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The Machinist
|
Tough one to review. This psychological
drama takes us inside the world of Trevor Reznik, an industrial worker
whose existence, while routine and relaxingly unsatisfying in content,
is made all the harder for his insomnia. He hasn’t slept in a year. As
the movie plays out, Reznik begins to question his own sanity, but in
doing so is piecing together clues that are mysteriously appearing
everywhere. But whose leaving them for him and what will they reveal? Is
someone out to get him? Why can’t he sleep?
It’s a dark movie, borderline noir, and very dirty. It’s the kind’ve setting where something like a clean sink or wall are out of the question. Every surface appears to have been defaced or soiled in some way and that comes across as you watch it. Reznik is forever cleaning his hands with bleach and you’re almost prepared to join him. One thing you will not believe is what Christian Bale did to get himself looking the part: he dropped in weight from 81 kilos (180 pounds) to just 54 kilos (120 pounds) to get ready for filming and dead set, he looks like a Japanese WWII POW camp victim. Whoa, it’s really hard to fathom. At first I though the CGI was very impressive to make him look like that without clothes on but its real. Damn! As the movie plays out it trips over itself a little, but not quite to its detriment. It spends a little too much time on some things and then rushes too quickly through others, and gives things away a little too early. Jennifer Jason Leigh’s support is outstanding, it harks back to Elisabeth Shue’s Sera from Leaving Las Vegas but in saying that - one of the most endearing other world characters in modern cinema for mine - not a bad thing at all. And Michael Ironside, who’d-a-thunk him hitting an A-List movie these days, nice work there also. Gritty, visceral, unnerving. 3 and a half stars |
Madagascar
|
What a hoot. This is really cute,
almost too cute but man did I laugh. It was surprising on two
levels, firstly the characters were so perfectly matched to their
voices. Ben Stiller's perennial do-gooder, politically correct,
nerd man act, David Schwimmer's morose toned hypochondriac spoil sport
and Chris Rock's annoying immaturity galvanize each of their character's
isms perfectly. Jada, well to be honest I couldn't tell who the
Hippo was it was that generic so she gets no cards here. But yeah,
great cast. The penguins, I knew I was going to love those
penguins. The second thing that struck me was the slower pace of the film. After being introduced to these wonderfully anamorphic caricatures, they mucked about with developing the story and lingered on moments that for something this light really should have been said, done and moved on from. So yeah, the pace let me down where I didn't think it was going to. Bottom line though, what a laugh. The monkeys, oh the monkeys, terribly unutilised but priceless moments only surpassed by the little mafia penguins. Aw, its enough to make you go aw...aw. Favourite moment: Mason the Chimpanzee: [Mason and Phil have just escaped] I hear Tom
Wolfe's speaking at Lincoln Centre. 3.5 stars |
Man On Fire
|
I avoided this and after seeing I really
can't see why. I did manage to avoid any critiques, previews and reviews
though, so I had no idea what it was about. Wow! ; outstanding! This takes a pretty gritty snapshot of the kidnapping game and its prevalence in Mexico City culture. Based on a true story, it sees Creasy (Washington), an alcoholic ex-assassin looking for work from long time colleague Rayburn. He takes a body guard job, much to his chagrin, and takes no time at all to isolate himself emotionally from his new employers. But he is guarding the daughter Pita (Fanning), and she slowly breaks the barriers down as they become good friends. The plot takes an awesome turn when Pita is swiped and Creasy is almost killed trying to prevent it from happening. Creasy swears vengeance against the entire world and sets about plotting his revenge. This film is highlighted its intensity in all situations, it really does have the viewer on edge no matter the situation. And the gamut of emotions this film ripped out of me along the way, I can’t think of one that wasn’t covered, and another film that has done it so well. Another highlight is the filming. Tony Scott has taken everything he’s done well in the past and twisted it into some amazing vision, of particular note are the scenes where Creasy fights his personal battles and the emphasis the filming gives to it. It does wear a little thin towards the end however, but all in all very pleasant to watch. The support cast rocks aside from Marc Anthony – the man cannot act, period! Other than that, fantastic ensemble. Dakota Fanning can only go on and up, what an amazing little actress. Christopher Walken’s refrained performance makes you wonder why he isn’t included in more big flicks, and Radha Mitchell’s distraught mother comes off very well also. Top marks for a top flick, and though not for the faint hearted – some of Creasy’s methods put the most gruesome torture to shame – this is a very over-all pleasing film and I highly recommend you dim the lights and pump up the volume. 4 and a half stars |
The Manchurian Candidate
|
Anything Denzel touches these days seems to
turn to gold. This one's a sleeper hit by box office standards but its a
great film. I haven't seen the original so I'll just take it on its
merits.
Denzel plays a gulf war vet who has been troubled by blackouts since returning wounded from a skirmish that got out of hand. He firmly believes one of his most junior ranking soldiers saved the platoon that fateful night but something's pulling strings he can't quite put a finger on. Said soldier is now running for President of the United States, prepare for entertainment as Denzel digs. Every character is faultless, Streep seems to look better with age (and makeup I'm sure), and she's an outstanding bitch if nothing else. Its chaotic in rhythm as it hurls you through fire and ice sub-plots, you end up doubting the good guys and loving the bad guys, and then you're really not sure what's who and why. Riveting. 3 and a half stars |
The Manson Family
|
Know much about the Mansons? I wasn't sure
what to make of this at first; fact or fiction. From what I've read, the
film maker took 15 years to put this together with the first couple
being used to make the Family footage, then the latter years to
interview the characters (in post-Family lives) to give an authentic
time lapse feel between then and now (old film stock included). Actually
it works really well, Stace and I sat there wondering if what we were
seeing was in fact the real thing: real interviews. But who lets someone
out of jail much less off death row for becoming born again?
I'm quite torn with this. It comes across as an embellished docudrama on the possible truths of The Manson Family and their cultist, orgiastic, LSD taking life style. There's nothing to say they haven't taken liberties here, but in the small circles of reading I've just done, what brought the Manson clan to infamy was the fact they murdered Roman Polanski's wife [and her friends] in their Hollywood Hills home back in August of '69. The movie doesn't make much of the significance of the person murdered and that may be to do with it being common knowledge in the States where this film is squarely aimed. Did you know? I felt the film failed there. So ignoring that this may not be an entirely factual account of what went on, it does serve its purpose very well in terms of film making. The old stock film complete with its scratches and marks do give you the impression this could be actual footage. Also, the amateur actors do a great job and keep the film's production in theme. Not much more to be said here other than it serves mostly as a marked stamp on the director's resume. 3 stars |
Mean Girls
|
Don't tell me we've got a teen comedy drama
that not only makes intelligent satire of modern youth culture, but
takes the genre to a new level altogether?!? Raising the bar, and why
not! Lohan plays Cady "No, I think I'll just call you Caddy" Heron, a
home-schooled-in-Africa 16 year old who goes to school for the first
time in the USA. Inconceivable realisms aside, she has to integrate with
high school USA-style climbing the exponential learning curve of
cliques, lunch room politics and cute boys - all on day one. Bugger. In
true innocent new comer style, she teams up with a couple of social
outcasts however The Plastics - the ultra upper echelon of popular -
take a shine to Cady. Our social outcast team then concoct a plan
whereby Cady hangs with The Plastics and reports back all their
behaviour for a laugh. And you know that's going to go bad...
Lindsay is stunning, probably the new "it thing" for the next couple of years, especially now Britny's let herself go (again!) and Jessica's divorce is under way. But more than stunning, is it just me or is this girl intelligent as well?!? This is the second feature (first was the Freaky Friday remake) to star Lohan that I have seen and she more than carries them both. A big part of kudos should go to the writers for putting some sensible dialogue in front of her, but she still had to bring it off on camera. She's great, she's worth the price of entry alone here. Great support from all of the secondary characters with some really nice surprises. The Plastics being incompetent was a nice change from the usually intelligent-just-stuck-up stereotype that gets pushed onto us, but its the dry cynical Maths teacher that stands out most for me; she's priceless! Keep an eye on what's happening in the background of the households you are taken into as well, therein lies most of society's dysfunctions. In fact this is one big poke at society, reality, and most of popular culture's belief systems, the overwhelming message being don't go to high school in middle America if you can avoid it, no matter what your age! Thoroughly appealing 4 stars |
Meet The Fockers
|
Meet The Parents made me wince and groan
and thank whoever I could find at the time that it wasn't me. I didn't
overly enjoy it either, not too many laughs in it. So I was expecting
more of the same here and it is but for two very special characters. Mr
and Mrs Focker. These are the people we want in society, these are the
people we would all love to have as parents, and aspire to be as
parents. So pure, so gentle, so untainted by life without lacking the
knowledge, wisdom and worldliness that comes with a bit of scarring
along the way.
So yeah, forget the rest of the show, just fast forward straight to Dustin and Barbara whose characters celebrate their son's life as much as they can. They celebrate the people around their son simply because their son is with them. And what is beautiful about it is they are so unashamedly proud of how they are as parents, and how their son is as a human being, bar nothing! Not even the right-wing conservative in-laws get to shake a feather in this hen house. It really is a joy to watch... ...and then we have to sit through re-enactments of everything that happened in the first. The pool volleyball is now gridiron, Mr Chuckles (or whatever the fuck the cat's name is) is flushing the toilet in the RV and Jack's got his CIA knickers in a bunch about some kid with eyebrows. It really is crap, but you must watch it just so you get to meet the Fockers, they're tops! 3 stars |
Million Dollar Baby
|
Frankie Dunn's rundown boxing gym was host
to the local misfits, some attempting to become boxers, most just there
for the social atmosphere. Frankie had been training a protégé,
however after holding him back from too many title challenges, he left
him for a more aggressive trainer to get a shot at the title and get his
career going. Frankie swore he'd never take on another boxer.
One day Maggie came to his attention, working away on a bag in the far
corner. Maggie approached him to train her and he refused, time
after time, eventually giving in and taking her on. She was a
natural and perhaps Frankie would finally get one of his boxers to the
title, and Maggie's relentless enthusiasm would get them there.
But no one could predict what was to come. What a gut wrencher, I just about swore off this after the Oscar accolades, to me they're never a genuine indication of what's hot and what's not. Here's an academy award winner I do regret not seeing on the big screen. Wow. The story is intense, profound, one minute its making you laugh and the next you're on the brink of tears. It has impact, it has a visceral reality that many films these days lack. Hilary deservedly picked up best actress, she's outstanding. Clint's looking frail but does a great job, and Morgan's the right-hand character everyone wants to be, and wants to be beside. I just love his down-on-their-luck honest portrayals. On a par with Mystic River. 4 and a half stars |
Miracle: An American Dream
|
This one's a true story, unfortunately its
American so this detracts somewhat from what we're seeing. Its the
portrayal of the 1980 US ice hockey team's victory at the Winter
Olympics, moreover the way they beat the then unbeatable Russian team.
And how did they do it? They taught the US team how to play the Russian
game. They didn't even reinvent the wheel, they just borrowed someone
else's because it worked better. Anyway, there isn't much to blab about
other than... Its not a bad film as it turns out, once the Americanised crap is put aside. Russell plays Herb Brooks, the coach of the team, and the man with all that foresight. Its more a movie about him as opposed to the on-ice action, but it works and we're spoiled with plenty of each. I only wanted to see it for the ice hockey, and there wasn't enough big hits for me, but I was otherwise sated. Its a Disney as well, bless them, so there's no swearing and blood, and an all too sickening happy ending...but...it is a true story so they're forgiven. May launch Russell back into the limelight though, he does a great job. 3 stars |
The Missing
|
I was a bit worried about this
straight-to-video movie, particularly that Tommy Lee Jones' character is
once again chasing down bad guys. Let me pull out a little list
and see if you recall any of them: The Fugitive, US Marshals,
Double Jeopardy and The Hunted. How did we go, any common
denominators there? Let me also mention that despite his apparent
type-casting in these roles, they are all very enjoyable movies in their
own right, but I can't help but make comparisons against them.
Moving on... Set in the 1880's New Mexico, Maggie Gilkeson (Blanchett) is a doctor and runs a practice out of her country home. Two ranchers and her two daughters help both run the practice and the property. One day the daughters and the ranchers head off together for a ride around the property and don't return, resulting in one of her daughters being kidnapped. While Maggie's estranged father, having shown up recently after years of absence, is her initial suspect, she must then rely on him to help her track down the kidnappers and rescue her daughter. Two things I found a bit annoying about this flick. Firstly, are we to believe that in this modern day and age that despite wiping the Native Americans out so old Whitey could build a few towns and own a corner store, we need to see a story about evil Native Americans perpetrating seemingly unwarranted crimes against Whitey? Hhmm? I think not, I really struggled with the subject matter. Sure you get Whitey killing off Whitey, and Whitey killing off the Indians, perhaps a story about Indians warring amongst themselves, but really, Indians indiscriminately killing off Whitey? After all Whitey's done to them, Whitey has to tell a story like this? Everyone needs reminding once in a while? I don't get what they were trying to do here - and yes this is a novel-come-movie - but they've all pissed in the bath, it just so happens to be the one they're all sitting in this time. Secondly, and far less importantly, I found the movie starts almost as abruptly as it finishes. The beginning sets a very fast scene and if you're not caught up you can get behind in what's happening. And the end? One minute its all guns blazing, and the next...I don't want to spoil things but the enormity built up leaves you a little blue-balled at the end, if you know what I mean. The stuff in the middle is very good though, especially in terms of its characters and its settings. Its a beautiful movie to watch with stunning landscapes and catchy camera moves, all nicely packaged. I didn't realise this until the final credits rolled, but this is a Ron Howard movie. Yup, Mr "Far And Away" himself going straight to video. Bit unusual I think you'd agree, but lovely work just the same. This is definitely worth a look and I'm quite sure my scathing of Whitey is me being a little oversensitive to what I'm watching, but hey, like my arsehole, its my opinion, and if you wanna touch it then go right ahead. I'll wait here. 3 and a half stars |
The Mist
|
I'm not sure how many adaptations have been
done of Stephen King's "The Mist", I know of at least a couple, and I'm
not sure we really need another one. But the movie was free, so
hey, why not, we were in the mood for a horror. Its a short story
that appeared in King's Skeleton Crew, and I recall reading it
and it having quite an affect on me, at least as much as King can, but I
enjoyed the story so I was looking forward to this in that small
respect. After a massive overnight storm hits a small lakeside town (probably in Maine, it was in the book), its residents are busy cleaning up the next morning when a strange mist is spotted drifting towards them across the lake. While inside the local supermarket gathering supplies, the mist finally arrives and settles across the town, bringing with it the screams of people as the strange creatures that inhabit the mist begin killing them. The supermarket becomes the refuge for the people inside, and they now must try and find a way to survive, and survive not only the mist and its deadly inhabitants, but themselves as well. The film is ok, its typical King so with that in mind it stands up ok, but they reveal the creatures all too soon. What made the short story cool was the fact that you never really found out what was in the mist, just that people got killed if they walked into it. But even so, the creatures themselves are truly evil looking fuckers, and no matter what fantasy world you're coming from you would not want to have to face up to these things no matter how big the broom/rake/mop was, ergh! The movie splutters along with good and bad, its more an exploration into human nature than anything else and there are some great interactions between characters. The best line is when someone says to our hero David, in the context of having faith in humanity: "I can't accept that. People are basically good; decent. My god, David, we're a civilized society." and he retorts "Sure, as long as the machines are workign and you can dial 911. But you take those things away, you throw people in teh dark, you scare the shit out of them - no more rules." Actually there's a few great one-liners, its a pretty good movie for that. However, despite it all, great fucking ending! Sit through it just for the ending! 3 stars |
Monster
|
Charlize Theron won the best actress Oscar
for good reason. It was nice to also see the Academy acknowledging
a performance on its merits rather than the
director/plot/circumstances/political bullshit that past winners have
been forged from. Monster is a biopic based on the true story of a highway prostitute, Aileen Wuornos, who was executed by the state of Florida for killing a few johns for cash. Of course the story isn't as cut and dried as that, and though it touches on parts of her life in a mild explanatory fashion, it focuses on the period in which she did the killings. I enjoyed the movie purely for Theron's performance, one of the most authentic performances ever put to film I reckon. And it so doesn't look like her, the occasional vocal inflection was the only thing that gave it away, otherwise, yeah you wouldn't know it was her unless you read the credits. The supporting cast aren't bad either, but you could've cast anyone in there, Theron carries the film well beyond a level anyone could've legitimately added. Unfortunately, some of the facts behind the movie have been skewed, but what is important here, I think, is the fact that director Patty Jenkins got very close to Wuornos during her final months on death row, so she is simply presenting what was presented to her. Embelishment for the sake of a good story? Its likely. But what isn't in question is the acting ability of Charlize Theron, it sounds like I'm harping on this now, but its for good reason. 4 stars |
Mr and Mrs Smith
|
This film just smacks of cool, swaggers
with ease and is sexy as hell; in a word, it rocks! Remember those films
you watched as a kid, and you walked out of the cinema afterwards doing
some kind've karate kick or dance or whatever, something you'd seen in
the film. Well this has that kind've impact. There I was dreaming one
day that Stace and I would be contract killers with a mansion and
matching Audis <sigh>...and behold, it was very good ;-)
Quick rundown on the plot: John meets Jane, they fall in love and marry. Neither of them admit to being secret agents and keep their identities a secret. Fast forward: their marriage suffers and they land in counselling. Then one time, while out on a job, they run into each other, literally! Hijinks ensue. If you really wanted to take a closer look, you'd see this is one big metaphor for why relationships fail "...that bitch, I'll kill her!", but who wants to go there, get to the action already. The movie comes complete with car chases, shoot outs, bombs, explosions - actually I was really impressed with the array of toys and sequences, great stuff. So while it makes for a great action flick, its also plenty romantic, very funny, and overall very clever. There were points in this where I thought hey this is a message to at least one ex-spouse somewhere, especially given Brad and Angie's recent relationship activity; it gives it that extra something I think. But don't think that reinventing the wheel is all cool. While the Butch and Sundance scene made me think one thing was going to happen, the Ocean's 11, Tomb Raider and even Spy Game isms felt a bit flat, almost contrived, but you could tell it was a nod and not a theft. Bravo! 4 stars |
My Father's Den
|
This is one of those sleeper thriller/drama
where you’re not quite sure what you’re following until that something
happens, and then you sit there in little ball of angst wondering how
its going to play out. I'm recalling the mood of Lantana in
some respects, but that's as close as a comparison as I can make to
anything. This is a NZ flick, and with the odd exception of Perfect Strangers, its always a great note on a resume. The entire cast’s work is so thorough that you believe this is real life. Special kudos goes to Emily Barclay as the set-to-fly teenage girl. There’s a great sense of assumption and the incendiary response of the community to unproven circumstances, it gets the blood boiling. Compelling performances and realistic tones are complimented by the magnificent scenery; the ever-cold, melancholic beauty of highland New Zealand envelops our players superbly. This is perfect rainy-day security blanket movie fodder, highly recommended. 3 and a half stars |
Mystic River
|
Tells the powerful story of three friends
who have grown up and now live in the same neighbourhood. One appears to
be some kind've godfather, one is a cop, and one is struggling to come
to terms with being abducted and molested as a child. The three boys,
now men, lead very separate lives, but the death of one of their
daughters brings them all together in very separate guises - victim,
investigator, suspect. Wow, this is a great flick, outstanding ensemble cast, great acting. Eastwood's behind the camera here and does a stunning job with colours and shades, its got that blue tinge to everything, very noir in style but far from it in substance. This is also a very unique film in that its total lack of effects, while not unusual in itself, see's it totally driven by the performances in front of us, and the performances are very powerful and believable. The story is solid and fairly out of the box but the ending left me a bit empty; the dichotomy of justice being served by two different sides of the law made my brain twitch a bit. But for all that, this is just a well acted, well told story that tugs at a few strings that most movies these days don't even get close to. One that lived up to the hype. 4 stars |
Napoleon Dynamite
|
Cult hit eh. Best Indy flick to come out
since that other really cool Indy flick eh. Yeah well sorry guys, ten
minutes of this schlock was enough to have me reaching for something
else to put into the player, and wishing I had a fork handy to put into
my eye.
If I’ve missed the point, I’m glad. Dross! 0 stars |
National Treasure
|
Its a pseudo-clever Indianna Jonesesque
action adventure that takes every day symbols and insignias and turns
them into a modern day treasure hunt. What I can't believe is who they
got to act in it. Wow. Harvey Keitel, man he must be broke!
The movie struggles through some appalling dialogue and rank acting before all of a sudden we are set upon by a great action scene. Oooo, and some intelligent plot twists; look there, some genuine tense action. Then...ooohhhhhhh...more bad acting. Its like this throughout and if you're anything like me you'll be hoping for the end that...just...won't...come...man, this thing drags too! And Nicolas Cage, bless him, can't run for shit. Matt Damon had to be taught how to run to make his running in the Bourne... flicks look genuine, but Nic just looks like he's about to fall over. How embarrassment. Its ultra-schlock moment comes when towards the climax it looks as though the chick, who has just dropped the the Declaration Of Independence, is about to fall off some high thing, and our hero has to choose between hanging on to the girl or using that hand to save the Declaration...sound familiar? A bit of guilty fun 2 stars |
The New Guy
|
Not another teen movie...? Yup, 'fraid
so, but having seen Old School and Van Wilder recently, I figured this
might be up there with them. Two words, NOPE! Dizzy Harrison is about to begin another senior year of high school. He's kind've uncool but is determined to make a fresh start. So after having his penis broken by an elderly teacher (???), he gets himself expelled so he can make yet another fresh start at a new school. With the backing of his friends and the help of some weird dude in prison, the new Dizzy is set to make some changes. What complete crap. First of all, this Dizzy bloke is the odd-ball dude from Road Trip who owned the car, you know the one with the rats face and long skinny nose who ended up shagging the "African princess"? Yeah that dude. So yeah, they're really trying hard not to typecast him are they <sarcasm mode on>. And this idiot in the prison that thinks he can make a difference by teaching him to dance and kick bigger dudes in the nuts - not to mention letting him practice on the other inmates??? - its a side-plot that while maybe necessary, could definitely have been done differently. Like an ex-popular student for example? Where's my fork. Next annoying thing is Dizzy and his friends play in a band. Woops, should not have given us close-ups of these non-musicians pretending to know what they're doing. Poor effort. Almost as useless as this segue to the actual musicians who had small cameos in the movie. I counted Gene Simmons (as a preacher, LOL), Tommy Lee, Henry Rollins and Josh Todd, but to name a few. There's also some rappers, and even Tony Hawke gets a bit part. And other than Eliza Dushku's amazing beauty, that's about all the good things this movie has to offer. There's some kind've moral message about different classes of students ie popular kids, jocks, nerds, blah blah, but really, whose going to pay attention to that anyway. How many times to we have to see a little dude get stuffed into a bin and rolled down the hill. 2 stars. |
The Notebook
|
An exquisite tale of love that no blurb or
review or synapsis would do justice to. Yes, it’s a love story, yes it’s
a chick flick, and yes, it will make you cry. It’s all those things you
hate about chick flicks, but done so well that you can’t help but be
drawn into its ample bosoms. Its even made me write a chick-flick style
review.
Oh and the acting’s pretty good. Outstanding piece of film, not to be missed if you’re in a romantic mood. 4 and a half stars |
Ocean's Twelve
|
Quite possibly the most boring movie you
are likely to watch this year. Its between this and The Clearing. The
dialogue is sloppy that most of it looks like the cast were standing
around chatting about shit and the cameras just kept running. Please
pass me a fork!
And I'm so sick of hearing Clooney start sentences with "Let me ask you this..." 1 star |
Old School
|
I really wasn't sure what to expect here,
it looks like every other teen movie inspired by American Pie and the
blurb reads something similar as well. But talk about a cracker!
If you're like me, and yes my judgement can be a little out there at
times when it comes to these types of flicks - I'm the only one I know
that liked "Dude...where's my car?" - then this is the sort of
refreshing material that could draw back your faith in the comedy genre. Mitch Martin comes home one day to find his wife in bed watching porn...among other things...and moves out on his own. His mates Frank and Bernard decide Mitch's new place would be a great party house to rekindle days of yore, but after the local college decides to rezone the house and kick Mitch out, they decide that starting a fraternity is the only way to stay put. The Dean is scheming, the lads are partying, and "that guy from road trip" drops in to shoot people with darts. The first fifteen minutes of the film leave you dizzy as the infidelity, wedding, speaches and "the band" get thrown at you in very quick succession. My guts were hurting at that point and I had most of the movie left to go. Tops! There's loads of those scenes that make you groan out loud. Some absolute pearlers, including Frank's spectacular fall off the wagon, the boss' daughter spicing things up, oh, and those fraternity rituals. Vince Vaughn is fast becoming one of my favourite actors and he's brilliant as the fast talking business man for all occasions. No matter what the situation, he's selling, and the wife and kids are included - "Earmuffs!". Check out Clay Pigeons and Swingers for a good representation of his versatility. Oh and Will Ferrell is in Will Ferrell mode, pulling out his own brand of slapstick, its a little acquired but never out of place. Not just another comedy folks, get your hands on this if you're in the mood for funny. 4 stars |
Once Upon A Time In Mexico
|
My only question is, what's with the dog?
One of the character's has this ugly little furless rat thingy (arguably
a dog) and every time he talks to his boss he puts it behind his back,
or under his jacket. What's with that? I can't find anything out about
it, somebody help me!!!
This is the third El Mariachi instalment from Robert Rodriguez, the first two being "El Mariachi" and "Desperado". Its not a great film, and you can see where Rodriguez is attempting to recreate the magic that was Desperado, but falls flat. Mostly for one reason: where Desperado was a simple tale of revenge, this has all sorts of connotations and side plots, its too complex for what its trying to achieve. I believe its in some part an homage to his good friend Tarantino, who of course is the master of this style of film, and in some part homage to Desperado itself. Something about a coup, something about the mob, the CIA and FBI are in there, yeah its too much. But more than anything else, there's this dog... 3 stars |
One Perfect Day
|
Great movie. Totally outside the
square this one. If you're expecting it to be all about drugs and
partying and drugs, you'll be disappointed. While this movie does
traverse the world of dance music, its chemicals and its inhabitants,
its a very moving story about relationships and heartbreak and how
people handle it. Very touching, very poignant, and definitely not
a "just say no", more of a "just be". Too many people pretending
to be something they're not. Story goes: Tommy is a gifted would-be composer living his dream of studying in old Blighty, until he gets news of his teenage sister's passing. He returns to Melbourne to try and retrace her last steps, try and get into his little sister's head-space and what she was going through. Their mother, while coming across as cool and easy going, is devastated that she didn't notice her daughter's troubles, while Alysse, Tommy's long term love, holds a secret that she is finding hard to reveal. Tensions tear at the family and relationships go haywire, drugs begin to play a major part in the unravelling of some. But through it all, Tommy discovers what his sister knew all along, but can he harness it. Its an incredible ensemble they've put together here; Dan Spielman - "Tidy" from Secret Life - Leeanna Walsman, Abbie Cornish and Nathan Phillips representing Australia's thespian youth, and Kerry Armstrong rounding out with the experience. While raw and gritty at times, you can't help but feel entirely uplifted by this journey...and therein lies the secret of good dance music, but that's something you'll have to discover all on your own ;-) The sound track is great by the way, including remixes from Groove Armada, Paul Mac, Josh Abrahams, Fatboy Slim and an awesome exclusive remix from Paul van Dyk, among a ton of others. There is a two-disc DVD edition that includes the soundtrack I believe, but I haven't confirmed this. For more than you could possibly want to know, check out the official movie site here. Its tragic, its uplifting, and as I intimated before, this is a wholly satisfying piece of Australian cinema. Spoil yourselves with some volume too ;-) 4 and a half stars |
Out Of Time
|
Denzel goes straight-to-video, or did he? I
don't recall this coming out on the big screen here. Whatever, this is
surprisingly pretty good. Boy does it start out crap though, whoa, I was
ready to hit the eject button when things warmed a little, just enough
to keep my finger at a hover. The further it progressed, the further
onto the table the remote was pushed, and the closer to the edge of the
seat I was forced to sit. Good stuff.
Whitlock (Washington) is a small town sheriff whose life is exiting a sort of limbo after his wife has left him and his affair with another married woman appears to be going somewhere. He finds out through circumstance that his lover has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that only an expensive procedure has a chance of curing. A recent drug bust by his office has seen a large amount of money confiscated, and since the money won't be processed for some months, by which time it can be paid back, he lends the money to his lover for the procedure. When the lover turns up missing and her house is found burned to the ground with two dead bodies inside, Whitlock's world spirals out of control as he struggles to get to the bottom of what's happened before the powers that be discover that all the evidence points to him. Holy crappers! This creeps up on you and once grabbed, you're bound to it as it drags you along. Great little rollercoaster to get stuck on. Washington's in typical class and the unknown ensemble around him does a great job, but the standout for me is Chae, played by John Billingsley. One of those quirky Sling-Blade-esque characters that no matter what the scenario, you really don't know if he's good or bad, but you fall for him just the same. You like him but you just don't know why and frankly, don't care either. Another catchy feature of the movie is the fact that you keep guessing and guessing and think you know how its going to end. Yeah good luck with that, its a tricky one. 4 stars |
P2
|
I really enjoyed this, Stacey didn't, its a
common theme with horror movies these days. We're still agreeing on
Thrillers and Dramas so we do have some common ground. P2 tells the
horrific tale of a young female executive, stuck at work late on Xmas
Eve who gets locked into the building and is ultimately stalked by an
overzealous and, it has to be said, deranged security guard. Thrills and
kills ensue. Its one of those good old fashioned hairy flicks that make you barrack out loud for our hero "c'mon run!" and "jayzuz don't go in there!?!" There's some good old fashioned sticky situations served up by our protagonist, and a couple of the deaths are more than inventive, they are dead set horrific <shivers>. For a film that didn't portray a big budget, it looks great, sounds great, and this Rachel Nichols is worth more money for sure. Not only is she quite beautiful she's very geniune in her role, as is Wes but he's got American Beauty under his belt, we know what he's capable of. A bit part in Charlie Wilson's War seems to have cemented a future resume that includes the next installment of Star Trek and the how-did-they-not-think-of-this-yet blockbuster GI Joe. Kudos. If you're into that whole Halloween bad guy stalking the good chick until the final showdown then this is for you, as it was for me. 3 and a half stars |
Paparazzi
|
The world was shocked when the Princess of
Wales lost her life in an out of control car whilst paparazzi hounded
them. Many blamed the paparazzi and when photos of what was left of Lady
Di inside of the wrecked vehicle were leaked to the press, well it
smacked of wrong doing didn’t it.
Paparazzi borrows that premise and then throws in the revenge scenario that we all wish could’ve happened. I’m sure we’ve all thought to ourselves at some stage “man, if that was me, I’d accidentally [on purpose] smash that camera into their face”, I know I have. Introducing Bo Laramie, Hollywood’s latest big thing on the big screen, and while his fame sky rockets, so too does the attention being paid to he and his family. After his wife and son are almost killed in a car accident caused by paparazzi hounding him, his thirst for revenge is quenched by the accidental death of one of them at his hands. The hunt is on, but This is really cool. It starts out all B-grade glam with bad acting and contrived scenarios, but then the movie just takes off by itself and heads off into some really good territory. This is one of the better revenge movies I’ve seen I reckon. It doesn’t excuse some below par performances from Cole “Pitch Black” Hauser, Robin Tunney and Tom Sizemore – probably from under utilisation more than anything – but the parody of Hollywood inside a Hollywood film is too good for it to fail. Dennis Farina IS in his element which is another saving grace. Above average block-buster style thriller that’s bound to please, even if its only a little bit. Keep your eye out for Mel’s cameo (it’s his production company that made the film). 3 stars |
The Passion Of The Christ
|
The rational side of me
figures there probably was some guy who was persecuted for thinking
differently; there probably were weak politicians bending to the needs
of a partisan crowd; and there was no doubt a corrupt police force doing
things more for themselves than for the people. This is a combined
interpretation and vision of events and while I don't believe, I was
affected. My only question is, if this dude suffered for all of
"us", then what's changed? We still hate our fucking
neighbours! And enemies? Well, lets just say a denial of
service is the least we can do. By the way I didn't know it was the Jews who wanted Jesus strung up, so I learned something from this I guess. What a hateful seeming movie, I was totally affected by the brutality throughout. I understand the point it was trying to make, but some of the hits really made me recoil in disgust and at one point I was almost in tears. No, it had nothing to do with it being Jesus, it was simply a raw display of how cruel human beings can be. And if human beings have any doubt as to their capability, this goes some way to dispelling it. We are all cruel fuckers, the likes of which will never be superseded. Do you know why the Aliens movies were so popular? Because we invented a species that was more brutal and ruthless than humans are - it made us feel better about ourselves. Can you comprehend how much of a stretch that is? You know what I like about the Aliens vs. Predator movie: "Whoever wins, we lose." I say amen to that, pun fully intended. Let me give you an example, when you see a stray dog wandering around, you think "aw, poor puppy, wonder if he has any food, wonder if he's lost, I should help it". If that dog bites you, you'll wish you had a bit of four-b-two to smash its head in! Only humans are capable of that... And the religious questions? I've never read the bible, don't understand religion, not interested in any of it. But it raised something [in me], is this the reason the Jews have been persecuted throughout history? Because they wanted Christ dead? And if that is the case, shouldn't non-Jews be grateful to them for doing it given it saved them? I'm getting the impression it was Jesus' goal in life to die, why is everyone so upset? Other than the way he died, I thought people would be cool about it. See, told you I didn't know anything about religion. Finally, is it just me or did anyone else assimilate this with what Mel was trying to achieve in Braveheart? And his inclusion of the hooded spectre making its way through a crowd of onlookers in slow motion made it lose points as well. 2 stars |
Paycheck
|
Phillip K Dick, you are a
genius. Have I mentioned him before? Yes I think I have, probably in
some rapturous epic tale of genius and genius. Probably. Anyway, this is
the latest PKD story to be adapted to the big screen. To refresh you,
its predecessors are: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Screamers, Impostor
and Minority Report. But...
I was very wary of this flick because of two things. Firstly John Woo was directing. Sure, when he's good he's good (Face Off). But when he's bad, wow, he makes leaning on the bbq hot plate while you're cooking feel much better than sitting through one of his flicks (Windwankers!). Secondly, Ben Affleck was given the lead role. Aw geez. Will Woo refrain, can Affleck act, would a PKD story shine above all that could go wrong? Yep, I'm happy to report that this has worked out quite nicely. Affleck's actually pretty good, no complaints there at all. Woo tried and tried and tried to refrain, but every now and then you'd get a slow-mo-for-no-reason or some film art for the sake of...well who knows who he does it for really. Anyway, the story does shine through, yet another amazing tome from PKDs 50s collection. Still hard to believe he wrote most of his stuff back then, truly ahead of even our time. Michael Jennings is a reverse engineer who does jobs for companies, and when his work is finished, he has his memory erased. Needless to say he gets paid pretty well for the regular brain fry he cops. But where his jobs usually take around six to eight weeks, the latest offer on the table involves three years worth of work. No one's ever had that much of their memory erased. With 90 million bucks also on the table, Jennings thinks its a worthy sacrifice and takes the job. The plot thickens when after three years of work and his memory freshly erased, he finds that instead of the pay check he was expecting, there is just an envelope with 20 items in it. Now his ex-employees are trying to kill him and he needs to work out why, could these 20 items be clues? Its a great story that relentlessly pushes forward, its got really good pace. I imagine the short story this is based on would barely stop, its unfortunate that Woo tries to slow things down a little with romantic stuff and slow-mo's and pauses and arty film crap. Its not annoying enough to turn the viewer off, but its certainly noticeable and, I think, unnecessary. Also noticeable was the acting in parts. Two main complaints, Thurman's character has absolutely no substance to her, and the material she's working with is completely vacuous. You'd think she was one of the many clever machines in the film, and shouldn't have been able to talk. This reflects badly. Another annoyance is watching everyone run. Sounds ridiculous when I say it like that, but really, everyone looks completely uncoordinated. Thurman practically stumbles around, and Affleck reminds me of...actually do you remember the way Leo De Caprio runs in his films, especially "Catch Me If You Can"? You know, his legs fly out to the side and it looks like he's running on the spot with his arms punching high into the sky? Kind've geeky? You know how people look when they can't run? Yeah well that's Affleck, and just about everyone else in the film that has to run. They can't run. I don't know if this was on purpose or not, but it fits in with the small parts where people have overacted. Oh and back to the acting, or overacting/crap acting. Case in point, our heroes are in a restaurant and they're being shot at, but they have to grab something out of a purse on the floor before they keep going. The camera pans to them and it literally looks like Acting 101, you can see the actor's brains go "Ok, the camera is now on us, we must now act...and...go." Terrible. Few and far between, but terrible. Overall its not as good as the previous PKD adaptations but that shouldn't put you off the story. I mean imagine sending 20 items to your future self that will help you...well I've said too much already. 3 and half stars |
Perfect Strangers
|
Most bizarre movie I've seen
in a while. Two strangers meet in a bar, they go back to his place, just
so happens his place is in the middle of the ocean with no way home but
by the boat they rode in on. And guess who doesn't want to leave? Yup,
him. She's a bit worried about it all, and understandably so, but what
ensues leaves the imagination totally bamboozled. Trying to predict your
way through this is a pretty tough ask of the grey matter, best you
leave it up to the film maker I reckon. Neill is great as the obsessive stranger, quiet and unassuming yet sinister as all buggery. Is buggery sinister...well I suppose so, whatever blows your hair back. Ear muffs! So yeah, he's a weird one, yet our heroine in trouble, who comes across as quite rationally fearful of her situation, does a complete back flip after some trouble befalls them both. Really interesting to see how human nature gets put a bit out of whack. Put yourself in her situation and try and work out how you'd deal. Other than Neill, the unknown cast come to the fore, the setting is a visual treat being magnificent one minute and pretty scary the next, all driven by situation of course but its very spectacular. This is a grower of sorts but if you're anything like me, you'll be pleasingly scratching your head at the end. 3 stars |
P.S. I Love You
|
Righto lads, I challenge to
not like this flick. Yep, its a chick flick, chick flick of uber
proportions, and bugger me if it isn't very very good. I'd seen and read
a few things about the flick so I - yes, I! - was looking forward to
seeing. I dig Hilary Swank and it certainly didn't hurt to have Gina
Gershon (HOT!) and Kathy Bates (creepy!) in the wings. Even Lisa Kudrow,
who despite not having shaken off the core personality of Phoebe
(STILL!) actually has more credability than all the other Friends put
together...ok Rachel still gets the nod for shaggability but has built a
remarkable reputation for picking shit films... So back to this movie, yeesh. Yeah its gold. Swank plays cutesy, innocent, worrisome New Yorker Holly, who tragically loses her young husband unexpectedly and struggles to move on with her life. That is until a recorded message from the deceased Gerry turns up on her birthday a couple of months later. Shocked yet excited, Holly takes the advice and runs with it, and with the expectation of more letters to follow she begins a jouney that not even she could have predicted. Aaaawwww. The film is dealing with loss and moving on as its main theme, and while its very touching and quite said at times, along the way there are plenty of laughs to be had. Swank is outstanding, as is Gerard Butler, nice to see him take the romantic lead after killing all those thousands of annimated Persian soldiers not so long ago - I hardly recognised him! The ensemble is also excellent, poignant yet never over-stepping the line between support and lead, the perfect complplement. It was cool seeing James "Spike" Marsters get a reasonable part post Buffy, and was cooler when Holly makes a quip early on about the lack of decent jobs and having to choose between them, one being Vampire Slayer. Swank had a role in the original Buffy film by the way, in case you didn't know...which I didn't either, and now that I think about it, I can't even remember which part she played, and I've seen it heaps! Anyhoo, its right up there with the better rom coms in recent years, and no girls, just because I'm giving it props doesn't mean its going to be a boys-only-dude of a chick flick. As if! 4 stars |
The Punisher
|
Its a fair bet that this is going to come close for
worst movie of the year. In the immortal words of Skaife, "Done,
done and dunner!" Too true, they've paid remarkably bad homage to
several movies including Commando, The Godfather and Die Hard - frickin'
terrible I tell ya! Frank Castle is undercover running guns, his final bust ends a little bit messily with the son of Howard Saint; big ass mobster thug extraordinaire. Saint is pissed and hunts down Castle and kills his entire family - quite handily all celebrating a family reunion in Puerto Rico at the time. Castle survives and decides to hunt down whoever did this to his fam and take them all out. This is another comic-cum-movie but in no way does it do justice to it...and I haven't even read it let alone heard of it. I'm quite sure there are comic junkies out there that are salivating at the thought of Castle vs Saint coming to the screen, but really, its only those people that will be able to stand the stench. Travolta (what the hell were you thinking man?!?) is terrible as the big boss, his strut is something resembling someone who just had their haemorrhoids removed, and whoever plays his sons, cor, its like they're fresh out of the box and their limbs haven't loosened up yet. But enough of this waxing metaphorical. Good bits? Yes, ahem, there are a few. The comic relief when The Russian rocks up and throws Castle through a few walls isn't bad, the implausibly loyal flat mates also provide glimpses of funny. Quite cool was the way Castle plays a few tricks with his adversaries but yeah, on the whole, a pretty ordinary effort. The bad bits? Too many to mention but probably the standout was the fact the movie, despite its material, just had no flow, no tempo. One minute its action action, the next we're all standing around wondering why peanut butter and honey goes so well together. And long pauses for a romantic moment? Oh my lord, get me that fork! The one saving grace in its formulaic production was the lack of slow mo, wow that would've catapulted this into Windwankers territory. See it if you're desperate to spend 11 bucks in the next 30 seconds and the closest shop is a cinema. 1 star |
