Accidents Happen

Actress Geena Davis has been off the screen for a little while now. She returns now in this Australian made film set in America.

Many of you may not have heard of this film. It is film set in America but made here in Sydney. The film's writer is an American who now lives in Australia and is based on his life growing up. There has been some criticism about the setting. Why set it in America? As I said the writer is American so you write what you know. But it is a fairly universal story that could be set anywhere. My problem with the film is not the setting but the tone. I'm not entirely sure what type of film the writer is trying to make. It has many dark moments and many have called it a dark comedy but there are a few dramatic and pionient moments that seem a little out of place. I also think the slow motion shots (especially of the accidents) was a little over used in the film.


Geena Davis is the only American in the cast with the rest made up of Aussies. Most do a good job with the accent but you can hear them slip every so often. Geena Davis is an excellent actress and have enjoyed her in all her films. I think she does a really great job here but her character was one of the reasons I had a problem with the film's tone. She makes many witty and clever comebacks but as she is the only one who does this it seems a little out of place. Harrison Gilbertson is an excellent young actor and is very good here.


While a little all over the place tonally, this is a very good Aussie film. A welcome return for Geena Davis.

Hot Tub Time Machine

Every so often a film will come along that pretty much explains the concept in the title. This is one such film. A very wacky title for a very wacky film.

I am a fan of films that unashamedly do not take themselves seriously. The concept here is very silly. A group of guys get transported back to 1986 via a hot tub. Not really the item you would expect to be used as a time machine. Which is one of the things I like most about the film. The other is that the writers have been able to make such a silly concept believable. They have also succeeded at making a very funny film. The film sends up 80's ski sex comedies really well. It is also able to balance the really dirty sex stuff with the sweet romantic stuff and making some nice homages to 80's films along the way.

John Cusack is one of my favourite actors. I love the way he can do some really serious independent films and then do big budget stuff like '2012' and silly comedies like this one. He is more a straight person in this film and leaves most of the comedy to the other guys. But still just the fact that he is there is great in my books. This seems to be the break-out role for Rob Gordrry and rightfully so. While his character is very annoying he still gets most of the best laughs in the film. Craig Robinson is also very funny in the film. He does a great job of doing some funny sex stuff and being a sensitive guy as well. Clark Duke is a young actor who has been popping up in a few films lately and I find him really funny. I hope he gets the lead in a film soon. Chevy Chase was also great as the very cryptic hot tub repair man.

Don't let the title put you off what is a really funny film. Unashamedly silly and with a cast who look as if they are having a really good time.

Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang

We have not seen all that much of Emma Thompson lately. It seems she has been doing more of her second job as script writer and making a sequel to her huge family hit.

Before this film I saw trailers for the upcoming films 'Marmaduke' and 'Furry Vengeance' and I found it interesting how some film makers treat children. Both of the trailers I saw made the films look hideous. I think this is where CGI is being used badly. Just because you can create a CGI animal does not mean you have to. Although in 'Nanny McPhee' there is the use of CGI animals, they are done sparingly and in a magical context. Not to get them to do things they would not do in real life. Which brings me to my point. Children's film (or family films as they are more commonly known) come in two categories: those that talk to children on an equal level and those that talk down to them. 'Marmaduke' and 'Furry' clearly talk down to children and think that a few crazy animal will amuse the kids. The sad thing is that both will be a huge hit. 'Nanny' talks to children on a their level. While it has all the gross humour kids love it does it in a more sophisticated way and does not make adults wish they had not seen it. Maybe it is an English thing. You really come to care about the character and story in this film as opposed to some of the other films where is all about seeing adults get tortured.


Although Emma is listed as the lead in this film I was surprised at how little we see of her. Emma takes a backseat to Maggie and the kids as their story is told. I really respect that as an actress she is willing to write a role for herself that does not give her most of the screen time and overshadow everyone else. The big surprise though was Maggie Gyllenhaal's English accent. While I'm not an accent expert I though she did an excellent job. Much better than most Americans. She is also an excellent actress who seems to be relishing the chance to do something slightly sillier than she is used to. The kids in this film are also excellent. I was especially impressed with Eros Vlahos. He was quite funny and had great comic timing.


One of the better children's films released at the moment. Adults taking their kids will not feel embarrassed to be seen watching the film.

She's Out Of My League

It may come as a surprise to many that I was able to relate to this film and hence enjoy it more than expected. I recently dated someone who was 'out of my league'. The relationship did not play out the way the film does but I was able to understand how the lead character, Kirk felt when he dated someone more beautiful than he is.

There are some romantic comedies made these days that seem to go for the gross-out moment when it is not necessary. Some films can balance the sweet moments that are required for a romantic comedy and then blend in gross out things. There is only one gross moment in this film and if they had of avoided it or else done it differently then this film would have been better. Not that it is bad but that one moment just seems out of place. I tend to think that the excessive use of language has meant the makers knew they were going to get an adult rating for the film so included this moment to harden the soft romantic moments and make it more appealing to guys. Despite that I found the film very funny. While Kirk has some really nasty family members he does have some great friends which helps to balance things out.

As mentioned I'm not a fan of Jay Baruchel's voice work but I think he is a very good comedic actor. He gets the chance to play the romantic lead here and does a great job. His natural nerdy qualities suit the character very well. Alic Eve makes a very good love interest, however she is more the straight person in the comedic setting so does not get many funny situations to play. Of the supporting cast I really liked Nate Torrence. I found his character so very sweet and much funnier than most of the other supports.

I enjoyed this more than I thought as I was able to relate to the situation. Despite the unnecessary gross out moments the film is quite sweet and funny.

Clash Of The Titans

It seems the only way to see Sam Worthington on screen these days is in 3D. He is certainly on a meteoric rise as the new action hero.

There are many reasons that studios use to do remakes. One of which is to improve on the previous version, whether that be in the way it is told or special effects and look. It seems the makers of this film have only chosen to improve the special effects. The story and characters still come off as very silly and one dimensional. There is a concept in story telling known as 'willing suspension of disbelief'. It means that despite all the fictional elements of the story you still think it is believable. I did not feel that with this film. It came across as incredibly silly and very ridiculous. Normally I love fantasy films and can go along with pretty much anything but this film lacked the right amount of credibility. I think it largely comes down to the behaviour of The Gods. To me they did not behave like Gods would. The manipulation and deception are more human behaviors. The plot is also fairly simple. It lends itself to a more epic structure but I think it has been simplified and dumbed down for the modern audience. I will admit that the big battle scene at the end with the Kraken was very spectacular. I was also disappointed with the 3D. There have been many complaints about the poor job done in getting a quickly conversion done on this film. I did not think it would look so bad but it does. At one point I took my glasses off and could not see much of the normal blurriness you get when watching 3D films. You almost watch the whole film with out the glasses. I tend to think Warners knew they had a dud film on their hands and made the conversion to at least try and make most of their money back. It would have been interesting to see how well the film would have done in its original 2D version. But we'll never know.


Unlike 'Avatar' Sam Worthington is not required to do much acting in this film. Most of his work requires him to look buff and fight off various CGI creatures. I hope we get to see him do something soon which requires him to really act. Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and to a certain extent Mads Mikkelson look like they are only doing this film for the paycheck. A chance to dress up, be silly and get paid heaps of money. Unless there is an earlier draft of the film's script that was much better than how the film turned out.


You may have noticed the poster I put with this review. It is one of my favourites as I love the way they give away the ending of the film in the poster. Genius!

Kick-Ass

Young Chloe Grace Moretz seems to be causing a bit of controversy around the world at the moment. Maybe not so much her, but the character she plays in this film.

There are so many comic book movies being released at the moment that despite differences in character and plot, they are all essentially the same. So audiences are craving something a little different. This is why I think 'Kick-Ass' appeals to people so much. The film's creators are pushing the boundaries for what is acceptable as far as violent behavior is concerned. Not so much the behavior itself but who is inflicting it. I am a mature responsible adult and have no problems watching an 11 year-old girl kill lots of men and women brutally. I know that it is not real. Many of you may find that shocking but that's who I am. I tend to like things a bit dark and different to the norm. I agree that some people may have a problem with it but then they don't have to watch it.

As a film I think it is an excellent piece of work. It puts forward an interesting supposition. While we have seen some people do impersonations of Spider-Man and some kids pretend to be Superman, we've not seen anyone dress up as a superhero and fight crime. Then again the film also shows why they shouldn't. The film is very well written and has lots of great action scenes. The characters are interesting and while the situation may stretch credibility you still think it could happen. While I thought 'Layer Cake' was a good film, I did not think much of 'Stardust' so I was really pleased when this film turned out as well as it had. Matthew Vaughn has certainly redeemed himself in my eyes.

I liked Aaron Johnson in 'Nowhere Boy' but I think he is far better in this film. He is great as the nerd turned hero and has one of the best moments at the end of the film. Christopher Mintz-Plasse moves a little bit away from his more nerdier roles in this film which makes a welcome change. Chloe Grace Moretz is a very talented young actress that acts much older than she seems. Despite the fact she is 11 years-old she is still very cool and does a wonderful job in the actions scenes. The big surprise though is Nicolas Cage. He has not done too many great roles lately but is awesome in this film. I loved the way he acted like Adam West's version of Batman when he is Big Daddy.

If you are too easily offended then you should avoid this film. Everyone else should rush out to see this excellent spin on the comic book hero movie. I just hope that it does well enough to come through on the promise of a sequel the film leaves you on.

The Last Station

One disappointing thing about living in Australia is that we do not get to see all the Oscar nominated films before the awards show. However I finally got to see Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummers' Oscar nominated performances.

There are some biographies about famous people that I find fascinating because I do not know about the subject so I find out about them through the film. All I really knew about Leo Tolstoy was that he was an author who wrote 'War And Peace' (or 'War: What Is It Good For?' as it was originally known). I did not know what he had a whole philosophical movement that gained many followers in Russia. He had many devoted 'disciples' and that is what the film is centred on. This almost religious following is in conflict with his relationship with his wife the Countess Sophia. While Sophia loves Leo very much, her husband is surrounded by people who are more concerned with Leo's message than the man himself. That is what makes the film very interesting and a great story. It must have been very frustrating for Sophia to try and love Leo with all these people around him who won't let him love her. It is even more fascinating when Sophia's philosophies are so different to Leo's but she still loves him despite it. That to me is true love.

James McAvoy is good as the man who gets to meet his hero and finds out he is not what he seems. There is some nice amusing moments as Valentin is asked to be a spy for both Sophia and Vladimir. Paul Giamatti plays the nasty characters so well and does a good job here. Christopher Plummer is excellent as Tolstoy. He gives a very refined and measured performance. As great as he was I think the Oscar went to the right person. Helen's performance though is another reason why Sandra Bullock did not deserve her Oscar. It is pretty much a given that Helen is wonderful in everything she does so perhaps the Academy gave it to someone who may not be back there again.

A wonderful adult drama about a famous author who you may only know from their books. A fascinating insight into a life you may not know much about.

Welcome

The immigration issue is a big issue in this country at the moment. Each day it seems a boat load of asylum is spotted off our coast. Now we get to see how another country deals with it.

The French situation is a little different. They are just trying to prevent people getting to England across the channel. Being part of Europe like they are it is easy for people to just walk across it. I'm not sure what the border protection is like at each country they pass through along the way but it must be easy to cross. The thing that appealed to me most about this film is the reason for Bilal is trying to get to London. I'm a big sucker for grand romantic gestures and you can't get much grander than this. The fact that this kid is learning to swim in order to swim across the channel to be with the girl he loves is so sweet. The friendship he develops with Simon is also excellent. I was surprised however at the way Simon helps his new friend. Simon does not seem to do much to hide how he is helping Bilal. So him getting caught by the authorities is inevitable. I was confused over some of the legal issues brought up as well.

I see quite a few French films so I may have seen Vincent Lindon before but I can't recall him. He is excellent in this film and brings great emotion to his role as he sacrifices his life to help a young man he does not know. Firat Ayverdi is also excellent as the young man determined to reach the one he loves.

A great drama that shows the power of friendship and love while dealing with some issues that most countries are trying to deal with at the moment.

Five Minutes Of Heaven

German director Oliver Hirschbiegel won critical acclaim in 2004 for his brilliant film 'Downfall' about the last days of Adolf Hitler. Sadly he followed this up with the critically derided 'The Invasion'. But he is back in the good books with this film.

It has been said that directors who work on a film not from their native country can offer an outsiders perspective on a major issue. That's what Oliver does here. This is a very intimate film about a small event in a major conflict. But says so much about the bigger issue. I'm not know all the intimate details about the conflict in Northern Ireland but have a basic knowledge. However this film could have used any war or conflict as its backdrop. The story of a man confronting the person who killed his brother could occur at any time. This is an excellent drama about a man trying to come to terms with a tragic event in his life. The setting for this meeting is very interesting. For them to meet in such a public place on a television show in some ways can diminish the meeting. I know that most TV producers would say they only have the best intentions when bringing people involved in a conflict together. But when you get shows like 'Jerry Springer' become so popular you begin to get cynical. There are a few moments in this film where my cynicism comes through.

The film though is built on two brilliant performances. Liam Neeson seems to be starring in films at the moment which stand at two ends of the quality spectrum. His role here is quite subdued and restrained. Liam gives a very measured performance that helps to not take too much away from his much better co-star. James Nesbitt is an actor who works mostly in television and that is a shame. I think he is brilliant and I wish we saw him on the big screen more. He is once again brilliant here as a man who must confront a demon in his life. The conflict he is feeling is brought out so wonderfully by James.

An excellent and intimate drama that features a brilliant performance by James Nesbitt. You should also see it to prove Liam Neeson can do small independent films as well as big budget stinkers.

Cop Out

Kevin Smith is one of my all time favourite directors. I'm a huge fan of his films and especially the clever dialogue he comes up with. I have always been interested in finding out whether he could handle directing something he did not write.

I think some Kevin Smith fans will be a bit disappointed with this film as it does not live up to the high standards you normally get from one of his films. The story is nothing terribly special and not as funny as you might expect. Kevin has not written the script so in many ways it feels very different from what he normally does. It lacks the clever wit you expect from him. I was very impressed by the way he can handle directing action scenes. I'm sure it will go a long way to proving he can do a comic book movie. Despite that I still liked the film. It had a few amusing moments and the story had a few cool twists.

While he does not always star in the best films, I still have a great deal of respect for Bruce Willis as an actor. He does the occasional low budget stuff and does a variety of types of roles. Here he seems to be on auto-pilot a bit as he has played a cop role so many times that is just comes so easily to him. I'm a big fan of '30 Rock' so I like Tracey Morgan. Here he is very funny and plays the clown role really well. Sean William Scott is good but his 'repeating everything' gag wore very thin after a while.

As long as you do not think of this as a Kevin Smith film then you should have a lot of fun with it. Not the greatest comedy but still entertaining.

Brothers

Hollywood continues to remake successful European films. This one is a remake of a Danish film and a more art house film as opposed to some of the bigger remakes on the way.

I have not seen the original film so cannot make any comparisons. So judging this film without any preconceptions I found it to be an excellent film. It is a very real drama that feels like it could have happened. There is a bit of gloss as far as casting but otherwise the drama is handled very well. I am a fan of Irish director Jim Sheridan. He has mostly worked on stories about Irish people but here makes a very American story. Jim is great at bringing out the emotion in family stories. I agree there is a little bit of cliche and predictability in this story, however it is still very moving.

Jim has been able to assemble three of the best young actors working today. Jake Gyllenhaal has proven himself a great actor in smaller independent films as well as big blockbusters. He is very good here as well and does a good job at playing the families black sheep. Natalie Portman is wonderful in everything she does and proves that once again here. The most shocking thing for me about this film is that Toby Maguire did not receive much award recognition for his role in this film. This is by far and away the best thing he has ever done. I think he should have had an Oscar nomination. The young actress Bailee Madison playing his eldest daughter in the film is equally as good. She has one big scene towards the end of the film that has me in tears.

An excellent family drama that has a good emotional story at its core and a brilliant performance by Toby Maguire.

How To Train Your Dragon

The biggest rivalry in Hollywood is between Dreamworks Animation and Pixar. The real test coming in a couple of months when their two biggest franchises go head-to-head. Pixar only release one film a year but Dreamworks usually do two and this is their first for this year.

I've not generally been a huge fan of Dreamworks Animation. While they make entertaining films, they are not as wonderful as Pixar. Some how you know you get a better quality film with Pixar. It seems like they put more care and effort into it. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised with this film. For the first time Dreamworks cared more about the story than the joke. The story is very cliched and predictable and I was not very impressed at the start of the film, but as it went on I came to care about the characters and the story. The spectacular imagery had a lot to do with it though. I saw this film in Imax so got to see it on the HUGE screen and it looks very impressive. The dragon flying scenes were simply amazing and the 3D made them look even more spectacular. This is especially true of the brilliant final battle. I was totally blown away by how great it looked.

Normally Dreamworks like to put popular actors in the lead roles of their films, but this time they have chosen some lesser known stars. The only problem I have with this film is in the casting of Jay Baruchel. Even in the trailer I became concerned about his voice. To me it did not suit his character. It is probably being petty but for me I can see that voice coming out of a character that looks like that. I think he has a pretty distinctive voice that makes you think of the actor making it and not the character he is playing. The rest of the cast however seem to make their voices blend in with their character. Surprisingly enough I was not put off by the clash of the Scottish voices of Gerard and Craig with the American kids voices.

An excellent animated film that must be seen in 3D and on the biggest screen possible. Dreamworks are finally making films worthy of taking on Pixar.

The Bounty Hunter

Gerard Butler has certainly been a very busy boy lately. He is really churning out the movies. He like to do either action or romantic comedies. This time he tries both.

The most interesting thing about this film is the number of people and reviews I read, before I saw the film, told me how terrible it was. So my expectations were not very high. Usually when this happens I end up liking the film more than I thought. That is the case here but not by much. While it was not the horrible disaster I was expecting, it is still a pretty bad movie. Andy Tennant is a director who likes to make very lightweight fluffy movies. Here he adds a little bit of edge with some action as well. The problem is that they just don't mix. Sarah Thorp is listed as the only writer on the film but I would say there were a few other people that should be listed as well. For me the romantic comedy elements did not mix well with the action elements. When ever a romantic scene came on it felt like the movie slows down or stops while the leads fall in love (again). Sarah is unable to mix the action and the romance so they flow together. This means it lacks some funny stuff too so is not much of a comedy.

Gerard Butler seems to like romantic comedies where is constantly fighting with a woman before he falls in love with her. Jennifer Aniston I think has potential but seems to be sticking to light weight films lately. Both of them do a very good job with the terrible script they have been given. It helps when they have a great support cast like Christine Baranski and Jeff Garlin.

Not the horrible disaster you may expect but still not the best film ever. A mediocre romantic comedy that squanders a good premise. At least the cast make a good effort at making it decent.

The Rebound

For many years now there have been quite a few films where older men have dated much younger women. Now with the rise of 'The Cougar' it is a woman's turn to take the much younger man.

I've mentioned before how expectations can influence how you see a film. In this case I was not expecting much, just a nice pleasant romantic/comedy. I do think that it is not a comedy though. While there are a few funny moments, I do not think it is a comedy in a strict sense. You could call it a dramedy. I think when you get in that mind set then you will find yourself enjoying the film like I did. It is about two people who help each other out when they reach a crossroads in their life. The fact they are a man and a woman of vastly different ages is inconsequential. There were a few things I didn't like, such as the weirdo es that Sandy and her children find when walking down the street. While they may be a realistic occurrence in New York, they just seemed out of place in the story. The ending was also a little too hopeful.

Catherine Zeta Jones used to have a very promising career. But lately she has not done anything of any great note. Her performance here is very good but not that great. Justin Bartha is rising to prominence after 'The Hangover'. Here he is quite good as the younger man. He gets a few very funny lines.

A pleasant romantic story that is more drama than comedy. Not worth rushing out to see but good for a watch on DVD.