Hall Pass

The Hall Pass is not a concept that is familiar to most people outside the USA. For those who don't know it refers to a pass that kids at school can get to be allowed outside class. If they want to get permission to say go to the bathroom they get a Hall Pall to be allowed in the halls of the school.

The Farrelly Brothers have not had much commercial success lately. Their films have been a bit hit and miss. Despite this I am still a fan of their work. I think part of the problem is the gross-out humour they use in their movies. It is a trademark they use which people expect to see and in many ways can over shadow the film. I think that the films they make can have a sweet and interesting core with the gross-out coating. But people can't see through the gross out coating to get to the sweet core. I'd like to know if The Farrelly Brothers write this way because they like to or they are expected to and know it is the only way they can get the films they make made. This film has an interesting concept of two married couples who find out about a unique way to spice up their marriage. The concept of giving your partner permission to cheat sounds bad but it can be a good way to test your partner's infidelity. If they do sleep with someone then maybe that means there are problems in the relationship. But if they don't then that means the relationship is good. Their gross-out humour works in most instances in this film but their were a couple of moments which made me cringe a bit and I thought were not needed. Even if they got the biggest laughs in the film.

What a difference a haircut can make. Owen Wilson usually plays cool laid back guys in his movies but here with a new haircut he plays someone a lot more nerdy. This makes it a refreshing change to see him do something different. Jason Sudeikis plays the same sort of guy he did in 'The Hangover' and is quite funny. Their wives in the film Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate while not as funny are more the heart and soul of the film. Richard Jenkins plays a similar character from 'Eat Pray Love' but with a more sleazy side.

If you can look past the crude humour on the outside of this film you will find a story with a sweet and interesting message about relationship and marriage.

Limitless

It has been a long held belief that humans do not use the full potential of their brains. This films explores what would happen if we could and by only taking a drug.

Sadly this is another film that poses more questions than it answers. I may stray into spoiler territory so be careful. The two problems I have is that surely if Vernon is selling this drug that he would try to make as much money as he could and so sell it to as many people as he could. So there would be a lot more people using it. That it would possibly be more widespread. The other problem is that wouldn't this type of intelligence arouse more suspicion and be noticed by more sinister people, like the government? Wouldn't the government be aware of the development of the drug? It would have been an interesting alternative film if Eddie was on the run from government agents. But the one lesson we learn from all this is that no matter how smart you become you cannot do anything about human nature. That drugs are addictive even when they make you incredibly smart. Wouldn't you look into the drug more and when the side effects occur you stop taking it. Still taken at face value this is an enjoyable thriller with some thrilling scenes. I quite enjoyed Neil Burger's style that he uses to visually portray Eddie's time on the drug. The ending might be a little too good for some people though.

Bradley Cooper is nicely rising in his career and choosing some great roles. He makes a really effective leading man here and has an excellent presence. Aussie actress Abbie Cornish is also very good as put-upon girlfriend. It would have been nice to see her used more though. I'm sure that Robert DeNiro the actor reflects his character in this film and his relationship with Bradley Cooper. He is a good mentor which I'm sure he was in real life.

There might be a few plot holes that I had a problem with but otherwise this is a very enjoyable thriller. The ending might be too neat but the ride is good.

The Adjustment Bureau

There are some who believe that our lives are all part of a grand plan. So what would happen if someone deviated from their plan. Be warned there maybe spoilers in this review.

I sometimes have this problem when I watch films that I can think too much about them. This film poses a philosophical question of is our life pre-planned. The most interesting thing about this film is that writer/director George Nolfi has does not say who is the author of this grand plan. Many religions believe that God has a grand plan for all of us but George has chosen not to specify who is the Chairman of the agency where the agents work. The only other problem I had with the premise is the agents themselves and what they are exactly. I would think that to be able to do this type of job they would need to be soulless beings who cannot get emotionally involved in their work, which seems to be what happens with the agent, Harry, who works with David. Harry helps David when he should not have and only does this because he feels sympathy for David's plite. You would think that whoever runs this agency would choose agents who would not have emotions so they are better equipped to do their job. But Harry's interference does work out in the end. As it is though the film is quite good as a metaphysical romantic thriller.

Matt Damon is better than most actors at playing an everyman caught up in amazing situations. Despite playing heroic types like Jason Bourne, he does a good job of being an ordinay guy like here. Emily Blunt is very good but does not have all that much to do except look great and be delightful, which she does really well. Andrew Mackie nicely plays one of the agents. Terrence Stamp brings a nice deal of menace to his performance.

If you don't think too much about what is 'really' going on then you should enjoy this film. A different romantic story that has some nice philosophical ideas.

Five Easy Pieces

The Chauvel Cinema once again brings back some classic pieces of cinema for us to enjoy. This time it is Jack Nicholson's first leading performance.

One thing that this film proves is that they don't make them like they used to. Well the major film studios anyway. This is a very independent style film that was made by a major film studio. I could not imagine them making a film like this today. Certainly not as it was made in 1970. I can imagine all the great character studies that make the film so good would be taken out. Robert Dupea is an excellent character and we get to explore his world in this this film. He has turned his back on the life his family mapped out for him and turned to a more lower class existence.He is a bit of a slob and does not treat women very well. That's one other thing that is 'of the time', is Robert's treatment of women especially his girlfriend Rayette. The way he treats her would not be tolerated in today's culture. Especially what he does to her at the end of the film. But as much as you want to hate him you can see that he can be a good man. His family is a bit on the weird side and you understand why he left his family. That is something you really appreciate about him.

As we can see right from the start, Jack Nicholson is a brilliant actor. He really becomes the character of Robert. I'm not sure of it was written with Jack in mind but he certainly makes this character his own. This is true in a classic diner scene. Karen Black plays his ditsy girlfriend Rayette reall well. You feel a great deal of sympathy for her character and the way Robert treats her. It was also great to see Lois Smith in an early role as well. She is popping up so often these days that it is good to see her early work and see she is just as good back then.

One of those classics that real film fans should seek out to view. See why Jack Nicholson is the legend that he has become.

Griff The Invisible

There have been numerous superhero films made lately. Not only do we have big budget ones but we also have low budget ones. I don't think you can get more lower than this Aussie entry.

The story of an average person putting on a costume and becoming a vigilante is nothing new. However lately there have been many versions of the story that feature people as superheroes. This film is a decidedly different take. I'm kind of a little afraid to talk too much about the film for fear of reveling some of its wonderful twists and surprises. One of the films many strengths is its story. It is really sweet and very surprising. A unique love story about the coming together of two like minded souls who share a love of the different. I love a good love story and this is certainly that. While they are two reclusive and sort of nerdy characters they are still very delightful. They have are so many wonderful moments in the film that make you cheer for these characters and like them even more.

Ryan Kwanten is one of the best young actors working today. He is so brilliant in this film. He plays a very nerdy type character that is decidedly different to what we have seen him play before. His body language in each scene is so wonderful that it is like he is so into playing this character. His romantic interest played by Maeve Dermody is equally wonderful. You wonder why Ryan's character does not fall for her so easily.

Leon Ford is an emerging talent in Australia that is certainly one to watch. I encourage you to seek this film out while you can. I don't expect it to be around very long as most Aussie films are want to do, so make sure you hurry.

The Company Men

Last week I went to see the documentary 'Inside Job' about the Global Financial Crisis. This is a more intimate look at what happened.

I had fairly high expectations for this film because it was written and directed by John Wells who worked on one of my all time favourite TV series 'The West Wing'. I am very impressed with John's effort here. In some ways it can be hard to sympathise with executives from a company when they drives expensive cars and live in nice looking houses. However John has shown us that people at all levels can be effected in much the same way when they loose their job. In this film Booby Walker has had it good but now must learn to cope with the cheaper options. As well as doing work he would normally feel is beneath him. Maybe seeing a high flyer cut down makes a more interesting film. I found the film got better as it goes along and the story becomes more interesting. While the story follows a pretty predictable path and the characters are familiar you can still find enjoyment in the film.

The big joy in the film is the performances. Ben Affleck seems to be going from strength to strength. It is great that he is taking smaller films like this. He is backed up by an excellent cast. Tommy Lee Jones brings a great deal of dignity to his role and shows that even those at the top are not immune. I've been watching Rosemarie DeWitt on 'The United States Of Tara' and think she's an excellent actress. She is nicely less dysfunctional here. I have a great deal of respect for Kevin Costen who has an excellent small role in the film. The only disappointment is Chris Cooper who plays a character he's played a few times before.

An excellent cast brings out their best in this drama about loosing your job. While they are the richer folk it is nice to see them cut down.

Howl

In 1957 poet Allen Ginsberg wrote a poem that was placed on trial. The company who published it was being accused of printing offensive material.

If it wasn't for the cast I don't think I would have seen this film. I had not seen a trailer and only read a synopsis and seen who was in it. I thought it would be about the trail of the publisher. However while that is in the film it is more about Allen's poem. A large majority of the film is a reading of the poem which is accompanied by animated sequences. I'm not a terribly huge fan of poetry. It is not a form of expression that appeals to me. So this aspect did not interest me too much. I would have preferred more information about the trial. The one interesting aspect thought that is brought up in the trial scenes is how you judge writing to have literary merit. Allen's poem is well written and good but because it has some provocative material it is deemed to not have literary merit. The professors they get to testify seemed to be giving opinions and not stating facts so it all comes down to interpretation.

James Franco is certainly one of the best actors working today. He is able to a variety of roles and in different styles. He is excellent in this film and seems to capture the character of Allen Ginsberg really well. Another disappointing part of the film is the support cast. Not so much with their performances but with the material they are given. John Hamm, Mary Loise-Parker, Jeff Daniels and David Strathairn are all characters in the trial but only seem to be reading the court transcripts and do not have any emotion or depth.

Not the film that I was expecting. I'm not blaming anyone but myself. I think a love of poetry and/or Allen Ginsberg would help with your enjoyment of the film.

Rango

With animation being so hugely popular at the moment it was only a matter of time that special effects company Industrial Light and Magic joined in the fun.

Animated films are a funny thing. It has long been considered a form that mostly appeals to children. A lot of animated films and TV series are aimed at kids but there are heaps aimed at adults too. Films generally try to have the best of both worlds to try and appeal to the most amount of people. They need to be inoffensive to be good for kids but also have some sophisticated themes to make it interesting for adults. This film I think is more adult in nature. Although it is about animals that would make it fun for kids they are doing very grown up things that make it more relevant to adults. The fun I had with this film was spotting all the references to other films, many of which children (hopefully) would not have seen. There are also the many references and send ups of western cliches. The humour of the is really quirky too with characters behaving in some odd but amusing ways. I found it very unconventional to many mainstream animated films which is why it appealed to me so much. I also thought the animation looked beautiful. The way the desert is captured was magnificent. There is also a really thrilling chase scene in the film that blew me away.

Johnny Depp is such a versatile actor that it seems he can do almost any role. Even give voice to a cameleon. He plays the part really well and does the best thing a voice actor can do which is make you not think of the actor behind the voice. My favourite performance though is by Isla Fisher. Her accent in this film is brilliant. I loved it so much. Her character is hilarious too. Equally funny is Abigail Breslin and her funny accent. Poor Ned Beatty seems to becoming typecast as the villain in animated films now. He is excellent though.

This film tickled my quirky funny bone really well. An unconventional Animated film that will appeal more to adults than kids.

Inside Job

In 2008 the world seemed to fall apart as we entered a Global Financial Crisis. Since then we have seen a few films about the crisis, but none so succinct as this.

I think I'm going to have to stop watching documentaries. They just make me so depressed. Most reveal the bad side of humanity and this case the sheer stupidity of what we think of as smart men. I think it goes to show how short sighted we are as a society. The GFC seems to come down to a group of men who made money on some stupid decisions without realising the long term ramifications. They also relied on people whose advice was not so reliable. The great thing is that director Charles Ferguson has managed to make all this very entertaining and fairly easy to understand. There were some things I did not quite grasp but on the whole I did know what was going on. There are lots of graphs and diagrams which help and the narration by Matt Damon is in clear and simple terms. What it also shows you is the apathy of society. One other thing the film clearly explains is how this could have been prevented or solved easily if the government was more actively involved. Much like most powerful groups like oil and tobacco they have an extremely huge amount of power in the US government. Which is why no one was held accountable for what happened. Most of the people who cause the disaster were rewarded for their stupidity and kept their million dollar bonuses despite stuffing up their companies. The US people have not done anything about it which means their represented officials keep getting paid by these powerful lobby groups to keep doing bad things. What does it take for people to make a stand?

While a degree in economics would help to understand this film better it is not a requirement. A good and clear way of explaining what happened to most of the global economies.

The Way Back

Peter Weir is an iconic Aussie director who has made some incredibly brilliant films over the years. He does however take his time to choose projects.

In 2003 Peter made 'Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World'. A film which I love so much. So I had really high expectations for this film. Sadly I was incredibly disappointed. Stories of people overcoming incredible odds to achieve an insurmountable goal are all well and good but they need to be made in an interesting way. You cannot just rely on the hardships of your characters to make things interesting. Nothing happens in this film except a group of men walking through harsh landscapes and starving. Nothing happens to them as they go on this incredible journey. They only meet one person along the way who travels with them for a while but other wise it's just these guys. I understand that they avoid trying to meet people because they have escaped from prison but they could have met some more people or had something happen to them. I don't think I have been so bored in a film in a long time. The fact that it was Peter Weir directing makes it even worse.

Because there is not much for these actors to do expect look gaunt and tired it means their performances reflect this. Jim Sturgess is not an actor I'm very impressed with. He does not bring much to the film her as his character is very cliched and ordinary. Ed Harris brings a certain presence like an older statesman. Colin Farrell has the only interesting character to work with.

A huge disappointment from one of the world's best directors. Very long and very boring.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest

We now reach the end of the wonderful Millennium series. Lisbeth Salander has become one of the great movie heroines and we get to see how her journey ends.

It was only recently that I found out that these films were made as a TV mini-series and not as cinema films. Looking back on it you I can see it. This does not diminish the impact of the films. They are still one of the best movie trilogies ever made and are a brilliant mystery story. I have not read the books and have no intention of reading them so I've only known the story through the films. Thankfully in this film we get to see the conspiracy unfold and realise what has been really going on all this time. There is a great deal of satisfaction as we see all the bad people we've known over the series finally get what is coming to them. The final court room scenes are wonderful too as Lisbeth's lawyer lays out all the evidence that makes her innocent. Lisbeth's outfit in the scenes helps make it all the more special.

Noomi Rapace has been so unbelievably brilliant through the whole series. She does not have all that much to do in this film as she is confined to hospital and prison. Just her presence though has a far bigger impact than most other performances can muster. Michael Nyqvist is a bit emotionless and not the greatest performer. He still has the most action and is very good.

I'm so glad that David Fincher is directing the remake. He is one of my favourite directors so I have a great deal of faith in him. He has a huge task ahead of him.

No Strings Attached

Last year Hollywood was making romantic comedies on a similar theme of a person finding out their lover is a killer. This year it seems the theme is friends who have sex.
Ivan Reitman is certainly an excellent director of comedy and he has chosen well with this film. I will admit that it's not a terribly brilliant comedy and the concept may not have been explored as much as it could but it is still a very enjoyable film. To me I think you need to be a certain type of person to have a sex only relationship with a friend. I believe there are people (some I know) who can have sex just for fun or sex and not be emotionally involved. I'm not one of those people. Emma (Natalie Portman) comes across as the type of person who can use sex just for fun and is so busy that she need a release. However Adam (Ashton Kutcher) is the type of person looking for love. In some ways I think they are both wrong for getting into this type of relationship, because if this was real life it would have ended badly. I know this from experience. Once again though I think I'm a lot softer in my criticism of romantic comedies.
After the darkness of 'Black Swan' it is great to see Natalie do something fun. She has great comedic timing and can be hilarious. She is so brilliant in this film and you come to love her. On the other hand we have Ashton Kutcher who does nothing but light romantic comedies. Ashton is stuck in a rut with his choice of films and is disappointing as I think he can do better. Usually the support cast of friends are the highlight of most romantic comedies and that is the case here. Sadly we don't see enough of them. Kevin Kline is quite funny and makes you wish we could see him more often.
A little unbelievable in its concept but still a nice light romantic comedy that is better than most. We'll have to see if Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake do any better later in the year.