Sunday, March 28, 2010

Green Zone


It seems the curse of the Iraq War film has struck again. No one seems interested in being reminded of a war which was handled very badly. This film points out the biggest problem with the war.

The whole Weapons of Mass Destruction issue in the Iraq War is a very touchy issue. The fact we were told Saddam had them but then could not be found when we invaded has become one of the USA's biggest mistakes. 'Green Zone' attempts to address the issue but not in the best way. Being a big Hollywood production with Matt Damon in the lead the film is more interested in action rather than the politics. One critic has said that this is a small independent film that has been made as a big blockbuster. With Paul Greengrass as director and Matt in the lead, the studio thought they would get another Bourne film, sadly they did not. The issue of WMD's is the driving force of the film but is handled in a very general sense. The film left me with very mixed feelings. While I liked the fact that they give you some details about the WMD's I would have liked a lot more details about the 'whys' and 'hows' of the issue. At the beginning of the film when Miller and his team are searching for the WMD's I could not help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. But the biggest problem I had was why is Miller the only soldier who thinks that something is wrong? Surely there were others who want to find out what is really going on. This being a Paul Greengrass film and the fact he has previously directed 'Bloody Sunday' and 'United 93' I expected more. However it might be a case of too much studio interference.

Matt Damon is an excellent actor but here he is let down by lackluster material. He is in his action hero zone so is mostly running around shooting and fighting. As mentioned above if the film addressed the WMD issue more seriously then Matt would have had more to work with. Greg Kinnear once again plays slimy very well.

To paraphrase Elvis Presley there needed to be 'A little less action and a little more conversation'. While it gives some good reasons for why WMDs were not found for me it did not go into enough depth on the issue.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo


Most of the time I will read a popular book before they make a film out of. But for some reason I did not do that here. In some ways I regret that decision.
I really enjoy a good mystery. I've been writing the script to a detective movie so I like to watch movies with a mystery to solve as a way to learn about the genre. This film is certainly one to learn from. The film has two concurrent stories. One is of Mikael, a journalist hired to find a girl who went missing 40 years ago. The other is of a computer hacker and her troubled life. The missing person story is really interesting. I was taken in by the story and how Mikael uses photos to try and find the girl. It is amazing how technology has come these days. I'm sure Mikael could not get as far as he does with his investigation without the use of computers. Then there is Lisbeth. She is such an amazing character. I'm sure that we will get to know her better over the course of the next two films in the trilogy and I can't wait. She has a troubled past which we get glimpses of in the film. After that troubled past she gets into more trouble in this film. I am amazed at her resilience and how she is able to survive the way she does. Lisbeth is one tough girl. It is this troubled past that help Mikael solve his case. It is this blending of the these two characters that makes the film great. I thought the romantic angle was a little cliched. I sometimes wish a man and a woman working together do not instantly fall in love. I was also surprised at the ending considering that there is a sequel.
I've not seen very many Swedish films sadly so these actors I'm seeing for the first time. Michael Nyqvist is excellent in this film. He does not really have the juiciest role, but makes an excellent mystery solver. The real revelation in this film though is Noomi Rapace. This girl is phenomenal in this film. I was totally blown away by how good she is here. Which ever American actress gets the role in the remake certainly has a tough task of following such an amazing performance.
You should rush out and see this superior Swedish film before Hollywood takes their turn at it. I know remakes are not always good but you never know. However this is such a brilliant film that there is alot to live up to.

Monday, March 22, 2010

The Men Who Stare At Goats


Grant Heslov is better known as an actor, with his most famous role being in 'True Lies' as one of Arnold's team. He recently teamed up with fellow actor George Clooney to create a production company. George had a go at directing with 'Good Night, Good Luck' and now it is Grant's turn.

This film is based on a book with no real story line. Just a series of incidents and explanations. So writer Peter Straughan had a tough task of turning it into a coherent film with a plot. I don't think he entirely succeeded. He has written two story lines with Lyn Cassidy telling reporter Bob Wilton about his job with a series of flashbacks. To me this did not entirely work as I felt he should have stuck with one story line rather than move back and forth. That is not to say the film is not good but maybe not as great as I had hoped. The film is very funny and the fact that these situations are true is quite interesting. We see so many serious films about the military that it is great to see a fun story that is also true.

I am a big fan of George Clooney and the diversity of role that he chooses. He gives another fun performance here. I also like Ewan McGregor doing some comedy. Jeff Bridges plays this kind of hippy role so well. And it is great to see Kevin Spacey in something finally. My favourite though was Stephen Lang, playing a character so very different from the one he did in 'Avatar'.

A good but terribly great military comedy. A fun way to see all the outrageous things the US Army will do to defeat an enemy.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Valentine's Day


A few years ago Richard Curtis made a film billed as the ultimate romantic comedy 'Love Actually'. Ever since then Hollywood has been trying to top it by making their own star studded ensemble romantic comedies. Last year it was 'He's Just Not That Into You' and this year they try to do better with 'Valentine's Day'.

I think they have gone too far with this film. Ensemble films can be great and I'm a big fan of 'Love Actually'. But Richard Curtis is a far better writer than Katherine Fugate. I'd be interested to know about the development of this film. Which came first, the star's participation or the story? Did they have a star sign on then develop a story to suit them. This is where the film fails cause it looks like a mish-mash of ideas. I do think the way they can connect the stories is good but some of them are so useless and have no purpose that they look like they have been designed just to get the star in the film. An example is Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner. I thought Julia Roberts and Bradley Coopers story is not all that good but their endings are excellent. I know this film is not perfect but it does have a certain charm. Most of the stories are terrible and so cliched but it has huge star power so makes it more acceptable. You would not have been as accepting of the film if it had a lesser known cast.

As mentioned above there is no real acting skill required in this film. With such a large ensemble none of them are given much material to work with. I was surprised at how much Ashton Kutcher had to do. If you could choose one star of the film he would be it and he is quite good. I liked Eric Dane and wish we had of seen more of him an his story. The rest of the cast are serviceable but none of them really stand out.

What you see is what you get. It does not try to be anything more than just a way to cram as many stars as they can in the one film. Story and character development take a backseat to the theme of love.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Alice In Wonderland


This review must come with a warning. I am a huge Tim Burton fan. He is my all time favourite director. His weird sense of humour is much like mine and his strange visuals really appeal to me.

It sadly took me a little while to see this film because I wanted my first experience to be on an Imax screen and I had to wait almost a week to see it. As a result I've had many friends give me their opinion of the film and they generally have not been good. There has been so much hype about the film that it did not live up to their expectations. After watching the film I can understand where they are coming from. The most disappointing thing about the film is the plot. You could almost say that it has no real plot. It is kind of a weak excuse to bring back the characters in a loose sequel. Was this because Tim did not want to do a literal adaptation of the book or there was a problem with the rights? Despite that there is a lot to enjoy. Tim's films are always visually stunning and seeing them on the huge Imax screen makes them look even more spectacular. The 3D also adds that little bit extra awesomeness. Each of the characters are involved in some sort of weird distortion that makes them look strange. The effects used to achieve this are excellent.

This is the break through role for Aussie actress Mia Wasikowska. The film she is in is huge profile but I'm not sure the role is all that spectacular. She is a little like the straight man in a comedy duo. She is only reacting to all the weird stuff going on around her and no real acting is involved. I'd love to see her do something more meatier before judging her properly. Of the great ensemble cast I loved Matt Lucas. Anne Hathaway has this strange ethereal thing going on which makes her quite funny. Helena Bonham Carter is quite funny as well in a typically evil role. She plays crazy so good. Of the voice cast I loved Stephen Fry the most. He is doing this strange (I know I use that word a lot) accent thing that I found wonderful. As for Johnny Depp: he is great as the Mad Hatter. We slips into a Scottish personality sometimes which I found really funny. I think I prefer him when he is doing a character like this than a more normal person.

As big a fan as I am I will admit that this is not the best Tim Burton. All his visual style is there but it just lacks a decent story to hang it on. I'm not sure if that is his fault or the script writer.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Crazy Heart


This review as you can see is being written after the Oscars but I did see the film before the Oscars. Not that it should influence my opinion.

There are some films where a performance by the lead actor is so built up that it can sometimes overshadow the story. I think Bad Blake is an interesting character but I did not like this part of his life. I think the main problem is his chemistry with Jean. I could not see what Jean sees in Bad that makes her fall in love with him. We do not get much of a back story to her character and get any idea as to why she would want to be with this broken man. Bad does not look terribly handsome and the situations she sees him in are not all that flattering. Maybe if we knew a bit more about her and her back story we may understand her attraction. For one thing she complains about not being able to find the right man to give her son a masculine influence in his life that all the men she has met have left. Yet here she has met a guy who travels the country and is an alcoholic. What does she see that makes him so wonderful for her and her son. That's the rant out of the way. The rest of the plot is fairly ordinary and a bit cliched. You know what is going to happen and sometimes this may not matter but this film does not make the cliches terribly appealing. I also got the feeling that you needed to be a country music fan to enjoy it more. While I don't hate country music, it is not one of my favourite genres so that may have influenced my reaction.

The only great thing about this film is Jeff Bridges. He is excellent in just about every film he is in. Which makes me think that his Oscar win is more for a lifetime achievement rather than this performance. That's not to say he is not good but I feel a couple of the other performances he was up against were better. Maybe my dislike for the rest of the film has meant I was not glowing in my reaction to him. I was also displeased with Maggie Gyllenhaal's performance. I love Maggie normally but I did not think she was all that special here. Definitely not awards worthy. I thought she was much better in 'The Dark Knight' and would have preferred she got a nomination for that. I did however like Colin Farrell. His small appearance in the film is quite good and proves to be quite a good musical performer.

A pretty mediocre film but with another excellent performance by Jeff Bridges. Country music fans may enjoy it more.

Monday, March 8, 2010

The Blind Side


John Lee Hancock is not a director many Australians would have heard of. The few films he has directed have gone straight to DVD here. They are very typically American films that would probably not do well here. However thanks to the star power of Sandra Bullock he has had a huge success.

As mentioned in my 'Invictus' review I'm not a sports fan. Having watched games here and played a bit in school, at least with Rugby I understood what was going on. At the beginning of this film Leigh Anne Tuohy in voice over explains a bit about the game of Gridiron. But it was all still a mystery to me. But then again the film is not really all about the game. The film though is very sweet and good natured, a little too much. Michael Oher comes from a very troubled background which is not explored very much and we only see glimpses of in flashbacks. You might say there are similarities to 'Precious'. However 'Precious' showed it all and was the better for it. While that's not a bad thing the film is good but just a little too clean cut. Everyone seems very nice and loving. It is great that Michael achieved as much as he has and the story is inspiring.

This is probably the type of role Sandra Bullock has been wanting for a while. She has done her time in romantic comedies and now wants to move up to serious actress territory. So while she is good in the film, I think that is only because of what she has done previously and not this material. The film is very safe and does not require her to stretch that much. Would this film have been as successful if a lesser known actress was in the role? Most of the supporting cast do not do much except get out of the way of Sandra. Jae head does an excellent job of being some great comedy relief and almost steals every scene he is in. I was however drawn more to Quinton Aaron. I feel his wonderful performance has been over shadowed somewhat by Sandra's. Quinton is excellent and deserves more praise.

An OK heart-warming story for those who like nice, sweet movies that don't challenge you too much. Sandra Bullock's performance is hugely overrated and while good does not deserve the attention it has got. Worth it though for Quinton Aaron.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

A Single Man


It is always interesting when people from other artistic mediums try their hand at film making. We had photographer Anton Corbijn a few years ago make 'Control' and now have fashion designer Tom Ford making this film.

The one thing these artists share in common is that they make such visually beautiful films. It is not to say that the story and characters are lacking. But when you watch their films the one thing that strikes you is how great they look. This film really looks wonderful. There is a technique Tom Ford uses in this film where the colour chances in certain scenes when George looks at something he likes. I found it an interesting thing and made the scenes really stand out. The story is good too as we see how a man deals with the death of someone he loves. The story is told in a very poetic way with a few dream like scenes and images. That makes the film stand out from most of the other films about grief. Each person deals with it in their own way and this is how George deals with it. Outwardly George seems fine about things and none of his friends seem terribly worried about him. As an audience though we get to see him behind closed doors and what turmoil he is going through. This makes what we find out he will do a very tense situation.

I've always been a fan of Colin Firth. He seems to add dignity and style to the films he does. He is one of those actors that is bound to get some award recognition. Here he is great at hiding his feelings suppressing his grief. He deserves all the attention he has been getting. Julianne Moore is wonderful as always. She only has a couple of scenes but proves very effective. I've followed Nicholas Hoult since he was in 'About A Boy'. I'm not sure what camera technique they used in this film but Nicholas does not look the same he has in previous films. I'm not sure if it is the 60's look he has. He is excellent though.

A beautiful looking film with a great story to go with it. Well worth seeing for Colin Firth's performance.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Hurt Locker


When a film is built up and you get high expectations, it can be a worry. I usually try to let the film speak for itself and not get caught up in the hype. But when you read about film as much as I do it's a hard thing to avoid.

So it is not often that you get a film that hyped up really big and then exceeds your expectations. I cannot describe the feeling I had when I came out of this film. While I've not taken drugs, I think it is akin to being 'high'. This incredibly good feeling from having seen such a wonderful piece of art. This seems to be the only film about the Iraq War that has been any good. That's because it does not talk about the 'why' of the war but just the 'what'. It takes one small aspect and shows you what that is like rather than the big picture. Focusing on that small part is one interesting aspect. I am politically opposed to war. I'm going to make a huge declaration here that may shock many people. If the government ever introduced conscription (not very likely), I would much rather kill myself than have to go to war. For me that would be an easier and simpler solution as I'll more than likely end up dead anyway. This film does not do anything to change my mind. Being part of a bomb disposal unit would already be a very harrowing job, but when you add in some of the conditions these guys have to operate under it is mind boggling. I must say that this film gave me a new found respect for soldiers in Iraq and the situation they are going through. I cannot imagine the pressure they are under and how they are almost continually under fire. Every person they come across seems to be a potential enemy. What I found most interesting about the film was some of the interaction the soldiers have with the Iraq people. The people don't seem to understand the soldiers when they talk to them in some of the more tense situations. I'm not sure if it is a language problem or it is out of fear. Katheryn Bigelow is not a director that I've been all that fond of in the past. This film has completely changed my mind. She so deserves to win the Oscar for this film. And I'm sure she will.

I'm a little surprised that Jeremy Renner has not lined up any major roles for himself after all the hype he's received from the film. He gives a brilliant performance and I hope we see a lot more of him in the future. Jeremy's co-stars Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty are also brilliant in their roles. Especially Brian who I thought was fantastic. I'm surprised he did not get a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. There are also some really nice cameo appearances in the film. While he is only on screen for a couple of minutes, I thought David Morse was the best.

A truly remarkable piece of film making that makes me so excited about the power of film and how effective it is at telling you a story. You need to leave now and go see this film. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' By Sapphire

As is the case most years, I am running around trying to watch as many of the Oscar nominated films before the ceremony next week. Luckily I've not got too many more to see this year.
There have been a few films this year which are not exactly a cheery experience. This is another. While this film is very hard going and a tough thing to watch, it is still an amazing film. It is filmed in a very real way so you know you are watching something that while is fictional could really happen. That's probably what makes it even more harrowing. The things that Precious has to go through are simply amazing. I was really taken back by how much horror this poor girl has had to suffer. And it is all because of her horrible mother. But the film is not all doom and gloom. There is some bright spots as Precious tries to change her life for the better. The fantasy sequences give hints at the kind of life she would like to have and in many ways make you think that the poor girl is never going to have her dreams realised. They are so lofty compared to what her life is like that you wonder how she will ever do it. How Precious has survived as long as she has considering her situation is an amazing story in itself.

There is a lot of talk about Sandra Bullock getting the Oscar for 'The Blind Side'. As of writing this review I have not seen 'The Blind Side' so can't totally judge, but I cannot imagine her performance being any better than Gabourey Sidibe's in this film. I would think it a real mistake by the Academy to give it to Sandra. Gabourey is so brilliant in conveying the emotion and desperation of Precious. Let's hope we see her in a happier film next time. The real surprise though is Mo'Nique. I knew of Mo'Nique from a few stories about her comedy show in the USA. She is not as well known here in Australia and she may be should not have chosen this film as a way to introduce herself. Her performance is brilliant and one truly courageous thing to be playing such a truly repulsive and hideous character. How a woman like this can do the things she does is so evil. While an excuse is offered for her behaviour, I'm not sure you can justify it. The one disappointing thing though was Mariah Carey. While she is good in her role it is so small and of no great significance that I was not all the impressed. If it had been anyone else in the role not as big a fuss would have been made.

While I admit this is a sad and depressing film, it is still something you should go see. Mostly for the great story telling and brilliant performances of the two female leads.