Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Ghostbusters + Ghostbusters 2


For many years comedies were not thought of as being blockbusters. They would be successful as they were relatively cheap to make and usually made a profit. However in 1984 one film came along that changed that.

I have a very distinct memory of my parents taking me and my brother to see 'Ghostbusters' when it was first released. I also remember my father taking great delight in my brother and I being scared by the ghost librarian at the beginning of the film. I also remember being a huge fan. It is always interesting to watch films that you love in a cinema. I find that because you are watching it in an environment where you are focused on the film you can notice things you may have missed in past viewings. Especially when seeing it at home where you can become easily distracted. What I noticed most about this film is the acceptance of ghosts by everyone in the film. Even the person who you would consider its biggest skeptic, Dr Peter Venkmen. I know that they see ghosts and so must accept that but why? They do not look into other alternative explanations for why or how they are happening. Or if they are really a hoax. But I think that it is this acceptance by the characters that makes it acceptable for the audience. We go along with all the silliness of there being ghosts attacking New York city because these characters accept it. We do not doubt for one minute their beliefs. So not only do you have a great plot and convincing characters but you have them doing and saying incredibly funny things. I will be the first to admit that the sequel is not as good as the first film. The plot is almost identical and while still very funny it is not at the same level of hilarity as the first film. One other thing I noticed about both films was how much smoking they have in them. We do not see it very much in movies anymore so when you do see it as much as you do in a film like this it really stands out.

One of the great things about the cast of this film and more specifically the three leads is their friendship. Bill, Dan and Harold have been friends for ages and worked together quite a lot before these films. The films feel like a group of friends getting together to have some fun and filming it. This fun then comes across in their performances and so we as an audience have fun too. Most of the other cast are sort of straight people to the fun of the main three. With the exception of Rick Moranis who plays the ultimate nerd so very well. This would be one of the first comedy films for Sigourney Weaver and she is excellent. Considering what she has to go through. The highlight for me in the second film was the performance of Peter MacNicol. I soon became a fan of his from this film and always looked forward to seeing him in films and TV.

One of the greatest comedies of all time. The sequel is not quite as good but still an excellent film. As much as I love these films I think too much time has passed for them to try for a third film. While it would be fun to see the gang back together I don't hold much hope for it being any good.

Tomorrow When The War Began


Most Aussie films are made on very low budgets with an independent feel. But every so often someone is given a bigger budget to make what is hoped will be a blockbuster. That someone this time is Stuart Beattie. A writer who has been making a name for himself in Hollywood lately on some blockbuster films and now returns home to make his first film as director.

To show you how out of touch I am, I did not know of this hugely successful book series until it was announced that this film was being made about it. The concept of Australia being invaded is an interesting one and one that I've thought about on several occasions. In some ways I'm surprised it has not happened for real. As a film this proves that Stuart Beattie's strength as a director lies in action scenes and not those driven by dialogue. There are some great actions scenes in the film and look fantastic. But for me the film really dragged when there was no action and the characters had to relate to each other. Their dialogue is very cliched and does not feel very natural. I would have also liked a bit more back story on the characters and more specifically their relationships to each other. There were some relationships that did not feel very real to me but I got the impression there was a history to the characters that was not properly explained.

Caitlin Stasey is good as the groups leader Ellie but not great. I admit she has a commanding presence as the one to become the groups leader but she did not impress me much. Most of the cast come from TV and it shows. I don't think they have mastered the change to the big screen. The only one that impressed me was Chris Pang as Lee. He did have the most interesting character arc in the film so had the better material to work with.

I think the fans of the book series will appreciate this a lot more. I hope for their sake that we get to see the other books adapted.

Easy A


The teen comedy can be a very hit and miss affair. There seems to be more misses than hits. Which is why it is great when a good one comes along.

In the 1980's writer/director John Hughes was the master of making teen comedies. Ever since he stopped making then other film makers have been trying to capture some of his magic. Most fail and other reference him in their films hoping that some of the magic will rub off. While this film does reference John Hughes, it does so in a brilliant way. Being a film about teenagers it will inevitably be about sex. What was so refreshingly different about this film was that despite it being about sex we do not see any or are there any gratuitous scenes will obvious innuendo. There is lots of talk about sex but no actual sex. Instead writer Bert V. Royal uses clever dialogue and intelligent characters to deal with it. And like clever teen comedies before it like 'Clueless' and '10 Things I Hate About You' this film brilliantly references a classic piece of literature to tell its story. It treats the audience with a bit of intelligence. While they don't expect them to have read 'The Scarlet Letter' but instead watch the movie. And they recommend the best version to watch as well.

Finally the brilliantly funny actress Emma Stone is getting a starring role. For years now she has been wonderful in supporting roles but it is nice to see her front and center. And she is more than up to the task. Her comic timing is impeccable and delivers all her great witty lines like a truly gifted comedic actress. She comes across as intelligent without being arrogant. Emma is backed up by a brilliant supporting cast. Amanda Bynes would have taken the starring role in a film like this so it is nice to see her just as good in support. Thomas Hayden Church is also wonderfully subdued in his role as the only person at school on the same level as Olive. The biggest joy, though, is Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci as Emma's parents. They are like an awesome comedy duo with Stanley getting one of the funniest moments I've seen in a film in a while.

This is the break out role for the brilliant Emma Stone. A teen comedy that is not afraid to treat its audience with intelligence and, heaven forbid, assume they have read a book.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Please Give


Nicole Holofcener is a great film maker who makes female centric films that look at some modern issues people have to deal with.

In this film she explores the issue of guilt. Each of our lead characters deal with or doesn't deal with the guilt they feel about certain people in their lives. Whether is be about a grandmother who is very demanding or the homeless people you see in the street, Nicole explores how our characters deal with their feelings to the people around them. It is not done in a very obvious way but subtly and in a nicely humorous way. The comedy comes naturally from the situations and not in a in your face way. But it is dramatic too and does not shy away from dealing with the emotion of situations.

Nicole is also great at assembling an excellent cast to be in her films. Catherine Keener is always excellent in what ever she does. She can move from comedy to drama with great ease. Amanda Peet has gained a bit of a reputation for playing bitches in her films and does that wonderfully here too. She is nicely balanced by the very sweet Rebecca Hall as her sister. Oliver Platt is one of my favourite actors and is always a joy to watch.

Nicole Holofcener once again assembles a great ensemble cast to explore some issues facing us in modern society. While they are heavy issues it is done in a lighter way.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The Kids Are All Right


Every year it seems there is one independent film that become a huge success over the American summer. This year it was this film.

I find it interesting that when homosexuals are portrayed in film and on TV that it is usually gay men. We do not get to see many lesbians. So it was nicely refreshing to see a lesbian couple portrayed in this film. I think it is because of the stereotype that lesbians are big, tough and butch so come across as very threatening, where are gay men are lighter and more fun loving and so less threatening. But then again considering the story I don't think it could have been done with gay men. There is also the issue of kids who are either adopted or born through artificial insemination trying to find their birth parent(s). Because of the drama involved films only portray the stories where kids go looking for their parent(s), we don't see kids who don't look for their birth parent(s). Does that ever happen? Which begs the question, why do parents keep the information from their kids? And why are they surprised when the kids decide to do it? This is especially true when there are gay parents involved as with heterosexual couples you can usually keep it it a secret better. This is a wonderfully told modern story that proves a gay parent is just as warm and loving as a heterosexual one. They have problems just like all families but ultimately there is a great deal of love there. It feels like a very real relationship. The film is very funny as well and the humour comes from truth.

It is kind of disappointing when actresses like Annette Benning have children. It means they cut back on their acting to look after their kids and we don't seem them on screen as much. This film is one such reason that we should see more of her. While she normally plays uptight women, she does it so well that we don't mind. To counter point that we get the more free spirited Julianne Moore. There were many times I wondered how these opposites got together. But they seem to love each other and portray that relationship really well. Mark Ruffalo is excellent as always but does play a similar character as he usually does. We have seen Josh Hutcherson grow up on screen and while he has mostly been doing kids films it is nice to see him do something more mature. Mia Wasikowska burst onto the big time in 'Alice In Wonderland' and it is good to see her do a film where she gets a chance to act and not react to imaginary characters.

A very realistic film about the perfect example of the modern family. Funny as well as touching and a good reason to let gays marry.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb


The Chauvel Cinema in Sydney occasionally runs festivals of old films with a particular theme. At the moment they are running one every Friday night about crazy people. I love to try and see old films on the big screen because I feel you see them in a different light. Being in a cinema you can concentrate on them more.

Stanley Kubrick is one of those directors that I have a great deal of respect and admiration for but I don't necessarily enjoy all his films or for that matter seen them all. Yes I know that's wrong of me. 'The Shining' and 'Dr. Strangelove' are my two favourites of his films. Kubrick was not known for his comedies but he still had a great comedic streak as evidenced by this film. This is usually towards the top of the list as one of the funniest films of all time and it is not hard to see why. While the film was made in 1964, the themes and issues it deals with are still very relevant today. You just have to change the nationality of the enemy. Movies like this that make fun of politicians are always funny as they treat these people as buffoons who, while having the best intentions in mind, still go a bit overboard in their intent. These types of films then have fun poking holes in the crazy overboard policies that our political leaders come up with. They possibly rush things through and so don't examine all the possibilities that can happen. But then again there is always the rogue human element as evidenced by this film. The one small element they did not expect to happen. There is also a great deal of humour that comes from seeing the team on the bomber go through their routines without any knowledge of whats going on on the ground. But it is a nervous laugh. Because when you really think about it, something like this could really happen. Then as you watch the ending, you realise how scary this film is. While 'The Shining' was a very obvious horror film this one is a great deal more subtle and realistic.

Peter Sellers is one of the greatest comedic actors who ever lived. I did not come to admire him until later in my life but I have been collecting many of his films now. Sellers has three roles in this film and does all of them brilliantly. As Group Captain Lionel Mandrake and President Merkin Muffley, while being funny, is more the straight man to a wild and crazy character he plays off. He is able to get humour from being the more rational person in the room reacting to all the craziness around him. That's not to say he does not get to play the crazy character. Dr. Strangelove is one of the greatest comedic characters ever created. Considering the the film is named after him he does not get much screen time. But when he does it is a joy to behold. One of the great things about seeing this film on the big screen is you get to see more details. Such as the wild and crazy look that Sellers gives to Strangelove. You can see the madness in his eyes. The other great comedic performance in the film is from George C. Scott. While I've not seen all of Scott's films I think he known more for his dramatic roles so that makes his performance here all the better. I also like Slim Pickens who I'm a fan of from 'Blazing Saddles'.

A classic comedy that is just as relevant today as it was back in 1964. I encourage everyone to see it mainly for one of the best comedic performances from Peter Sellers.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Going The Distance


The on-again-off-again couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long come together then go apart for this romantic comedy.

A long distance relationship is an interesting concept. I know a few people who are in such relationships and I find it interesting to see how they maintain it. I'm not sure I could do it. I suppose it would depend on the person and how much I loved them. It would be hard to make a sacrifice to keep the relationship together. As this film demonstrates one of the couple has to make a sacrifice to keep the relationship going. In some ways the story is designed to keep these two people apart but eventually bring them together at the end. I'm sure in real life things can be more complicated. The problem with this film, while exploring the main concept in an interesting way, is just not terribly funny. The success of Judd Apatow has brought about many copies. Romantic comedies that tend to go down the dirty path regarding jokes and not always successfully. His improvised style is also copied and not well. There is some fun to be had here but the tone of the film is a bit off. As I said the sexual humour has gone too far in this film and not in a good way. It is not necessary and does not make the film any funnier.

Drew Barrymore is a very likable actress. She has done many romantic comedies and I find the ones she does with Adam Sandler the best. In this film there is obviously chemistry between her and Justin and they do a decent job. Justin has certainly grown as an actor lately moving away from his nerdy earlier roles. The real highlight is Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day. They have a great comedy duo thing going with many great improvised scenes.

Not the best romantic comedy but you may get a few good chuckles out of it. Maybe wait for DVD.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

3D Beauty & The Beast


Next year is the 20th Anniversary of one of Disney's most beloved animated films. We in Australia seem to be jumping the gun a bit on the films re-release in 3D to get some publicity before the film is re-released in DVD and Blu-ray next month.

I know for many people this is their favourite animated film of all time. There is also the fact that this is the first film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Now don't get me wrong this is a brilliant film but I do not love it as much as everyone else. There is nothing terribly wrong with it, it is just that the film does not have the magic and enjoyment that I get from other animated films. You all know that my favourite animated film is 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', but of the other Disney animated films I prefer 'The Lion King' and 'Aladdin' more. Having said that this is still a brilliant film. The story is incredibly romantic which I love and is told in a nicely simple way with no padding. The characters are excellent too with a wonderfully empowering heroine. The comic support characters were not as great, for me, as other films. The real stand out though is the animation and design of the film. This brilliance is accentuated by the 3D in this new version. I was a little worried about the 3D look in a 2D animated film but I had nothing to worry about. The best scenes in the film are the two big musical numbers 'Beauty & The Beast' and 'Be Our Guest'. They looked so beautiful in 3D, especially the ballroom dance scene. So beautiful that I'm not afraid to say I had a tear in my eye. The only disappointing thing about the 'Be Our Guest' song is that it has been slightly ruined by years of watching 'The Simpsons'.

This film was made back when an actors name was not used to help sell the film. I think that came with Disney's next film 'Aladdin' when they cast Robin Williams and realised they could use a big name to sell a film. The cast are excellent and the voices really suit their characters visually. Jerry Orbach is the stand out as Lumiere and works wonderfully with David Ogden Stiers as a great double act. The wonderful Angela Lansbury I also loved, especially when she sings.

I know this may upset some people but I hope that Disney will convert a few of their other animated films into 3D. This is a classic film that should be seen on the big screen regardless of the format.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Father Of My Children


One of my favourite types of films are those that explore what happens behind the scenes when making a film. This is one such French film about a producer.

Not many behind the scenes films are made about producers. Most of them focus on either the actor, the writer or director. So it was refreshing to see a film that looks at the producer's side of things. Writer/director Mia Hanson-Love has crafted a very realistic look at the struggles a producer has in trying to get his films made. While the other films that focus on the creative struggle that say a director, actor or writer has with making a film Mia looks at the equally hard financial struggle that a producer has. Like many jobs you see portrayed on film and TV you often wonder how these people have time for family. But our lead character, Gregoire Canvel, manages to work in time in his busy schedule to be with his family. Granted he does use his phone a bit too much, just the fact that he is with them is a big deal. One thing that did surprise me was how far Gregoire lives from the office. At the beginning of the film we see him driving home from work and there is a montage of scenes of him driving along the highway that makes it look like it takes hours for him to get home. I would have thought with his busy life he'd move closer to the city. I don't want to say too much more about the film as the story takes an unexpected turn which I don't want to spoil. My only problem with it is I thought the ending went on for a little bit too long.

Louis-Do De Lencquesaing gives an excellent performance as the very busy Gregoire. He is marvelous at displaying externally a face of happiness and calm yet inside we know there is great turmoil as he struggles to keep his business afloat. Chiara Caselli is equally good as Gregoire's wife Sylvia who must see his husband struggle . She really comes to the fore in the second half of the film.

An excellent French film that looks at an often overlooked area of film production. Very realistic in its depiction of what a producer goes through.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Salt


Angelina Jolie seems to be the go to actress for female action stars these days. Now she is taking the roles originated by men.

I have to admit that when I heard about this film's story that I had my doubts. I did not think that Russia was still interested in spying on the USA. But I was pleasantly surprised. The story works really well and is an excellent thriller. There are a couple of twists I predicted early on but it did not stop me from enjoying it. Phillip Noyce once again proves that he is an excellent action director. The sequences are really well made and more importantly exciting. I liked how Noyce is able to keep the story going at a very quick pace. Some action films these days are a little padded out and therefore the pacing slows things down. But here we are always on the run. Kurt Wimmer has certainly done a good job of re-writing the script to make the hero female. I did think a few of the flashbacks were unnecessary but over all the film was quite well written.

Don't get me wrong, I think Angelina Jolie is an excellent actress and does a very good job here. But in some ways she is too obvious a choice for the role. It would have been nice to see an actress in the role that you don't expect to see doing big action films like this. Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor are good in their respective roles but don't have much to do except run after Angelina and watch her on monitors. Liev does get the better material though. The ending does leave it open for a sequel so we may get to see more of Chiwetel then.

I had low expectations for this film so I think I enjoyed it more than I expected. The story has many great twist and Noyce has crafted many great action sequences.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Boy


Considering how close we are I'm surprised that more New Zealand films are not released here. This is their most popular film ever so maybe they only send over the best ones.

In 2002 New Zealand had great success with a coming of age tale about a young girl called 'Whale Rider'. This film is kind of a male version but with more of a comedic tone. This is supposed to be a semi-autobiographical film by writer/director Taika Waititi. But the way it play out I'm not so sure. Some of the characters, especially Boy's father Alamein, played by Taika are very wacky and strange. Some of his behavior is very questionable. There are a few things that worried me about the film. Mainly that a house full of very young children are left on their own for an extended period of time with 11 year-old Boy looking after them. He does a good job of looking after them and their seems to be an aunt that is 'around' but no clear sense that the kids have adult supervision. Otherwise this is an excellent and very sweet story of a boy who finds out who his dad really is. It is really funny too and Taika has used some animation to wonderfully accentuate the story.

As mentioned above Boy's father as played by Taika is very strange. You wonder if a person like him would really exist or Taika has exaggerated him for comedic effect. The real stars of the film though are the kids, especially James Rolleston as Boy and Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu as his brother Rocky. Both give very naturalistic performances that make you think they are behaving like real children.

An excellent comedy from our cousins across the Tasman. While the characters are a bit strange it still has a very emotional story at its core.

3D Piranha


Most of the 3D movies being released these days are either animated or horror films. And most of the horror films being released these days are remakes.

Spring break is becoming a very popular setting for films these days. Most have been coming of age films that focus on sex but now French director Alexandre Aja has added horror to it. In this film you get a lot of both. It is a requisite of Spring Break films that there is heaps of female nudity and we get a lovely naked swimming scene for us to perv on. Alexandre is not afraid to skimp on the gore either with quite a lot of it on display here. I was quite surprised at how much there was with plenty of chewed body parts being thrown at you in 3D. It is quite graphic in its depiction of how a person is eaten by a piranha. Including a very funny scene where a guy looses his penis. I think the effects team were quite generous to him. It would have been an interesting meeting when discussing how to create that effect. As a film though I found it quite enjoyable. There were a few decent scares and is a bit of fun. The film does not hit its stride though until the big attack about half way through the film. As usual the victims are portrayed a drunken idiots so they get what they deserve.

The biggest surprise for me though was the performance of Elizabeth Shue. I was pleased at how well she handles the action hero role. I think she has found a new career if people are willing to give her a go. She is able to handle the action and is a nicely tough character. The rest of the cast do a decent job in their roles as mostly fish food. Steven R. McQueen is good as the dorky hero and all the women have the correct... er.. um.. measurements. I did love the cameo by Christopher Lloyd, someone we don't see enough of on the big screen these days.

A decent fun horror film with plenty of tits, ass and pussy. As well as lot of blood and gore to keep you entertained. Perhaps not worth the price of 3D though.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Despicable Me


With the success of Dreamworks and Pixar, other studios are jumping on the bandwagon and making their own CGI animated films. Universal bought a French company to do theirs. The success of this film will mean that the two powerhouses have a new rival.

For many years films have been made in which the bad guy becomes the good guy or hero of the film. What I liked about this film is that there are no 'good' guys. It is about two competing bad guys with no good guy in sight. There are no superheroes to take on Gru and Vector and stop them from taking the moon. But then again I suppose their real enemy is themselves and their bumbling incompetence. Maybe world leaders realise they are no big threat. And that's what is so great about this film is the hilarious situations that Gru gets himself into. He is such a cleverly written character and so plain speaking. That is the appeal it has to adults. Gru says things to the kids in this film that I'm sure a lot of parents would like to say to their kids but don't for fear of hurting their feelings. I quite liked the design of the film too. It reminded me of 'The Addams Family', especially Gru who looks a lot like Uncle Fester. There are lots of films where the supporting characters become the most popular thing. Much like Scrat in the 'Ice Age' movies, the minions in this film steal the show. The writers have put them into so many hilarious situations that you can't wait to see what they do next. I also loved the use of 3D in the film too with some great scenes that make good use of the technology.

Steve Carell has done some of his best work as the voice in animated films. And this is one of them. While I found his accent a little weird, I still found him to be hilarious as Gru. I would not have though that Jason Segal would suit his character but I was wrong. He does such a good job that you don't think of Jason as you watch Vector talk which is a good thing. Russell Brand is equally hilarious as Gru's assistant. Another case of the voice not overwhelming the role.

If this film is anything to go by then it looks like Pixar and Dreamworks have some serious competition in their quest for animation world domination. The type of film that adults can see without having to take a kid along too.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The Expendables


Sylvester Stallone continues to mine his former glories for new material. This time he drags back some of his action colleagues and some new ones as well.

The problem with this film is the expectations. Stallone set himself such a huge task of creating an awesome action film that matched the level of excitement his audience had. But sadly he does not reach those lofty levels. This is not to say the film is terrible but just not as wonderful as you might expect. The biggest problem is the plot. What little there is of it. To me it felt like the kind of plot you find in straight to DVD action films and not one you see in cinema. Maybe Stallone designed it that way to make his fellow co-stars feel more comfortable. The one thing Stallone did get right was the action. What stops this film from being awful are the spectacular action scenes. Nothing can beat seeing bad guys getting stabbed, shot, beaten up and blown up. Every thing goes totally over the top at the end with a great action sequence.

Acting is not something that you expect from this type of film. As long as they can shoot and fight then they are doing a good job. Not much emotion is involved. Stallone and Statham are the ones who get the most material to work with character wise and do a pretty decent job. The rest of the cast are there for their muscles and do a good job of it. Eric Roberts though looks like he is having the most fun as the villain.

Not the most thought provoking film of the year. A guilty pleasure if you like big, dumb, fun action films.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The Girl Who Played With Fire


While many adults enjoy Harry Potter, it is still for younger people. But now a literary phenomenon has been created that is aimed squarely at adults.

It would be interesting if Stig Larsson was still alive that he would be co-erst into writing more books in this series. The most interesting thing though is that considering how popular the books are that the films are not more successful. I think it is because people still have a stigma about watching films with subtitles. But I suppose that bodes well for the Hollywood remakes. I know it is probably wrong of me, but I have not read the Millennium trilogy books. I did not get a chance to read 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' before the film was released and as a result I've decided to watch the story through the films. Many might say that's a good thing as I won't be disappointed by the adaptation. I became a huge fan of 'Dragon' earlier this year and could not wait for the sequel. It was an incredibly powerful mystery with a pair of wonderful characters. While this film did not have the impact of the first film it is still a brilliant film. We get to explore the history of Lisbeth Salander more and find out why she is as troubled as she is. Sadly this means she is kept away from her friend Michael Blomkvist. While he is helping to find out who framed Lisbeth, Michael is not having as much to do as Lisbeth. Lisbeth relies less on her computer hacking skills too. Despite the fact they are apart they are still emotionally connected as we see in a wonderful scene in the film.

Recently Rooney Mara was cast as Lisbeth in the Hollywood remake of this series. I feel really bad for her as she has such big shoes to fill with this role. Noomi Repace has done such a brilliant job with the role that you can't imagine anyone else playing the part. Noomi has helped to create such a brilliantly strong female character that everyone can be proud of. I cannot wait to see he in more films. Michael is still as brilliant in the less showy role.

This is shaping up to be one of the best film trilogies ever made. Which gives the Hollywood remakes a lot to live up to.