Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Margin Call

It has been a few years now but Hollywood is finally getting around to making films about the Global Financial Crisis.
J.C. Chandor quite rightly got an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay for this film. As mentioned before, as a writer the script is the area that I find myself most drawn to when watching a film. Chandor's script is very clever and skillfully written. Being set in only a few locations it feels very much like a play. But in the way it is filmed it is still cinematic. Being play-like the film is very much dialogue driven and the dialogue is very smart with lots of witty lines. The characters are also well developed. It is an ensemble film but only a few of them have their characters fully developed. Some people may have trouble understanding what the characters are getting all upset about but if you watch the documentary 'Inside Job' before hand you should understand what all the fuss is about. Knowing exactly what is going on is not terribly important but can help. It makes you wonder if this is how it really happened. This is one of those situations that tests a persons moral compass. A leader must make a decision to do something wrong to get out of a bad situation.
J.C. has assembled an excellent ensemble cast for this film. While it is an ensemble film there are a few cast members that stand out more. Zachary Quinto is sort of the lead here and is excellent. One of those people who unexpectedly get drawn into a bad situation. Paul Bettany is great as the cocky experienced guy who helps provide information about what is happening. Kevin Spacey nicely plays the older experienced one who must make the decision of whether to do the right thing or not. Jeremy Irons brings his dignity to the role of the boss who has to make the tough decision. The rest of the cast give great performances but I was disappointed that Mary McDonnell only had a small two minute scene.
This is a film for those who like clever and intelligent cinema which makes you think. A little bit of knowledge of the GFC would help but is not important.

Friday, March 23, 2012

The Hunger Games

With Harry Potter over and the 'Twilight' saga about to finish, teens need a new series to bring them to the cinema. This looks to be the one.
I need to begin by saying that my expectations for this film were incredibly low before going to view it. There are so many films based on young adult books that have been major disappointments, so I did not raise my hopes that this was going to be any different.
I will begin with the positive. I think that the film looks good. The production design, make-up and costumes look spectacular. The cinematography is excellent and the film looks great overall. Gary Ross' team has done an excellent job in that department.
My main problem with the film is the subject matter. The idea of a society's ruling class rounding up children and forcing them to perform in a battle to the death for their own amusement is one of the most appalling things I have ever heard of. And the fact that a story like this is aimed at children is even more sickening. If it was adults and the film/books were aimed at adults I would not have a problem with it. Adults can deal with these issues. The fact that a society can take children and force them to fight this way is deplorable. What makes it even worse is the the way these children are treated before the tournament. Dressed up and paraded like playthings before the people who then clap and cheer. I find that evil. Pure evil. I could come up with many real world comparisons to this and you would find them objectionable. But people are drawn to this in droves, especially children. We have had many similar films in the past like 'Series 7'; 'Running Man and 'Battle Royal'. These all had the same story of people forced to fight each other for the amusement of others. Granted the violence in these other films was a lot more brutal but still the subject matter is adult and was not aimed at children. I understand that it could be viewed as a metaphor for aspects of society, but I think there are better ways to do it that are more suitable. Much like 'Twilight' a brutal subject matter has been soften to appeal to children. While there is a hint at insurrection in the film, I'm surprised that it has taken 74 years for anyone to rebel against this barbaric ritual. I know that if I was chosen I would have committed suicide before I even entered the arena. Perhaps we will see more of the rebellion in the other films.
My other problem was with the number of contestants. I think having 24 competitors was too many and made the film drag unnecessarily. It would have also made it more thrilling if there were less as we would have a chance to care more about the contestants and become more emotionally involved.
Jennifer Lawrence is certainly an excellent actress and she does a decent job here. I found her character a bit too subdued. I'd have liked her to have a bit more fierceness to her considering the situation. Josh Hutcherson is very good as well. Woody Harrelson is excellent as a former contestant. I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Banks and found her hilarious in this role. Her outfit and make-up were wonderful too. Stanley Tucci play the smarmy TV host really well. Adding to the already evil behaviour of these people. I loved seeing Wes Bentley back on the big screen too.
If you are going to make a film about a story like this you need to go all out and have the brutality of the subject matter match the way the story is told. Making it tame for a younger audience is awful.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

21 Jump Street

Once again Hollywood mines television for a story to make a film about. This time is the 1980's TV series '21 Jump Street' as the basis for a buddy comedy.
Much like many film versions of TV series, Jonah Hill and his co-writer Michael Bacall have taken the basic premise of the show for the film. Not much else is the same. That is not an entirely bad thing. In some ways the film could be seen as a satire of the show and its believability in having cops pose as teenagers in high school. There are many references made to how implausible that is. However Jonah and Michael have also cleverly satirises cop shows and films in general with many smart jokes about the cliches and conventions the genre brings up. I also liked the way they made fun of high school movies too. The problem I had though was that these clever jokes were no consistent enough to make the film as funny as it could have been. I was quite impressed with some of these very clever jokes, especially the ones about car chases.
Jonah Hill is certainly a very funny guy and he is very good here. He has also chosen an excellent partner for his comedy. Channing Tatum has not really done comedy before but he is excellent here. I think he has a gift for it and I hope he does more in the future. I am a big fan of Brie Larson from her work on the TV series 'The United States Of Tara' but I would have liked to see her do more in this film. Dave Franco is very good as the preppy rich kid. Ice Cube was hilarious in his send up of the police captain role. There are also some wonderful cameo appearances.
A decent buddy cop comedy that has many funny moments. There are not enough of them though to make this a truly great film.

The Rum Diary

After 14 years Johnny Depp brings back his Hunter S. Thompson-esq character and brings writer/director Bruce Robinson out of retirement to do it.
It was a good idea for Johnny to bring in Bruce to make this film. He made the highly acclaimed 'Withnail & I' about two guys who are constantly drunk. This time it's only one guy but still the same theme. While it was extremely weird and strange with very little plot, I still loved 'Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas. This film is no where near as weird and has a more conventional storyline but is still and excellent film. The story is more character driven and these are a pretty weird mob of people. Usually the bad guy is the strange one in a story but it is the good guys and his team that are the strange ones. Alcohol once again is the driving force behind the genius of a writer. Paul Kemp seems to be drunk through out the film but still manages to write great stuff. Perhaps I need to start drinking. The film is also very much about a country at this time in history. I'm not familiar with Puerto Rico but the film seems to present a fairly accurate portrayal of this country at a time of crisis. It also presents a view of journalism and newspaper publishing that is much like it is today, with a newspaper struggling to survive. The film presents these situations in a humorous and satirical way. Hunter has no doubt been to this country and therefore knew what he was talking about.
Johnny Depp was great friends with Hunter S. Thompson so he is more than qualified to play a character much like Hunter. This is a more conventional character than most of the weird ones he plays and I don't normally like the normal ones. But here he does an excellent job and plays it less crazy than he did in 'Fear & Loathing'. Michael Rispoli's character Sala has a few features of Dr. Gonzo from 'Fear & Loathing' but without the drug crazed behavior. Michael is excellent though in the side-kick role. Aaron Eckhart does a very good job as one of the only normal people in the film. Richard Jenkins is hilarious as Paul's boss at the newspaper. The toupee was a nice touch. Giovanni Ribisi once again plays a wacky character but he has a good character to play this time that has many witty lines. Amber Heard is very good at looking pretty and playing a love interest.
A clever and witty comedy that satirises Puerto Rico's political situation. A bit more accessible than his other Hunter S. Thompson film for Johnny.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Project X

The 'found footage' trend continues with this ultimate party movie. It is because of this that I was not planning to see the film. But I heard so many divisive opinions that I felt I should check it out.
My opinion of this film is very much divided.On the one hand I think the film was very well made. It is one of the few times that the 'found footage' idea works for the material and story presented. I was not put off my the rough camera work. It was very effective for the finale as well. That said finale is quite a sight to behold as the party gets completely out of control. I think that sequence was brilliantly handled by director Nima Nourizadeh.
On the other hand I found the subject of the film to be incredibly scary. Teenagers are constantly demonised by society and if there was ever a film to support that idea it would be this one. They are portrayed as reckless and insensitive with no regard for anyone else. This film celebrates that attitude and glorifies it. I also found it scary to think how easily something like this could happen. Any suburban street is vulnerable to this type of attack. The party gets so out of hand so very easily that you can see it happening anywhere. Then there is misogynistic attitude towards women. Women in this film are only there to look pretty and be the object of lust. I cannot believe that in this day and age, boys still think of women that way and that film makers can get away with making a film that celebrates that kind of behaviour. I know it is just a film that should not be taken seriously but I think it is wrong that teenagers are portrayed this way. Not all are like that. It sends the wrong message to other generations of how they really are.
Our three lead characters in this film are some of the worst characters on film. Thomas is the type of sweet, nerdy character that we are meant to sympathise with as he watches his simple party get out of control. However he is taking advice from one of the most obnoxious people to ever be put on film so Thomas as a character looses all credibility. Thomas Mann does a good job as Thomas in the sweetness department. Oliver Cooper plays the ultra obnoxious Costa very well. You come to hate this guy so very much. Jonathan Daniel Brown is the best actor as the put upon JB. While he is easily led, it suits his character.
If there was ever a film made that defines a generation then this is it. It is a good use of the 'found footage' format but sadly the subject matter is scary and frightening for all the wrong reasons.

Headhunters

With the success of 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' we are getting to see a lot more Norwegian films.
The job of Headhunter has become very popular over the last few years. Film makers are just getting around to putting them into films. This film takes the job to a fairly extreme level. This is one of those films where the lead protagonist does not come across as a very nice guy. Roger Brown might also be a very complex character but he does some not very nice things. He is married to a beautiful woman but still sleeps around. He is so insecure though about loosing his beautiful wife that he need to turn to theft to earn enough money to make her happy. But he is a very nerdy type character so it is understandable. The story is also very well crafted and the way that Roger has the screws put on him is very clever. There is some great use of technology that makes things even more exciting. I was a little bit confused about the motivation of the bad guy Clas, but that did not but off my enjoyment of the film.
This is probably not a nice thing to say but Aksel Hennie has the right look for this film. He has that great mix of nerdiness and sleaziness that makes him perfect to play Roger. Aksel is very good at playing a character we start to hate but soon come to understand and root for. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on the other hand is the opposite. He is a good looking, suave guy who we come to hate over the coarse of the film. Synnove Macody Lund gives a nice performance as the woman that both men love.
A great thriller with plenty of style. There are lots of nice twists and turns which keeps you interested. Even if some of the details are not clear.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

A Separation

I have finally gotten around to seeing the film which won Best Foreign Language Film at this years Academy Awards.
Iran has been in the news a lot lately for their plans to make nuclear weapons. They are usually portrayed as a terrorist country like their neighbours in the Middle East. It is refreshing then to see a film like this that portrays the people as average citizens. Except for a few religious issues this story could have taken place in any country. It is an excellent story that brings out much emotion and feelings in its characters. Asghar Farhadi has crafted an brilliant script which sets up some wonderful elements that fall into place as the story unfolds. While religion plays a part in the story it is not the over riding element. As I said, this is something that could occur to anyone and happen anywhere. It is a very universal story. We see these people go about their lives much like us here. This is a refreshing change for people of the Middle East as always being portrayed as terrorists. Asghar has brought to life characters that feel like real people. They have their flaws but this makes them all the more human.
The performances in the film more than match the brilliance of the story. Peyman Moadi is brilliant as the man at the centre of the story. You really feel sorry for his character and what he goes through. He does come across as a tough man at time but you come to understand his motives. Leila Hatami is very good as his wife. Her part is not all that great but she is still very effective. Sareh Bayat gives a wonderful performance as the woman at the centre of the conflict. You really feel for her character and what she is going through. Especially when her husband is played by Shahab Hosseini. His character is a very angry man and Shahab is more than capable of bringing out this emotion. But he is also able to make his character seem tender and caring as he is only getting that way because of his love for his wife.
I encourage you all to go see this brilliant piece of film making. A brilliantly told story that despite being in a foreign language is very universal.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Coriolanus

Being a writer whose work is in the public domain, William Shakespeare is ripe for film adaptations. We usually see his work in its historical context. But occasionally you get film makers who do modern versions.
I am a big fan of Shakespeare. It is probably wrong of me that I have not seen very many plays on stage but I have seen them a lot on film. I love his use of language and the way people speak. The plots can be very intricate and very much based on human emotion. One of my all time favourite films is 'Romeo + Juliet'. Another modern adaptation. Much like Baz Luhrmann, Ralph Fiennes has used modern technology and situations to tell a story that was crafted about 400 years ago. I find that a stroke of genius. The way news reports and even web cam is used to tell the story is something of great skill that I'm very envious of. The film is nicely action packed with some very well handled scenes. I think Ralph has a real career behind the camera if he wanted to. The action feels very brutal and visceral. Ralph has swapped the sword for guns to great effect. The eastern European setting also helps with this toughness. The story is fairly simple with a military general who wants to gain power but his brutal nature does not make him very beloved. But this being Shakespeare his path to glory is never easy and there are many wonderful twists and turns.
Ralph Fiennes is no stranger to playing nasty characters. He has just come from playing one of literature's most despised villains. Here he brilliantly plays a brutal, egotistical man with dictator tendencies. He is certainly a highly skilled actor that is relishing the chance to play such a great character and speaking some wonderful dialogue as well. Ralph has managed to assemble a brilliant supporting cast who more than match him in performance. Gerard Butler has not always made some great choices in roles. But the skill he displays here more than makes up for some previous lapses in judgement. He is excellent and shows he can do more than just be eye candy in romantic comedies. The real highlight of the film though is Vanessa Redgrave. The woman is simply breathtaking in her performance. She plays a typical vindictive Shakespearian woman but does it with such class. Jessica Chastain plays the emotional core of the film as the wife. I don't think she can ever give a bad performance. Brian Cox and James Nesbitt were equally as wonderful.
I know that films based on Shakespeare take more brain power to watch because you have to think more about what the characters are saying. But if you don't mind thinking when watching a film then you will be more than amply rewarded with a satisfying movie experience.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Carnage

There are many plays that have been made into films. Most try to expand the scope of the play to make it more cinematic. However writer/director Roman Polanski has decided not to go that way with this film.
The entire film takes place in a few rooms of a New York apartment. With only two scenes that open and close the film taking place outside in a park. There is no action in the film and is just four people talking. For many people I know this would not make a very interesting film. But for a person like me who loves clever, witty dialogue it is a work of art. The play's original writer Yasmina Reza and Roman Polanski have come up with a very clever plot that takes a simple situation and manages to stretch it out to feature length. This is very much a character based film where a group of people come together to have a discussion and the plot turns on their reactions to each other based on what they say. This makes for some funny situations as these four people try to be civil to each other and mediate a difficult situation. The story could easily have finished many times but each time something happens to draw the story out more. I find this type of thing incredibly clever from a writing point of view. To be able to work out a way of keeping these people together is so well done. It is something I'm envious of. I love dialogue driven films. So this film really appealed to me.
Roman has assembled an excellent quartet of actors to play our two couples. I've long been a fan of Jodie Foster and she is excellent as the uptight member of the group. Her character is the one who seems to keep them all together as she searches for reasons. Her husband is played wonderfully by John C. Reilly. Most people would know him from his big comedies he's done with Will Ferrell but John does a lot of indie films like this too. He is great as the more down to earth member of the group. It is good to see Christoph Waltz have a role where he is not playing a villain. He plays his role as the ruthless lawyer very well. Most of his time is spent on the phone, much to the annoyance of the rest of the group. It is a very funny character trait. Kate Winslet does not get to play comedies very much but she plays the cold, rich woman very well. She does however loosen up nicely over the coarse of the film and in more ways than one.
If you like films with lots of action then this is not for you. However if you like something that is more dialogue driven and more theatrical then this is for you.

Monday, March 5, 2012

My Week With Marilyn

One of my favourite subjects of film plots are those that explore behind the scenes of film making. I know to most people they can be quite boring but I find the making of films fascinating.
My knowledge of Marilyn Monroe is fairly limited to the reputation she had and the stories in public domain. The only film of hers that I've seen is 'Some Like It Hot'. If this film is anything to go by then she is certainly a very tragic figure. Her beauty would seem to be the driving force behind how she got as far as she did. Men just seem to be hypnotised by her. She is obviously a talented actress but she seems to be fighting many inner demons that prevent her from being reliable. Marilyn is a fascinating character. A truly complex woman who seemed to be constantly struggling to please people and do what is right. I think the film perfectly captures the troubles this poor woman had not just in public but in private as well. Laurence Olivier I knew very little about but he seems to be the stuffy British actor that you expected him to be. They make two interesting forces of nature that came together and provide the action in the film. It is Marilyn's relationship with Colin Clark that helped Marilyn cope with this difficult time. While Colin was obviously in love with Marilyn he was not obvious about it and so I think that's what attracted her to him. She might have seen the relationship more as a friendship even if he would have liked more. This makes it a brilliant 'love' story.
Michelle Williams gives one of the best acting performances. Much like her Oscar rival Meryl Streep, you forget you are watching an actress playing a role and just think you're watching the real person. She does so many subtle things that just adds to acting perfection. Kenneth Branagh is excellent as Olivier. His Shakespearean background means he understands the character a little better. Eddie Redmayne is so sweet and adorable as Colin. A man trying to contain his true feelings and failing. Judy Dench is wonderful in her small role. I was also very pleased to see Julia Ormond back on the big screen again. Emma Watson was delightful in a non-Potter role.
While Meryl Streep definitely deserved her Oscar, Michelle's performance here was equally as sublime. A truly brilliant performance in a brilliant story.