Atonal Musings

Atonal Musings, now atonalFILM!

2010-05-01T16:55:00.007+10:00

Hi all,
This site has now been replaced by a new site:

http://www.atonalfilm.com/

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Josh

News: Atonal Musings - The Sequel

2010-04-21T14:53:00.011+10:00

Just an update for those few cats who've been following my adventures in cineland on this site. I'm currently working a new site, with its own domain, hosting and all that jazz. All the film related content here will be transferred over.

In addition, there will be even more new content - reviews, news and interviews from the world of Film and TV, charting my adventure in the world of film and film journalism.

The site will go live in a few weeks. The short of it is, I will still be updating this blog until then, but posts will be more sporadic while I sort out the teething issues on Atonal Musings 2: Bigger, better, and with more Tina Fey (wait, that's not entirely accurate, but on the upside, there's only four more days 30 Rock returns to the airwaves).

Look forward to seeing everyone on the new site.

Happy filmgoing!

Review: Accidents Happen (2009)

2010-04-15T23:34:00.011+10:00

Released April 22, 2010

The struggling family of Accidents Happen

Geena Davis’s career imploded after Cutthroat Island, the 1995 pirate movie that holds the dubious honour of being the biggest ever box-office flop. After an intermission involving Olympic archery and matters presidential (TV’s Commander in Chief), she returns to the big screen in this numbing British-Australian co-production about a family torn apart by unfortunate happenstance.

In tone and theme, it’s a less charming version of Pushing Daisies, the wonderful series that combined wacky Tim Burton-esque whimsy with morbid dark humour. There’s some of that here: “Some people wouldn’t know their ass from an air-conditioner,” our know-it-all narrator informs us as a man goes up in flames on a sunny morning in suburban Connecticut. Beautifully shot in poetic slow-motion, it’s the best scene in the film. This event is observed by the young Billy Conway (Harrison Gilbertson), the son of Davis’s Gloria, a boy struggling to find his place within his fractured family after a car accident kills his sister and places one brother into a coma.

He’s too bland a protagonist for us to really invest in his coping strategies – dabbling in girls, drugs and the odd nude streak through the local supermarket. Davis is however fine as the distraught mother, who spends most of the time on the verge of crying and muttering overly-scripted, inane wisecracks like “I’m so hungry I could eat a crowbar and shit a jungle jim.”

First-time feature director Andrew Lancaster shows a flair for painterly images but is saddled by a mess of a script by Brian Carbee that never settles on a consistent tone. Things turn all serious at the end when the story focuses on the real psychological cost of the family’s loss, and even though the ethereal indie-rock soundtrack encourages us otherwise, it’s hard to care when the catharsis isn’t earned.

Review: The Book of Eli (2010)

2010-04-07T23:14:00.007+10:00

Released April 15, 2010

Denzel and Mila Kunis wandering the plains in The Book of Eli

Post apocalyptic movies are all the rage (The Road, Children of Men) and why not – there’s few concepts that are inherently dramatic and provide the platform for existential angst. There’s plenty of the latter in the latest movie from the Hughes Brothers (Menace II Society, From Hell), though the point of its confused religious grandstanding is anyone’s guess.

Eli, the man-with-no-name wandering though the generic but oddly beautiful American wasteland, is played by a stoic Denzel Washington. He’s a wizened old survivor who’s become adept at dispatching cannibalistic thugs with his workhorse blade slung over his shoulder. He needs it, especially, to ward off the aggressive Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who launders over a ramshackle town like Ian McShane’s Al Swearengen in Deadwood. Carnegie may delve into a Mussolini biography and have a paperback copy of the Da Vinci Code on his desk, but what he’s really after is the crucifix-adorned book in Eli’s possession. It doesn’t take a great leap of faith to guess the book’s subject and, as per the historical precedent, The Book of Eli follows the battle over this divine text, complete with wildly excessive, but gloriously stylish action scenes.

For two-thirds of its length Eli maintains this enjoyable B-movie Western vibe, replete with a classic high-noon style standoff. But it then turns to serious philosophizing and final act twists which are simply baffling. These WTF moments, weirdly, do not commit the M. Night sin of invalidating all that happened prior, but just act to make it more fascinating; The Book of Eli is nothing if not ambitious. The ideas are silly, but the oddball sincerity is kind of charming, and there’s a stylized exuberance to the images seemingly inspired by graphic novels.

Aside from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (and, presently, Date Night), the very pretty Mila Kunis often feels miscast. Here, her young Solara, a woman intrigued by Eli’s sturdy conviction, is an odd foil for the Washington’s grizzled survivor. A hoot, though, are Michael Gambon and Frances de la Tour as a couple of cannibalistic outlanders.

Review: Beneath Hill 60 (2010)

2010-04-07T22:48:00.011+10:00

Released April 15, 2010

Brendan Cowell's Captain Woodward somewhere under Hill 60

Spoilers for history: in 1917 members of the 1st Australian tunnelling Division detonated 19 mines under the German front lines in Belgium, resulting in the biggest ever man-made explosion. The blast, it is said, was heard as far away as Dublin. The lead up to this momentous event is the subject of this awfully old fashioned war movie set in the muddy misery of World War I. Don’t expect cries of “war is hell,” existential crises or sharp political comment, Beneath Hill 60 tells its story with a straight face and minimal reflection.

Our band of heroes, plucked from working in the mines back home, are lead by the soft-spoken Captain Oliver Woodward (Brendan Cowell). Tunnelling and explosive experts, they’re literally “diggers,” not soldiers. Before their reassignment to Hill 60, the movie skirts with tensions within the squad and between them and the more highly trained regular soldiers, but the underdeveloped characters are non-descript and expendable. As perfunctory is a relationship between Woodward and sixteen year-old farmgirl Marjorie Waddell (Bella Heathcote), told in flashback, which is low on romance but high in creepiness.

Despite impressive production values and cinematography (and a budget of only $9 million), director Jeremy Sims’ heavy theatre-trained hand is bludgeoning. Music swells, men fall in a slow motion swath of bullets and heroes make the necessary scarifies for the greater good. It’s undone, too, by some peculiar self-conscious acting from men who feel more like NIDA grads than working class miners. An exception is Steve Le Marquand’s as the gruff Fraser, a man who is not afraid to state his mind.

BH60, while delving into the procedures of war rather than its ideology, is no Hurt Locker. That film used specific details to illuminate Jeremy Renner’s adrenaline junkie protagonist. The characters in BH60, on the other hand, exist only at the service of the insufficiently explained plot. Not every war film needs to be a meditation on violence, but they do have to pass the most basic litmus test of any film: making the audience care, something Sims, despite his smooth and earnest production, struggles to achieve.

Review: Clash of the Titans (2010)

2010-04-01T18:09:00.005+11:00

Released April 1, 2010

Sam Worthington as the demi-god Perseus

The original 1981 Clash of the Titans was a plodding fantasy epic made enjoyable by the special effects of stop-motion wizard Ray Harryhausen. The creator of innumerable beasts in the Sinbad movies and, most famously, the skeletons at the climax of Jason and the Argonauts, his designs were masterpieces of creativity and subtlety. These are qualities absent from Louis Leterrier’s frenetic remake, a wash of bland CGI monsters, ADD action and self-important dialogue.

Current bigshot Sam Worthington (still struggling with his pseudo-American accent) plays a non-descript, monosyllabic Perseus. The son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), he is none too pleased with his demi-god status after his adoptive parents are inadvertently killed by the malicious god of the underworld, Hades (Ralph Fiennes, in slithering Voldemort mode). As punishment for their rejection by man, the gods decree the city of Argos to be destroyed by the monstrous Kraken – inflated this time to Bruckheimer-sized proportions – unless the beautiful princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) is offered up as a sacrifice. It’s up to Perseus and his disposable band of warriors to avert disaster.

The plot makes little sense, especially since Perseus’ affection lies not with the in-peril Andromeda but towards the helpful demi-god Io (Gemma Arterton). Saving the princess, hence, seems like a plot convenience. Worse are the messy visuals. Already a victim of Leterrier’s poor spatial sense, the post-conversion to 3D is at best perfunctory and at worst, downright atrocious, simply too dim and muddled to be coherent.

Technical ineptitude aside, it’s the creature design and scene construction that reek of laziness and indifference. The suspenseful Medusa confrontation of the 1981 version is here replaced by an improbable battle in a cavern that’s a cross between the gravity-bending maze of Labyrinth and the fires of Mount Doom. It might have worked if, Mads Mikkelsen’s Draco aside, the characters were not already made of stone. I was cheering for Medusa, her demonic cackle one of the few moments of original inspiration.

There’s a joke early on about the absence of Bubo the mechanical owl, the R2D2 cash-in from the original. Bubo’s presence would have helped this movie. And that’s saying something.

Review: Kick-Ass (2010)

2010-03-31T00:36:00.010+11:00

Released April 8, 2010

Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl prepare to pummel some baddies

Even with more than half a dozen superhero projects in development (including the all star The Avengers movies), it’s easy to feel the genre reached its artistic peak with The Dark Knight. Instead of following the formula to a tee, this adaptation of Mark Millar’s latest creation deconstructs it by making its characters comic book readers. In other words, it is to the superhero genre as Scream was for horror movies. It’s as much as success too, funny and surprisingly sweet yet featuring an 11-year old girl snarling the C-word and indulging in some cartoonish ultra-violence. Cue the uproar from family watchdogs. For the rest of us heathens, Kick-Ass is a thrilling piece of visceral cinema with a gleeful disregard for political correctness.

Traditional elements are shredded in a pop-culture blender resulting in characters who are familiar yet unique. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is your average masturbatory teenager who would rather be anywhere but English class. A green wetsuit and myspace page later and he’s become Kick-Ass, amateur superhero and star of the most watched YouTube video on the web, a bloody and messy beating of local thugs. He’s Spiderman by way of McLovin. Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) is the scene stealing purple-haired assassin, a mash of Natalie Portman from Leon and The Bride from Kill Bill. Her father is Big Daddy, whom a wacky Nicolas Cage defines indelibly as his own by way of Adam West’s Batman. McLovin himself (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) also appears as the son of supervillain Mark Strong, who should be getting good at it after Holmes, Stardust and Sunshine.

Director Michael Vaughan (Layer Cake) gives each action scene a distinct character – one brutal and circular, one in a continuous take and, in one of the film’s many nods to the iPod generation, one in video game-esque first person. He understands a mash of cuts doesn’t work without continuity, and that the best action advances character. Solidifying the endorphin rush is the deliberate choice of music, largely pillaged from composer John Murphy’s previous work (28 Days Later, Sunshine).

The buoyant thrills are matched by a genuine heart that lies less with Lizewski and friends’ Superbad antics than it does the unconventional Hit Girl/Big Daddy relationship, which optimistically purports how love can flourish even amongst the most peculiar of circumstances.

Review: How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

2010-03-25T21:44:00.009+11:00

Released March 25, 2010

Hiccup and toothless give Jake and Neytiri a run for their money

Pixar has had a string of animated hits, critically and commercially, unrivalled since Disney’s heyday. DreamWorks animation was never going to challenge that dynasty but their latest is spritely and energetic, and revels in the 3D joy of simulated flight. That it doesn’t strive for the wit, invention and subtlety of Up or Wall-E is a mute point.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Jay Baruchel) is an 11-year old Viking whose vernacular seems acquired from too many viewings of Juno. He lives on a coastal village under constant threat from the vicious, titular fire-breathing reptiles. Instead of raping and pillaging, it has been tradition amongst the clan of enormous bearded warriors, which include Hiccup’s father Stoick (Gerard Butler), to hunt these feared creatures. To do so is a rite of passage for every young Viking.

Hiccup is not so sure after downing the dreaded “Night Wing,” who, upon closer inspection, is less a feared predator than a cross between a crafty cat and a lizard. His budding friendship with “toothless” is at odds with his training as a dragonslayer, though his first hand knowledge gives him an edge over the impetuous tomboy – and romantic interest – Astrid (America Ferrera, Ugly Betty).

The story, which wears its young heart on its sleeve, goes where it must. Both adults and children will instead be focused more on the colourful 3D animation (famed cinematographer Roger Deakins is credited as visual consultant), clever humour and the magnificent, heroic score by John Powell; only the most jaded and cynical could not be roused by its energy and scope. An over reliance on action – however well constructed and animated – at the expense of character is the only dampener.

What lingers are the swoops and rolls of soaring flight as Hiccup and toothless skip over the waves and climb into the stratosphere. For those few moments, you’ll feel like you’ve come along for the ride.

News: Scream 4 + Wes Craven = Official

2010-03-24T01:23:00.016+11:00

It's official, Wes Craven is to reunite with Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette in the fourth Scream movie to shoot in May. The film will be set ten years later in Woodsboro and reportedly be the beginning of a new trilogy with a new bunch of characters. The original writer, Kevin Williamson, is to pen the script.

Even through Scream 3 had problems and was easily the weakest of the three (also the only not written by Williamson), Sidney's overall story was nicely bookended, so I hope they do it justice here. It's not as if there isn't plenty of new horror territory - torture porn among them - to mine, and with Craven now officially in as director, there's much potential.

Scream 4 is set for release April 12th, 2011.

Review: She's Out of My League (2010)

2010-03-23T20:03:00.018+11:00

Released April 1, 2010

Molly, a perfect ten, and Kirk, a modest six in She's Out of My League

This is a slight, occasionally charming broad comedy that would feel more at home on the mouldy video store shelf than at the multiplex. There, it feels like a cheap copy of the Judd Apatow films (Knocked Up, The 40-Year Old Virgin); another valiant attempt to give hope to losers everywhere.

Stuck in dead end jobs, the 20-something male leads pass the time making crass jokes and rating people on a one to ten scale of sexual desirability. Kirk (Jay Baruchel), is a self-professed six, and works as a security guard at an airport. He and his three buddies, who are like the understudies of Jonah Hill, Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd, agree he has no chance with the gorgeous Hard Ten, Molly (Alice Eve). In a refreshing twist, it’s she, blond locks blowing in the breeze, who makes the first move. Family awkwardness, self-inflicted angst and sexual hijinks ensue.

League's concept is tired, but the jokes, when they’re not an American Pie level of crass, sometimes amuse, and nice-guy Kirk’s trepidation with his budding romance will be familiar to many. But his paltry self-esteem is more frustrating than endearing, especially since the traditional boy-meets-girl, boy-looses-girl structure hinges entirely on this character flaw.

Like Zack Galifianakis in The Hangover, it’s the chubby and lovable sidekick who is the funniest creation, in this case an overgrown child played by Nate Torrence. Krysten Ritter, who recently made a memorable appearance on TV’s Breaking Bad, also steals her scenes as Molly’s snappy best friend. They enliven but don't ignite this routine rom-com which, despite its second-tier charm, fails to achieve the elusive sweet-and-sour Apatow mix.

News: Top Ten Movies of 2009 - #6

2010-03-19T07:00:00.006+11:00

6. Two Lovers

Gwyneth Paltrow and Joaquin Phoenix unhappy in love in Two Lovers

Reputedly this was to be Joaquin Phoenix’s final film before embarking on a rapping career, complete with compulsive beard growing and weird talk-show appearances. Whether or not his career switch is genuine or a stunt for a Casey Affleck mockmentary may soon be revealed, with recent rumours that he is return to acting, playing gothic writer Edgar Allen Poe in an adaptation of Daniel Stashower’s book, The Beautiful Cigar Girl.

Either way, his "final" performance in James Gray’s romantic drama, Two Lovers, is extraordinary. His Leonard is borderline suicidal, but also a romantic with a crush on the blond beauty hauled up in the apartment across the courtyard (a brilliant Gwyneth Paltrow). Though it appears otherwise at first, she's as damaged as he is. They're contrasted by the normal girl played by Vinessa Shaw, who is attractive but is missing the allure of her more volatile competition. Leonard's caring mother outwardly disapproves of his little crush, and is played with grace and subtlety by Isabella Rossellini.

It’s rare to find a "romantic" movie that dares to treat its characters like real people, flawed and complex, instead of succumbing to the romantic comedy clichés that have all but killed the genre. Beautifully shot in a cold, icy Brooklyn, Gray's film is a beautiful, moving and heartbreakingly realistic gem. It certainly deserved more than a limited cinematic release.

News: Top Ten Movies of 2009 - #7

2010-03-18T07:00:00.000+11:00

7. Watchmen

The Comedian and Ozymandias, dsyfunctional superheroes of Watchmen

The audacity of Zack Snyder. It was the most celebrated graphic novel ever written, and also deemed “unfilmable,” by Terry Gilliam, who was at one point attached to the project when it was stuck in developmental hell. And yet the director of 300, with a tremendous respect for the source material, has fashioned an exhilarating comic book film like no other.

It is remarkable that this movie even exists. With no name stars, a meandering non-linear narrative, brutal violence, sex, and, god forbid, such a thing as character complexity, Warner Brothers and Paramount firstly deserve credit for green-lighting a $130 million dollar comic-book movie with uncertain box office potential.

As a movie, it has its problems. The plot doesn’t have a totally satisfying structure, there is one retched performance (a stone dry Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre) and Snyder is slavish, to a fault, to the source text. Yet to do otherwise would result in a movie that does a disserve to the immense achievement of the original novel. This movie is the unadulterated Watchmen, rough edged, complex and provocative. It retains the shades of the book while delivering an exhilarating visceral ride of image and sound. Be sure to check out the more robust director’s cut, which contains 24 minutes of extra footage that brings the running time to a more satisfying three hours.

News: Top Ten Movies of 2009 - #8

2010-03-17T07:00:00.003+11:00

8. In the Loop

Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), keeper of the curse words

One feels a review of this scathing British political satire is not complete without a requisite dose of expletives. Whether it’s lubricated horse-cocks or a fucking master race of highly-gifted toddlers, manic PR spin doctor Malcolm Tucker has a curse word for all occasions. And they flow freely as he attempts to manipulate UK and US power figures into a war in the Middle East.

While a satire of politics and the random decisions that can sometimes lead to war, In the Loop is genuinely hilarious. Aside from Tucker (played brilliantly by Peter Capaldi), there’s Tom Hollander as Simon Foster, a bumbling British politician who draws laughter through his ineptitude, and the US Assistant Secretary of State Linton Barwick (David Rasche), who perplexingly mutters random inanities such as “All roads lead to Munich.”

The screenplay (the movie is derived from the BBC series The Thick of It), written by director Armando Iannucci, among others, was nominated for an Oscar, and was a more deserving than the eventual victor, Precious. There’s few witter, funnier and outrageously satirical scripts around, and it’s a perfect antidote to the flag waving, idealistic portrayal of Washington we usually see. Instead In the Loop presents a political world closer to reality, one that is, in the words of its director, “a bit rubbish.” The film itself, though, is quite the opposite.

Review: Cop Out (2010)

2010-03-16T20:05:00.012+11:00

Released March 18, 2010

A game Tracey Morgan and a bored Bruce Willis in Cop Out

Kevin Smith’s (Clerks, Chasing Amy) peculiar blend of witty dialogue-driven humour and sly observation is completely absent from this tired attempt to revive the buddy-cop genre. Those movies, epitomized by minor classics of the 80s such as 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop, worked both as action and as comedy. Cop Out works as neither, and can’t decide if it would rather be a homage or parody.

Take Tracey Morgan. Playing a variation of his manic 30 Rock character, in one scene he’s playing the good cop during an interrogation, endlessly quoting movies in an improvised sequence that could have been born as a Saturday Night Live skit. In another dramatic (TM) scene, he’s having a heart-to-heart with his wife (Rashida Jones), whom he suspects of cheating with their hot-and-single neighbour. This juxtaposition could have worked if either were (a) funny or (b) dramatic, but neither is the case.

Both Morgan and Bruce Willis, who sleepwalks through his role as the more sensible partner, are likeable stars at the whim of a mediocre script by Robb and Mark Cullen. Why Kevin Smith was inspired to make this his first directorial effort from material other than his own is baffling. He admitted that it was “not MY movie,” but “a movie I was hired to direct.” In which case, I would ask, why bother at all?

If it was a test of his directorial ability, then the pacing and sloppy handing of the few action scenes reveal areas for improvement. The plot, meanwhile, is based around the coincidence of Willis’ search for his missing baseball card – worth over $40k and to fund his daughter’s wedding – and a drug dealing ring.

Despite its problems, I didn’t want to flee from the theatre. Both Morgan, and Seann William Scott as a childish petty thief, have their moments, and the score by 80s-synth master Harold Faltermeyer is a snug fit. But Smith, at his best, is capable of greatness, whereas the best I can say of this soulless project is that it lives up to its title.

News: Top Ten Movies of 2009 - #9

2010-03-16T07:00:00.008+11:00

9. A Serious Man

Larry Gobnick and his reaction to the universe

The Coen brothers have always been adept at creating dark, inquisitive comedies with an intellectual edge, and A Serious Man is no exception. It tells the story of Physics professor Larry Gopnick, an ineffectual man with more questions than answers. The movie is structured around his increasingly futile attempts to understand why the universe seems to have it in for him. All he can come with, as is suggested by friends, rabbis and his insensitive wife (who would rather be with a pretentious nitwit by the name of Sy Ableman) is “accept the mystery.”

A Serious Man works on several levels: as a satire of Jewishness, as a philosophical treatise, and, if one has the stomach for awkward situations, as a comedy. It’s also the Coens’ most personal film, set in their home town of St. Louis Park, Minnesota and based on experiences of their childhood. The cast is superb, with relative unknown Michael Stuhlbarg (robbed of an Oscar nomination) the standout as Larry, the bewildered and passive Serious Man of the title who is of good intentions but no conviction.

I first saw the movie at the Canberra Film Festival and the partisan crowd was already in on the joke. But it’s easy to see how audiences could be perplexed by its blacker than black comedy. Who can blame them when the sum total of Larry’s pleadings to the powers that be is, not a catharsis of answers, but an ominous, gathering storm.

News: Top Ten Movies of 2009 - #10

2010-03-15T07:00:00.014+11:00

If there’s one thing movie geeks love to do it is to create lists. Everyone’s doing them. Top ten of the year. Top ten of the decade. Top ten blockbusters with the worst CGI. It’s completely perfunctory of course, and ranking them is, especially, absurd. But it satisfies our natural human instinct to ensure everything is categorized and easily referenced. With that spirit in mind, I will be revealing my Top Ten Films of 2009, in order, each weekday, beginning now with J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek.

10. Star Trek

Kirk and Spock on the iBridge

From the outset of 2009, Star Trek as a film series, and as a TV franchise, was dead. The last two films (Insurrection and Nemesis) were awful, and Enterprise was a valiant, but failed attempt to make hip a property widely known for the opposite. Leave it to J.J. Abrams, the skilful TV auteur behind Alias and Lost, Mi:III and, in concept at least, Cloverfield, to achieve just what Enterprise failed to do: make Star Trek cool again.

Hardcore fans may be upset that Abrams has fashioned Trek into an action-driven space-opera more akin to its fanboy rival, Star Wars. I am not, nor have ever been a serious Trek fan, my familiarity with series extending no further than many: First Contact, The Wrath of Khan and the odd episode of TNG or DS9. In other words, precisely the audience at which the 2009 revisioning takes aim.

With a gleeful energy and abundance of lens flares, this new Trek seamlessly blends thrilling action with a well drawn Spock/Kirk origin story. After Abrams, it is a success is largely because of its cast, especially Chris Pine as Kirk, paying homage to Shatner but making it his own, and Zachary Quinto, a surprisingly good Spock given his bland work as Sylar on the troubled Heroes.

The screenplay (by blockbuster go-to team Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman) has its contrivances, but it’s also deft at establishing over a half dozen characters, and doing so with clever nods to the original series. Star Trek is not a great film, but it’s an exciting and polished refashioning of a beloved property, and that’s why it’s my tenth best film of the year.

Review: Brothers (2009)

2010-03-12T07:00:00.011+11:00

Released March 18, 2010

The bad brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) and good wife (Natalie Portman) in Brothers

This remake of the Susanne Bier’s critically acclaimed drama has little new to say about the effect of war on its participants. What it does have are three strong performances from big Hollywood stars and a smattering of raw, emotional truth.

Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is a solider about to embark on another tour of Afghanistan, leaving behind his loving wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and their two daughters. Sam is the favoured and high-achieving son of the grouchy Hank (Sam Shepard), an alcoholic Vietnam-vet who would prefer to ignore the existence of his other trouble-making son, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal).

Sam heads off to war but is quickly captured. His family presumes him dead –but of course, he’s not – and when he eventually returns, psychologically damaged from his ordeal, he resents the tight family unit that has formed in his absence.

The second half of Brothers is an emotional sucker punch, with a series of powerful yet oddly manufactured scenes. While tapping into a timely problem facing many military families, the characters feel more like movie creations than living, breathing entities. This is despite a nuanced performance from Portman, who is wonderful in an underwritten role; the frightening frenzy of Maguire’s paranoid veteran and, most real of them all, Gyllenhaal’s well-meaning but dysfunctional Tommy.

Brothers is not a war movie, but a family melodrama about guilt and acceptance. Its heightened emotions, minimal score and austere direction are a difficult mix. Director Jim Sheridan knows this, and cleverly uses the gentle humour of the family's delightful young girls to offset the tension. It's just enough, together with the performances, for Brothers to maintain its delicate balancing act, but it remains less than the sum of its quite substantial parts.

News: The Oscars 2010

2010-03-09T23:00:00.019+11:00

Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Greg Shapiro lap it up

Here we are again, another year, another Oscar ceremony, one that is possibly destined to go down in history as the one where Avatar did not win best picture. It certainly won't go down as one of the more memorable, with little drama outside of obnoxious producer Elinor Burkett stealing the microphone from Best Documentary Short winner Roger Ross Williams, who won for Music by Prudence. Even Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin's jokes fell flat (except for a pearler about Christoph Waltz's Jew hunter having arrived in Hollywood at "the mother lode") and were seemingly reading off a telepromter and without their usually spot on comic timing.

Are they looking for jokes which are actually funny?

But it wasn't a total loss.

Memorable moments include:

- Neil Patrick Harris' Busby Berkeley opening number

- The dances to the original score nominees, the first bunch in years to actually be good scores.

- Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr. presenting together, the only paring to achieve any sort of zing.

Tina Fey and Robert Downey, Jr. making with the funny

- Best score winner (for Up) Michael Giacchino telling budding artists to ignore the naysayers and that creativity is not a waste of time.

- A tribute to (American) Horror movies. Roger Ebert (in a live tweet from the show) called it "Shameless pandering to fanboys & girls." Accurate maybe, but it's still good to see them getting some love.

Christoph Waltz, due next to star in Michel Gondry's The Green Hornet

- Chistoph Waltz's "uber-bingo!" Was it ever even in question?

- Every cut away to George Clooney looking bored.

- The tribute to John Hughes. I've barely seen any of his movies, but the heartfelt words given by Matthew Broderick and Molly Ringwald, among others, make me want to.

Less memorable moments or moments memorable for the wrong reasons:

- Elinor Burkett's aforementioned mic-stealing incident.

- Jeff Bridges for best actor. Well deserved (and received with a standing ovation), but as George Clooney joked on the red carpet, "Well, he's gonna win, right?"

The Dude with his prize

- Avatar for cinematography? Virtual cinematography over the old-fashioned film of Inglourious Basterds? Tarantino must be flipping out.

- Sandra Bullock's Best Actress for The Blind Slide. Expected, yes, but with her winning a Razzie the previous night for All About Steve, one can't help but feel this is a newcomer vote for starring in a popular tear jerker. But too her credit she joked about it in her acceptance speech, "Did I really earn this, or did I just wear you all down?" Kudos.

Moments that made you say WTF?

- Precious' adapted screenplay win over In the Loop? District 9? An Education? AND Up in the Air? The first three perhaps were never going to win (though In the Loop is the most hysterically foul-mouthed linguisting masterpiece in memory), but Jason Reitman's sublime Up in the Air? That great film got no love at all. Precious' win however, did give screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher the chance to give the most heartfelt speech of the night.

A surprised and moved Geoffrey Fletcher

- The Hurt Locker win for original screenplay is more understandable, though I wish Tarantino had gotten more love for his dialogue heavy WW2 yarn.

- El secreto de sus ojos winning best Foreign Film over the favourites The White Ribbon and A Prophet.

- The double Twilight presenting teams pandering to the young audience. The at best polite applause when Martin pointed them out in the audience speaks volumes (though Anna Kendrick is wasted in New Moon and magnificent in Up in the Air. She's the most talented of the quartet, by far).

The boys from The Hurt Locker in celebration

Overall it was an evening with few surprises and, despite many expecting James Cameron's epic to nab Best Picture (instead winning Cinematography, Art Direction and - gasp! - Visual Effects), it was Kathryn Bigelow's night. Her intelligent and sweaty-palm-inducing Iraq war film The Hurt Locker was a deserving winner, but one still wonders if her ex-husband's blockbuster won't have more lasting significance.

You can find the full list of winners over on IMDb.

Review: Green Zone (2010)

2010-03-05T07:00:00.007+11:00

Released March 11, 2010

Matt Damon on the prowl in Green Zone

They might as well have called it The Bourne Zone. Reuniting that franchise’s star and director (Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass), Green Zone is a tense thriller set against the still ongoing war in Iraq. While flirting with the war’s politics and the false justification for the U.S. lead invasion, it is first and foremost an action picture, shot in the director’s typically ragged, hand-held style. Haters of the Bourne sequels’ shaky-cam be warned.

The title refers to the international safe zone in central Baghdad that at one time was the home of the transitional government. Set around 2003, it is there we find U.S. soldier Roy Miller (Damon) on the hunt for weapons of mass destruction. He begins to question his intel when his MET – Mobile Exploitation Team – fails to find any of the offending devices. Surprise, surprise. The military’s source, he learns, is only known by the name “Magellan”, and has leaked information to an embedded Wall Street Journal reporter, Lawrie Dayne (Amy Ryan). Local C.I.A. chief (Brendan Gleeson) also feels something is amiss. A machine gun rattle later and Miller finds himself an ally-deprived rogue on a quest for the truth. Sound familiar?

Say what you will about his frantic style, but Greengrass knows how to construct visceral action. His hard-hitting, quick cut realism is just as effective, in its own way, as The Hurt Locker’s slow-burning suspense. Closely resembling the standard man-out-of-his-depth-and-doesn’t-know-who-to-trust thriller, Green Zone fictionalises and condenses years of revelations and debate about the Iraq war into an easily digestible and highly-entertaining format.

Aside from its telling final shot, the film is not interested in judging the war’s legality, only that it is deplorable to deliberately deceive and manipulate. Miller stands in for those courageous individuals who are unwilling to simply accept dogma without question or justification. Early on a seemingly honest Iraqi citizen tells him there's a meeting of high ranking officials up the road. An ambush could be feasible. Despite the danger, Miller chooses to take him up on his suggestion, to which one of his subordinates responds: “Chief, we’re here to do a job, the reasons don’t matter”. “They matter to me,” he replies. I don't think he's alone with that sentiment.

DVD Review: Mao's Last Dancer (2009)

2010-03-03T07:00:00.004+11:00

Released March 4, 2010

The elegant lines of Chi Cao (as Li Cuxin) in Mao's Last Dancer

It's a shame that Mao's Last Dancer has been barely seen outside Australia. Only garnering a release in Germany (oddly) and appearing at a few film festivals, this DVD may be the first chance many have had to see Bruce Beresford’s latest, a broad biopic of ballet-dancer extrodinarre Li Cuxin.

Aside from his dancing exploits, Cuxin became well known because of his 21 hour long detention at the Houston Chinese Consulate in 1981. An exchange student reaching the end of his term, Li had fallen for his adopted capitalist home (not to mention, his pretty girlfriend) and wished to stay. The communist Chinese authorities did not approve.

His story, from a difficult childhood in 1960s China, to his training at the grueling Beijing Dance Academy, to his subsequent stay in the United States, is related in his autobiography which became the basis for Jan Sardi’s (Shine) screenplay.

Dramatic and uplifting, it is an enjoyable but conventional rags-to-riches tale. Beresford is not afraid to tug at the heartstrings or enounciate the blatant themes of race, culture and ambition. But it’s also weak, without the conviction of thoroughly depicting the hardships enforced on him as a child.

That would perhaps have been a better film. As it is the melodrama of Mao’s Last Dancer is painted in broad strokes with touching performances from Joan Chen as Li’s mother Niang, and company director Ben Stevenson (Bruce Greenwood, Star Trek), a soft fatherly figure and champion of his biggest star. Everyone else, including Chi Cao as Li are just servicable, though his dual-language role and superb dancing ability impresses.

Cinematography Peter James gives the Chinese scenes a grimy, grainy quality which contrasts well to the colourful dance sequences. The film’s biggest weakness is the superficial love story between our hero and attractive dancer Elizabeth Mackey (Amanda Schull), which seems to exist solely to allow Li to play marriage card when the communist officials come knocking.

News: Creative Boredom

2010-03-02T22:03:00.013+11:00

Never let it be said that boredom prevents creativity. It's quite the opposite, as Saul Steinberg describes:

The life of the creative man is lead, directed and controlled by boredom. Avoiding boredom is one of our most important purposes.

For one of my co-workers today, avoiding boredom involved "reviewing" me. Apprently my exploits in the fine-art of film criticism have spread beyond the electronic borders of this blog and into my workplace; I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this collision of worlds. With a penchant for naming me BLACKMAN (my surname, if you're wondering) and the relentless questions of "are you going to review it?" regarding everything from the latest blockbuster to the pencil I'm holding, he took it upon himself to write this awfully well-wrtten gem:

JOSHUA BLACKMAN – A HARRY LAM REVIEW

5 stars

As Tom Jones once sang, it’s not unusual to feel inadequate, inferior and insignificant in the presence of film reviewing greatness. However, due to record company pressure the Welsh crooner was forced to alter these lyrics in an attempt to appease the mainstream listener. But for anyone who has ever been involved in film or its study, dabbled in art or writing, or indeed ever picked up a pen or held an opinion, one cannot help but feel the icy, unforgiving chill under the looming shadow of one master critic. Newton once famously played down his own achievements indicating that his work was only possible by “standing on the shoulder of giants.” Undoubtedly, one such giant was Joshua BLACKMAN.

An enigma, an unsolvable riddle, Joshua BLACKMAN is a man shrouded in mystery and contradictions. His surname – changed to capitals via deed poll in 1986 – is as confronting as it is misleading. Indeed the name BLACKMAN reflects the duality in his ageless writing: ferocious yet subtle. All sightings of this genius recluse suggest that he is actually white, but is definitely a man: a thinking man’s man. He is noted for his slow leisurely gait, yet those closest to him confirm that it is the sheer weight of his movie reviewing mind baring heavily upon his frame that affects his carefree, noble stride. Constantly reviewing, everything from the quality of his coffee, the colour of his desk and even the weather is given a rating out of five. His literary force has been likened to “ten Robert Christgaus strapped to cannons, and fired relentlessly and indiscriminately into the art world”. Such is his influence, that with as little as a simple turn of phrase, BLACKMAN can reduce a multimillion dollar film into a multimillion dollar flop. A master of punctuation, Joshua BLACKMAN once submitted a critique of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet consisting only of punctuation marks. Time Magazine hailed it as the “mark of a fearless mind”. He was only three years old.

Whilst his writing has grown to the same stature as that of Wordsworth and Hemingway, it is his common touch that marks him as a peerless reviewer of films and art. When asked to describe an overcast day in three words, his now immortal response was: “cold, wet and rainy”. Such was the genius and depth of these three seemingly simple words that it has become a staple in the Australian secondary school curriculum in no less than four subjects: English, History, Religious Studies and Physics.

His confronting writing style is at once innovative, challenging and complex. BLACKMAN’s now legendary critique of Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor appeared at first to be a wordless indecipherable doodle. Fearing the backlash from a BLACKMAN obsessed public if a review not be made available that week, the editor published this seemingly crude black and white drawing under the title PEARL HARBOR: A JOSHUA BLACKMAN REVIEW. Understandably, the public was confounded by such a brash display of movie reviewing arrogance, yet this startling image was analysed and scrutinised by millions for months on end. Finally, seven months after its publication, Allan Thomas, an English major from Princeton University stumbled upon its meaning, revealing completely the true genius of its creator. Thomas found that by turning the image upside down, what was once an impenetrable jumble of lines and shapes was actually a Michelangelo-esque drawing of a chimpanzee eating its own excrement.

Perhaps it is only fitting that the final word should go to the great man himself. In a 1997 interview, a Village Voice journalist made the mistake of referring to BLACKMAN as the “Descartes of modern film critique” in an attempt to flatter his uncompromisingly temperamental interviewee. Offended at what he felt was a slight which did not truly encapsulate the breadth of his genius, Joshua BLACKMAN concluded the interview with this remark: “I think, therefore I review.”
Harry Lam

Epic, my friend. Epic.

And now, for my response:

JOSHUA BLACKMAN – A HARRY LAM REVIEW
A JOSHUA BLACKMAN REVIEW

5 stars

It was by pure chance of fate that today I stumbled across a great man. A man with so refined a writing style I feel inadequacy brewing in my very being; a life's work thrown into chaos in a second of startling revelation; a vocation so ingrained in one's existence that one feels their soul, ragged and heavy, being torn asunder.

The piece responsible is a stunning work of penmanship published in the Facebook Journal of Literary Criticism. His review of this humble reviewer is the purest expression of the reviewing art yet created by the mortal hand of man.

In it he claims that I, Joshua BLACKMAN, am "an enigma, an unsolvable riddle." And yet it is he who is this enigma. Hidden behind his undying love for the mythical Rabbitos and hatred for L.A. hip hop is a remarkable writing talent. Who knew what was hidden behind that peculiar smile and those uniquely forceful eyes.

When I muttered my description of the weather that cold, wet and rainy day, I felt I had reached the pinnacle of literary expression on a level unmatched even by Hemingway, Dickens or J.K. Rowling, And yet I have been upstaged. The phrases flow easily from his delicate keyboard: "the icy, unforgiving chill," "wordless indecipherable doodle," "a chimpanzee eating its own excrement." It is as impossible to comprehend the complex mind conjuring such sublime turns of phrase.

Goethe said that perhaps "only a genius is able to understand a genius." Accordingly I cannot be a genius, for the complexity of this master's pen is equally breathtaking and baffling, the raging fire of inspiration burning beneath untouchable and unknowable.

I once said "I think, therefore I review." I now realize such a description is inadequate. In this case of this great man, who's name is Harry Lam, it should have read: "I AM, therefore I review."

Like I say: never let it be said that boredom prevents creativity.

News: Chauvel Argento Festival Night #1

2010-03-01T07:00:00.006+11:00

The Chauvel cinema in Sydney is having a mini-horror film festival with a focus on the movies of Dario Argento. First up was Argento's 1977 classic Suspiria , followed by George A. Romero’s zombie flick, Dawn of the Dead (1978).

I'll get to the films below, but the main disappointment of these screenings is that they seemed to be projected digitally, which is frankly blasphemous. The images were astonishingly clear, but with no visible grain or tangible film quality, one feels the experience was more clinical than it should have been and, especially for Argento, that the deep colours of 35mm would have added to the experience. A disappointment, but it's still a rare treat to be able to appreciate these movies on the big screen with other film fans.

Next week I'll report on the screenings of Tenebre (Argento, 1982) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Hooper, 1974). Following that are Phenomena (Argento, 1985) and The Last House on the Left (Craven, 1972), and finally Deep Red (Argento, 1975) and Eaten Alive (Hooper, 1976).

Details can be found on their website under the events and festivals tab.

SUSPIRIA (1977) trailer

Before these screenings I had never seen an Argento film and I hence approached his most famous creation with great anticipation.

A surreal mind-trip of a movie, Suspiria has laughable dialogue, virtually not plot and some atrocious acting. But it’s also one of the most artful, beautiful and frightening horror movies I have seen. Argento has a way of making ever frame look like an opulently coloured painting, with vibrant use of the primary colours, especially (not suprisingly), red. Not afraid to pile on the blood (as in the famous opening slaying which involves a close up of a knife entering a girl’s heart), the scare quota is somewhat muted by the low-budget effects and too-red-to-be-real blood.

But these characteristics help give the film its disturbing hyper-real atmosphere. Instrumental is the setting of the freakish dance studio - one that could only ever exist in the movies - with its unnerving hallways and dream-like trimmings.

While the acting fluctuates between the stilted and the camp, our American heroine played by Jessica Harper, has the right mix of curiousity and vulnerability. Also in the cast is genre favourite Udo Kier, who turns up in a perfunctory and absurd exposition scene in which he explains the psychology of witches (or something).

But never mind that, with some frightening suspenseful sequences, beautiful photography and a demonic repetitve score, Suspiria is a legitimately great horror film from a period when filmmakers were not afraid to take risks.

DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) trailer

In contrast with the beauty of Suspriria are the low-budget thrills of George A. Romero's second zombie movie (the first being Night of the Living Dead). Classic zombies don't exactly make for interesting or scary villains with their trademark slow hobble and groans. Hence, despite the occasional intestine-spewing gore, much of Dead plays more like a comedy, replete with aspirations of social satire.

Four survivors of the global outbreak hole up in the ceiling of an abandoned shopping mall. With the entire complex as their playground and an impressive arsenal of weapons at their disposal (some obtained from the convenient gun store in the mall; only in America, you think...), hundreds of zombies are dispatched as the three men and one woman argue over their next move.

There's a wonderfully rebellious tone and some great one-liners that could only have come from the 70s: when discussing Franciene's pregnancy, the tough self-appointed leader Peter says proudly, "Do you want to abort it? It's not too late, and I know how."

The wacky analogies of zombies to shoppers and consumer culture set to innocuous musak is also a nice touch, as is the latter incursion by bikies that suggest the greater threat my still lie in the land of the living (an aspect also explored in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later).

I'm no zombie movie expert, but Dawn of the Dead has clearly earned it's stripes as a seminal film of the genre. A very enjoyable, bloody piece of work.

Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

2010-02-27T23:30:00.007+11:00

Released March 4, 2010

George Clooney and a goat seeing who will blink first

Do you believe you could stop the heart of a goat with only the power of your mind? The men in The Men Who Stare at Goats think so, and, apparently, some real soldiers in the US military believed they could too.

Based on a sort-of-true story in Jon Ronson’s book on the same name, the film depicts the bizarre training of the First Earth Battalion, a New Age version of the military dreamed up in the 70's in reaction to the Vietnam war.

George Clooney stars as one of the original members of the movement, Lyn Cassady, who is currently on a mission in present day Iraq. He claims to have psychic powers and keeps in shape by bursting clouds with his mind. In flashback we see his training under hippie flower-loving leader Bill Django (Jeff Bridges). Most seem to accept the group’s airy Earth-loving philosophy, except for Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), who would rather use his powers to learn the ways of the dark side.

That’s not just a snappy pop-culture reference either as Cassiday likes to call himself a “Jedi Warrior”. He speaks knowingly about his bushido to an embedded reporter, played indifferently by an American-accented Ewan McGregor, who thinks he’s stumbled upon the story of a lifetime.

I know what you’re thinking: surely this can’t be a true story? Despite a Fargo-esque claim at the outset, the farce on screen certainly isn’t. More a series of offbeat gags than a coherent satire, it’s a case where the actors seem to have had more fun making it than an audience does watching it.

It’s tricky material, and director Grant Heslov, Clooney’s producing partner, never finds the right balance between flippancy and sincerity. Clooney, however, is entertaining playing a variation of his Coen-brothers dumb guy act, and Spacey gets all the best moments as the angry rebel.

Goats is an amusing diversion (with an appropriately loopy title) but enjoyment wears thin as it becomes clear that none of the characters are keen to wake from their deluded LSD-induced slumber.

Review: Alice in Wonderland (2010)

2010-02-26T15:59:00.030+11:00

Released March 4, 2010

Alice (Mia Wasikowska) wandering in Wonderland

Tim Burton's version of Lewis Carroll’s classic is surprising for the wrong reasons. Updating it for today’s 3D craving audience, and with a story shoehorned into the hero’s journey archetype, the director that made the near-masterpiece Ed Wood or even the overblown but terrific Sweeney Todd seems curiously absent.

His usual elements are in play: Johnny Depp as the loopy Mad Hatter, the Danny Eflman score, the emphasis of visuals over story and his wife, Helena Bonham Carter, tearing it up as the manic Red Queen. But despite them and a wonderland that looks like Pandora on acid, it's too conventional, as if Burton was reporting to a committee, rather than the other way around.

Most startling is the screenplay by Linda Woolverton. Drawing more from Through The Looking Glass than its predecessor, the curious young protagonist has been refashioned into a post-pubescent young adult. In this guise her story becomes a simple coming-of-age tale about empowerment and responsibility.

Given this approach, a Jane Austen-lite framing story, in which Alice (Australian Mia Wasikowska, vash-ee-kov-ska) is the impending victim of an arranged marriage, works well enough. But as soon as she tumbles down the rabbit hole, she – and the audience – are thrown into a deliriously excessive 3D imagining of Wonderland.

The art direction and some of the effects are magnificent but, unlike Avatar, 3D was added after principal photography and it shows. The technology has not yet been refined, or at least implemented well, and Alice is an incomprehensible, haphazard mess.

Alice encounters all the usual suspects on her journey: the evaporative Cheshire cat, the wise Caterpillar, the waddling Tweedledee and Tweedledum and, ultimately, the nasty Jabberwocky. They are voiced by luminaries – and half the fun is guessing who is who – including Christopher Lee, Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman. Some of this is wackily amusing but the finale degenerates into a CGI battle that could have been pulled from any recent fantasy blockbuster.

The only unique element is Wasikowska as Alice who, behind her pale beauty and youth, belies an emotional strength otherwise absent from the film. Other than Carter’s scene stealing monarch, it’s only she that offers a lasting impression.

DVD Review: Shrink (2009)

2010-02-25T22:58:00.007+11:00

Released February 18, 2010

Kevin Spacey asleep on the job in Shrink

Shrink is a distinctly indie feature with aspirations of being a scathing Hollywood satire. In truth, its jabs at the industry that gave it life are less scathing than familiar and trite – we’ve seen all this before, wittier and more assured, in Robert Altman’s The Player.

From the opening montage set to an ethereal Coldplay clone it’s clear Shrink really wants to be about something, and wants us to know about it.

Henry Carter is the titular psychiatrist, played by Kevin Spacey with his usual magneticisim. When recording his new audio book “Happiness Now!” he says “Happiness is a word for a feeling. Feelings are rarely understood in the moment, they are quickly forgotten and almost always misremembered. And besides, feelings are totally full of shit...”

His misery stems from the recent death of his wife, who committed suicide, and of the frustrating self-obsessive problems of many of his patients. These include an obnoxious movie producer (Dallas Roberts), a sex and alcohol addicted celebrity (an uncredited Robin Williams) and an actress (Saffron Burrows), the most sensible of the three, but who is still struggling with her career and destructive husband.

Carter is awoken from his self-indulgent, pot-smoking slumber by the arrival of Jemma (Keke Palmer), a troubled school student with filmmaker aspirations. Will this be the trigger to make him finally stick his neck out for somebody? In a less conventional film, maybe this wouldn't happen. This is not that film.

The screenplay suffers from its parallel structure – a difficult thing to pull off – which valiantly ties its threads into a big happy knot, but the narrative lacks dramatic drive. A few of the punchlines about Hollywood’s current obsession with vampires ring true, but is it really wise to have not one or two, but three obvious references to The Graduate? (literally, as Jemma observes a revival screening) All it does it remind you of a better movie you could be watching.

Shrink did not garner a theatrical release in Australia, but is now available on DVD. It’s only notable feature is a 22 min interview with Director Jonas Pate and Producer Braxton Pope, who discuss the birth and evolution of the project. Like the film, the video quality of these special features is poor, with aliasing and artefacts in almost every scene.

Diluted by absent direction and a script that resolves everything and nothing, Shrink is occasionally funny but ultimately vapid. By trying too hard to be sincere, you sometimes end up achieving the opposite.

News: Hit Girl Kick(s)-Ass

2010-02-23T22:08:00.011+11:00

You feeling lucky? Punk?

I’ll have my normal review up soon, but I just got back from a very early screening of the much anticipated Kick-Ass at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney.

This is the film based on Mark Millar’s comic book of the same name, which depicts a real-world band of superheroes with no superpowers. The film is probably most widely known at the moment for the violent red-band trailers that have been floating around. You know, the one with a 12 year old girl telling a bunch of baddies "OK you cunts, let's see what you can do now," just before giving them a thorough ass kicking.

Here it is:

Kick-Ass Red Band Hit Girl Trailer - Watch more Funny Videos

That’s Chloe Moretz as Hit Girl and Nicolas Cage as her father, one of the more peculiar and hilarious father-daughter parings in the movies. Moretz was only 12 at the time of filming and predictably the right wing Australian Family Association, among others, disapprove.

But if you watch an interview with Chloe Moretz, much like when you watch the equally precocious Dakota Fanning, it’s clear she understands it is only make-believe. And once you’ve seen the movie (which I doubt any of the those upset will) it’s clear that the tone is completely irreverent and flippant. That's the real gleeful joy of the movie, and I don't think any of it - the violence or the swearing - is meant to be taken seriously.

That said, the movie is a success partly because of the teenage angst and banter reminicent of Superbad, though there's a few pop-culture references that will quickly become dated.

The cut we saw was finished except for the soundtrack and sound mix. It's an interesting experience to watch the movie temp-tracked to music from every other superhero movie - The Dark Knight, Superman, Batman, among others. The references are oddly appropriate because the movie exists in a world where everyone, especially our wannabe-superheroes, are already familiar with them. They also picked the best and most memorable cues; I can't imagine the replacement score working any better, though it will at least be more coherent.

The bottom line is Kick-Ass is a blast. You don't need me to tell you to see it, since you will anyway, but it's the funnest time I've had at the movies in ages. It's released in Australia on April 8th.

Review: From Paris With Love (2010)

2010-02-17T07:00:00.002+11:00

Released February 18, 2010

The brainy trio of Travolta + Rhys Myers + random hooker

This movie is dumb. The bad guys are bad because they sell drugs or are from the Middle East. The good guys, if they are good, amount a body count to rival Roland Emmerich's in 2012. If only Pierre Morel's film was as entertaining or as sophisticated as that disaster epic.

At least, one might say, it has John Travolta. Here he's in screen chewing mode, swearing, flattening gangs with his fists and hookers with his...well, never mind. Essentially playing the same character as his baddie in The Taking of Pelham 123, Travolta is Charlie Wax, an American secret service agent roaming Paris with his new straight laced partner, James Reece (Jonathon Rhys Myers). What they are doing, who they are killing and why is as murky as the ugly, glum photography.

Plot is instead replaced by incomprehensible action. I can appreciate a brainless action thriller as much as the next person, but the sequences in From Paris with Love have no sense of space or tension. We see Travolta fire his gun. Cut. A baddie falls. Cut. Repeat. There's not even a Die Hard level of coherence let alone balletic Yuen Wo Ping choreography.

The pretty Kasia Smutniak plays Reece's Parisian wife who, thanks to the law of economy of characters and a lack of imagination by the screenwriters (Adi Hasak and the sometimes talented Luc Besson), quickly becomes more important that she appears.

It all leads to attempted suicide bombings and Travolta hanging out of a speeding car with a rocket launcher, and even that is, somehow, boring.

The only conceivable reason to watch this film is for Travolta’s lip-smacking murderous rouge. If you've seen Pelham 123, there is precisely none.

DVD Review: Van Diemen’s Land (2009)

2010-02-15T07:00:00.006+11:00

Released January 20, 2010

Convicts face nature - and themselves - in Van Diemen’s Land

Vegetarians be warned: unless you feel vindicated by one man munching on another’s raw flesh, this not the film for you.

Meat eaters, too, might be turned off by this depiction of convicts pushed to the edge in the raw Tasmanian landscape.

Van Diemen’s Land, the debut feature of Australian director Jonathan auf der Heide, tells the true story of the infamous Alexander Pearce (played by co-writer Oscar Redding). We find him having been sent to the Macquarie Harbour Penal Settlement in Tasmania, a sort of outdoor Colditz for dangerous prisoners. Knowing that they are surely to die of starvation, dysentery or the lash, he and seven other prisoners escape into the wilderness.

It’s not long before the scarcity of food weighs on their spirits, the rainforest largely devoid of animals, and they begin to look for more immediate means to satiate their hunger.

Under the pretention of eerie colour-saturated photography, long moody gazes into the empty forests and a self-consciously arty voice over (in Gaelic), Auf Der Heide has ambitions of profundity his script can’t match. Tension is generated in exactly when and how the killings take place, but each character, hidden under impressive beards, is indistinguishable from the next. This, and the unrelentingly bleak tone, make it a bit of a chore.

Undeniably though, it’s well made, in particular, the cinematography by veteran Ellery Ryan.

It’s at its best when it becomes a hypnotic Terence Malik kind of existential, when the morally dubious characters reflect on their actions and their place in the natural order of things, but it doesn't make the film any easier to digest.

The disc contains a good array of features, including a commentary and some insightful docos. Best of them are the three additional self-depreciating featurettes (one has the clapperboard man describe his subtle influence on the actors' performances). These are funny and uniquely Australian. In their more sincere moments, the interviews reveal that this was clearly a project of love for the creative principals. I'd expect good things from Auf Der Heide in the future.

Review: Shutter Island (2010)

2010-02-12T07:00:00.001+11:00

Released February 18, 2010

Digging for secrets on Shutter Island

It’s easy to be have a heightened critical eye when a director has the likes of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas in his filmography. And it’s true that Martin Scoresese’s latest, an adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone) best seller, is not quite of that standard. But Shutter Island is still an exhilarating movie, a dense psychological mind trip into the world of 1950s mental institutions.

Scorsese shoots it like gothic horror, like One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest drowned in Kafka and German Expressionism. This is so from our first view of the jagged island, as seen from the incoming boat ferrying U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo). They’re on their way to investigate a patient’s disappearance, but the two lead physicians, played by Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow, are unhelpful: either too calm and evasive (in the former case) or obviously malicious (in the latter). Soon a storm brews, patients run amok, Teddy starts having visions of the liberation of Dachau and his tragically dead wife (Michelle Williams), and general weirdness ensues.

While it wanders in the second act, the film is always fascinating as it tenuously borders the line between the real and the unreal, never making it obvious which is which. What is clear is that something is not quite right on the island. Are the CIA continuing Nazi eugenics experiments? And what are the doctors hiding?

DiCaprio is the standout in a fine cast; who’d have thought the heartthrob from Romeo + Juliet would have become Scorsese’s new De Niro? The real master, however, remains the man in the chair. Even when working within genre limitations, his startling compositions, whip pans and ambiguous handling of the material gives weight to a story that could have been trite and simplistic. Every element works here: the beautiful cinematography by Robert Richardson, the effective use of source music (there is no original score) and the perfectly judged performances from a cast playing tricky characters that are often more than they appear.

It's only a shame, at very least for DiCaprio, that it comes too late for the awards season.

Review: The Wolfman (2010)

2010-02-10T07:00:00.003+11:00

Released February 11, 2010

Emily Blunt tending to the Wolfy Benicio Del Toro

The Universal Monster movies of the 30s and 40s were never really A-list productions. Often saddled with cheap production values and shoddy acting (Bela Lugosi might be the definitive Dracula but his performance is truly hilarious), they were at their best when most subversive – Bride of Frankenstein springs to mind. The Wolfman was always one of the second tier monsters, and this remake directed by journeyman Joe Johnston is very much in the same B-movie tradition.

This is not to say the production is weak. The cast is first rate, with Benicio Del Toro starring as Lawrence Talbot, an American man holed up in an estate in rural England with his father played by Anthony Hopkins. His brother, Ben, has disappeared, and townsfolk and wandering gypsies claim of a beast roaming the land causing havoc. Cue the arrival of Inspector Abberline (Hugo Weaving), fresh from investigating the Ripper murders and appearing like a deliberately spoken, bearded Agent Smith. Best of all is the wonderful Emily Blunt as Ben’s fiancée, totally compelling as the underwritten love interest.

The effects, a mix of traditional makeup and CGI, mostly convince. Showing more flair for visual design than one would expect from the director of Jurassic Park III, Johnston drenches the film in a lush gothic visual tapestry backed by Danny Elfman’s thunderously old fashioned score.

The story – and werewolf tales on screen are hardly rare – offers no surprises. What does is the level of gore. In this age of PG-13 blockbusters it’s refreshing than The Wolfman literally goes for the jugular. Entrails are spilled, organs devoured and heads roll. It’s all so schlocky that some of the more gratuitous moments elicit more laughs than scares, but that’s part of the appeal.

Whether or not multiplex audiences will go for a film so dreadfully old school, over wrought and melodramatic is another matter, but it succeeds as an affectionate slice of nostalgia for the original horror classics. Take it or leave it.

Blu-Ray Review: Red Cliff (2009)

2010-02-08T07:00:00.014+11:00

Released January 6, 2010

Epic action in John Woo's Red Cliff

After a string of unfortunate Hollywood films (Paycheck, Windtalkers, Mission Impossible II) slow-mo action master John Woo returns to his native China in the grand epic Red Cliff. Originally released in two parts in Asia, the four and a half hour total running time was butchered down to two and a half on general international release. Both editions have been released locally on DVD and Blu-ray, but it's the full full original cut that I will be reviewing here.

The film is an exciting, thunderous and broad retelling of the titular Battle of Red Cliffs that occurred near the end of the Han Dynasty, circa 220 AD. Drawing upon the historical text Records of Three Kingdoms rather than the further interpretation offered in the Chinese classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Woo claims that it offers a more historically accurate treatment of the material than is custom. Not that fidelity or knowledge of Chinese history is necessary to enjoy a film that borrows more from David Lean and Akira Kurosawa than either historical fact or Zhang Yimou’s recent martial arts epics (Hero, House of Flying Daggers).

The story goes like this: Imperial chancellor Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) is on a mission to destroy southern warlords Sun Quan (Chen Chang) and Liu Bei (Yong You). Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), advisor to Bei, works to form an alliance between the southern leaders with hopes of defeating the numerically superior Cao Cao. On this mission we meet Quan’s viceroy, Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). An alliance forms, and the two sides clash in various amazingly staged battle sequences until laying camp opposite one another outside Red Cliff in preparation for the final showdown.

The battle scenes themselves are vast and Kurosawa-esque. Avoiding CGI for the most part, what they lack in realism they compensate for with energy and spectacle. Woo’s specialty is still smaller scale combat (see his late 80s Hong Kong classics of balletic action), a trait evident when massive conflicts seem to hinge on the actions of one individual. In a particularly improbable sequence Cao Cao’s scout cavalry are encircled in a maze of enemy troops, only to be systematically split up and annihilated. Thousands of troops stand by and watch as our spear-wielding heroes annihilate dozens of enemies in increasingly inventive ways. Most of these characters are archetypes - the burly bearded warrior who seems to be China's Ajax, or the proto-feminist spy Sun Shangxiang (Wei Zhao). For complexity one has to instead look towards Fengyi's villain, who implies more moral uncertainty than the script offers.

Xiao Qiao (Chi-Ling Lin) confronting the enemy

Still, the running time allows Woo digressions in developing the dozen or so main characters, which also include Yu's wife, Xiao Qiao (Chi-Ling Lin) and the commanders of Cao Cao’s navy. While I can’t imagine the shortened version being preferable (which I have not seen), half an hour could easily have been excised, zipping up the pacing without affecting audience comprehension.

The special edition is a two disc release which presents each contained half on separate discs. The visual quality is astounding, and befits an epic of such visual beauty and scope. It’s the only release even worth considering, even though the HD and the largest flat screen could not do this film justice in the way of a cinema screen. Where the discs falter is in the special features, which are restricted to a 15 minute interview with John Woo and a bizarre collection of behind the scenes footage seemingly captured on an iPhone. While interestingly candid, music and narration begins and ends randomly and some of the clips are mere seconds long. It’s a peculiarly unpolished addition to an otherwise professionally presented release.

But no matter, fans of John Woo or action epics are in for a treat with Red Cliff. It’s sprawling and grand entertainment, a real and rare spectacle rarely seen in today’s moviegoing landscape.

Note
Red Cliff is the most expensive film ever financed in Asia with a budget of $80 million. How does Hollywood produce movies for double that amount that are so ugly and so empty? The argument that no one could make Lawrence of Arabia anymore because it would be too expensive doesn't make sense when studios are willing to spend $200 on utter trash like Tranformers 2 and yet could make a more beautiful and epic film with no CGI for half that. Maybe army extras are more expensive in the States.

Review: Bright Star (2009)

2010-02-05T07:00:00.001+11:00

Released December 26, 2009

Love and longning in the air in Bright Star

It's a bit tardy, but here is my review of Jane Campion's latest:

Contrary to the beauty and elegance of many of their works, the lives of 19th century romantic artists – poets, composers, novelists – were frequently difficult and fleeting. Such could be said of poet John Keats, who died in 1821 from tuberculosis at the age of 25. It is however not true of Jane Campion’s film, a beautiful ode to the works and genius of John Keats, and his love for the girl next door, Fanny Brawne.

With subject matter that could have become a sensationalised melodrama, Campion instead deliberately downplays her directorial hand in favour of beautiful and painterly images that are kind of, well, poetic. They enhance the smouldering love between Keats and Brawn which is chaste but desperately passionate. Restrained by circumstances (they cannot marry for Keats is not of appropriate financial standing), they instead exchange letters, stare longingly, and kiss with barely restrained sexuality.

This is not surprising from a director who, throughout her films, seems most interested in the female awakening, sexual or otherwise. And it is through the eyes of Fanny, played with heartbreaking grace by Aussie actress Abbie Cornish, that we view Keats (a scrawny, pale Ben Whishaw). Aside from Fanny’s mother (Kerry Fox), who approves of Keats personally but not socially, one of the many hindrances to their relationship is Keats’ reader and friend, the contemptuous Mr. Brown (Paul Schneider). Brown disapproves of Fanny mostly because he feels she is stealing Keats’ attention away from his work, though his hostility also suggests a peculiar sexual attraction.

There’s little in the way of story in Bright Star, though Keats does eventually leave Hampstead and Fanny for the warmer climate of the Mediterranean in an effort to stave off his worsening illness. It is instead a film of images – Fanny in a flowered meadow, the wind blowing over her bed, their embrace against the trees. They enlighten Keats’ poetry and his intense relationship with his muse. Over the end credits Whishaw recites Keats’ “Ode to a Nightingale”. It’s worth staying for.

Review: Edge of Darkness (2010)

2010-02-03T07:00:00.001+11:00

Released February 4, 2010

Angry Mel in Edge of Darkness

Having gained recent notoriety as a director and for drunken anti-Semitic rants, Mel Gibson is back in front of the camera in this effective revenge thriller. With the similarly themed Payback and Ransom already part of his filmography, Edge of Darkness hardly breaks new ground. Nor is its premise particularly unique: Liam Neeson’s recent Taken covered much of the same territory.

No matter, for Mel is still a likable presence even when playing a variation on his other hard-nosed vengeful fathers. At the outset he, Boston police officer Thomas Craven, witnesses the brutal murder of his daughter on his porch doorstep, with enough blood flowing that the scene is worthy of another well known Craven. Believing the buckshot was meant for him, he sets off on a grim-faced investigation of to find those responsible.

Mel thumps ex-boyfriends, lawyers and slimy senators on his way to discovering his daughter was a victim of a conspiracy related to her internship at the Northmoor nuclear facility.

Set against this backdrop of the rise and dangers of nuclear power, Edge of Darkness feels like it’s from another era. Which it is, it being an adaptation of a 1985 BBC miniseries also directed by Martin Campbell. Its strengths lie in the slow burn of paranoia worthy of an X-File, punctuated by raw and well judged moments of shock.

Best of all is Ray Winstone’s mysterious fixer and informant, who seems to operate outside the usual secret service channels. He visits Craven Deep Throat style, puffing on a cigar while seductively offering information. His cloudy allegiances make him more compelling than the obviously evil head of Northmoor (Danny Huston) and the nasties working surveillance.

Even though the third act rushes by too fast, up until that point the line between realism and hokum is nicely drawn. It’s eminently watchable and a solid return for a star who remains noteworthy both behind and in front of the camera.

Review: The Road (2009)

2010-02-01T07:00:00.002+11:00

Released January 28, 2010

The desolation of The Road

Cormac McCarthy provided the source material for one of the best films of the decade in No Country for Old Men. Now his subsequent Pulitzer Prize winning novel has been adapted, a brutal portrayal of the remnants of mankind fighting for survival in a post apocalyptic wasteland. If you want a joyous, fun-filled time at the movies, look elsewhere.

A road movie in the purest sense of the term, we follow a father (a superb, restrained Viggo Mortensen) and son (young Australian Kodi Smit-McPhee) attempting to make their way to the sea in the hopes of warmer weather. Their most dangerous challenge, more so than the vicious cold or of finding food, are cannibals armed with more than just their peculiar appetite. The full extent of this disturbingly plausible savagery is only glimpsed, but still produces the required quota of queasiness.

The source of the holocaust is not explained, making the film contained and emphasizing the central dilemma: just how far is one willing to go to survive? This juxtaposition forms the centre of the relationship with between the father, determined to ensure his son’s survival no matter the cost, and the son, who clings closer to accepted, civilized morals.

The father's determination in part stems from the death of his wife (Charlize Theron), who chose her fate in preference to mere animalistic survival which she found distasteful. Don’t let the trailers fool you, though, her presence is fleeting and her story told in flashback.

I have not read the novel, but from the film one can easily get the feeling of McCarthy’s sparse punctuation-devoid prose and the overwhelming desolation of his world. Despite this, some characters, such as a dying old man played by an unrecognisable Robert Duvall, still retain their humanity amongst the horror.

And that, perhaps, is the film’s weakness. There are elements (I read) that have been softened from the novel (spit-roasted newborns, anyone?) and there are moments of promise that verge on sentimentality. It might be an odd claim for such a dark film, but one feels they almost didn’t go far enough.

Review: Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

2010-01-22T07:00:00.001+11:00

Released January 28, 2010

A lot of platitudes are thrown around in F. Gary Gray's new thriller, most of them by the psychopathic serial killer Clyde Shelton played by Gerard Butler. He voices fears about a judicial system more concerned with legal wrangling than with honest justice. You might sympathize with him for a little while, but less so after witnessing his alternative: the dismemberment of an alive but paralyzed victim, Saw style, one limb at a time.

Mercifully this occurs off screen, but it's not the only bit of nasty in this trashy mix of Silence of the Lambs and Seven that is nonetheless disturbingly entertaining thanks to a healthy dose of ludicrousness.

In the opening scene, Clyde's wife and daughter are killed and prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) makes a deal with the killers to ensure a sentence ("It's not what you know, but what can be proven in court," he says). Clyde is furious and directs his vengeance at the killers and system that let them off lightly. The twist is that he is imprisoned when the latter murders take place. How is he committing these crimes? Does he have an accomplice? And if so, who?

The final answer is as absurd as some of the gleefully over the top killings, which in the latter stages shift from torture porn malice to cheesy action movie clichés. The big moments are broadcast too early, too, making the surprise less about when and who, and more about how.

Despite all of this, Law Abiding Citizen is suspenseful and decently made. Foxx and Butler make adequate adversaries, with the latter particularly having fun with the lip-smacking sociopathic traits of his character. It would be interesting to wonder what the film may have been like if the lead actors switched roles, as has been intended when the project began. Little different I wager, if the script was still written by the creator of Equilibrium and Ultraviolet, Kurt Wimmer.

It’s the source of most of the movie’s problems, but also some of its pleasures. Any movie that has a vicious unprovoked murder with a t-bone has to have something going for it.

Review: In the Loop (2009)

2010-01-15T07:00:00.003+11:00

Released January 21, 2010

After the film was over I felt dirty. It was as if all those hours of idealizing the policy makers of The West Wing were in vain. Is this what politics is really like?

The characters of In the Loop, a scathing political comedy, are either selfishly manipulative or clueless. In the former category are Brit spin doctor Malcolm Tucker (played with profane relish by Peter Capaldi) and American warmonger Linton Barwick (David Rasche). In the latter is the bumbling British MP Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), who mumbles suggestive platitudes about a possible war in the Middle East. "To walk the road of peace," he says, "sometimes we need to be ready to climb...the mountain...of conflict." This understandably ruffles Whitehall’s feathers, and soon he finds himself a pawn in a trans-Atlantic game to justify a war. Iraq is never named, but the allegory is plain.

Anna Chlumsky (My Girl, all grown up) shows admirable comedic chops as an assistant in Washington who is wooed by Foster’s aide Toby (Chris Addison). And a deadpan Gina McKee plays the British Director of Communications, one of the few characters with a modicum of sense, and hence is always hilariously on the receiving end of Tucker’s venom.

Director Armando Iaannucci has adapted his BBC series The Thick of It, drawn upon the zaniness of Dr. Strangelove and blended it with the pseudo-documentary style of The Office to craft one of the most entertaining and timely political satires in years.

It’s also utterly hysterical, with dozens of throwaway one liners that also offer sly observation. Hollander is a lovable fumbling klutz and a good foil for Capaldi. When asked his opinion in a Washington committee meeting all he can muster is that it is “difficult, difficult, lemon, difficult." You have to at least admire his honesty.

Born from the Bush era of politics, In the Loop is an apt reminder of how easy it is for those in power to misuse it for their own selfish ends. All those hours of The West Wing may not have been in vain, but even the most idealistic need a reality check once in a while.

Interview: Armando Iannucci

2010-01-13T07:00:00.006+11:00

In The Thick Of It with the writer/director of In the Loop

Timely in its investigation of Bush-era politics, In the Loop is to the current climate as Dr. Strangelove was to the Cold War. As bitingly funny, though distinctly more foul mouthed, Loop is a scathing political satire about the invention of a phony justificaiton for war in the Middle East and the accompanying PR minefield.

Though it features a handful of relatively unknown actors (and some, James Gandolfini, aka. Tony Soprano, known), one could be forgiven for feeling the events on screen have been invented for our comedic pleasure. Consider especially the profanity-addicted New Labour spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker, played by Peter Capaldi, who prowls the corridors of Whitehall and Washington searching for his next victim. The most memorable and over the top character of the film, he is nonetheless based (albeit loosely) on Tony Blair’s right hand man, Alastair Campbell.

He’s not the only element drawn from fact, says co-writer/director Armando Iannucci, “I went to Washington and spoke to people who’d worked in the State Department, The Pentagon, CIA, United Nations and I came back with stories that we put in the film. That whole thing about the committee, the “future planning committee”, was true. Dick Cheney set up the Office of Future Plans, which was about looking into invading Syria and Iran”.

It’s this banal way in which major political and military decisions are made that makes the comedy of In the Loop so effective, an all too close-to-home perspective on a post 9-11 world still in recuperation. This kind of portrayal was important for Armando, “Well you know I haven’t seen Washington portrayed like that. I’ve seen it as sort of sinister and malicious or as being virtuous and heroic but not as being a bit rubbish and dysfunctional.”

The uneasy feeling of reality is complemented by the hand-held documentary style. David Stratton was severe in his criticism of this approach, but it was critical in achieving the feeling of eavesdropping on unfolding events. It also lends itself to the specific mix of script and improvisation. “I tend to shoot a lot. The script is 200 pages, and we shoot about 30 to 40 pages a day, because I just want to get the franticness, so the cast doesn’t have too much time to learn how they’re going to perform something so that it feels spontaneous.”

Two cameras were used at once with flexible lighting setups, enabling the actors to roam where they pleased. The improvisations, though, proved a challenge for the cast, “Well some of them were used to it because they’ve done the TV show and others were a bit more wary. It’s quite a tall order to ask of someone, to try and be coherent, funny, literary, persuasive, all at the same time. Occasionally you write extra bits of dialogue to give to one cast member and give it to them separately so they can just throw it in to see how the others react. Because sometimes what’s funny is not so much the line but the shocked look on someone’s face as they say it for the first time”.

Frequently, what was envisaged as a tent-pole scene became less important than small improvised moments. “Simon Foster is eventually at the committee meeting and is asked his view and all he can think of is "difficult difficult, lemon difficult". We made that up at the end of the day, that line. Again that’s a line that people quote afterwards, but that wasn’t even in the script when we were shooting”.

Armando is used to this style of shooting, having a wealth of experience in UK television and radio. He was a writer on I’m Alan Partridge (which partly explains Steve Coogan’s appearance as collapsing-wall-Paul) and created The Thick of It, the series on which In the Loop is based. Initially it was not his intention to follow on from the TV show, but with a desire to branch out into film and still focus on his political comedy strengths, it became the most practical choice, “I was already doing The Thick of It. I thought well I’ve got that world, we’ve already got some of the characters there, like Malcolm Tucker. So that was the thinking, to apply that to a bigger story.”

The reception, upon its premiere at Sundance, was better than he could have expected, “I hadn’t actually seen it with an audience before, an American audience. Then they started laughing and I was relieved and it got a great reaction. I think a lot of them found it slightly therapeutic, just after George Bush. It was there chance to see it up on screen.”

The reaction from politicians was no less positive, if a bit more cagey. “Though it’s a comedy, you know I wanted to get it right. I wanted to get the authenticity and some of the detail right. It came out in the States in July and there was a screening in Washington and we invited a lot of Washington insiders, and they laughed all the way through. At the end someone put their hand up and said “can we just apologize?”.

In the UK, “Politicians, publicly, hate it. But quietly they say ‘How on Earth did you find out?’”.

For Iannucci's film, there can be no greater compliment.

In the Loop is released in Australia on January 21.

The full transcript of this interview can be found here.

Review: Up in the Air (2009)

2010-01-06T07:00:00.014+11:00

Released January 7, 2010

No film has better captured the confusion and alienation of the post Bush-era recession than Jason Reitman’s latest, a sly and poignant study of a man who goes everywhere and nowhere.

He is Ryan Bingham (George Clooney). You know the type. Smart suit, smooth talking, efficient but empty. He lives in an airport lounge, travelling across the country firing people for a living. Sometimes he gives motivational speeches, extolling the virtues of living an attachment free life. If the sum of your relationships and possessions were a backpack, he says, his would be empty. And he wants yours to be too.

But his boss (Jason Bateman) is about to take him off the road. He is to be replaced by a more efficient iPhone-generation firing system suggested by the ambitious but inexperienced Natalie (a wonderfully zestful Anna Kendrick). In a last ditch effort to maintain his lifestyle, Ryan takes Natalie on the road to show her what firing people is really like.

Bingham ends up learning as much from her as she does from him, though his real muse is the seductive Alex (Vera Farmiga, The Departed). With her he finds a kindred spirit, and for the first time considers whether there are things more important than his dream of obtaining 10 million frequent flyer miles.

The story could have easily slipped into romantic comedy clichés (and, despite its often profound subject matter, it is very funny), but Reitman, who also co-wrote the screenplay from Walter Kim’s novel, is too clever for that. Underneath the witty banter and screwball comedy sensibility, there’s a humbling and sad realization about life in the technological age. The reality is amplified by scenes involving real people describing their anguish, fear, and uncertainty following the widespread layoff of staff.

Clooney has never been better, still the smooth charmer he’s always been, and Farmiga and Kendrick are his match. Jason Reitman has already made the excellent Thankyou for Smoking and Juno. With Up in the Air he’s topped them both. A.O. Scott called it “a classic in the making”. He’s not wrong.

Review: Bran Nue Dae (2009)

2010-01-04T07:00:00.001+11:00

Released January 14, 2010

Excluding Sweeney Todd and its more sophisticated brethren, movie musicals have, traditionally, been a place for escapist, joyous entertainment. Think Astaire and Rogers, Gene Kelly or even Baz Luhrmann’s opulent Moulin Rouge. Rachel Perkins' new film, with a distinctly Australian flourish, strives but fails to achieve this same level of immersive fantasy.

Lurching incoherently from one musical number and moments of attempted humour to the next, we follow Willie (Rocky McKenzie), an Indigenous teenager sent to a Catholic Mission in Perth from his home in Broome. Not appreciating the strict rules imposed by the nasty Father Benedictus (a game Geoffrey Rush), and keen to declare his love for Rosie (Jessica Mauboy), he flees back home towards the inevitable road movie on the horizon.

Road movies work when the episodic escapades enlighten our heroes on their journey of discovery. It helps if they are entertaining. This was true of the far superior, and similarly themed, Stone Bros. Here, it’s not. If it’s not Magda Szubanski’s sleazy Roadhouse owner causing us to roll our eyes, it’s the unconvincing acting and ramshackle story telling. It’s ironic that a film so gleefully pleading for tolerance is populated by painful clichés such as the combie van hippies who offer our insipid hero and his drunk mentor, Uncle Tadpole (Erine Dingo), a ride north.

Still, a musical lives or dies on the success of its musical numbers, which are frequent but random and forgettable. Neither enhancing character nor forwarding the plot, they exist only to add vapid colour and energy. And somehow, despite this exuberance, Bran Nue Dae manages to bore. This is especially so in the absurd finale which involves more twists and reversals than the third Pirates of the Caribbean. By that point I wished I could borrow Szubanski’s .303 rifle to extract myself from the misery.

Bran Nue Day’s greatest asset is the gorgeous cinematography from Lord of the Rings’ Andrew Lesnie. I can only give the original writers of the 1990 stage musical the benefit of the doubt that much has been lost in translation.

Heat (1995)

2009-12-21T07:00:00.000+11:00

Blu-ray released October 27, 2009

Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer shoot up L.A in Heat

"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."

That’s Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley, a professional thief leading an insular life in Michael Mann’s 1995 crime classic, Heat. It’s the kind of attitude you need when your idea of a good time is driving a truck into an armoured car to steal 1.6 million dollars. Especially when a rouge member of your team, Waingro (Kevin Gage), murders one of the guards, necessitating killing the other two to avoid leaving witnesses.

McCauley’s philosophy is his self-preservation mechanism, designed to prevent his capture and imprisonment. That is, however, what the tough snap-at-any-moment cop, Vincent Hanna, played by Al Pacino, most desires. He, like McCauley, is equally detached from others. He prefers to keep company with the criminals he hunts so obsessively. This pleases neither his wife, Justine (Diane Venora), nor his attention deprived step-daughter (Natalie Portman, in her second film).

McCauley, despite knowing Hanna is monitoring their every move, subsequently plans a 12 million dollar heist in Downtown L.A. This sets the scene for a phenomenal extended action sequence. Its virtuosity is in its technicality: the way Mann shoots it with frequent POV shots, Elliot Goldenthal spare percussive musical score. It’s cold, epic and brutal with a grim sense of reality. It’s here that Blu-ray comes into its own, with the thunderous automatic weapon fire rattling all 5.1 channels.

But though it may have been marketed as one, Heat is no action picture. It is instead a layered portrait of two men on either side of the law, both trying and failing to have it all. It deals specifically with their relationship to their women: Hanna to Justine, McCauley to his new girlfriend Eady (Amy Brenneman), and Chris (Val Kilmer), another member of McCauley’s team, to Charlene (Ashley Judd). They try but fail, the most long lasting kinship developing between the two lead adversaries.

Clash of the Titans

It’s perverse that Mann casts two megastars and yet keeps them apart bar one central scene. Taking a break from pursuing each other, Hanna and McCauley stop at a coffee shop and discuss each other in matter-of-fact, detached words. By their own admission, they are two sides of the same coin.

Heat is epic. Not in the same way as The Lord of the Rings or Lawrence of Arabia, but epic in the scope of its depiction of the cops and robbers circulating the underbelly of Los Angeles. There are at least half a dozen more significant characters that flesh out the world, including William Fichtner as an out-of-his-depth businessman and Jon Voight as one of McCauley’s few trusted associates, but the one that looms largest is the city itself. It’s an L.A. of greys and blues, one where the line between good and evil is not clearly defined.

While it’s disappointing that this release has no Blu-ray specific special features – they are the same that featured on the 2-disc DVD – they themselves are excellent. There’s a commentary by Mann, which is not wall-to-wall but interesting, eleven deleted scenes and five documentaries. The featurettes are a mixture of 1995 interviews and retrospectives created around the time of the release of the original DVD. There’s about an hour worth of material, the best of which are “Crime Stories” and “Into the Fire”, which give an in depth discussion of the film’s long gestation period (Mann couldn’t get it financed until shooting a TV movie on the same subject called L.A. Takedown), training the cast to use automatic weapons, shooting the climactic battle and the choice of soundtrack. Much of the cast and crew, including Mann, De Niro, Pacino, Kilmer, Judd and Tom Sizemore are interviewed. These extras are unsurprisingly presented in full-frame SD.

The quality of the feature presentation is, however, splendid and a perfect match of Mann’s uncomplicated style. The washed out cold tones don’t leap out at you as some other, more flashy films, but it’s beautiful and understated, a perfect reflection of the characters and of a Los Angeles divorced from its typical sunny, Hollywood image. It’s this layered depiction of the city and its two damaged protagonists that elevate what could have easily been a simplistic heist movie. Heat is a modern classic.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

2009-12-18T07:00:00.000+11:00

Released December 26, 2009

Robert Downey Jr.’s version of the famous detective is a dishevelled manic-depressive just as likely to outwit you with his fists as he is his brain. There’s not a deerstalker in sight. Berating modern Hollywood for turning him into an action hero and expanding the story to mythic superhero-like proportions will only prevent you from enjoying one the most purely fun entertainments of the year.

To be fair, many of the elements foregrounded in Guy Richie’s blockbuster are, at least peripherally, drawn from the original stories. Holmes was a trained boxer and a talented bare-knuckle fighter, a trait played up in a delicious blend of Richie’s hyper-kinetic slow motion and Holmes renowned deductive skill as he prefigures the exact blows and injuries necessary to incapacitate an opponent. He was fiercely intelligent and an occasional drug user. He did have little regard for the tidiness of his flat (which is littered with papers, trinkets and half-built inventions), and he was not exactly highly skilled in social situations. For that, he required the more sensible and grounded Dr. Watson. In this incarnation he is played by Jude Law and is more of an equal than an assistant. Their banter, energetically delivered by the two stars, forms the heart of the film.

We open with a tremendous action sequence, accompanied by a thunderously superb Hans Zimmer score, in which our heroes try to prevent the villainous Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) from completing a ritual sacrifice. Holmes is drawn out from his subsequent drug-induced slumber when it appears Blackwood, hanged for his crimes, has risen from the grave and is countinuing his meddlings in black magic and the occult. Blackwood’s scheme rivals that of a Bond villain, though the real mastermind lurks ominously in the shadows. At least, that is, until the sequel.

While there is one extravagant set piece too many, the pace is brisk, the action clever and the CGI evocation of Victorian London stylish. Like Ironman, though, Holmes belongs to Downey Jr., his flippant but layered take on the sophisticated sleuth surely to be added to the Jeremy Brett and Basil Rathebone pantheon.

Dead Calm (1989)

2009-12-16T07:00:00.007+11:00

Blu-ray released October 28, 2009

Hate in the air in "Dead Calm"

Nicole Kidman gets a bad rap. Despite the current backlash against her, she’s still a fine actress, and back in 1989 she found herself in her first big role in Dead Calm. Based on a 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Williams, Dead Calm is an efficient and claustrophobic thriller that begins strongly but ultimately descends into slasher movie clichés.

Husband and wife, John (Sam Neill) and Rae (Kidman) are taking some time out for R&R on their yacht. Drifting through the sheet ice seas they stumble across the athletic Hughie (Billy Zane), who claims his shipmates died of botulism. John doesn’t quite believe his story, and leaves his wife and the sleeping Hughie to investigate Hughie's abandoned vessel, the Orpheus. It quickly becomes obvious that their deaths – all attractive young women – may not have been accidental. A tense cat and mouse game between Kidman and Zane ensues as John struggles to keep the sinking Orpheus afloat.

Kidman's Rae is apparently not the brightest fish in the sea, and takes some time to appreciate that Hughie does not want the best for his newly adopted hosts. Perhaps this is understandable since Hughie doesn't seem to know what he wants either: while he is clearly a psychopath, one wonders why he just doesn’t kill Rae immediately. This, and other logical flaws (Rae captures him, and then just ties him up on the floor?), mar the second half, which increasingly resembles the final confrontation of any number of slasher movies, complete with the killer's almost supernatural ability to return from the dead.

These contrivances detract from, but don't ruin, an otherwise taut thriller that benefits hugely from the small cast and the isolated location, beautifully captured by cinematographer Dean Semler. The performances from the three leads are fine, the energy between Zane and Kidman nicely contrasting the understated relationship between husband and wife. And it's this subtleness, sparse dialogue and Phillips Noyce's deliberate direction that gives the film its desperate, frightening tone. At least, that is, until Billy Zane turns into Michael Myers.

The Blu-ray itself is mediocre, with no special features bar a very low quality full-screen reproduction of the theatrical trailer, and a transfer that lacks clarity and definition. Still, it's a perfectly adequate reproduction of the film, just don't expect featurettes on the level of the recent edition of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek.

Published on Impulse Gamer

Avatar (2009)

2009-12-14T07:00:00.004+11:00

Released December 17, 2009

Sam Worthington and Zoe Sandala's CGI cousins in "Avatar"

Words are being thrown around. Masterpiece. Revolutionary. It’ll change cinema. Technologically, it will. If only one could say the same of the dialogue, characters and plot.

Don’t get me wrong, James Cameron’s Avatar is an astonishing achievement. A visual wonder featuring the most sophisticated special effects of any film, it achieves that rare feat of transporting the audience to a living, breathing world. That world is Pandora, a planet overflowing with exotic animals and stunning rainforested scenery, which bursts off the screen in vibrant, colourful 3D. In Cameron’s hands, 3D is anything but a gimmick, enhancing details here and there without ever announcing itself. It’s an integral part of the experience.

The story essentially retells Dances with Wolves with blue aliens. They are the Na’vi, the natives of Pandora. Ten foot tall humanoids that move with feline grace, their livelihood is under threat from American corporate hordes who wish to ravage the planet in search of the mineral “unobtainium”. One way or another, the Na’vi are to be “relocated”. The spanner in the works is our hero, Jake Sully (rising Aussie star Sam Worthington), an ex-Marine and paraplegic who controls his able-bodied Na’vi “Avatar” in an attempt to coerce the natives into submission. His allegiances shift when he befriends the lithe female Neytiri (Zoe Saldana, who gives the film’s most affecting performance). Who’d have thought tails could ever be sexy. When it becomes clear that the invaders, including evil incarnate Colonel Quarich (Stephen Lang), have only their bank balance and testosterone in mind, the scene is set for an epic and unlikely showdown.

Despite its phenomenal visual tapestry that will reward repeat viewings, the story remains a simplistic but effective fable, with obvious allusions to Iraq-war politics and laced with eco-green themes that would make Al Gore proud. It’s energised by frequent bouts of action, some of the most viscerally exciting in years, in which Cameron fully exploits his ability to place the camera wherever he chooses.

Yes, the dialogue in Avatar is at times woeful, and the story routine, but it offers what so few movies do: a sense of wonder. And for that it deserves to be seen, in 3D, on the biggest screen possible.

Wicked

2009-12-11T07:00:00.008+11:00

The Capitol Theatre, Sydney
from September 12, 2009

Glinda being Glinda, Elphie being skeptical

A short while ago I had the pleasure of attending a performance of Wicked, currently playing at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. A Broadway musical in every sense of the term, it is astonishingly produced with amazing costumes, sets, special effects and, with one exception, performances. It almost feels too polished.

The conceit itself, as based on Gregory Maguire's novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is inspired. A revisionist spin on the Baum classic told from the point of view of the witches, it tells the story of Elphaba, the green skinned beauty later to become the not-so-evil Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba is intelligent and perceptive, but outcast as a freak because of the colour of her skin. She dreams of meeting the Wizard and “proving her worth”, with hopes that he may “de-greenify” her. That way, she may finally gain the acceptance she seeks. She attends Shiz University where she meets Glinda - the Glinda - who adheres to the vapid blond college stereotype with only her looks and popularity in mind. Despite this, she means well, and the two form an unlikely friendship.

Various complications and love triangles naturally ensue as the pair head off from college to the Emerald City, where Elphaba finds the Wizard not as honest as she had initially believed. Elphaba flees in disgust as the Wizard announces to the "Ozians" that she is a “wicked witch” and should not be trusted. Furious, Elphaba tries to convince Glinda to join her in rebellion, but she refuses. This sets them both – and Oz – on a path towards their identities in the original story.

The cleverest thing about the story is the way it is interwoven with the original plot. It's as if Victor Fleming had decided to shoot what was happening in the back corridors of the castle instead of shooting Judy Garland watching in horror at the emptying hourglass. Much of the second act covers events known to anyone who’s seen the famous film version, as we learn, for instance, how the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow became the way they were.

"You see what I have to put up with? Those damn flying monkeys..."

But the best thing about Wicked is the music, which is insanely catchy and surprisingly complex. Showstoppers include Glinda's "Popular", in which she attempts to rid Elphaba of her more unique qualities, the act one finale "Defying Gravity" and the pop ballad, "For Good". The music by veteran Stephen Schwartz sticks closely to the mainstream Broadway idiom, but admirably uses the Wagnearian leitmotif to creative effect. A few motifs reoccur throughout, appearing differently each time according to the mood of the scene. The opening dramatic chords, foretelling the darkness to come, for instance, reappear in a more mellow form in the love ballad. The most recognisable is the "Unlimited/I'm limited" theme that represents Elphaba’s dreams and aspirations. This motif cleverly uses the the first seven notes of “Over the Rainbow” disguised with different timing and chords. To be sure, this leitmotif approach isn’t groundbreaking, but it gives the music a little more texture and coherence closer to an opera or film score than your average pop-musical.

The performances of the Sydney cast were exceptional, with Jemma Rix's (as Elphaba) vocal strengths particularly evident in the difficult act one finale. The one exception was Bert Newton, who took over the role of the Wizard from Rob Guest following his death. Straining credibility in both acting and vocal ability, he's the only weak link in an otherwise phenomenally polished production. Thankfully, at least, his character does not garner a lot of stage time.

That the drama of Wicked is a little unfocused and sometimes gets overwhelmed by the spectacle is just a reflection of the type of show it is: a grand, exciting and emotional piece of Broadway entertainment. I can't wait to see it again, and I can't wait to see what they do with the film adaptation when it rolls around in a few years time.

The Negotiator (1998)

2009-12-09T07:00:00.011+11:00

Blu-ray released October 24, 2009

Where did you put my mother-f**kin' snakes?!

The Negotiator is one of the best thrillers of the 90s. Essentially Die Hard all over again, it's elevated by two compelling performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey.

The hook this time is that instead of Alan Rickman with a German accent as the antagonist, it’s Jackson’s hostage negotiator, Danny Roman. Framed for his partner’s death, who was killed for getting too close to exposing an embezzlement fraud, Roman holes up on the twentieth floor of 77 West Wacker Drive in Chicago with four hostages including police commander Grant Frost (Ron Rifkin) and internal affairs officer Niebaum (the late J.T. Walsh). And he won’t leave until the real culprits are exposed.

Cue the arrival of fellow negotiator Chris Sabian (Spacey). Sabian is an independent observer who is proud of his zero casualty record. Interested only in peacefully diffusing the situation, he has a hard time preventing the police hordes from storming the building by force.

An exciting cat and mouse game ensues, as the two intelligent leads battle the bureaucracy and corruption around them in their search for the real culprits. It's reminicsent of other mano-o-mano confrontations such as Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman in Crimson Tide. Not as well written as that film, the screenplay is formulaic but elevated by small, clever details. A reoccurring argument about the ending of Shane, for instance, is infinitely more interesting than the usual action schtick of bellowing expletives at each other.

Elevated almost entirely by performances, the two compelling leads are accompanied by a rich cast of stalwarts playing exactly to type, including Rifkin, Walsh, David Morse and John Spencer. Paul Giamatti, before cementing a reputation as a character actor in Alexander Payne’s Sideways, is also in the cast, playing a shifty con man and one of Roman’s hostages.

Set mostly within one office building in Chicago, there’s a terrific sense of tension and claustrophobia, punctuated by bursts of action as the force attempts to take Roman down before he learns too much. Director F. Gary Gray, who also directed the equally enjoyable remake of The Italian Job, knows how to maintain tension and keep the energy high. If it falters, it’s in the finale, which, like the ending to Die Hard with a Vengeance, feels tacked on and superficial.

It’s appearance on Blu-ray is a mixed blessing. An uncomplicated release, the film is presented well in HD, free of artefacts and visual blemishes. It's better than the DVD release, but still lacks the clarity of the top tier blu-ray discs. There is also little in the way of special features. The only inclusions are a short documentary entitled “The 11th Hour: Stores from real Negotiators”, a short 16 minute featurette about the making of the film and the theatrical trailer. The extras are only in 480i and have two channel sound.

While far from a great film, there’s much to enjoy here. Sometimes all you want is a solid action thriller, and on that score The Negotiator is an unqualified success.

Away We Go (2009)

2009-12-07T07:00:00.000+11:00

Released December 10, 2009

John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph as the ideal couple in "Away We Go"

Director Sam Mendes takes a break from his harder, more biting previous work (Revolutionary Road, American Beauty) in this immensely enjoyable dramedy about a couple looking to find a place to call home.

John Krasinski (of The Office) and Maya Rudolph (of Saturday Night Live) play Burt and Verona respectively. Burt is bearded, bespectacled, clumsy and spontaneous, but an all around nice guy who loves his girlfriend dearly. She, Verona, is six months pregnant. They live in Colorado near Burt’s parents (an hilarious Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara), who seem more interested in moving to Belgium than their impending granddaughter. Now with little reason to stay, Burt and Verona uproot and flutter between Arizona, Wisconsin and Montreal surveying different lifestyles and possibilities.

The episodes that follow are funny and laced with a wealth of acting talent in small roles. Stand outs are Allison Janney as a loud, obnoxious mother, and Maggie Gyllenhaal as an uptight new ager with an aversion to strollers. While these characters are overblown and the gags sometimes stray into banalities that could form the crux of a lesser film, the central couple are sensible, intelligent and likable people who keep it emotionally grounded.

This whimsy, complete with requisite indie songs that could have been plucked from Juno, charms, but sentimentality takes over as the leads close in on their search for home. However subtle the acting and direction in these scenes – and they are affecting – the closure they offer is unnecessary.

Critical reaction to Away We Go has been mixed, with some claiming the ideal of Burt and Verona makes them smug and condescending, while A.O. Scott describes their quest as a "flight from adulthood, from engagement, from responsibility". Both, perhaps, are true. If so, I’m happy to indulge Sam Mendes the fantasy.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

2009-11-30T12:39:00.018+11:00

Blu-ray released November 16, 2009

Hermione, I think someone wrote a book about us...

While the third film in the series, the Alfonso Cuaron directed Prisoner of Azkaban, remains its artistic high point, David Yates’ two most recent instalments in the Harry Potter franchise are polished and engaging. Charting the ever rising influence of the nefarious Lord Voldemort, Half-Blood Prince alternates between those dark and ominous rumblings and the frothy teen romances developing between the leads. These two equally intriguing halves dance around each other but pull us in different directions. The two never satisfyingly converge.

A new Hogwarts staff member is custom in each new episode, and here Jim Broadbent plays the newly appointed potions teacher, Horace Slughorn. His appointment is a ruse concocted by Dumbledore, who is attempting, though Harry, to exploit Slughorn’s knowledge of Voldemort’s past. Meanwhile, the Dark Lord has given Draco a difficult and dangerous task akin to Anakin Skywalker’s Faustian moment of lopping off Count Dooku's head. To aid Draco on his mission, his mother and the scene stealing Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) coerce the delicious Alan Rickman’s Severus Snape into a magical agreement to act as his protector. Concurrently – and tangentially – we also follow the romantic entanglements of the hormone-infused leads, which include Harry’s growing affection for Ginny and Hermione’s crush on the oblivious Ron.

Drenched in Gothic greys and blacks, visually the film is a wonder, but unlike the earlier films, even The Goblet of Fire, the tone is overly drab and melancholy. No doubt foreshadowing events to follow in the final chapter (Deathly Hallows, split in two), much of what occurs merely seems to be a lull before the storm. Even the momentous death near the film’s end, no doubt known to most, fails to deliver the emotional punch it should.

Despite the inherent perils of telling a story with the same characters – and same villain – over a half dozen movies, each film has nonetheless worked on its own terms, a feat which few other series can claim. More akin to a TV show (or a series of novels, perhaps?), each episode contributes to the arc while still retaining its own satisfying structure. In Half-Blood Prince, the structure works as a means of getting Harry, Ron and Hermoine in a position for the final act, but less so as a stand alone narrative. With a less easily defined plot that seems to amount to zero by the end, character development becomes prominent, a characteristic which makes the story impenetrable to those who have at very least not seen all of the previous films.

This two-disc high-definition package offers a pristine visual and sound transfer. One would expect nothing less from such a recent high-profile release. The special features include a “maximum movie mode”, a Blu-ray exclusive, where one is able to select features at scene-specific points throughout the film.

The features available on the DVD release are presented on the second disc. Emphasising the Potter juggernaut over content, these features are directed towards the younger cohort of fans, with the young stars presenting short segments on the major facets of the production. Also on the disc is a 45 minute documentary entitled “J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life”, a preview of the Harry Potter theme park to be built in Orlando, Florida, which looks suitably kitsch but will no doubt send fans into a frenzy, and a stack of deleted scenes. Were it not for the already extended running time of a shy over two and a half hours, some of these transitional scenes would have added to the film and made it more easily comprehensible to the uninitiated.

Beautifully crafted, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is an example of what an A-list blockbuster should be: well-made, entertaining and sophisticated. Whatever its narrative shortcomings as a stand alone story, most telling is that, by the end, one feels the next installment can't come soon enough.

Paranormal Activity (2009)

2009-11-25T23:13:00.019+11:00

Released December 3, 2009

Look, honey, a cockroach!

There’s a lot of hype surrounding this micro-budget horror film. Shot for a mere $15000 it has already recreated the box-office success of The Blair Witch Project to which it is clearly indebted. The trailer, which barely includes any scenes from the film, depicts apparently common scenes of terrified audiences huddling in fear. One critic called it the “scariest movie ever made”.

Said critic must have been watching a different film to I, since while offering some effective suspense sequences and an ending which has some sort of payoff, most of Activity burns along with no sense of plot or characterisation.

The setup is thus: a couple, Kate and Micah, move into a San Diego home and are restless about the presence of malevolent spirits in their upstairs bedroom. Micah setups up a camera to monitor them in their sleep. It’s not long before strange noises are heard, lights switch themselves on and off and doors sway on their own accord. They are visited by a psychic who suggests it may be a demon. Perhaps they should consult a “demonologist”, he tells them. Conveniently out of town, Kate and Micah instead are left to deal with the deterioriating situation alone.

The hand-held camera is modestly effective and uncredited writer/director Oren Peli cleverly uses sound and its absence to heighten the suspense. The lack of production values is consistent with the idea that the footage is real and found after the fact by the San Diego police, but the film's sparseness is also its weakness. There’s nothing here that engages on any level above the most primal. While that may be true of many horror films, at least they do so with some sense of narrative and style.

Paranormal Activity may be refreshingly devoid of gore, but it's so simplistic it's also devoid of most anything else.

The Informant! (2009)

2009-11-25T00:48:00.011+11:00

Released December 3, 2009

Matt Damon in Movember

The versatile Steven Soderbergh's latest film is a dark comedy that feels like a cross between Catch Me If You Can and Burn After Reading.

It’s set in the early 90s but you can never really be sure. Some details, like the brick-sized mobile phones and green text on antiquated computers, fit, but others, from the retro jazzy score and the idyllic white-picket fence suburbia, suggest anything from the 1950s to the 1970s.

The protagonist is equally difficult to define. Portrayed convincingly by a moustache-totin', heavy-set Matt Damon, he is Mark Whitacre, an executive for the agriculture company, ADM. Outwardly a talkative idealist, his thoughts are rendered in a stream of consciousness voice over in which he discusses such important questions as whether or not a polar bear considers its black nose a hindrance to its camouflage. After learning of a price-fixing conspiracy within ADM, and prompted by his wife, he becomes a whistle blower for the FBI and a makeshift undercover agent.

Not trained for the task, he nonetheless blithely manages to clandestinely record meetings and gather enough evidence to convict. Despite planning to expose his coworkers as frauds and swindlers, he still naively believes he will still have a place at the company when the guilty are exposed.

Whitcare is an enigma to the other characters, the audience, and ultimately himself. His journey from the early scenes, which zip by in a blur of 1940s-esque dialogue, to the latter which examine the consequences of the investigation and Whitcare’s ever evolving version of events, is both funny and engaging.

Drowned in a warm lather of yellows and oranges and accompanied by a prominent and bouncy score by Marvin Hamlisch, the film is beautifully constructed. Damon could very well garner Oscar consideration, and again proves that he's both a superstar and a talented actor.

Night at the Museum 2 (2009)

2009-11-22T23:14:00.030+11:00

Blu-ray released November 10, 2009

Ben Stiller and Amy Adams gawking at the size of their movie

Amy Adams can brighten up the room, or at least light up the screen, which is what she does in this bigger and more colourful sequel to the 2006 hit. She plays a sassy 30s film star version of Amelia Earhart, busting at the seams with her love of flying and sense of adventure. She also has an impetuous crush on the hero, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), whom she is helping navigate, this time, through the Smithsonian museums in Washington D.C.

The first Night at the Museum worked beautifully as an advertisement for the American Museum of Natural History, and this seems destined to do the same for the National Air and Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art. It had to be this way, since without it the filmmakers would never have received permission to film in the real locations. Think of it as the Top Gun for museums.

We find Larry having left his life as a night guard behind and instead running a successful infomerical business. Smartly dressed and cruising around in a chauffeured vehicle, he heads back for a visit his old haunt on Central Park West. He discovers that his old friends, including Owen Wilson as Jedediah and Steve Coogan as Roman Emperor Octavius, are to be transported to storage in the Federal Archives underneath the National Mall in D.C. Robin Williams' Teddy Roosevelt is to be left behind, presumably because Williams wasn't keen on the sequel.

It's for the best since Larry encounters far more engaging characters on his subsequent rescue mission. They include Adams' aforementioned Amelia and Hank Azaria, channeling Boris Karloff, as the evil Pharaoh Kahmunrah. Kahmunrah plans to open the gates the underworld so he can rule the Earth (or something). He is aided by the womanizing Napoleon, plain confused Ivan the Terrible and a young, black and white Al Capone, who inexplicably never gets to fire his Tommy gun. Maybe that was a clause in the filmmakers' Smithsonian contract.

Like many high-budget sequels, the number of characters and ideas flattens the narrative, but many of those are so exuberant it hardly matters. A visit to the Lincoln memorial, flying the Wright flyer inside the Air and Space Museum and, best of all, jumping into the famous Alfred Eisenstaedt photo of a sailor kissing a nurse on V-J day in Times Square, 1945, flash by one after another. Larry's character arc is predictable, and the message to kids that they should "do what they find fun" is obvious, but it's affable and inoffensive. It sits more comfortably than the occasional lapses into juvenile humour, which will amuse only the most undemanding kids.

The Blu-ray release is superb and heavy on special features. There are two commentary tracks, one by director Shawn Levy and another from the writers, Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. There are twelve featurettes, the best of which is a twenty minute "A Day in the Life of Director/Producer Shawn Levy", which follows him on a particularly effects-heavy day of shooting, and is a great insight into the day-to-day process of creating a big-budget feature. There's also over half an hour of deleted scenes, many which are alternative versions of scenes in the film with different improvisations, and a gag reel mainly featuring Azaria and Ricky Gervais, who plays the original museum's director.

Night at the Museum 2 is unashamably an ungainly, unsophisticated big budget effects-laden Hollywood production with an obvious agenda. If you are willing to accept that premise - and who am I to fault those encouraging young people to be interested in history - then it delivers what it promises.

If not, then see it for Amy Adams. She's postively phosphorescent.

Note
This is a new disc and may require a firmware upgrade on some older players.

The Invention of Lying (2009)

2009-11-19T15:44:00.008+11:00

Released November 19, 2009

Jennifer Garner and Ricky Gervais are an odd couple. As he (Mark) picks her (Anna) up for their first date, she gleefully informs him "I was just masturbating". "That makes me think of your vagina," he replies. Not only do the characters in this Gervais-verse never tell a lie, they have no control over what they say and when.

Society is thus peaceful and serene. Despite the lack of the existence of "art", for that stems from lies, Gervais works for an insidiously white collar production company that produces non-fiction films. He writes scripts so that very serious old men can dryly recite historical events directly to camera.

Miraculously, he suddenly acquires the ability to lie. He uses his new found power both for good (relationship advice, helping the homeless) and evil (getting rich) and invents a myriad of stories about a "man in the sky" who controls everything on Earth. People listen, and begin to believe he is some kind of Prophet. The one thing that seems unattainable though, is Anna, who likes him but doesn't want kids who are "chubby and snub-nosed".

Gervais’ usual dry and rambling humour is unusually flat and repetitive. Jennifer Garner though, is warm as always, and the supporting cast, including Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe and Tina Fey do draw the odd laugh. But there's only a limited amount an audience can invest in protagonists who have no social skills and no comprehension of Gervais' situation.

With a clever but ill-conceived premise, malleable according to the whim of the plot, most of The Invention of Lying misfires. Still, you have to admire the audacity of a film that turns into a scathing satire of religion and paints Gervais as a Christ figure. It ends up being more of a drama than a comedy and that, perhaps, is most telling.

Cold Souls (2009)

2009-11-17T14:06:00.005+11:00

Released November 19, 2009

The idea behind Sophie Barthes' feature debut as writer/director is inspired. What if, she asks, the human soul doesn't merely exist, but can be extracted? What would a human be without a soul?

Paul Giamatti, playing a version of himself, is an actor struggling through rehearsals of Chekov's Uncle Vanya. Anxiety ridden, he meets with Dr. Flintstein (a suave David Strathairn) in an office that's a cross between a dentists and a hair salon. Flintstein offers him a solution: have his soul extracted and free himself from the burden of his emotions. Do so, he says, and "everything becomes functional”.

The procedure is a cop out, of course, the newly soulless Giamatti now able to perform, but without conviction. After his soul is stolen by a Russian-American soul trafficking business, in desperation he chooses the soul of a Russian poet as a temporary solution. While Paul seems little different whether or not he has his soul, his perceptive wife (Emily Watson) knows something is amiss.

Bleak yet darkly comic, this philosophical tragicomedy is reminiscent of the work of Charlie Kaufman, minus the overt surrealism. Barthes' wrote the script for Giamatti, and it shows. His furrowed brow and hilarious deadpan mesh perfectly with the absurdity of the premise, which is played straight as if soul storage were an everyday practice.

The script was a screenplay competition winner, and is inventive but conventionally structured. By the time Giamatti visits an austere snow-covered St. Petersburg, as if that was necessary to visualize the characters' mood, the unwavering weight their grievances almost becomes too much. It does however reflect the film’s point of view: without a soul we would be unburdened, but empty; you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

A Serious Man (2009)

2009-11-11T22:12:00.013+11:00

Released November 19, 2009

The Coen Brothers' most recent opus is decidedly odd. It opens with a non-letterboxed prologue reciting a myth from Jewish folklore about a rabbi who may, or may not, be a malicious spirit - a "dybbuk". Shifting to late 1960s Minnesota suburbia, we find Physics teacher Larry Gopnik lecturing a class about the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, and whether Schrodinger's cat is, or is not, dead. As an audience member watching A Serious Man, you may well ask yourself whether you are meant to laugh, or whether you are meant to cry. Perhaps it is both simultaneously.

Relative unknown Michael Stuhlbarg, in a perfectly pitched performance, plays Larry, the most ineffectual protagonist in recent memory. When he discovers his wife is sleeping with another man, instead of confronting her or taking matters into his own hands, he merely shrugs in perplexed wonder. God's plan, if there is one, seems to involve Larry subsequently sleeping at the local motel, the "Jolly Roger", and accepting awkward embraces from his conceited competition, Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed).

These are not Larry's only problems. A Korean student at the school is attempting to bribe him for better grades, his son is more interested in F-Troop and smoking pot than his studies. and his even more hopeless brother, Arthur (Richard Kind), is sleeping on the couch. The sum of knowledge he is able to extract from visits to three rabbis, in a desperate search for answers, is to "accept the mystery". Helpful, indeed.

Who and what is doing the tormenting, and whether or not anyone has the power to do anything about it, is the focus of the Coen Brothers' enquiry in a film which is as funny as Burn After Reading but bleaker than No Country For Old Men. Drawing upon their own childhood, this awkward and hilarious satire of jewishness, faith, family and life is so grim it may alienate some. By the time the credits roll around you, like Larry, are no closer to finding "Hashem", "God" or "Truth".

Perhaps, the Coen's suggest, we're not meant to.

Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

2009-10-29T17:16:00.008+11:00

Released November 5, 2009

In Michael Moore’s latest film one gets exactly what is expected, no more, no less. His usual outspoken, provocative and amusing self, he lodges a heartfelt attack on the economic system responsible for the growing imbalance of power between corporations and the everyman.

A large part of the blame, Moore claims, should be placed at the feet of Ronald Regan, whose deregulation of the economy gave the banks newfound – and unmonitored – power. It has allowed the United States to evolve into a “plutocracy”, a state where the majority of power is controlled by the wealthy. This description was printed, astonishingly, in an internal Citibank report.

Equally as surprising is the revelation of some companies taking out “dead peasant” insurance on their employees, thus profiting in the event of their death, or the privately funded juvenile detention centre whose profits increased proportionately with the number of inmates. These segments are engrossing but blatantly manipulative. If he’s not appealing to our sentimentality, he’s pressing our buttons with Carmina Burana or Beethoven’s 9th.

And yet, Moore’s appeal is not only for his by-now predictable polemic, but as an entertainer. And Capitalism: A Love Story is nothing if not entertaining. Whether he’s wrapping the New York Stock Exchange in crime scene tape or jostling with security guards outside the GM headquarters, he demonstrates that he is unwavering in his convictions, even if the very same gimmicks act to diffuse some of his more persuasive arguments.

After the amusement of Moore’s grandstanding fades, what lingers most is the recently uncovered footage of Franklin D. Roosevelt presenting the “Second Bill of Rights”. He proposed that all citizens would be guaranteed a job, a home, an education, medical care, and “freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies”. If this seemed ambitious at the time, today it feels no less relevant and just as elusive. Roosevelt was dead the following year, and his goals remain unrealised.

It’s his sincere sentiments, more than those of the rabble-rousing Moore, which remain the most affecting.

The Piano (1993)

2009-10-25T23:43:00.007+11:00

Blu-ray Released November 4, 2009

Jane Campion is an unashamedly feminist director. This is, after all, the woman who made In the Cut, a mostly failed serial-killer lark known primarily for an unglamorously disrobed Meg Ryan. Ten years earlier she made the universally praised period film The Piano, a raw and confronting study of people on the edge of civilization in the mid 19th century without the skills to communicate effectively with each other.

For the thirty-something protagonist, Ada (Holly Hunter), it is not by choice or lack of awareness: she has been mute since the age of six. She instead communicates through sign language and vicariously through her plucky daughter (Anna Paquin), who acts as interpreter. Her real vehicle of expression, though, is her piano. She brings it with her to New Zealand when her father sells her into marriage with frontiersman, Alistair Stewart (Sam Neill).

In the untamed and almost mythical forest, Ada finds herself stuck oddly between Alistair and Baines (Harvey Keitel), a white man who has tattooed his face in the style of his Maori neighbours. Baines obtains Ada’s piano, up until now still stranded on the beach, in exchange for land from Alistair. He offers the furious Ada a deal: she can buy her piano back, one key at a time, if she will only “teach him piano”.

The piano lessons are however only a cover for the growing sexual attraction between them, a desire that feels as new and seductive as an adolescent discovering their body for the first time. Campion states in the short documentary on the disc that she was interested in the “innocence about sex, erotica and love”, a concept foreign to our modern culture of over-exposure. One of the most striking things about the film is this raw eroticism which is explicit, but not gratuitous.

All the performances are fine, especially Hunter and Paquin, both of whom won oscars from their work. It's remarkable that our sympathies always lie with Hunter even when she does not utter single word on screen. And it's hard to believe Paquin, only 11 at the time, would turn into the woman who is the star of HBO's True Blood, where little of her is left to the imagination. Here she gives a performance only a child star could give: honest and uncluttered by ego and over-calculation.

The score by Michael Nyman has since gone on to be a popular hit, the two centrepieces "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" and "My Big Secret", the most well known. By acting as Ada's metaphorical "voice", the score is massively important. Except for an odd misstep involving belching saxophones, the piano-led score captures the right mix of melancholy and romance, its mix of traditional folk tunes and contemporary styling emotive but unmanipulative. The same could be said of Jane Campion's direction, which is tremendously effective but mostly invisible.

The Blu-ray itself is superb. The video is presented in full 1080p and enhanced 16x9, while the audio is DTS-HD 5.1. The special features are few, but engaging, and include a short fifteen minute archive documentary with interviews with the principals, and a commentary by Jane Campion and producer, Jan Chapman.

Moving, beautifully photographed and performed, all film fans owe it to themselves to have this disc in their library.

Emma (1996)

2009-10-24T22:19:00.000+11:00

Blu-ray released November 4, 2009

I confess that I seem to possess an inbuilt aversion to the costume dramas of manners typified by the Jane Austen big screen adaptations. And yet when I commit to them – Wharton’s The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence spring to mind, I find myself taken. Austen is more comedic and spirited than the more scathing Wharton, two characteristics which could equally be used to describe the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow-starring version of Emma.

The story is populated by characters who define themselves by their social circles and whose coded conversation is mostly gossip about who should marry whom. Directly doing her best to manipulate potential pairings is Emma Woodhouse (Paltrow). Just peppy enough to engage our sympathies, she blindly overestimates her own matchmaking abilities.

Doing all in her power to match the self-esteem challenged Harriet (Toni Collette) with Mr. Elton, she fails to notice his affections are instead directed toward her. Upon announcing his intentions, she blusterfully rejects him as if her involvment with any man were inconcievable. Other possible suitors come and go, including a young Ewan McGregor as Frank Churchill. His Fabio-esque blond locks and smooth charm does not go unoticed by the memebers of either sex. Present alongside Emma throughout her machinations is Mr. Knightley, played charismatically by Jeremy Northam. The affectionately antagonistic relationship between them manifests in a light comedic sparring which is one of this lush film's great pleasures.

Paltrow is excellent in the lead as the manipulative Emma, depicted with just enough heart to make her likable even if she is frequently blind to the impact her actions have on others (such as when she publicly insults the insufferable Miss Bates).

Less impressive than the film is this Blu-ray release which contains no special features and woeful visual quality. The picture appears to have undergone no restoration process, with film artefacts clearly visible. Such blemishes would have been unacceptable even if it were presented on DVD. Grainy and lacking clarity, it’s a shame that the lush and colourful visual palette is not given the treatment it deserves. The audio is fine, but unremarkable, and presented in a single DTS-HD 2.0 track.

The film was released the same year as a version made for British television starring Kate Beckinsale. Perfectly fine on its own merits, this version is more spritely and enjoyable. If only the transfer quality weren’t so mediocre.

30 Rock

2009-10-21T01:08:00.013+11:00

Seasons 1-3

If you've spoken to me recently, you'd probably have noticed I have a wee bit of a crush on Tina Fey. Known to many, perhaps, for her dead on portrayal of Sarah Palin back when the election was in full swing and her stint as the first female head writer on SNL, she is also the head writer and lead actress on her show, 30 Rock.

Now entering it's fourth season, 30 Rock is a show about a show. Reflecting its principals lives possibly more than they care to admit, we follow head writer Liz Lemon (Fey) as she struggles to hold together the "TGS with Tracey Jordan" show. Various forces, such as her moody and needy actors, studio exec Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) and her own insecurities, act to make her life difficult.

The cast includes Tracey Morgan as the insane actor Tracey Jordan ("I'm black, very proud, like peacocks, baby!") and Jane Krakowski, from Ally McBeal, as his attention seeking and vain co-star, Jenna. Jack McBrayer, whom I had only seen for his small role as the sexually confused Christian newleywed in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, is the not dissimilar, but more cheerful and rosy-eyed page, Kenneth. Rounding out the regular cast are Scott Adsit as Pete Hornberger, the show's producer, and Judah Friedlander as the perpetually-capped Frank, one of the writers of Liz's eclectic staff.

The show is, essentially, a sitcom, though the single-camera setup, lack of laugh track and ongoing storylines give the characters more depth and reality than normal, even when the situations they find themselves in are often absurd. Liz is the heart of the show, a wonderful character that stands in for us all. Jack says accurately of her, to her: “"New York third-wave feminist, college-educated, single-and-pretending-to-be-happy-about-it, over scheduled, undersexed, you buy any magazine that says 'healthy body image' on the cover and every two years you take up knitting for...a week." Intelligent, funny but at heart a bit of a nerd and out of her depth, she faces many empathetic problems, even if they are as ridiculous as Tracey and Jenna attempting to one-up each other by dressing as a white woman and black man, respectively.

A revelation, of sorts, is the comedic talents of Alec Baldwin as the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming. His backhanded compliments to Liz about her masculine clothing and love-life advice are pure deadpan genius. It is particularly interesting that Jack, initially an antagonist to Liz, has become her closest confidant as the seasons have progressed, and a character that has shown much compassion underneath his manipulative streak.

The writing, lead by Fey, is smart, wry and clever. It's much more sophisticated than most other current TV comedies, and makes other current favourites of mine, such as The Big Bang Theory, seem hammy and formulaic. An extra layer is added simply by being a show-within-a-show, providing plenty of opportunities for stabs about the unpredictably of actors, the meddling of studio bosses, product placement and TV as commodity. Particularly hilarious and bizarre are those occasional moments when the characters, usually Liz or Jack, break the fourth wall and stare down the barrel of the camera, almost as if Fey and Baldwin are winking at you, letting you in on the joke.

As the show has progressed, it has only gotten stronger, giving more depth to their lovable characters and consistently providing laugh-out loud laughs. Tina Fey is obviously riding a whirlwind right now, with a cabinet full of Emmys and her creation a critical-smash hit. Her show deserves all the accolades heaped upon it, even if it curiously does not have the ratings figures to match. Maybe that will change upon the imminent arrival of the fourth season. I can't wait.

Season 4 premieres on October 15 on NBC.

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

2009-10-20T23:32:00.002+11:00

Released June 28, 2008

Jack Black is Kung Fu Panda, a fat, clumsy noodle chef with martial arts dreams. While Keanu Reeves might be able to learn kung-fu after seconds of being plugged into a computer, for our Panda, “Po”, things will be more difficult.

By matters of fate and story necessity betrayed by its title, Po is chosen as the new “Dragon Warrior” by the mysterious turtle Oogway, master of the temple perched, as they always are, on the side of a mountain in the ranges of China. Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), who will be his master and trainer, and his five disciples, Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper and Crane, are none too pleased. It’s a sacrilege, they say, that an unglamorous, unprepared and overweight Panda be chosen. Oogway is wise however, and knows that Tai Lung (voiced by Deadwood’s Ian McShane), a misguided student of Shifu, has escaped from prison and is on his way to battle the one destined as the Dragon Warrior. One does not need to extrapolate too far to see where the story is headed.

It doesn’t matter, however – Kung Fu Panda works because of its charm and humour which riffs on old kung-fu movies and the expected conventions but yet still remains, unlike the Shrek films, within its own universe. The visuals, lighting and landscapes are often truly beautiful, and while the characters lack the nuance of those in Ratatouille, the voice cast, which also includes Seth Rogen and Jackie Chan, are fine.

The story is merely a retread of a thousand other children’s films, but its delivered with such verve and exuberance that it’s the story’s inherent strength rather than familiarity that dominates. After all, what child – or adult – does not dream of being a kung fu master?

The Box (2009)

2009-10-20T16:57:00.008+11:00

Released October 29, 2009

A strange man arrives at your doorstep with a box which has atop it a big, red button. If you press the button two things will happen:
(a) you will be rewarded with one million dollars, and
(b) somewhere, someone you don't know, will die.
If you don't press the button, you can return the box without obligation. What do you do?

This is the moral dilemma presented in Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly's third feature, The Box. The hard questions, however, come in the consequences following that decision, since it is hardly a spoiler to reveal that Cameron Diaz as Norma, and too-pretty-to-be-true James Marsden as husband, Arthur, do make the seductive choice.

It's not long before strange and horrific events start intruding on Norma and Arthur's lives, affecting not only them but their young son, Walter. Frank Langella plays the strange man, his face disfigured a'la Harvey Two-Face. Intimidating but seemingly honest, his origin and affiliation is unknown. Kelly, who wrote the screenplay, cleverly refrains from explicit explanations and instead allows his philosophical ramblings free reign. Causality takes a back seat to theme, in which it is suprisingly coherent, with an ending manages to tie enough of a bow to be satisfying without feeling contrived.

Occasionally frightening and often suspenseful, your enjoyment will depend on whether you accept the premise and the morbidly humourless tone. Like other well-intentioned and sometimes provocative science-fiction films based in the real world such as Alex Proyas' Knowing, The Box treads perilously close to hokum, sometimes crossing the line, before being pulled back by the strength of its ideas.

Based on a short story penned by Richard Matheson and subsequently turned into a Twilight Zone episode, Kelly’s version, set in 1976, is as old fashioned as the original series. Rod Serling would have approved.

An Education (2009)

2009-10-15T14:26:00.012+11:00

Released October 22, 2009

Peter Sarsgaard has a peculiar way of being simultaneously seductive and sinister. He plays David in this 1960s coming-of-age tale from acclaimed scribe Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity) and director Lone Scherfig.

David somehow makes a living through real estate, though he seems to spend more time hustling and crusing in his Bristol sports car. His charms seduce not only the young sixteen year old Jenny, played luminously by Carey Mulligan, but also her parents, Jack and Majorie. Alfred Molina's Jack is one of those stodgy, conservative and meddling fathers with a clear plan for his daughter's life: she is to advance her social status by striving academically and gaining entry to Oxford.

Living in the lower-middle class Twickenham, Jenny feels constrained by the conservative suburbia that has not yet hit the 60s revolution. She shuns her studies for, in her eyes, the far more attractive and carefree life with David and his swinging friends which include Dominic Cooper and the very blond Rosamund Pike. They frequent classical concerts, nightclubs, auctions and even have some time for a spot of low-class thieving: “I never did anything before I met you,” she tells David.

Even as the perceptive Jenny becomes aware of the less savoury aspects of her newfound life, and of the emptiness at the heart of her lover’s character, she feels compelled to follow it to its end. This is despite the stern words from behind the glasses of Emma Thompson’s headmistress, and the objections of Olivia Williams’ kindly teacher, Miss Stubbs. An attractive woman dressed unflatteringly by her own volition, Miss Stubbs feels an odd identification with her student, and perhaps a regret for paths not taken.

Beautifully shot with a real sense of the period, An Education is delightful and honest, even though the age difference between the burgeoning lovers is oddly never raised.

While Mulligan is the obvious star, also noteworthy is Ellie Kendrick as one of Jenny’s school friends. It’s a small role, but on the basis of her star turn in the BBC series The Diary of Anne Frank, she, like Mulligan, is destined for bigger things.

Stargate Universe

2009-10-13T16:29:00.010+11:00

SyFy Channel on Fridays from October 2, 2009

Stargate Galactica
Air Parts 1, 2 and 3

I have just had the modest pleasure of watching the three-part pilot of the third Stargate TV series, Stargate Universe. It shows great promise and is far more interesting than the later seasons of either earlier series, which seemed too stuck within formula and their clean, PC sci-fi world.

Entitled "Air" and set in the present day, it follows the story of a group of humans stranded far from Earth on the spaceship "Destiny", built eons ago by the Ancients. It a familiar but reliable conciet already exploited in shows such as Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek: Voyager.

As one may expect, aboard the newly discovered ship are a diverse array of military officers and civilians, a perfect setup for much of the tensions which will no doubt arise. Characters which make themselves notable are Robert Carlyle as the practical and not-entirely likable Dr. Nicholas Rush and the requisite geek character, Eli Wallace (David Blue), who finds his way into the Stargate world by solving a mathematics puzzle embedded in a MMO game. While perhaps sitting well within the world of SG-1, his presence is mostly a contrived distraction in Universe, which draws more than plot inspiration from the recent gritty, and brilliant, Battlestar Galactica.

If nothing else, creators and Stargate veterans, Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper must be applauded for trying to create a show distinct from either of its forerunners. Still, at this early stage, much of the attempts for darkness seem as tepid as Susan Ivanova's lesbian dalliance in Babylon 5. There's a 20 second sex scene, for example, that seems included merely to say "look BSG! Stargate can be racy too!", and while the plot revolves around usual Stargate territory (the main problem facing the crew at the outset are the malfunctioning life-support systems), there are attempts to give major characters moral dilemmas. One particular moment late in Part 2, everyone's survival on the line, sees Dr. Rush intending to choose a sacrifical lamb. Later it is implied that it is instead through an act of noble sacrifice than the crew are saved, though the dialogue itself is somewhat ambiguious. It is possible the writers are planning something more subversive that is evidenced here, and I certainly hope they are willing to have faith in their characters rather than bending them to the whim of the plot.

Despite these quibbles, and the other leads which have yet to establish an obvious identity, there's plenty to enjoy: Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks and Amanda Tapping all make cameos, the mammoth ship clearly provides endless scope for storytelling and the use of flashbacks help ground the characters in real emotion. The heavy use of hand-held cameras also works suprisingly well in conjuction with the slightly darker tone.

Stargate Universe has little claim to originality solely by being part of a franchise, and especially in light of its borrowings from BSG and Voyager. Still, if there must be another Stargate TV series, this is probably the best one could have hoped for. Now it just depends on whether the writers continue to follow the more innovative (at least for Stargate) elements rather than falling back upon the less-interesting and formulaic tropes already established.

Okuribito (Departures, 2009)

2009-10-08T23:01:00.010+11:00

Released October 15, 2009

Beating out other high profile releases such as Waltz with Bashir for the best foreign film Oscar is this touching Japanese drama about an out-of-work cellist who falls into a career as an “encoffineer”: those who dress and prepare the dead as the bereved say their final goodbyes. Daigo is played by Masahiro Motoki as a sort of well-meaning awkward child who slowly becomes more comfortable with his socially maligned job and, critically, his relationship with his estranged father, whom he has not seen since he was a child.

He is instructed in the fine art of washing and dressing the corpses by the hardened veteran Sasaki, his boss and mentor. The care and affection to which Sasaki and, eventually, Daigo, pay to their work is touching, poetic and accompanied by the aching strains of Joe Hisaishi’s cello-based score.

What’s most impressive is director Yokiro Takita’s bravery in taking on the subject of death and how it is perceived – or denied – by the living. His thesis seems to be that embracing the “circle of life” is the only way to find solace with our ultimate fate. The dead and roasted chicken Daigo and Sasaki devour on Christmas Eve, for instance, is representative of this never ending cycle.

While beautiful in its monotone reverence of those passed, the dramatic beats are telegraphed too early and the final act is too repetitive. Shameless emotive montages over soaring strings push and pull in all the right places and threaten to replace the heartfelt sincerity with something more manipulative. There’s also a very uncomfortable splash of oddball humour that is too weird to gel comfortably with the otherwise respectful and sincere tone.

Clearly perfect award bait, Departures is nonetheless at pains to avoid any real drama. Like the musician, later mortician, who seems more interested in the art of his profession than its heart, it is a beautiful and uplifting affirmation of life through death, but one constrained by its own peculiar brand of manipulation.

Astro Boy (2009)

2009-10-01T15:41:00.015+10:00

Released October 15, 2009

I confess to never having seen the original series - either of them. Signs of my deprived childhood perhaps, though I am familiar with other luminaries such as Bananaman, SuperTed and Danger Mouse.

It needn't matter, since this CG-animated revision is similar to many other recent superhero-origin stories. All the usual elements are here: science experiments gone wrong, disenchantment with the father, a nasty villain, glorious action and comic relief in the form of three inept robots claiming to represent the "Robot Revolutionary Front".

In the world of Astro Boy, the floating Metro City, robots are marginalised in society as workers and slaves. A new addition to their ranks is the hero of the title, a robot created in the likeness of Dr. Tenema's (Nicholas Cage) tragically dead son. With rocket boots in place of feet and hair that magically always keeps its form, he flees to the wasteland below in search of his new identity. There he comes across our three bumbling revolutionaries and a kid-dominated Neverland. Catching his eye is the attractive free spirit Cora (Kristen Bell) and the kids' father figure Hamegg (Natahan Lane), who's obsessed with robots and is suspicious of their latest visitor.

Naturally there's a nefarious politician played by dependable bad-guy Donald Sutherland and the requisite mixture of explosions and character development. It's all very entertaining, surprisingly funny and layered with interesting but mostly unexplored science-fiction themes about the ethics and politics of artificial intelligence. There's even more than one mention of Asimov's three rules of robotics.

Where it fails is the script, which is obsessed with re-stating that which is clearly visible on screen. Unnecessary platitudes abound, such as when Bill Nighy's massive-nosed Dr. Elefun magically appears at the climax and proclaims Astroboy a noble hero. It’s a shame because the story is strong, the animation fine and the heroic John Ottman score better than anything written for any recent comparable live-action superhero flick. It inhibits, but doesn't ruin this amiable animated alternative to the usual superhero schtick whose main problem stems from the filmmakers' lack of faith in their audience.

Moon (2009)

2009-09-15T14:41:00.017+10:00

Released October 8, 2009

Old-School Oddity

Recent science-fiction films have preferenced thrills over ideas. Breaking that trend and harking back to classics such as Alien, Silent Running and 2001: A Space Odyssey, this one man show for Sam Rockwell is refreshingly willing to ponder the philosophical implications of its premise.

Trudging through the sterile corridors of a mining base on the moon, Sam Bell (Rockwell) has only the A.I. GERTY for company. Retro in design, GERTY is voiced by Kevin Spacey as a seemingly benign being with amusingly adorable smiley faces in place of emotion. Of course, you can never quite tell what he's really up to; HAL seemed friendly enough at the beginning too. Coming to the end of his three year term, Sam eagerly awaits being sent home to Earth to be reunited with his wife Tess and three-year old daughter, Eve.

With much of the facility and harvesters automated, Sam’s presence almost seems superfluous were it not for needed maintenance and repairs. He certainly feels that way. As he becomes more and more emotionally distant and disenchanted with his lowly place in the corporate hierarchy, Sam’s physical and emotional health begins to deteriorate.

What happens next is better left unexplained, and is less important than the establishment of the introspective mood. Suffice it to say there is an escalating feeling of unease and claustrophobia as Sam makes unexpected discoveries that may or may not stem from irrational paranoia.

Director Duncan Jones, partly by fiscal necessity and by choice employs a blend of cheaper traditional models and CGI with a deliberately retro aesthetic. More tangible than their CGI-only counterparts, he shows tremendous creativity in constructing what is an ambitious science-fiction film with a budget of only $5 million. With his next film a salivating-inducing dystopian noir set in a future Berlin, Moon is an inspired debut from an obvious talent.

The Bealtes: Rockband

2009-09-11T13:46:00.009+10:00

To the cheer of Beatles fans around the world, the Beatles CD catalogue has finally been digitally re-mastered. To coincide with this release, EA Australia has released the latest in the Rockband series, this one consisting solely of classic Beatles tunes: The Beatles: Rockband.

At the press launch held at the Diamant hotel near King's Cross in Sydney, representatives from EA were joined by up-and-coming and young rock-punk-glam-electro band Short Stack. Donning the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club outfits, they did their best to play a song in the game, but the guitarist curiously missed almost every beat (though apparently the controller was set up incorrectly). To the complete indifference of the audience they then played two songs from their new album, before giving up the stage to allow the attendees at hands-on experience of the game.

Anyone who's played the other Rockband titles or Guitar Hero would be instantly familiar with the gameplay – almost nothing has changed except unique addition of three-part vocal harmonies. Players can choose from four instruments - guitar, bass, voice or drums. One of the games unique selling points are the replicas of instruments made famous by the band, including the Höfner base used by Sir Paul McCartney. The drums kit is also a very cute imitation of Ringo's pearl-finished set.

Over 45 songs from the Beatles catalogue have been included, the songs themselves divided up into the different venues featured in the game, which include the Cavern Club, the Ed Sullivan Theatre, the final rooftop concert and, of course, Abbey Road. While 45 songs are on offer, including classics such as “Can't Buy Me Love”, “I am the Walrus”, “Yellow Submarine” and “While my Guitar Gently Weeps”, a mass of material is missing, some of which will be available to download, beginning with Abbey Road in October.

While I was not given a chance to extensively playtest the game, particularly impressive were the cell shaded animations of the fab four in concert and the particularly surreal video accompanying “I am the Walrus”, which was as visually creative as many recent animated films.

The career mode of the first Rockband game has been replaced by a similar “story” mode which chronologically maps out the band's career. Also akin to the previous titles, you can play any song cooperatively or competitively at difficultly levels ranging from “Easy” to “Expert”. Hence, The Beatles: Rockband doesn't do a lot to advance the already established gameplay, but it doesn't need to. The very presence of their classic songs is sufficient to warrant this an essential purchase for fans of the series or of the band. If for some inexplicable reason you don’t fall into either category, then this is a great opportunity to interactively become familiar with some of the most iconic musicians of the 20th century.

The Beatles: Rockband is now in wide release with a RRP of $79.99 for Wii and $89.99 for Xbox 360 and PS3. The limited edition bundle including the unique set of controllers retails at $369.99.

Stone Bros. (2009)

2009-09-10T16:11:00.012+10:00

Released September 24, 2009

Billed as “Australia’s first Indigenous comedy”, there’s something amiable about this often funny film that mixes filthy humour with timely jabs at race-relations.

The absurd frizzy-haired and dope-smoking Charlie (Leon Burchill) joins his more sensible but equally doped up buddy Eddie (Luke Carroll) on his quest to return a precious rock to his family. Setting off on the 600km trip West from Perth to Kalgoolie in a boxy-old Ford, they quickly fill the car with smoke before picking up an Italian rock-wannabe, Vinnie, who looks a lot like Russell Brand but with a less ridiculous accent. From there, they’re off a road-movie adventure that also involves drag queen Reggie (or is that Regina?), prison, evil spiders and a demonic puppy.

The gags are hit and miss; frequently a zinger will be followed by an awkward audience silence and the plot is merely an excuse to create mayhem. What come across most strongly is writer/director Richard J. Frankland’s genuine love for his characters, love for the land, respect for family and the importance of reconciliation. By conveying this message though comedy he cleverly makes his obvious intent more palatable.

Shot on location in Western Australia, the film spends little time savouring the vast landscape, the screenplay instead jumping from incident to another. While mostly adhering to some semblance of reality, it is weakened by an absurd sequence where our heroes are chased by a possessed dog with glowing blue eyes. Poorly assembled, it looks like its been pulled from an episode of The Goodies but with none of their comedic timing. A key moment with a persistent spider living in their car also misfires - problems that could have been easily solved simply with a quick rewrite and tighter editing.

These imperfections however, do not overly dampen a film admirable in theme and spirit, and merely just add to its goofball charm.

Defiance (2009)

2009-09-10T15:49:00.015+10:00

DVD Released September 2, 2009

Upon its cinematic release, many accused Ed Zwick’s holocaust drama of being unfaithful to the true story of the Bielski brothers and their band of rebellious partisans. Responsible for saving over one thousand Jews from the Nazis, they have been labeled either heroes or “Jewish-communist bandits”, depending on who you ask. As portrayed by Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell, Tuvia, Zus and Asael respectively, they sit comfortably in the former category.

That is not to say, however, that decisions always came easily. In this version, after escaping the slaughter of their family, the brothers flee into the woods. With an ever growing band of refugees under their wing, the constant challenges of food, shelter and avoiding capture pressure the brothers' relationship. Dissatisfied with Tuvia’s preference for survival instead of taking the war to the Nazis, Zus leaves to join a neighboring band of Soviet partisans, who are not without their own anti-Semitic prejudices. And the dilemma central to many a holocaust drama emerges – are the characters able to stay whole in the face of so much inhumanity?

These omnipresent issues are often unfortunately drowned out by Zwick’s broad emotional strokes. Despite directing some superb Hollywood dramas such as Glory and The Last Samurai, subtlety is not part of his arsenal. Like those excessive but engaging renditions of historical events, Defiance feels sanitized and simplified.

It’s been glorified too – nowhere in the archives will you find records of their battle with a Wehrmacht tank. The Deux Ex Machina that follows also tells of a screenwriter desperately trying to tie his story into a neat bow. For the real partisans, of course, no such catharsis was forthcoming.

Push (2009)

2009-09-03T17:08:00.008+10:00

Released September 10, 2009

One thing is for certain: Dakota Fanning is a star. Throughout this ridiculous excuse for a thriller she managers to make expositional and inane dialogue believable while her co-stars fail to infuse life into their stereotypes: hers is the only character who is a character.

Admittedly they were working from a screenplay that has plenty of good ideas and no idea what to do with them. The premise is that governments all over the world have secretly created people with supernatural abilities. Some have the power of telekinesis (“movers”) while others can pretend they're Obi-Wan and perform Jedi-mind tricks (“pushers”). Planning to exploit them for their own nefarious ends, a group known as the “The Division" hunts for the rogue psychics who dare rebel against them. That would be mover Nick Gant (Chris Evans), pusher Kira (Camilla Belle) and Fanning as Cassie, a "watcher" who has the power to see the future.

All the elements seem to be there for your typical Hollywood thriller. Unique hook? Check. Reluctant hero? Check. Angry Bad Guy? Check. Lots of Action? Check. The only problem is that none of it works. Taking itself far too seriously, it wastes too much time trying to be cute with plot mechanics instead of establishing character.

You’d think the film's setting of Hong Kong would lend it some action pedigree, but most of it is unintentionally hilarious. I want to know at what story board meeting a telekinetic gunfight seemed like a good idea. In this particularly memorable scene, our adversaries’ hide behind two pillars as the guns float in between them. I'm curious as to how they were being aimed - do they have invisible floating eyes as well?

Director Paul McGuigan also made The Wrong Man, which was a clever piece of second-rate Tarantino. His flashy technique however can’t save Push, whose problems should have been solved at the script stage.

Falling Down (1993)

2009-08-29T23:43:00.007+10:00

Blu-Ray released July 28, 2009

Michael Douglas sits in a traffic jam in the sweltering Los Angeles heat. He is tired and sweaty and everything that confronts him - the flashing lights of the roadworks signs, people speaking loudly in neighbouring cars and a buzzing fly hovering around his neck - only increases his anxiety. Eventually it becomes too much and he snaps, grabbing his briefcase, stepping out of his car and walking away - to where, he is not sure, all he knows is that the situation is unmanageable, and he must flee. It's a brilliant scene, and a cracking opening to a tense and provocative film.

Douglas' character, only known as "D-Fens", also his car numberplate, thus begins his film-long journey across LA venting his frustration on all the injustices he perceives around him. Many of them have to do with his uncertainty about race: he confronts a Korean shop store owner about charging too much for a can of Coke, and is not afraid to stand up for himself when he impinges on gangland territory. As his actions grow more violent, he gains the attention of Detective Martin Prendergast (Robert Duvall), and his attractive partner, Detective Sandra Torres (Rachel Ticotin). In one of its few nods to convention, it's Prendergast's last day before retirement and he must deflect the wishes of his wife to engage in one last assignment.

D-Fens is not easily likable but he nonetheless hypnotises us with his rage stemming from anxieties about capitalism, consumerism, multiculturalism and other "isms" that define our western society. He represents the urge in all of us at one time or another, to break from our shackles and be free of the systems that constrain us. Even though capable of great acts of violence, D-Fens has a great love for his daughter currently in the custody of his ex-wife, a relationship which helps make his character somewhat sympathetic. The best thing about D-Fens and Douglas's performance, however, is that there is no glee or catharsis in his actions; his anger is matched only by his sadness.

Made shortly after the end of the cold war and inspired by the layoff of staff following the downsizing of America's defence system, Falling Down was very timely and thankfully the Joel Schumacher who destroyed the Batman franchise is absent. Equally as interested in ideas as in tension, he is able to maintain the suspense even through the unsurprising but necessary conclusion.

The film is presented on this Blu-Ray in full 1080P and is of superb quality. The audio however is inexplicably and inexcusably only in stereo rather than Dolby 5.1 or DTS. The special features include a ten minute retrospective conversation with Douglas about the film, of which he speaks of highly, and a commentary by many of the cast and crew including Douglas, Schumacher and screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith. Unfortunately the commentary consists of pre-recorded individual snippets, which are informative but less entertaining than a group commentary.

I was not familiar with this film before obtaining this review copy, and it's always a joy when something comes from nowhere and surprises you. Falling Down is a great, intense thriller with a provocative central character and one of Michael Douglas's best performances. Check it out.

Bedroom Mazurka Uncut (1970)

2009-08-29T21:18:00.014+10:00

Max Mikkelsen is a likeable soul, not terribly bright and awkward around women, but harmless enough. He's a teacher at a public school and is in line to become the new headmaster. The only problem is that school tradition dictates the headmaster must have a wife: Max is not only a bachelor, but a virgin and clueless about sex.

This cheesy but amiable Danish sex comedy follows Max's subsequent journey of enlightenment about carnal pleasures. The students of the male-only school see it in their best interest to help Max on his way - Max is much more progressive than his older, more stuffy superiors, and would gladly allow women into the school - and hire a stripper to those ends. When that fails, it's up to the wife and daughter of the outgoing headmaster to teach, the back of the DVD cover states, "their own private lessons in human sexuality".

The surprise about all this is that while it's cheap, poorly acted and is regrettably presented here in a woeful English dub, it is modestly entertaining and decently plotted. That's right, it has a plot. While billed as soft-corn porn, anyone desperately seeking copious sex best look elsewhere, since bar a number of bare-breasted women and a few tame sex scenes, most remained amusingly clothed in late 60s fashions; this is more a Dainish American Pie than Hot Blondes XI.

Only Ole Søltoft as Max gives anything approaching an entertaining performance, the rest range between awful (the wife), eye candy (the daughter) and forgettable (everyone else). Also curious is an unfortunate subplot about rape accusations and the suggestion that deep down it's what all women really desire. It's a strange addition to the story all the more absurd because of the surrounding frivolity.

The picture quality is actually quite decent for a film of this age (and quality) and is presented in anamorphic widescreen, despite the full frame claim on the DVD. Also included is the film trailer and a trailer for Gwendoline (1984) which, with its naked chariot ladies and action-fantasy pretense, looks perfect for an extravagant 80s sex adventure night in, and decidedly more enticing than this passably entertaining slice of 1970s Euro-trash.

How the West Was Won (1962)

2009-08-27T15:20:00.018+10:00

DVD Released July 27, 2009

Cinerama was a smash when first unveiled to the public in the early 1950s. Cinemagoers couldn't get enough of the giant curved screen that offered a powerful immersive experience. Shot using a special rig containing three 35mm cameras, the first Cinerama films were a “cinema of attractions” designed to give audiences the rush of a rollercoaster ride or of flying low over snowcapped mountains. It was the IMAX of its day.

Despite its potential, only two narrative films were made using the three strip Cinerama process: The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and How the West Was Won, both in 1962. Thanks to technological advances, for the first time on this three disc special edition, we are able to watch the film without the strip lines visible, though in certain scenes they have not been completely eliminated. An epic by any definition, How the West Was Won boasts no less than three directors, over a dozen major stars including Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck and John Wayne, and some of the most breathtaking scenery of any film.

The film is split into five parts over a fifty year period: “The Rivers”, “The Plains”, “The Civil War”, “The Railroad” and “The Outlaws”, each focusing on members of the Prescott family. The quality of each varies greatly, with those directed by Henry Hathaway (the first two and last) easily the strongest, possibly, as revealed in the extensive documentary about Cinerama on the third disc, because he was most comfortable operating with the cumbersome cameras. George Marshall (“The Railroad), and especially John Ford (“The Civil War”) seem far less at ease and unsure of how to best stage sequences to exploit the technology.

Clearly, a small flat television is not the best way to view this film, but even on a small screen, some of the footage still amazes: a shot inside a wagon as it tumbles down a hill during an Indian attack and a visceral sequence as the camera rises up and over charging horses stand out. Without the opportunity for close-ups, conversation scenes should be awkward, but while choices are more limited, many of the compositions and breadth of visual information are still impressive.

Narratively, if you are willing to ignore the blatant white American flag-waving and the broad strokes of Spencer Tracy's narration, many of the sequences are still engaging. The opening sequence finding one of the Prescott daughters Eve (Carroll Baker) vying for the affections of mountain man Linus Rawlings (the great Jimmy Stewart) is endearing, as is the second, where Cleve Van Halen (Gregory Peck) attempts to woo Lily (Debbie Reynolds, whose singing and dancing pedigree is put to good use) who has just come upon the inheritance of a gold mine. The depth of acting talent is just endless, with other roles filled by Henry Fonda, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb and Eli Wallach.

Bar the Blu-ray release, which contains the option to view the film in a special letterbox format that simulates the Cinerama experience, this special edition is the best way to view this minor classic at home. While not a masterpiece, How the West Was Won is historically important and a worthy addition to any film buff’s library

Watch it on the biggest screen you can find.

The Baader-Meinhof Complex (2009)

2009-08-27T12:16:00.006+10:00

DVD Released September 9, 2009

The title of this German historical thriller comes from the embryonic name for the RAF - the Red Army Faction, a band of communist "urban-gorillas" retaliating against the West German government in 1960s and 70s. Born out of the student protest movement, the film depicts their ideological rise and mobilization into something more radical and violent.

Though there are a dozen or more central characters from different "generations" of the RAF, the narrative focuses on the group's founders, Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu) and Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck). They and their underlings, thoroughly convinced that their ends justify their drastic means, justify murder by claiming that their fascist and imperialist government is responsible. When one of their own is shot and killed after fleeing from police, they cry of corruption and cold-blooding killings, even though this blame, arguably, should be reflected back upon them. Through this dilemma, Baader-Meinhof succeeds brilliantly in simultaneously making you both on the side of the revolutionaries and of the system they so violently despise.

The films rapid-fire pace is less successful; many events which deserve a film in of themselves come and go in instant and character development becomes lost in the shuffle. It's frequently infuriating that screenwriter Bernd Eichinger, who also wrote the tremendous Der Untergang, crams so much into the film's 150 minutes, sometimes you wish he took the time to build the intricate suspense sequences like in Spielberg's Munich, which is otherwise thematically a close cousin.

Despite this, The Baader-Meinhof Complex, presented excellently on this DVD but with no special features, is fascinating and meticulously crafted.

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

2009-08-24T09:41:00.008+10:00

Released August 27, 2009

While holding the occupants of an underground train hostage seems to contain inherent logistical impracticalities and does not exactly provide the perpetrators with an easy exit route, my first question when I heard of this subway-train hostage film was: why hadn’t I seen this before? I would have, had I seen the excellent 1974 original starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. This updated Pelham, re-imagined from John Godey’s novel is a slick, contemporary action thriller. It succeeds primarily because of Denzel Washington’s likable performance as Walter Garber, an everyman transit dispatcher and makeshift hostage negotiator.

Director Tony Scott however, almost ruins his film by over direction. Before John Travolta as Ryder, subway hijacker and loudmouth, even takes control of the 1:23 PM afternoon train from Pelham, New York, we’re confronted with flickering jump cuts and look-at-me editing, making it difficult to tell what is happening and negating the dramatic content.

Thankfully, it settles down as Travolta and Washington play off each other in an entertaining game of cat and mouse. He and his minions demand that the city mayor, James Gandolfini, transfer $10 million dollars (the most that can be exchanged in one transaction) within an hour before the passengers become collateral. A slimy John Tuturro arrives as a professional negotiator, but Ryder refuses to speak to him, insisting instead that Garber be his intermediary. This central dynamic is nicely drawn out by screenwriter Brian Helgeland, (Mystic River, L.A. Confidential). It becomes obvious that Garber may not quite the noble everyman he appears, and Washington is reliable as usual in bringing out the conflicted shades of his character. Travolta fares less well – his overblown shtick is entertaining but shallow and one-note.

While conventional in its plot development, some elements are awkwardly introduced and then discarded: a young teenager’s laptop’s live webcam feed into the train, a potential mine of information for the authorities, remains curiously unnoticed. The transit control centre though, is a fantastic set modeled on the real facility under Manhattan, and a wonder of busy design and functionality – the flipside of J.J. Abrams' Apple-Store Enterprise.

Denzel is however the star. But unlike Scott’s best film, Crimson Tide, Pelham 123 suffers from his seeming reluctance to allow his actors centre stage, and his tendency to one-up them with overly snappy editing and superfluous directorial flourishes.

Send a Bullet (Manda Bala, 2007)

2009-08-15T21:03:00.007+10:00

DVD Released July 15, 2009

This Brazilian-American coproduction is a cleverly constructed documentary about the proliferation of violence in the Brazilian city of San Paolo. With a population of over 20 million, the gap between the rich and the poor has incited corruption amongst politicians and kidnappings amongst those less fortunate. We follow a number of stories concurrently - a woman who had both hear ears cut off during a kidnapping and the plastic surgeon who restored them, a wealthy businessmen's tireless efforts protect himself from crime, a corrupt politician who continues to maintain his innocence and a kidnapper who moved from the poorer rural areas of Brazil to San Paolo in search of wealth. These threads are bound by the investigation of a frog farm, something pivotal to those in power but of which no one wishes to speak.

Producer and director Jason Kohn cleverly interweaves this material, employing slick graphics and deft editing to strengthen material which was already inherently powerful. There is barely a shot that relies on a typical setup - even though he most of his interviewees sit beside their interpreters, Kohn shoots them in erratically framed close and medium shots to the tune of pulsating Brazilian pop. Despite most speaking Portuguese, much of the film is edited to be in English, clearly a clever ploy to its target audience.

In an effort to be entertaining, however, Send a Bullet ultimately doesn't bring together its disparate strands into a singular thesis. Yes, the give-and-take of crime and violence between the upper and lower classes is prevalent and a serious issue, but what can be done to improve the situation? Kohn, who has previously worked with Errol Morris, is undoubtedly talented, but here he brings little of his perspective beyond a distinctive visual style. Nonetheless, Send a Bullet is an entertaining documentary that sheds light on a problem likely not known to many outside Brazil.

This madman DVD release contains both a Dolby 2.0 and 5.1 audio track, deleted scenes and an audio commentary by Kohn and fellow producer Jared Goldman.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

2009-08-15T01:44:00.010+10:00

For years I swore that I would never see this movie. The very idea of it was frightening enough. I didn't like horror movies, I don't like gore, and a just didn't see the point of subjecting myself to 90 minutes of torture for no concievable purpose. But recently I've been mining the horror classics that had previously been off-limits due to self-censorship. Some of them have been enlightening - the original Halloween is a masterpiece - others (Friday the 13th, for instance) have not. With my gin and tonic in one hand and ice cream in the other (now there's a combination) I eagerly awaited what director Tobe Hooper had in store for me.

Thankfully, he did not disappoint: this is the scariest movie I've ever seen. Like most truly scary movies, it scares you by what it implies more than what it shows. Instead of the later, more gore-centric slasher flicks of the 80s or the recent torture porn trend, little is explicitly shown. What is implied, though, is truly frightening.

Five twenty somethings are travelling cross country in a van and pick up a hitchhiker. He turns out to be a psychopath who relishes knifing his own hand and raves about his work at the nearby slaughterhouse. They sensibly loose him quickly, and head towards a house in the countryside owned by the father of one of the characters. Unfortunately, a nearby house is home to a lunatic family including the iconic chainsaw killer of the title, known as Leatherface. Amazingly well-designed, the house lures many of the characters to their deaths, each scene masterful constructions in building terror. Ultimately, the heroine Sally and her wheelchair-bound brother venture in after them. The chase scenes that follow are some of the best of their type, and remarkably avoid most of the stereotypes that would later become cliches.

While the skill with which it's been put together is undeniable, the material is still inherently replusive - especially in the last fifteen minutes where Sally's screams of impending death are so incessant no amount of technical skill (including a cool Repulsion-style montage of her eye) can disguise it. It was at this point I was thinking, enough already, I don't have to watch fifteen continuous minutes of misogynistic violence for no purpose other than itself. And then Hooper pulls out a cracker of an ending and a brilliant, iconic final shot.

The movie succeeds - and is somewhat refreshing - because it doesn't feel like a "horror" movie. Beginning with a voice-over narration fortelling events to come, it feels like a documentary, and is realistic enough to convice us of its authenticity (though, despite the film's claims, there is no "real" Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Some complain that there is no point to a film like this and that characters only exist to create terror and to be terrified. That may be true, but when its constructed with such skill and provokes such a strong response in the viewer, I can't help but be impressed.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a true classic of the genre.

Appaloosa (2009)

2009-08-13T00:52:00.005+10:00

DVD Released July 16, 2009

Like many westerns before it, Ed Harris' second film as director is a study of two men: lawman Virgil Cole (Harris) and his trusted side-man Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen). While possessing a close friendship developed over many years, a healthy distance between them is maintained through their differences - Everett is wiser and savvier than his steadfast elder who has knows little of life outside his chosen profession. That is, until Renee Zellweger, as Allie French, arrives.

Virgil finds himself falling for this city girl from the East, dressed in her fancy outfits and able to play smooth tunes on the piano. This is a first for Virgil, it seems, and a distraction from the responsibility of protecting the New Mexico town of Appaloosa from roving criminal Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons), who is wanted for the murder of the previous town sheriff.

Traditional in structure, and featuring the requisite gunfights, stand-offs and train journeys, the film is refreshing in its lack of urgency, frequently pausing for Virgil and Everett's meditations on life, relationships and gunslinging. Harris is simultaneously imposing and endearing as Virgil, a man who reads Emerson yet stumbles over complicated words. Mortensen, obscured under his wide-brimmed hat, is unflappably cool as always and ready to intervene when Virgil becomes blindly out of his depth.

Adapted from Robert B. Parker's 2005 novel, Appaloosa is neither a well paced thriller like 3:10 to Yuma, nor a revisionist piece like Unforgiven and suffers from being a little too routine. While the narrative wanders in its latter third, it nonetheless impresses through its understated photography and the well realized central relationship.

This superb single-disc DVD contains an excellent array of special features including a commentary track, behind the scenes documentaries and deleted scenes.

Halo 3: ODST Press Junket

2009-08-11T13:02:00.000+10:00

Microsoft sure know how to put on a good show, and how to make their guests happy with an overload of good food. On Thursday August 6th, XBox Australia hosted a VIP event on Sydney's Cockatoo Island in preparation for the release of Halo 3: ODST. An expansion which has evolved into stand-alone product, it marks a departure from previous Halo titles by introducing non-linear gameplay and a new less heavily armed playable character - the Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.

After barely making it to the ferry that was to take us to Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour, I was greeted by by a boat full of geeks eagerly playing with their iPhones and ignoring the beautiful harbour in front of them. Upon arrival at the dilapidated industrial island that was at various times an imperial prison, industrial school, jail and shipyard, we were led through a 150 m long tunnel in darkness, save for the distant rat-tat-tat of gunfire and Nathan Fillion's (who voices "Buck" in the game) distinctive tones. Eventually we arrived at the presentation site: large flat screens under a green fluorescent glow fronted by the life-size replica of a Warthog built by the WETA Workshop in New Zealand (of Lord of the Rings fame).

WETA general manager Tim Launder was in attendance and gave the first presentation describing the "cool shit" (TM) his company is responsible for. Originally built for the proposed Halo movie to be produced by Peter Jackson, the Warthog is a fully functioning four-wheel-drive multi-terrain vehicle and the star of the live-action Halo short films floating around on the net. A custom WETA design from the Bungie brief, it is fitted with a turbocharger, roll cage and has the ability to withstand a fall of 20 feet. It can switch between two wheel and four wheel drive, and has a special "crab" mode where it is able to drive sideways and diagonally. Reportedly it drives in real life much like it does in the game, which means it's a tricky, slidey little sucker (as anyone who's seen the You Tube video of the low speed crash into the of side of a warehouse would attest). Unfortunately, the event was at night and we were not able to see the machine in action.

After Tim, Bungie's Curtis Creamer took to the stage and made a presentation much the same as the one given at E3, demonstrating the early stages of the game's campaign. Halo 3: ODST finds you as "The Rookie", a UNSC soldier in New Mombasa. Unlike Master Chief, ODSTs more lightly armoured and players hence have to be more cautious about engaging multiple enemies at once - health and shields, for one, do not automatically regenerate though you do posses more advanced navigation systems. Dropped into the city, you become separated from your teammates. As you find evidence of their whereabouts, you control their characters in flashback. This gives the player the power to let the narrative unfold in an order they see fit. This branching structure and the open planned city makes the game much less linear than its forbearers.

Aside from these two elements and the addition of new weapons including a powerful pistol reminiscent of the original, the gameplay remains largely the same as earlier Halos. The AI seemed predictable - sure, they jump away from grenades and take advantage of rudimentary cover (diving behind walls, etc.) - but exhibited little in the way of autonomy. An extensive map system aids players in navigating the open world environment and is especially useful in the cooperative mode to set waypoints for teammates.

Following the brief presentation attendees were allowed to test out this cooperative "firefight" mode. Played with up to 4 teammates through a system link, players face endless ways of random enemies of increasing difficulty. With no defined endpoint, players can continue until they exhaust their allocated number of lives. While most of the attendees seemed impressed, many were more interested in snapping pictures of friends in the Warthog and indulging in the culinary treats on offer. After a mere 45 minutes or so of gameplay, the night had come to an end and we were ushered back towards the ferry.

While the original Halo was undoubtedly a landmark, I confess to never really been much of a fan of the series, and this new incarnation which draws upon the sandbox style of shooter done so well in Farcry 2, does little to change that. Nonetheless, while ODST could hardly be considered innovative it at least appears like a polished product that should offer fans more content than just a mere expansion pack.

Halo 3: ODST will be released on September 22, 2009.

Review: Inglourious Basterds (2009)

2009-08-06T10:16:00.002+10:00

Released August 20, 2009

So last Monday (August 3rd) I attended the Gala Premiere (TM) of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds at the Sydney State Theatre. In attendance was one of his leading ladies, Diane Kruger, who looked pale and rakish in an arresting red dress, and Christoph Waltz, who plays the likable but very evil villain, Col. Hans Landa. The applause for Waltz was the weakest of the three, but I am sure things would have been different if he were introduced after the film; the attention directed towards his insidiously-hilarious performance across four languages is well deserved.

Film aside, what people had really come to see was a glimpse of geek-hero Tarantino himself. David Stratton introduced proceedings with a few anecdotal stories about QT, and is so much of a film nerd even made me feel a bit embarrassed at all the references he was making that 98% of the audience (me included) didn't understand. He then introduced the man himself, to the thunderous applause of the partisan crowd. His usual rambunctious self, Tarantino was regrettably brief as he introduced his actors and the film itself.

What strikes you most about Basterds is it is unmistakably a Tarantino film, a post-modern, anachronistic, violent, talky and beautifully directed revisionist history of World War 2. He makes you giddy at the possibilities of cinema and the great relish he clearly takes with the possibilities of every scene - it's the same feeling I felt while watching Kill Bill Vol 2. Admittedly, this feeling was amplified by sitting in a sympathetic crowd in a "fucking beautiful theatre", as Quentin put it, a crowd with great anticipation for the expected quirks, distinctive characters and amusing dialogue.

Told using his favourite narrative device of "Chapter" cards that come up at regular intervals Basterds tells parallel stories in a mostly linear fashion. The Basterds themselves are a group of Nazi-hating Jews lead by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and include Til Schweiger as Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz and Eli Roth as Sgt. Donny Donowitz - the infamous "Bear Jew", known throughout the Weremacht for brutally beating soldiers to death with a baseball bat. On a mission to instill fear within the German army by scalping and executing soldiers (all seen in graphic detail), Hitler (Martin Wuttke) is none to pleased with their war of intimidation. Concurrently, we follow the story of Shosanna Dreyfus (the excellent and very pretty Melaine Laurent), who's family was murdered on the orders of the "Jew Hunter" Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Attempting to keep a low profile, she now runs a cinema in Paris which has unexpectedly been chosen as the venue for the premiere of propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels' (Sylvester Groth) latest film "Nation's Pride", extolling the exploits of war hero Fredrick Zoeller played by Daniel Bruhl, who is now a celebrity and romantically interested in Shosanna.

If that seems like a lot of characters - and I haven't even mentioned Diana Kruger as actress and double-agent Bridget von Hammersmark or Mike Myers in a hammy cameo as a blimpish English officer- then that's because there is. An ensemble piece, the basterds themselves are merely supporting players. All of the subplots converge in an epic finale at the film premiere where much of the German high command - including Hitler, Goebbels, Goering and Bormann - are in attendance.

As always though with a Tarantino film, the plot is secondary to the dialogue and the characterization, though in Basterds it's almost to its detriment. It lacks the drive of Kill Bill, for instance, whose dialogue scenes were balanced by extended action. The action in Basterds, little though there is for World War 2 film, is sharp, chaotic and over in a moment. In its place are extended dialogue scenes which begin inauspiciously but continue with rising tension. The opening scene on a french farm, where Landa "interrogates" a farmer who may me hiding Jews, and a later scene in a basement bar - which lasts for almost 20 minutes - are genius constructions of dialogue, character and unpredictability.

I haven't even mentioned that more than half of the movie is subtitled - in German, French and even a little Italian, that Ennio Morricone graces much of the soundtrack together with anachronistic flashes of David Bowie (for instance) and that cinematography by Robert Richardson is stunning. The climax is also exhilaratingly excessive and was met with great applause from the audience mid-film.

After the misfire of Death Proof, Inglorious Basterds is a return to form for Tarantino, not as tight as Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, but with frequent moments of brilliance that allow you to share in his passion for cinema. I may not quite agree with Lt. Raine's assessment in the last line of the film, but it's damn-near close

The Meerkats (2008)

2009-07-30T14:27:00.000+10:00

DVD Released June 30, 2009

Everyone loves meerkats – the cute mongoose, kitten and teddy bear-esque creatures who adorably stand on their hind legs and swivel their heads curiously. Relying heavily on their inherent cuteness, James Honeyborne’s film is ostensibly a documentary about a family of meerkats living in the Kalahari desert in Africa. Instead of relying on a traditional on-screen narrator, this brisk 80 minute film is shot and edited like a Hollywood-narrative production, with point-of-view shots and exciting action – it’s more Richard Donner than David Attenborough.

Our hero is Kolo, a young meerkat who has many lessons to learn about survival in the harsh desert environment. Taking lessons in scouting and hunting from his older brother, they encounter predator and prey, big and small, from lions, zebras and deadly eagles to snakes, scorpions and giant millipedes. By observing the animals over a six-month period, director Honeyborne has managed to edit together a narrative, glued together by the voice-over narration of Paul Newman. Though some of the suspense scenes involving multiple attacks simultaneously seem to have been created in the editing room (and a disclaimer in the credits admits as much), it’s remarkable how cohesive it is given the lack of communication between the director and his cast.

It’s beautifully shot and some of the footage – especially that underground – is a wonder but it doesn’t stand out in comparison to what can be seen in many BBC documentaries. The visuals are nicely accompanied by the score by Sarah Class which is a pleasant and inoffensive mix of pseudo-African rhythms and traditional strings. The DVD offers the choice between Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby 2.0 but no other distinguishing features.

Ultimately The Meerkats is a little too cute for its own good, too intent on turning everything into a little storytelling drama. Sometimes it feels more like The Adventures of Milo & Otis rather than Life of Mammals, only minus the drowning of two dozen little cats.

3/5

Review: Beautiful Kate (2009)

2009-07-22T15:08:00.004+10:00

Released August 6, 2009

In her adaptation of the novel by Newton Thornburg, director Rachel Ward’s great achievement in her feature-length debut is tackling a touchy subject with sensitivity and without prejudice. By refusing to impose morality on her characters or her audience, she creates a poignant story of a fragmented family in outback Australia.

Ned (Ben Mendelsohn) returns with his girlfriend to his family home to see his dying father, Bruce (Bryan Brown) at the behest of his younger sister, Sally (Rachel Griffiths). Ned is a writer, and hence must be a bitter and complicated soul, though his resentment of his father and family stems more from a pivotal event from his adolescence: his other sister, the beautiful Kate of the title played by Sophie Lowe, was tragically killed.

The events that lead up to the pivotal moment are told in flashback as Ned struggles to reconcile his relationship with his father – each blaming the other for the tragedy. Though Griffiths feels oddly ill at ease, Mendelsohn is the standout in an otherwise uniformly fine cast. His simultaneously blunt but well-intentioned Ned helps make this potentially difficult material engrossing and engaging. The Flinders Ranges is outstandingly photographed by cinematographer Andrew Commis, the remote setting effectively reflecting the characters’ desolation. The flashbacks are shot in a more haphazard improvisational style, making them distinct but no less effective.

What’s unsettling or perhaps surprising is that the love story that emerges is equal parts unsettling and seductive, and completely understandable given their limited exposure to the outside world and infusion of adolescent hormones. It’s this story of sexual awakening that is the most profound and provocative. In comparison, the more traditional reconciliation between father and son feels more routine, but no less organic or inevitable.

Love the Beast (2009)

2009-07-21T14:37:00.000+10:00

DVD Released July 14, 2009

If someone had told me in the mid 90s I would be reviewing an Eric Bana directed film about his 1974 Ford XB Falcon Coupe (the Beast of the title) I would most likely have laughed at them, and that’s not just because I was still knee-deep in high-school. Bana’s rise to Hollywood superstardom after years of work as a comedian on Full Frontal and his subsequent critical and commercial success – thanks in part to his excellent choice of projects – now allows him to do whatever he pleases.

His car being close to his heart, he jumped upon the opportunity to make a slight and indulgent film (though I’m assuming he didn’t see it that way) about its restoration and his participation in the Targa rally in Tasmania. Bana, with his mates, a specialist in Melbourne and, presumably, truckloads of cash, sets out to race-fit his big Aussie muscle car and twenty year labour of love by rebuilding it from the ground up. Footage of this process and the subsequent race is interspersed with interviews with car-nuts Jeremy Clarkson and Jay Leno, who are amusing, and Dr. Phil, who is...Dr. Phil.

Like many I assume, my association with cars comes mainly through Top Gear, and so still feel familiar with this obsession and the relationship one is able to form with a car – or indeed any inanimate object. As Clarkson explains, having a somewhat temperamental ride facilitates your rapport with the machine because it’s akin to the unpredictability present in human relationships. Dr. Phil nicely articulates that it’s important to respect these relationships and do justice to them – just as we should do with other people.

Such pronouncements are however, paper thin, and much of the film trawls along slowly in an in an overwrought mixture of family interviews and race footage. It feels more like a very expensive and well produced home movie that Bana would show to his mates. A great document for those involved, but not so interesting to anyone else bar the most ravenous car enthusiast.

The single-disc Region 4 DVD also contains an interview with Bana and an image gallery of his pride and joy (the car, that is).

2/5

Public Enemies (2009)

2009-07-20T20:33:00.000+10:00

Released July 30, 2009.

Part of Bryan Burrough’s aim in his book on which Michael Mann’s new film is based was to tell the real story behind the great crimewave in the early 1930s without the Hollywood myth that now surrounds it. Mann could be said to have done the same thing by shooting this gangster blockbuster that tells the story of famed bank-robber John Dillinger in digital HD.

It’s off-putting at first, as Johnny Depp as Dillinger breaks some of his cronies out of prison in a breathtakingly constructed opening sequence. Everything is so crisp and so real that sometimes it feels like you are amongst the action, shooting it yourself. Famed for his tightly organised raids and elegant grace vaulting over bank-floor counters, Dillinger is blunty portrayed by Depp as a man who lived for the moment but was realistic enough to know that his time as a free man was limited.

On his crime spree he crosses paths with other criminal luminaries such as Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson, finds love with the Billie (the beautiful Marion Cotillard of La vie en rose), all the while pursued by the Bureau of Investigation head, J. Edgar Hoover, whose organisation is rapidly mobilising into something more federal, and steely-jawed Christian Bale as agent-in-charge Melvin Purvis.

While both Mann and Burrough succeed in making the individuals more real than their mythic Hollywood predecessors (such as 1967’s Bonnie & Clyde), it almost seems counter intuitive since Dillinger and his exploits were larger than life and his notoriety and fame existed during his lifetime. This tension never fully resolves and after a while you just wish that Mann would let go of the docu-drama style and hold his camera still so that one can appreciate the beauty of the production design. But then, that would be missing the point, wouldn’t it.

4/5

Knowing (2009)

2009-07-09T17:27:00.000+10:00

DVD Released July 29, 2009

Alex Proyas' new science fiction film was undeservedly panned on its cinematic release. Though I don't champion it like Roger Ebert (who gave it 4/4), Knowing is an ambitious and thought-provoking thriller.

Nicholas Cage, in a predictable performance, plays John Koestler, a Cosmologist who teaches at MIT. Grappling with the argument of free will vs determinism, John dejectedly tells his students that he now believes that there "is no grand meaning, no purpose" and that "shit just happens". His son Caleb (Chandler Canterbury) then uncovers a letter from a student "time-capsule" created fifty years earlier. Most of the letters contain drawings of children's imaginings of the future, but his is a seemingly random array of numbers. John discovers that the numbers may contain within them predictions about certain catastrophic events. Also pivotal is Diana, the daughter of woman who drew the original artwork, played by Aussie Rose Byrne.

I'm loathe to spoil the events and revelations of the plot, even though they themselves provide an ideal platform for discussion and disagreement. They work on their own terms even though the Spielbergian finale is too left-field and didactic in comparison with the nebulous atmosphere created up until that point.

There are not enough intelligent and thoughtful science-fiction movies being made, and Knowing deserves recognition for being as ambitious as it is. But not all of it works, and the dreadfully serious tone comes precariously close to parody. Visually there are some astounding long-takes and visceral action sequences that are effective despite some artificial computer generated effects. As always, it’s the way the effects are used rather than their quality that is most important.

The disc contains a insightful commentary from Proyas, who is clearly invested in the film but sounds bored with the whole commentary process, and inexplicably the trailer for the Dakota Fanning starring Push because...well just because.

Proyas also made Dark City, an underrated cult-classic which shares similar themes. Knowing is not on its level, and suffers more from Proyas’ tendency to make the climax too rushed and simplistic. Nonetheless it’s intriguing and conversation-inducing.

3/5

The Diary of Anne Frank (2008)

2009-07-08T12:16:00.000+10:00

DVD Released April 16, 2009

One of the most revered books in 20th century literature, The Diary of Anne Frank is an inspirational yet devastating story. Anne manages to communicate all the joys of youth – the inquisitiveness, the impetuousness, the optimism and the inability to see outside your own frame of reference – despite the atrocities occurring in the world around her. A gifted writer, the tragedy of the story – and one of the many of the Holocaust – is that a young girl with so much hope and potential could be obliterated by the most insidious genocidal regime in history. The great success of this 5-part BBC adaptation is that it lives almost entirely within her world, making the inevitable conclusion all the more powerful.

It’s 1942 and the persecution and deportation of the Jews across mainland Europe is escalating. Anne, 13, her elder sister Margot and her parents, Jews living in Amsterdam, arrange to hide in a secret annex above her father’s old place of business. The secret entrance is hidden behind a large wooden bookcase. They are soon joined by the van Pels family, husband, wife and 16-year old son, Peter, and later by family friend Fritz Pfeffer.

Living in such confined conditions, Anne describes her shifting and frequently strained relationships with her co-inhabitants. Outspoken and confident, she gets on well with her father (Iain Glen) but less so with her more restrained but well-intentioned mother (Black Books and Green Wing’s Tamsin Grieg). She treats Peter with contempt at first, not least because he was able to bring his cat with him and she was not, but later it evolves into something more romantic.

Over the five half-hour episodes we get close to Anne, played by the extraordinary Ellie Kendrick, who narrates the story through frequent voiceovers which are, for once, necessary and justified. By keeping the production minimal, and telling the story in a straightforward and honest manner (it is not afraid to show the more unsavoury practicalities of living in hiding), the characters remain distinctly human. The cast is uniformly fine and believable and each episode remains remarkably contained and compelling despite, or perhaps because of, the characters’ ultimate fate. Adapted by Deborah Moggach and directed by Jon Jones, this mini series is a very worthy interpretation that can sit alongside the plethora of already existing stage and screen versions.

This single-disc presentation, with good audio and visual quality, also contains a documentary about the “Polish Anne Frank”, Rutka Laskier, whose diary about her captivity in the Bedzin Ghetto was only recently released to the public.

4/5

Affinity (2008)

2009-07-08T12:11:00.000+10:00

DVD Released May 6, 2009

There seems to be a whole sub-genre of lesbian historical fiction set in repressed Victorian England. Affinity is the second of Sarah Water's novels to be adapted to screen, the first being the sensual BBC mini-series Tipping the Velvet. Unfortunately Affinity is a failure, a low-budget and shoddily produced mess that fails to do justice to the gripping underlying story.

Margaret Prior (Anna Madeley), recovering from her father's death and still living with her overbearing mother, becomes a regular visitor to Millbank Prison and befriends Selina Dawes (Zoe Tapper) a prisoner who has a special connection with the spirit world. She has been imprisoned for harming a young girl during a séance. As a "medium" she is appealing to Margaret, who sees her as an escape from her repressed self. Gradually the connection between them grows into something more obsessive, and possibly more romantic.

It’s inexplicable that despite the hefty screen time devoted to the growing connection between the two women, they remain thinly drawn and one dimensional. The romance is hence unconvincing and merely facilitates the inept plot that only becomes engaging towards the latter stages. This is accompanied throughout by a miserable visual palette and tiresome and pointless shaky camera. You can stop the camera shaking, Tim (Fywell, the director), it’s called a tripod.

The performances by the two leads, at least, are compelling, but it’s small compensation. One wonders what a more accomplished production, with a better script, could have achieved from such strong source material.

This single-disc DVD release is of unremarkable visual quality and contains a good selection of extras including a making-of documentary, deleted scenes and interviews with the principles.

2/5

The Butterfly Effect (2004)The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006)

2009-07-08T12:08:00.007+10:00

Blu-Ray Released June 2009

This is one of those annoying cases where a middle of the road, but quite enjoyable little movie was deemed successful enough to warrant a cheap, pointless, direct-to-video sequel. Both are included on the one Blu-ray disc. The annoying part is that if you wish to purchase the first film you have to own the second, which could be a problem since it is so atrocious it should be thrown into the depths of volcano after being trodden on and snapped into tiny pieces.
But first, the original.

As Jeff Goldblum explained in Jurassic Park, “The Butterfly Effect” describes systems whose outcomes are highly dependent on their initial conditions: a butterfly flapping its wings over the Atlantic could cause a tsunami in the Pacific, for example. In The Butterfly Effect, Aston Kutcher, Evan, somehow finds a way to alter events from his past (how exactly, is never explained) and cycles through different possible outcomes of his life until he arrives at one most desirable to him. Reading his journals (which he kept every day since he was seven) triggers this shift. One day in particular is critical in determining fate for Evan, Kayleigh (Amy Smart), Lenny (Elden Henson) and Tommy (William Lee Scott), which involves letterbox explosions, possible paedophilia and cute canines. We see these four characters played by different actors at ages 7 and 13, the film cutting back and forth between Evan’s visions of his younger years and his alternate futures.

It’s a clever idea, but it never says anything interesting about it (other than some choices are clearly better than others and there are almost always unforeseen consequences), and the characters and performances are bland. It curious as to why writer/directors Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber, with an idea that presents a mine of interesting possibilities, picked this story to express their concept. Still, some of the permutations involving a mental hospital, Evan’s large-goth-emo college roommate and a distraught adult Lenny with a model plane obsession are interesting, and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion.

This is more than can be said for the tosh conjured up for the sequel. The Butterfly Effect 2 has no direct relation to the original other than the ability of the lead character to change past choices. The lead, Nick (Eric Lively) is on holiday when his companions – his girlfriend Julie and two friends – are killed in a car accident. He is the only survivor and, when he discovers that staring at photos gives him the ability to change the past, he attempts to prevent the crash and thus save his friends. This of course, does not go to plan, and we must hence endure various alternative storylines that revolve around his phenomenally bland office space and his romance with Julie. Hilariously inappropriate sex scenes shot like soft-core porn appear to keep you awake. The ending is utterly absurd, though in keeping with the level of quality seen prior. Luckily the film is a brisk 78 minutes thanks to an eleven minute final credits sequence that appears to have been created in half that time using pre-set options of Final Cut Pro. You know you’ve stumbled across a gem when even the credits sequence is utterly inept.

Visually though, the Blu-Ray transfer is quite good, though it does reveal the artificiality of the sets and production. The transfer of the original film is decent, though it is not a film with a strong visual style or identity. There are no extras on the disc.

The Butterfly Effect is a decent supernatural mystery drama, but the presence of the awful sequel on the disc is unfortunate. Neither this nor the Region A release (which just contains the original film) has the option for the director’s cut which has an alternate, much darker ending. At least with the single release, however, you avoid the dreck that is The Butterfly Effect 2.

Year One (2009)

2009-07-07T14:24:00.000+10:00

Released June 18, 2009

Jack Black plays the impetuous and unfunny Zed opposite Michael Cera’s more amusing Oh in Harold Ramis’ new prehistoric comedy. From One Million Years B.C. to Caveman to 10,000 B.C., our distant past has fuelled many an awful movie and Year One is no exception; at least Caveman scored points for being utterly absurd.

Essentially a road movie, we find Zed and Oh ostracised from their tribe for having devoured the forbidden fruit. Propelled by Zed’s belief that he is the chosen one, they lurch from one skit to another as they journey through undiscovered lands. They cross paths with biblical alumni such as Cain, who murders Abel before joining them, and Abraham, who wishes to circumcise their penises. They ultimately arrive in a city, “Sodom”, which looks like a mishmash of costumes, sets and time periods pillaged from second rate Hollywood epics. There they must save two women from their tribe who are now slaves, and who they have previously attempted to seduce through such dubious methods as hitting them over the head with a large stick.

The plot of course is just an excuse for gags that cover the usual terrain of sex and bodily functions. Despite a few laugh-out-loud moments already spoiled in the trailer, most of the jokes fall flat and the audience at the screening were oddly silent. The funniest material comes from Michael Cera who plays more or less the same character here as in Superbad and Juno. He has the bemused irony of someone always nervous and out of his depth which is kind of charming. But the laughs are too patchy, and even Oliver Platt, who hams it up as the flamboyant and overly hairy High Priest, can’t keep it afloat through the protracted finale.

2/5

Fanboys (2008)

2009-07-07T14:22:00.000+10:00

Released June 25, 2009

Eric, Linus, Hutch and Windows are Star Wars fans, the kind that dress up as Stormtroopers and argue over whether Luke would still kiss Leia knowing she’s his sister. It’s 1998 and they are in rapture over the imminent release of Episode I. Desperate for another shot of Star Wars opium, they set out to break into the Skywalker Ranch to be the first to see the completed film.

Thus begins a series of loosely connected comedic adventures as they cross the continent in a van that doubles as their Millennium Falcon, complete with a temperamental hyperdrive. There’s an ongoing gag about the rivalry between Star Wars and Star Trek fans and cameos from a half dozen famous actors such as Seth Rogen, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Kevin Smith and an hilarious turn by William Shatner as a mysterious source who provides the boys with blueprints of the Lucasfilm HQ. Fanboy favourite Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) plays Zoe, their friend, fellow fan and voice of sanity.

The film was originally slated for release in 2007, but was delayed by reshoots and an ongoing battle between the filmmakers and the Weinsteins (who produced) over the terminal illness of one of the characters. A fan campaign and Vanity Fair advertisement later and director Kyle Newman won his fight to keep the story close to his original vision. It’s this cut of the film that has been released in cinemas.

Ironically it is this serious story thread that clashes with the in-jokes and slapstick that dominate much of the runtime; it’s hard to have a knob gag and then suddenly be sincere. Nonetheless, Fanboys is lovingly made by fans for fans and is an enjoyable, if indulgent, road-movie.

3/5

Valkyrie (2008)

2009-07-07T14:20:00.000+10:00

DVD Released June 4, 2009

Tom Cruise doesn't deserve half the flak thrown at him. Regardless of whether he believes there's an alien named Xemu ruling a "Galactic Confederacy", he seems like an affable fellow and does an admirable job playing good-German Von Stauffenberg in Bryan Singer's taut WW2 thriller.

Plagued through much of its production with controversy due to Cruise's involvement and Hollywood’s hijacking of the German July plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944, Singer wrings every bit of tension out of the concept while remaining close to the facts. The title comes from "Operation Valkyrie", a contingency plan if the ruling Nazi government were to fall. This plan is hijacked by a team of conspirators played by British stars Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, and Terence Stamp, who, led by Cruise, attempt to overthrow the Nazis and make peace with the allies before their beloved Germany is destroyed.

Shot in many of the real locations and historical buildings in Berlin, it feels authentic even through it’s still clearly a big-budget American production. Cruise is almost a physical doppelganger for Stauffenberg, and the actors chosen to play our favourite Nazis are well chosen – Harvey Friedman is especially great in a small role as the slimy Goebbels. By ignoring much of the cultural context to the assassination attempt it’s not the complex film it could have been, but it remains tight and consistently engaging.

This single-disc DVD release contains two commentaries, a making-of documentary and a feature about the German resistance, all of which are informative without succumbing to excessive back-slapping.

3.5/5