the team could concentrate heavily on creating the perfect sets for in and out of the yacht. Inside of the yacht was quite spectacular and was even built to be able to capsize which provided some incredible internal action shots during some stormy scene's.
When a movie only has a single character - casting must become the single most important decision I reckon. If you're not captivated by the character then yes, All Is Lost. To be honest at first I thought Redford might have been the wrong decision. He looked almost too far past expiry to pull off the role, quite slow and sore. That said though, about half way through I was sold. Fantastic performance. He never tried to over compensate for the lack of dialogue by over-acting his emotions. I think the reason why I initially doubted was because it was so different to the usual acting we see but after adjusting and thinking on it, it felt very authentic. Our reactions when alone are quite different to with company and I think Redford and Chandor nailed it.
I love survival stories. I remember reading 'Hatchet' in school which was a great little story and then later saw movies like 'Survive the Savage Sea' and of course 'Cast Away' which was just brilliant. I would compare 'All is Lost' a little to 'Cast Away' in some elements from the time Hanks left the Island. If you're a fan of this type of stuff also then definitely add to the watch list. I originally gave it a 9 and in lot of area's it definitely deserved but I took it down to an 8 after considering re-watch value. Will definitely be watching again but will give it a few years I think to recharge ready for the slow burn once again.
8/10
IMDB Info
Captain Phillips
"Maybe in America Irish, maybe in America"
A given with all my reviews - potential *spoilers alert*
Just managed to sneak seeing this before our top 10 posts... to be honest I thought I would have to re-adjust my list but in the end it wasn't quite worthy so no harm posting after.
If you're not up to speed on this one it's basically a 'true' story about an American ship & captain taken hostage by Somali pirates. It can be easy sitting in my comfy lounge chair in front of my flat screen T.V to be swept up in the usual American propaganda however it becomes more difficult these days as we are made more aware of the cost of our decadent lives. To be fair though I think this movie did give a small effort to show the 'other side of the story' however I couldn't help but feel like the pirates were the true victims as these four men with rifles on a lifeboat were chased down by multiple battleships, seal teams, helicopters and the navies finest.
All that aside though it's a pretty damn good movie. Thank Christ I was watching this at home and not in the cinema. Mr Greengrass has the tendency to hire camera men with Parkinson disease and at the cinema I may have thrown up all over my pop corn. But with this style comes an absolute realism and .... what's that word that means completely immersed and feels like you're there? Damn..
With all the U.S bravado and big action music I had flash backs in a couple of moments to Michael Bay - mainly the Rock... maybe Armageddon. Quick cuts of military dudes yelling out status updates and orders around the place - definitely the right formulae.
There's not much point going into Tom Hanks performance. We have come to expect nothing but perfection and once again he doesn't disappoint. As the story progresses so does his character and emotional depth and he carries the movie along on his giant shoulders like so many before. The fellas playing the pirates were damn good as well - especially the captain 'muse' played by Barkhad Abdi. Is it just me or does this guy look a hell of a lot like Omar from 'The Wire'??
Overall a very decent and intense action/drama with solid acting and good (albeit shaky) production. Definitely worth checking out.
One last thing to add - I hope Hans Zimmer got some royalties for the last track played, massive 'time' rip off. However I did watch the credits and saw his name in the thank you list so maybe he was feeling generous?
7/10
IMDB Info
A given with all my reviews - potential *spoilers alert*
Just managed to sneak seeing this before our top 10 posts... to be honest I thought I would have to re-adjust my list but in the end it wasn't quite worthy so no harm posting after.
If you're not up to speed on this one it's basically a 'true' story about an American ship & captain taken hostage by Somali pirates. It can be easy sitting in my comfy lounge chair in front of my flat screen T.V to be swept up in the usual American propaganda however it becomes more difficult these days as we are made more aware of the cost of our decadent lives. To be fair though I think this movie did give a small effort to show the 'other side of the story' however I couldn't help but feel like the pirates were the true victims as these four men with rifles on a lifeboat were chased down by multiple battleships, seal teams, helicopters and the navies finest.
All that aside though it's a pretty damn good movie. Thank Christ I was watching this at home and not in the cinema. Mr Greengrass has the tendency to hire camera men with Parkinson disease and at the cinema I may have thrown up all over my pop corn. But with this style comes an absolute realism and .... what's that word that means completely immersed and feels like you're there? Damn..
With all the U.S bravado and big action music I had flash backs in a couple of moments to Michael Bay - mainly the Rock... maybe Armageddon. Quick cuts of military dudes yelling out status updates and orders around the place - definitely the right formulae.
There's not much point going into Tom Hanks performance. We have come to expect nothing but perfection and once again he doesn't disappoint. As the story progresses so does his character and emotional depth and he carries the movie along on his giant shoulders like so many before. The fellas playing the pirates were damn good as well - especially the captain 'muse' played by Barkhad Abdi. Is it just me or does this guy look a hell of a lot like Omar from 'The Wire'??
Overall a very decent and intense action/drama with solid acting and good (albeit shaky) production. Definitely worth checking out.
One last thing to add - I hope Hans Zimmer got some royalties for the last track played, massive 'time' rip off. However I did watch the credits and saw his name in the thank you list so maybe he was feeling generous?
7/10
IMDB Info
The East
The East is a very deep and slowly paced film following the journey of a private intelligence agent who has her beliefs challenged by her latest assignment of infiltrating an anarchist group known as "The East". The group launch attacks on large corporations to expose the lies and cover-ups surrounding the true destruction of their greed. Their simple way of life and belief structure is quite appealing and it easy to see how the main character Sarah becomes more open to the truth of the modern world.
Written and directed by Zal Batmanglij this film definitely carries his style. I was not aware he was the director while watching but found myself drawing many connections to another of his films - The Sound of My Voice. If Zal is Batman then Brit Marling is definitely his Robin. Brit co-wrote this one also and like all of their movies takes the main role in front of the camera while Zal directs. I was interested to read after that a lot of the content of this film was taken from real experiences when Zal and Brit were without any money, hitching on trains with real anarchist groups.
Also thrown into the mix was Alexander Skarsgard (best known for True Blood series) and the lovely Ellen Page. Skarsgard was probably the stand out for me, Page was decent as usual as well. The role of Sarah has been tailored once again for Brit's acting strength which is definitely in the deep and dark. She acts a lot with her eyes which for a movie like this is perfect but I would like to see a completely different role for her and see if she has more range.
On a personal note I enjoyed watching justice be served to these tyrants. In this new information age we do have a lot of truth coming out about the real consequences of our decadent life style and 'progress' of the human race. However I can't help but feel we are only scratching the surface and it will be a long time yet before people wake up and demand real change.
As you can see this is a movie that keeps you thinking long after it's over. While slow paced I found it quite engrossing but I recommend watching when you're in the right mood. If you're craving a bit of action or something lighthearted I would save this for another night.
8/10
IMDB Info
Written and directed by Zal Batmanglij this film definitely carries his style. I was not aware he was the director while watching but found myself drawing many connections to another of his films - The Sound of My Voice. If Zal is Batman then Brit Marling is definitely his Robin. Brit co-wrote this one also and like all of their movies takes the main role in front of the camera while Zal directs. I was interested to read after that a lot of the content of this film was taken from real experiences when Zal and Brit were without any money, hitching on trains with real anarchist groups.
Also thrown into the mix was Alexander Skarsgard (best known for True Blood series) and the lovely Ellen Page. Skarsgard was probably the stand out for me, Page was decent as usual as well. The role of Sarah has been tailored once again for Brit's acting strength which is definitely in the deep and dark. She acts a lot with her eyes which for a movie like this is perfect but I would like to see a completely different role for her and see if she has more range.
On a personal note I enjoyed watching justice be served to these tyrants. In this new information age we do have a lot of truth coming out about the real consequences of our decadent life style and 'progress' of the human race. However I can't help but feel we are only scratching the surface and it will be a long time yet before people wake up and demand real change.
As you can see this is a movie that keeps you thinking long after it's over. While slow paced I found it quite engrossing but I recommend watching when you're in the right mood. If you're craving a bit of action or something lighthearted I would save this for another night.
8/10
IMDB Info
Jobs
I've always enjoyed films about real life success stories - they are motivating and inspiring. Even better when people come from nothing to reach the highest levels of success - such was the case for Steve Jobs and Apple computers.
Obviously a lot has changed since but I remember back in school the I.T types like myself were divided into two groups - Microsoft and Mac. Oh how we mocked the 'Mac' crowd yet how proudly and stubbornly they defended their beloved Macintosh. If I remember correctly there was also a strong connection with the Apple lovers and Star Trek compared to the Microsoft crowd and Star Wars. We waged nerd war!
Anyway, that's enough down memory lane. Back to the movie...
Jobs was a really enjoyable film. Reading up after watching it there is a lot of hate out there for it. "Terrible casting!" , "Terrible Acting" , "Glorifying a man made rich by exploiting his employees and their ideas".
I don't agree.
I thought Kutcher was decent as Steve Jobs. Definitely one of the most in depth roles in his career. And as for the man himself I think they showed well his darker sides and did not glorify him at all. He was portrayed as an extremely dedicated and obsessive visionary who would use whoever and whatever to achieve his goals. As with all entrepreneurs he relied on the technical genius of colleagues to create his products but he was the man with the grand vision. This tends to be how our world works as the technically minded lack the ability to think on the large scale. It is a symbiotic relationship.
I really enjoyed watching how the company was built, starting with manually building boards in his parents garage to creating a global empire. Would have been an exciting time in those early days. The first keyboard, the first mouse, the first PC. An incredible journey.
Jobs may have been an obsessive and cruel prick, so much so he even left behind the original apple founders who started it all with him. However I don't think Apple would exist today if he was not. He never gave up on his vision. Never lowered his expectations on what they could achieve and always ensured his products were driving the next level of innovation. Anyone who thinks he was not a huge factor in Apple's success is crazy. The company nearly went to ruin when he was kicked off the board and upon his return he brought it back to an absolute super power again.
Overall, an enjoyable movie about a very interesting guy!
7/10
IMDB Info
Obviously a lot has changed since but I remember back in school the I.T types like myself were divided into two groups - Microsoft and Mac. Oh how we mocked the 'Mac' crowd yet how proudly and stubbornly they defended their beloved Macintosh. If I remember correctly there was also a strong connection with the Apple lovers and Star Trek compared to the Microsoft crowd and Star Wars. We waged nerd war!
Anyway, that's enough down memory lane. Back to the movie...
Jobs was a really enjoyable film. Reading up after watching it there is a lot of hate out there for it. "Terrible casting!" , "Terrible Acting" , "Glorifying a man made rich by exploiting his employees and their ideas".
I don't agree.
I thought Kutcher was decent as Steve Jobs. Definitely one of the most in depth roles in his career. And as for the man himself I think they showed well his darker sides and did not glorify him at all. He was portrayed as an extremely dedicated and obsessive visionary who would use whoever and whatever to achieve his goals. As with all entrepreneurs he relied on the technical genius of colleagues to create his products but he was the man with the grand vision. This tends to be how our world works as the technically minded lack the ability to think on the large scale. It is a symbiotic relationship.
I really enjoyed watching how the company was built, starting with manually building boards in his parents garage to creating a global empire. Would have been an exciting time in those early days. The first keyboard, the first mouse, the first PC. An incredible journey.
Jobs may have been an obsessive and cruel prick, so much so he even left behind the original apple founders who started it all with him. However I don't think Apple would exist today if he was not. He never gave up on his vision. Never lowered his expectations on what they could achieve and always ensured his products were driving the next level of innovation. Anyone who thinks he was not a huge factor in Apple's success is crazy. The company nearly went to ruin when he was kicked off the board and upon his return he brought it back to an absolute super power again.
Overall, an enjoyable movie about a very interesting guy!
7/10
IMDB Info
Hours
Hours is an low budget indy (4 million) starring Paul Walker and directed by Eric Heisserer (The Thing 2011, Final Destination 5). It is set within a hospital during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Nolan (Walker) has just lost his wife in child birth and his very premature baby girl is placed in a ventilator to aid breathing. The hospital is evacuated as the city is flooded and Nolan is left behind to care for his daughter as conditions go from bad to worse.
There was a lot I appreciated about this movie. Being low budget you need to be clever about things and as the entire story was set within the hospital it was not only a great way to reduce set & location costs but created a nice claustrophobic feel. Walker showed a lot of depth in this role - I think I would say it's the best performance I have ever seen from him. (R.I.P) With the power out he must keep the ventilator going with a crank generator and dying backup battery which becomes one of the main elements of the story as he can only leave the room for minutes at a time before having to return to re-charge.
Despite the above positives I found myself getting a little bored at times. The generator was a realistic and interesting element but it almost became the entire movie. A few other things were thrown in the mix - a stray dog, some violent looters but that's about everything. I'm not sure if this was based on a true story, nothing was noted at the start or end of the film. If it was I can understand sticking to the truth, but if not some extra story elements would have kept up the pace and cured the boredom.
I wouldn't rush out to see this one unless you're a big Walker fan. If there's nothing else on the cards give it a go, it's not terrible.
6/10
IMDB Info
Nolan (Walker) has just lost his wife in child birth and his very premature baby girl is placed in a ventilator to aid breathing. The hospital is evacuated as the city is flooded and Nolan is left behind to care for his daughter as conditions go from bad to worse.
There was a lot I appreciated about this movie. Being low budget you need to be clever about things and as the entire story was set within the hospital it was not only a great way to reduce set & location costs but created a nice claustrophobic feel. Walker showed a lot of depth in this role - I think I would say it's the best performance I have ever seen from him. (R.I.P) With the power out he must keep the ventilator going with a crank generator and dying backup battery which becomes one of the main elements of the story as he can only leave the room for minutes at a time before having to return to re-charge.
Despite the above positives I found myself getting a little bored at times. The generator was a realistic and interesting element but it almost became the entire movie. A few other things were thrown in the mix - a stray dog, some violent looters but that's about everything. I'm not sure if this was based on a true story, nothing was noted at the start or end of the film. If it was I can understand sticking to the truth, but if not some extra story elements would have kept up the pace and cured the boredom.
I wouldn't rush out to see this one unless you're a big Walker fan. If there's nothing else on the cards give it a go, it's not terrible.
6/10
IMDB Info
Prisoners
How far would you go to find your kidnapped daughter?
Prisoners would have to be one of the most polished films of the year. I was completely engrossed in every shot of the movie just loving the unique positioning of the camera, the clarity, the beauty. Director Denis Villeneuve and his team capture the tone of the dark subject perfectly.
Then combine this with an incredible cast. Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard and Paul Dano amongst others not so well known yet still great actors/actresses. Jackman is very convincing playing the desperate father who in his own mind is forced to cross the line and take matters into his own hands. Howard is good as the father of the other victim - acting almost as a voice of reason to the out of control Jackman.
My favourite performance though was Jake Gyllenhaal playing the obsessed detective Loki. A man who has solved every case he has been assigned. Although as the story played out it felt he was always a step or two behind, his persistence never wavered and we can see the reasons for that perfect record. My only complaint with Loki is we are given very little, if any background on him. He is obviously a dark and complicated man but any cause or reason for this is left up to our imagination. I'm sure the name 'Loki' (The father of Hel in Norse mythology) is deliberate... I just would have liked to see a bit more fleshing out here.
Dano is worth a mention as well playing the simpleton Alex Jones. With an IQ of 10, Jones becomes a very interesting character as you're never quite sure if there is more to him or if he is just a diversion. Prisoners is one of those thrillers with many suspects and as the movie plays out you will change your mind a number of times. I wouldn't rave that the ending is going to blow any minds however it very deliberately challenges the previous actions of the characters and further blurs the lines of right and wrong. Hard to say more on this without giving too much away.
I highly recommend checking this thoughtful drama/thriller out. For me I don't think the re-watch value is super high but for a first watch it was a damn good ride.
8/10
IMDB Info
Prisoners would have to be one of the most polished films of the year. I was completely engrossed in every shot of the movie just loving the unique positioning of the camera, the clarity, the beauty. Director Denis Villeneuve and his team capture the tone of the dark subject perfectly.
Then combine this with an incredible cast. Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard and Paul Dano amongst others not so well known yet still great actors/actresses. Jackman is very convincing playing the desperate father who in his own mind is forced to cross the line and take matters into his own hands. Howard is good as the father of the other victim - acting almost as a voice of reason to the out of control Jackman.
My favourite performance though was Jake Gyllenhaal playing the obsessed detective Loki. A man who has solved every case he has been assigned. Although as the story played out it felt he was always a step or two behind, his persistence never wavered and we can see the reasons for that perfect record. My only complaint with Loki is we are given very little, if any background on him. He is obviously a dark and complicated man but any cause or reason for this is left up to our imagination. I'm sure the name 'Loki' (The father of Hel in Norse mythology) is deliberate... I just would have liked to see a bit more fleshing out here.
Dano is worth a mention as well playing the simpleton Alex Jones. With an IQ of 10, Jones becomes a very interesting character as you're never quite sure if there is more to him or if he is just a diversion. Prisoners is one of those thrillers with many suspects and as the movie plays out you will change your mind a number of times. I wouldn't rave that the ending is going to blow any minds however it very deliberately challenges the previous actions of the characters and further blurs the lines of right and wrong. Hard to say more on this without giving too much away.
I highly recommend checking this thoughtful drama/thriller out. For me I don't think the re-watch value is super high but for a first watch it was a damn good ride.
8/10
IMDB Info
The Way Way Back
The Way Way Back is, I think, supposed to be an uplifting
coming of age story that makes you feel inspired and happy to be alive. Some of the film
definitely hits that home but for me the extremely dark undertones of guilt,
ignorance, mysogny and discrimination turned this from being an enjoyable uplifting
film into a kind of disconcerting study of a troubled boy.
Part of the problem for me was watching Steve Carrell bring out his dark side. Boy did he nail his role! It almost seems like the comedic side in real life is just there so that this seething, angry side is kept under control in how he plays his part so convincingly. His character is one of the worst on screen portrayals of a father I’ve ever seen yet, he never physically hurts any one, it’s all just emotional mind games. Ergh, he made me shiver.
Then you have the wonderful Toni Collette, whom I love, playing this shrivelled up excuse for a mother. All defeated and down trodden who no longer cares enough for her geeky son nor stands up for him. She doesn't even stand up for herself and is too scared to make any life changing decisions going forward incase they backfire.
In the middle is Liam James' character Duncan: a shy teenager who is awkward and geeky. Liam's acting is superb and definitely holds the films story together. The thing is, his character is so affected by these trashed up humans who are supposed to be his Mum and her Boyfriend that it made me feel uncomfortable to watch. I know he was supposed to have a story arc of growing up and getting on top of things, but his portrayal of being so badly mind-fucked by his so called parents is something I don’t think he can ever truly get away from and ultimately means that the movies story is impossible to believe.
Next to the misery of the dysfunctional family there is a very light hearted and joyful angle given to the film by the sensational Sam Rockwell and a charmingly over the top Allison Janney. Sam's character is the owner of a nearby water park who employs and looks after Duncan and Allison’s character is the zany next door neighbour who is always drunk. I know these two are supposed to balance out the misery of Duncan's life, and they help, but to me it wasn’t enough.
The story is actually great fun (thankfully!) when it’s taking place in the water park and Sam Rockwell is just an absolute legend. With how much sadness I felt for Duncan the character, the hope that Sam's character imparts on him gave me butterflies. I just wish I could believe that was enough for Duncan to break away by from the evil clutches of his useless mother and Evil Steve.
Overall it’s a pretty in-depth emotional study and a well-made flick. I've never seen a film quite hit all the beats like this one does and the acting is brilliant by the whole cast. I guess in parting I don’t think Duncan will survive and the ending was unclear as to his fate, which is disappointing and possibly reflects a bit of a hole in the script or story for me personally.
SCORE: 6/10
IMDB Info for The Way Way Back
Part of the problem for me was watching Steve Carrell bring out his dark side. Boy did he nail his role! It almost seems like the comedic side in real life is just there so that this seething, angry side is kept under control in how he plays his part so convincingly. His character is one of the worst on screen portrayals of a father I’ve ever seen yet, he never physically hurts any one, it’s all just emotional mind games. Ergh, he made me shiver.
Then you have the wonderful Toni Collette, whom I love, playing this shrivelled up excuse for a mother. All defeated and down trodden who no longer cares enough for her geeky son nor stands up for him. She doesn't even stand up for herself and is too scared to make any life changing decisions going forward incase they backfire.
In the middle is Liam James' character Duncan: a shy teenager who is awkward and geeky. Liam's acting is superb and definitely holds the films story together. The thing is, his character is so affected by these trashed up humans who are supposed to be his Mum and her Boyfriend that it made me feel uncomfortable to watch. I know he was supposed to have a story arc of growing up and getting on top of things, but his portrayal of being so badly mind-fucked by his so called parents is something I don’t think he can ever truly get away from and ultimately means that the movies story is impossible to believe.
Next to the misery of the dysfunctional family there is a very light hearted and joyful angle given to the film by the sensational Sam Rockwell and a charmingly over the top Allison Janney. Sam's character is the owner of a nearby water park who employs and looks after Duncan and Allison’s character is the zany next door neighbour who is always drunk. I know these two are supposed to balance out the misery of Duncan's life, and they help, but to me it wasn’t enough.
The story is actually great fun (thankfully!) when it’s taking place in the water park and Sam Rockwell is just an absolute legend. With how much sadness I felt for Duncan the character, the hope that Sam's character imparts on him gave me butterflies. I just wish I could believe that was enough for Duncan to break away by from the evil clutches of his useless mother and Evil Steve.
Overall it’s a pretty in-depth emotional study and a well-made flick. I've never seen a film quite hit all the beats like this one does and the acting is brilliant by the whole cast. I guess in parting I don’t think Duncan will survive and the ending was unclear as to his fate, which is disappointing and possibly reflects a bit of a hole in the script or story for me personally.
SCORE: 6/10
IMDB Info for The Way Way Back
The Great Gatsby
Baz Lurhmann is a divisive director. People tend to really dislike or love his works and I am happy to report that I tend to love his films. I know they are over the top, flashy, gaudy even, but he is a bit like Tarantino to me in that he has his own style. In 5 minutes I could tell you I was watching a Baz movie and I love that.
The Great Gatsby is of course an adaptation of the extremely famous book by F Scott Fitzgerald and Im sure many of you have read it. Its an iconic book for its style, its tone and its capturing of a unique time in U.S. history. One of my criticisms of the film is that Baz has completely ignored this, or maybe, just translated this into his own style so much that it has lost that amazing allure. The film was fairly good but overall I found it to be more of an effort to watch than I wanted it to be. The flashy sequences in Gatsby's house didn't quite gel for me, which may have been intentional, and the overuse of spectacle and strange composition and glaring colours in quieter scenes pulled me from the film.
Leo DiCaprio is typically brilliant as Gatsby but he seemed to struggle when portraying his emotional fault and unfortunately the chemistry between himself and Carey Mulligan was naught. Tobey McGuire was really great as Nick Carraway and played off the mystery and power of Gatsby beautifully. Joel Edgerton was probably the stand out of the main cast, playing a really different sort of antagonist in a role that shows he really can act. And, Carey Mulligan was her typical wonderful self. She has that amazing capability of being stunningly beautiful and hauntingly humble.
I would recommend seeing this movie at least once for its pinpoint perfect creation of sets, scenery, digital effects, costumes & for the story. But unfortunately I have to say this isn't Baz's finest hour. I know a lot of people had problems with his Australia but I actually quite like that movie, and in my opinion that is a better film that Gatsby.
My favourite scene of the whole movie was actually the last shot, where the title of the book is displayed and it simply says 'Gatsby' then our narrator comes back and writes in handwriting 'The Great' in front of it. This seems to me an unintentionally ironic ending as Baz obviously focused too much on 'The Great' and not enough on the 'Gatsby' when making this film.
SCORE: 5/10
IMDB Info for The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is of course an adaptation of the extremely famous book by F Scott Fitzgerald and Im sure many of you have read it. Its an iconic book for its style, its tone and its capturing of a unique time in U.S. history. One of my criticisms of the film is that Baz has completely ignored this, or maybe, just translated this into his own style so much that it has lost that amazing allure. The film was fairly good but overall I found it to be more of an effort to watch than I wanted it to be. The flashy sequences in Gatsby's house didn't quite gel for me, which may have been intentional, and the overuse of spectacle and strange composition and glaring colours in quieter scenes pulled me from the film.
Leo DiCaprio is typically brilliant as Gatsby but he seemed to struggle when portraying his emotional fault and unfortunately the chemistry between himself and Carey Mulligan was naught. Tobey McGuire was really great as Nick Carraway and played off the mystery and power of Gatsby beautifully. Joel Edgerton was probably the stand out of the main cast, playing a really different sort of antagonist in a role that shows he really can act. And, Carey Mulligan was her typical wonderful self. She has that amazing capability of being stunningly beautiful and hauntingly humble.
I would recommend seeing this movie at least once for its pinpoint perfect creation of sets, scenery, digital effects, costumes & for the story. But unfortunately I have to say this isn't Baz's finest hour. I know a lot of people had problems with his Australia but I actually quite like that movie, and in my opinion that is a better film that Gatsby.
My favourite scene of the whole movie was actually the last shot, where the title of the book is displayed and it simply says 'Gatsby' then our narrator comes back and writes in handwriting 'The Great' in front of it. This seems to me an unintentionally ironic ending as Baz obviously focused too much on 'The Great' and not enough on the 'Gatsby' when making this film.
SCORE: 5/10
IMDB Info for The Great Gatsby
Rush
However, if Ron has shown one thing its that he really knows how to handle an epic production. I can feel how much fun he must have had putting this movie together. The research and planning is phenomenal! I was lucky enough to see this with a mate who is an F-1 fanatic and he was filling me in on all these little details that were in the background and how important they were in real life (thankfully they weren't necessary to know to move the story along) and my mind was blown. Apparently there was a six wheeled F-1 car in the 70's! WTF?!?! And its in this movie. Apparently sponsorship wasn't really done before this period of time and all of the sponsorship thats in the movie is as real as it was in the day. You will see Marlboro, Heuer, Texaco and all of the real brands splashed across the cars and the outfits which makes the whole deal feel real.
More than the research and attention to detail though is the attention to the acting of the main characters. Daniel Brühl looks just like Niki Lauda. Its mesmerising. His performance is spectacular and the makeup after his accident is spot on. When you see some of the real footage your mind does a bit of a double turn as you can realise how closely matched he was. I think Chris Hemsworth was supposed to be the 'main' character but for me Daniel Brühl stole the show.
Thats not to say that Chris's performance is lacking. He is a really beautiful man and its put on full display here with his charisma dialled up 13 notches, his million dollar smile flashing everywhere and his very convincing explanation of why racing car drivers are so idolised by us mere mortals. Its because they live so close to death, and that is what makes us shiver as we see them, see them truly living and living more than we ever will when on the track. The beauty in that statement is that Daniel's portrayal of Niki Lauda is the complete opposite. He is the German who calculates the percentages and anything over 20% danger to life is unacceptable. The simple beauty in these two very opposing, but realistic ways to live life and drive a Formula One car is what drives (no pun intended) this movie along. Without top tier performances from these two lead actors it would fall in a heap, but on the shoulders of Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth it shines!
I really can't recommend this movie enough. And I really can't stress enough it should be seen on the big screen. There were only 5 people in the cinema tonight, on late night shopping, at a blockbuster movie. I know its been out a couple of weeks, but come on people. If we don't keep going to see these amazing films, we are going to be lumbered with Transformers 57, Avengers 35 and some other Marvel retread, DC Comics cross over crap every year and nothing as special as this will ever be made again.
Ron Howard is amazing, but he is only a mortal and wont be able to make movies one day. Once he is gone, the list of people capable of creating films like this will dwindle by one and I can't think of many non Zack Snider-esque big budget directors left who will take these risks. If we don't show the money people we want them, we wont get them, so get out and see this beauty of a film and sit back and relish that these super heroes were real people with real skills and could still capture the imagination of the world without needing a brand and a toy catalogue to make them exist.
SCORE: 9/10
Trance
In a post Inception world, making something like this is tricky to begin with, but that’s still no excuse for having absolutely no story line or reason for any of the events that happen in the movie to happen. It’s a total mess. I think he was trying to play with the timeline and put events out of order and out of sequence but unless you have that magical coming together of events like the car falling in Inception , while the hotel world was spinning around and the music was playing at different speeds to tie it all together, the audience doesn’t know where the events are actually taking place. It’s like watching a band play without instruments.
The single most amazing part of this film, though, is that Danny Boyle somehow made a naked Rosario Dawson unattractive. Rosario Dawson is a beautiful lady and even Kevin Smith was able to amp up her sex appeal in Clerks II, but somehow in amongst all the slick, shiny lights, heist wannabe film, he turns her into the most wooden, boring character I may have ever seen on the screen. The 'love triangle' between her, James McAvoy's character and Vincent Cassel's character that is apparently meant to tie this movie together (I don’t fully understand it as it’s never explained) is about as believable as Padme and Anakin in The Clone Wars. I'm amazed at how badly its done to be honest and how completely unbelievable it is. I almost laughed at the reveal of Ms Dawson walking down the corridor to James's character, and then later on in the film it tries to pay off the imagery as a reference of 'pure' art form. It was cringe inducing.
Not to mention the never explained relationships of James McAvoy and Vincent Cassels characters. I mean, they are in essence the main leads who are responsible for the art theft, the memory loss and every resulting action that takes place. But I couldn’t tell you a single thing about them. I don’t know how they are related to each other, why they were working together, why one of them seems to die and be reborn multiple times, and why only one of them gets a secret message (full of exposition to explain the whole movie you just watched) at the end of the movie? Its just .. I’m speechless. Those two characters are as one dimensional as can be, and unrelated to each other as R2D2 is to Spock, and they are the whole reason the events in the movie take place!
I hope this film is just a result of being spread too thin as Danny was working on this during the Olympic Opening Ceremony and I can’t imagine the stress and work required for creating something like that. That opening ceremony was a masterpiece in direction and style and conveyed a real and clear message. Trance is the opposite. If all of his efforts were going into making the ceremony over this movie then that makes perfect sense and what he achieved there was simply stunning. Let’s just forget this film was ever made, and leave it to Mr Skin to bury the nudity shots into their archives as it’s the only part of this film that will grab anyone’s attention, even if it’s from a small and morally dubious place.
SCORE: 3/10
Byzantium
Goddamn I love picking the movie with the weird name only to be blown away.
Believe it or not, this is a vampire film. Yes, I know... I can hear you groaning from here. I don't blame you with the utter crap we have been drowned in from this genre over the past several years. I shudder to think of the day I'm trying to explain to my son why 'Interview With The Vampire' is considerably superior in every way to 'Twilight 10: The WolfBatVampZombieGhost revenge'.
I watch them all though regardless of how awful just in the slight hope of something that can come close to some of the greats. 'Interview With The Vampire' obviously :) 'Lost Boys' of course. Maybe 'Let the Right One In' comes close. It's like panning for gold decades too late.
Tonight was awesome... I found Byzantium. What is it with British cinema which just seems to get more appealing the older you get?
This film was (almost) perfect.
It brought back the beauty, charm and entrancement of a decent Vampire flick. It's like experiencing a dream. The beautifully simple piano soundtrack worked so well... as it often does in so many movies.
Hah - the joke on is me though as I just looked up IMDB to see who directed this and it turns out it's the same guy who directed 'Interview With The Vampire'.... Well Mr 'Neil Jordan', I am a big fan. (He also did the Crying Game but I haven't seen it :0)
I was completely entranced for the entire movie. When I think back to how it started to where it ended and the journey I'd been through it's just incredible. There is so much going on and I just love the way it's told. I just want anyone like me who still holds on to the hope of good vampire movies to watch this and let me know what you think. Am I losing my grasp? Or do you agree this is an original masterpiece?
9/10
IMDB Info
BTW - the only reason for the (almost) perfect was a few scotchers so hopefully need to edit that out after a sober watch ;) (10/10??? :)
Believe it or not, this is a vampire film. Yes, I know... I can hear you groaning from here. I don't blame you with the utter crap we have been drowned in from this genre over the past several years. I shudder to think of the day I'm trying to explain to my son why 'Interview With The Vampire' is considerably superior in every way to 'Twilight 10: The WolfBatVampZombieGhost revenge'.
I watch them all though regardless of how awful just in the slight hope of something that can come close to some of the greats. 'Interview With The Vampire' obviously :) 'Lost Boys' of course. Maybe 'Let the Right One In' comes close. It's like panning for gold decades too late.
Tonight was awesome... I found Byzantium. What is it with British cinema which just seems to get more appealing the older you get?
This film was (almost) perfect.
It brought back the beauty, charm and entrancement of a decent Vampire flick. It's like experiencing a dream. The beautifully simple piano soundtrack worked so well... as it often does in so many movies.
Hah - the joke on is me though as I just looked up IMDB to see who directed this and it turns out it's the same guy who directed 'Interview With The Vampire'.... Well Mr 'Neil Jordan', I am a big fan. (He also did the Crying Game but I haven't seen it :0)
I was completely entranced for the entire movie. When I think back to how it started to where it ended and the journey I'd been through it's just incredible. There is so much going on and I just love the way it's told. I just want anyone like me who still holds on to the hope of good vampire movies to watch this and let me know what you think. Am I losing my grasp? Or do you agree this is an original masterpiece?
9/10
IMDB Info
BTW - the only reason for the (almost) perfect was a few scotchers so hopefully need to edit that out after a sober watch ;) (10/10??? :)
Spring Breakers
Spring Breakers is essentially a love letter to being a slutty, immature, spoilt, uncaring and violent teenage girl. It follows 3 such girls, who try hard to corrupt a fourth, on a spiralling journey into chaos and madness. All the while dressed in bikini's and showing off how the Spring Breaker generation party when they get out of school. There is plenty of drugs, sex and violence and an overbearingly obvious attempt to convey something of the shallowness or crudeness or evilness or something of this act that many a teenager does but unfortunately the movie fails to really make a point about anything.
I find the teenage years a really interesting time of life to focus on in a movie, as do countless coming of age stories, but this film really isn’t a coming of age story. I also find it really interesting to watch beautiful women in bikini's but this film somehow makes that seem dull too. I find it really interesting to see the consequences of making bad decisions and hanging out with the wrong people but in this film there are no consequences for the girls, they get away with anything. And, I find it really interesting to see what happens when you bring in a dangerous fifth person to a small and tight group of friends, but this film fails to portray the consequences and takes the easy path out with just sending half of them home, never to be seen of again for the rest of the movie. How the movie can try and fail on so many levels is kind of interesting.
Ultimately the movie just isn’t that great. It has a kind of excellent premise in that it’s about four hot girls going to spring break, wearing bikinis for the whole movie, getting caught up with a drug dealer, stealing money and partying their arses off, but it tries to convey all of these other ideas along the way and turns into a mess. It should have either just accepted itself as a bit of TnA flick or lessened the TnA and stuck to a specific point. Instead it turned out to be half/half.
The one saving grace of the film and the reason I am recommending everyone should still check it out has nothing to do with what I just said, it’s James Franco. 'Alien' as his character is called in this film is mesmerising. I honestly would not have even known it was James Franco without seeing his name in the credits. He COMPLETELY transforms himself into someone else, and by doing so embodies the American Dream. In one scene he is standing on a bed repeatedly saying 'Look at all my shit!' whilst pointing to his guns, his money, his clothes and his drugs. Its done amazingly well and really sticks out. Actually, almost every scene he is in is memorable so check it out for his acting alone.
SCORE: 6/10
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