Wednesday, November 27, 2013

November Mini Reviews: The Butler, Mr Pip and Enough Said


The Butler (October 31) - Lee Daniels' (The Paperboy) latest film traces a number of significant United States historical events that changed the nation - the assassination of JFK, the Freedom Riders movement, the Vietnam War - through the incredible story of Cecil Gaines' (Forest Whitaker) decade-spanning butler service to the White House and eight Presidents, and his son Lewis' (David Oyelowo) involvement in the burgeoning civil rights movement. It is an incredible story that is worth telling and ultimately quite moving, but it is a shame how awfully inelegant some of the editing is, and how uneven and episodic this self-consciously well-intentioned film is in tone and subject.

The mild-mannered Cecil's personal journey, his comradeship with the other butlers in the White House (Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz), his relationship with his wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey), and the domestic tension that arises as a result of his son's political activism, are where Daniels excels. It didn't need to direct so much individual focus on Louis' exploits, nor Gloria - whose struggle with alcoholism and an affair with a neighbour don't contribute a lot at all. This should have been predominantly Cecil's story, and sometimes I think that Daniels forgot about that, distracted by the more provocative civil rights stuff. He tries for too much, and while it was more confronting than I expected, a lot of the power just doesn't resonate. This is Daniels' best-looking film to date, and he continues to be a most interesting filmmaker. My favourite of his films so far remains The Paperboy. Oprah, looking a likely nominee for Best Supporting Actress, and Whitaker impress most from the whos-who cast while the always-charismatic James Marsden (as Kennedy) is perhaps the pick of the various Presidents. Others (Cusack as Nixon) don't fare so well. ★★


Mr Pip (November 7) - Based on the novel by New Zealand author, Lloyd Jones, Mr Pip is directed and adapted for the screen by Andrew Adamson. Set against the backdrop of civil war in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, it weaves together this shocking and violent period of recent history with a powerful story of how a literary classic, told in a unique way, can relate in an unlikely context and how a young woman finds necessary hope and inspiration from the most unexpected of sources.

With many of the young men in her village fighting with the Revolutionary Army for Bougainville's independence, the school is closed and fourteen-year-old Matilda (Xzannjah, a newcomer and a talent) and the other remaining children in her village are left without a teacher. A kindly, soft-spoken and eccentric Brit, Mr Watts (Hugh Laurie, excellent), living on the island with his ill wife, volunteers to take over the teaching duties, despite having no prior experience, with his classes set around the reading of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. A gifted orator, he brings this classic work of literature to life. Matilda is especially taken by the story, letting her imagination run wild as she visualizes the sandy beaches of her island transformed into the streets of London and interacting with her own imagining of Pip. Matilda's mother is not so pleased by the words of Dickens, taking over Watts' classes to emphasize the important lessons found in the Bible. The children, and many of the other adults, are more interested in escaping their struggles through Pip's adventures, however.

For the most part this is a sweet, pleasant story but there are some unsettling shifts in tone that challenge Adamson's film's status as family-friendly. Visually handsome, there are plenty of surprises - Watts' past remains the most intriguing mystery, his teachings have dangerous consequences, some sacrifices genuinely affecting - but due to the unrest there is an ever-present tension and some gut-wrenching violence (implied, not shown). While the stressing of the Bible's teachings - to accept their reality, and not to try and escape through a fictional character - is a tad heavy-handed, and I did struggle to accept just how much bearing the innocent mention of 'Pip' has, I found Mr Pip to be quite moving. ★★★1/2


Enough Said (November 14) - Writer/director Nicole Holofcener's latest film is a charming romantic dramedy - it's achingly funny very often, and yet the inevitable speed bumps in a relationship send these full-blooded characters down some saddening paths. It is an honest, astute and often uncomfortably realistic study of the unpredictability of human interaction and middle-aged relationships amidst the messy navigation of post-divorce loneliness and paternal anxiety by a filmmaker interested in creating real, relatable human beings for the screen. It is also about the unique attraction people have for one another; a spark that only they can feel. Your new best friend continually rags about the guy but you can't see the flaws yourself - unless you start looking for them. It poses the question: How much are our feelings for someone influenced by by how others feel about them?

Eva (Julia Louis Dreyfus) is a divorced single parent and masseuse who dreads her daughter's impending departure for college. When she meets Albert (James Gandolfini) at a party - a sweet, funny guy in a similar situation - their romance quickly blossoms. At the same party Eva also befriends Marianne (Catherine Keener), a new massage client. Marianne doesn't speak fondly of her ex-husband, and when Eva learns the identity of this man, she finds her new relationship begin to unravel. Holofcener smartly manages to defy genre conventions even if one of the odder relationships, Eva's new-found closeness with her daughter's needy best friend (a potential stand-in for when she leaves for college?), who she begins to feel more comfortable confiding in and mothering, than her own daughter, don't work as effectively as those between the adults (ex-spouses bicker at dinner parties, new lovers flirt and best friends gossip). Holofcener has created a film that is romantic and heartfelt in an unorthodox way, adult without being unnecessarily crude and with a wryness tamed by warmth.
 
Enough Said comes recommended for the sharp dialogue and the exceptional chemistry between the talented cast alone. Louis-Dreyfuss and Gandolfini, whose mutual attractiveness to one another and the comfort and ease that they fall into companionship is a progression never in doubt, are a terrific pair. Toni Collette and Ben Falcone provide excellent support as a playfully bickering married couple. Louis-Dreyfuss is perfectly equipped for this role after year's of improvisation with her male cohorts on Seinfeld. It is far too long since we were privileged to see her limitless talents in the cinema and Holofcener has written her a fantastic character here. The tragic recent passing of James Gandolfini this year gives this film a melancholy context. Taking on a role completely against-type, he is absolutely extraordinary. Just this morning, actually, he was honoured with a posthumous nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards. I have continued to appreciate Enough Said the further removed I am from it. It is still screening regularly at independent cinemas. ★★ 

Monday, November 25, 2013

New Releases (28/11/13)

How busy, and not particularly interesting, is this week? Hitting cinemas are Carrie, One Chance, How I Live Now, Austenland, Magic Magic, Fill The Void, The Darkside and White Lies. Now, I am not sure where some of these films are being released, but I understand they will all be programmed somewhere nationally from Thursday.

At Dendy Newtown there will also be advanced screenings of The Spectacular Now and Closed Circuit (December 5).


Carrie - A re-imagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother (Julianne Moore), who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. Based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King.

One Chance - From the director of The Devil Wears Prada, One Chance is the inspirational true story of Paul Potts, a shy, bullied shop assistant by day and an amateur opera singer by night. Paul became an instant YouTube phenomenon after being chosen by Simon Cowell for 'Britain's Got Talent.' Wowing audiences worldwide with his phenomenal voice, Paul went on to win 'Britain's Got Talent' and the hearts of millions. Fresh from celebrating his Tony Award-winning Broadway run in 'One Man, Two Guvnors', BAFTA winner James Corden stars as Paul Potts and is supported by an acclaimed ensemble cast.

How I Live Now - Set in the near-future UK, Saoirse Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. Review by Kwenton Bellette at Graffiti With Punctuation.
Set in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. - See more at: http://www.magpictures.com/howilivenow/#sthash.0f8FCVx3.dpuf
Set in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. - See more at: http://www.magpictures.com/howilivenow/#sthash.0f8FCVx3.dpuf
Set in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. - See more at: http://www.magpictures.com/howilivenow/#sthash.0f8FCVx3.dpuf
Set in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. - See more at: http://www.magpictures.com/howilivenow/#sthash.0f8FCVx3.dpuf
Set in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. - See more at: http://www.magpictures.com/howilivenow/#sthash.0f8FCVx3.dpuf

Austenland - Romantic comedy about a 30-something woman whose lifelong obsession with all things Jane Austen lead her to an eccentric theme park based on the author's writings, and into the company of a handsome young suitor. For as long as she can remember, Jane Hayes (Keri Russell) has treasured the writings of the author behind such literary classics as Emma, and Pride and Prejudice. For years, Jane had been stashing away funds in hopes that someday she would be able to afford a trip to Austenland - a place where the die-hard fan can be completely immersed in the elegant world of the beloved author.

Magic Magic - Sebastian Silva's Magic Magic is more aptly described as a dark psychological drama with tense overtones. Juno Temple stars as Alicia - an emotionally fragile young woman in her early 20's with a murky history. She joins her cousin Sarah (Emily Browning), Sarah's boyfriend AgustĂ­n (AgustĂ­n Silva), the couple's eccentric friend Brink (Michael Cera) and AgustĂ­n's sister Barbara (Catalina Sandina Moreno) for a retreat in the countryside, but from the beginning, things don't go as planned. In the days that follow, tension erupts between Alicia and the other members of the group, particularly Brink, who displays extreme anti-social tendencies and grows fond of malevolently pushing the girl's buttons. After Sarah returns, all hell threatens to break loose and it becomes increasingly apparent that Alicia is now teetering on the brink of a full-scale mental breakdown. 

Fill The Void - 18-year-old Shira is the youngest daughter of the Mendelman family from Tel Aviv. She is about to be married off to a young man of the same age and background, which is a dream-come-true for her.  On Purim, her 28-year-old sister, Esther, dies while giving birth to her first child.Everything changes when a match is proposed to Yochay - Esther's late husband-to a widow from Belgium. Yochay feels it's too early, although he realizes that sooner or later he must seriously consider getting married again. When Shira’s mother finds out that Yochay may marry the widow and move away with her only grandchild, she proposes a match between Shira and Yochay. Shira will have to choose between her heart's wish and her family duty.

The Darkside - The award-winning creative force behind the exquisite Samson and Delilah return with a ground-breaking and unnerving project - true stories from the other side. Aboriginal people live on the threshold of two worlds - one of everyday reality and the other of spirits, demons and entities. They can live an ordinary life with dead ancestors and demons all vying for space. Director Warwick Thornton assembles a collection of poignant, sad, funny and absurd ghost tales from across Australia and brings them to life with some of Australia's most iconic actors as the storytellers.

White Lies - A story about the nature of identity: those who deny it and those who strive to protect it. Paraiti (Whirimako Black) is a medicine woman. She is the healer and midwife of her rural, tribal people - she believes in life. But new laws are in force prohibiting unlicensed healers. On a rare trip to the city, she is approached by Maraea (Rachel House), the servant of a wealthy woman, Rebecca (Antonia Prebble), who seeks her knowledge and assistance in order to hide a secret which could destroy Rebecca's position in European settler society. If the secret is uncovered a life may be lost, but hiding it may also have fatal consequences. So Paraiti, Maraea and Rebecca become players in a head on clash of beliefs, deception and ultimate salvation. 

Weekly Recommendation: White Lies is New Zealand's candidate for Foreign Language Film at this year's Academy Awards, so as it is potentially the best film to be released from the country this year. It could be worth seeking out. Warwick Thornton's latest project also sounds fascinating, but opportunities will be limited. I feel like I have seen the entirety of One Chance in the trailer so I am going to skip that, and Austenland just doesn't sound very good. I am intrigued about How I Live Now - I really liked Kevin McDonald's The Last King of Scotland and Touching the Void - so I'll make the time to catch it, while my sole recommendation this week happens to be the only one I have seen. That is Magic Magic. With great performances from the young cast, this bleak, unsettling thriller delves into the various anxieties of traveling, the mounting psychological trauma that accompanies the warped consciousness associated with insomnia, and the degradation of a young person from repeated bouts of shame and embarrassment.  

Review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Francis Lawrence, 2013)

Suzanne Collins’ second bestselling novel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has been adapted for the screen by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) and Michael Arndt (as Michael deBruyn, Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3) with Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, Water for Elephants) taking over the franchise reigns from Gary Ross. This thrilling, emotional and all-round superior sequel further develops the fascinating world of Panem and the narrative’s primary themes and situates our brave heroine Katniss Everdeen (portrayed by Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, the girl on fire literally) within a politically-charged period of Panem’s history where she finds herself once again a beacon of hope for civilians and unwillingly assigned a vital role in the shaping of their future. This is again dependent on her survival through the 75th Annual Hunger Games.


Catching Fire commences with Katniss and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) at home in District 12. On the eve of their televised and celebrated Victory Tour throughout the districts, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) visits Katniss and challenges her to continue to convince Panem that her defiance in the 74th Games was out of love for Peeta and not with the intention to inspire rebellion against the Capitol and the barbaric annual event. The lives of her family, and the man who has truly captured her heart, Gale (Liam Hemsworth), are threatened if she refuses compliance.

When Snow senses an uprising, despite Katniss’ best attempts to protect her family, he hires master game designer Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) as any ally, who suggests they add a new rule for the Games honouring the Third Quarter Quell – that contestants be reaped from the existing pool of victors. Katniss and Peeta find themselves once again representing District 12, aligned against some disgruntled (some highly skilled, others aging) former victors. With Panem on the brink of rebellion and the Capitol losing sight of the power they have long presided over, will their primary means at keeping order be the key to their undoing?

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation.

Friday, November 8, 2013

First Look: Kill Me Three Times



Kill Me Three Times the new crime thriller from Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Boxing Day). Principal photography began on the film in Western Australia on 16th September and concluded late last month. 

The film stars Simon Pegg, Sullivan Stapleton, Alice Braga, Teresa Palmer, Bryan Brown, Callan Mulvey and Luke Hemsworth. With an original screenplay by James McFarland, the film is produced by Laurence Malkin and Share Stallings (the team behind Death At A Funeral and A Few Best Men) and Tania Chambers, the former CEO of Screen New South Wales.

The story takes place in an Australian surfing town, where a young singer, portrayed by Alice Braga, is the thread that binds three tales of murder, blackmail and revenge. Simon Pegg will play a mercurial assassin, hired by her wealthy husband (Callan Mulvey), Sullivan Stapleton plays a gambling addict that attempts to pay off his debts through a risky life insurance scam, whilst Teresa Palmer plays a small town Lady Macbeth who masterminds the scheme. Luke Hemsworth will also star as Braga's love interest, a local surfer who hopes to rescue the young woman from Pegg's telescopic sights.

Teaser Trailer - The Raid 2: Berandal

THE RAID 2: BERANDAL is Gareth Huw Evan's anticipated follow-up to THE RAID, 2012's outstanding action film. Currently in post-production, the finished film will reach cinemas around the world in the first half of 2014.

Shot and set again in Indonesia, THE RAID 2: BERANDAL picks up two hours after the point where THE RAID left off, diving straight back into a world filled with corruption and violence.

Evans again takes writing and directing duties on this significantly larger project.

Check out the official teaser trailer:

 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

The Counselor (Ridley Scott, 2013)

Academy Award winning director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator). Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Cormac McCarthy (The Road, No Country For Old Men). Michael Fassbender. Brad Pitt. Javier Bardem. Penelope Cruz. Cameron Diaz. What happened here? A squandered opportunity. With such a pedigree preceding the collaboration and such magnificent ingredients, it is hard not to walk into The Counselor with some level of anticipation and expectation. But few would have foreseen such a tedious and inanimate result.


I enjoy films that try something different and pose a challenge for the audience, but The Counselor is tough work, encumbered by a thin, confusing plot and inconsequential and overwritten monologues and anecdotes, while throwing at an audience blatant misogyny, windshield sex, high speed decapitations and a lot of other nasty business. I wasn’t a fan, though I thought there were some fascinating characters and terrific patches of dialogue.

The story is set on the Tex/Mex border (a staple in McCarthy’s novels) and we are immediately introduced to the titular protagonist (Fassbender), referred to as ‘The Counselor’ by everyone, including his beautiful girlfriend Laura (Cruz). This handsome smooth talker has built up a position of power and as he needs to continue to fund his lavish lifestyle – buying his fiancĂ© a diamond ring with as few carrots as possible is in the works – he decides to further capitalize on it. The Counselor joins the party of Reiner (Bardem), an eccentrically attired (and haired) client who puts him in touch with a middleman named Westray (Pitt) who warns him not to get involved with the Mexican cartel, and the considered smuggling operation. We are also introduced to Reiner’s girlfriend Malkina (Diaz), a tattooed ice queen with pet cheetahs and her own agenda. When the deal goes bad – the loot gets stolen, and The Counselor, having bailed out a biker as a personal favor to an incarcerated client, is consequently tied to it all. He finds himself entangled and out of his depth in this unforgiving and merciless underworld.

Continue reading at Graffiti With Punctuation

Monday, November 4, 2013

New Releases (07/11/13)

In cinemas this week: Insidious: Chapter 2, Fruitvale Station, The Counselor and Mr Pip. 


Insidious: Chapter 2 - The famed horror team of director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell reunite with the original cast of Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye and Ty Simpkins for Insidious: Chapter 2, a sequel to the acclaimed and terrifying horror film, Insidious, which follows the haunted Lambert family as they seek to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. 

Fruitvale Station - Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, director Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station follows the true story of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008 and feels something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his resolutions: being a better son to his mother (Octavia Spencer), whose birthday falls on New Year's Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz), who he hasn't been completely honest with as of late, and being a better father to Tatiana (Ariana Neal), their beautiful four year-old daughter. Crossing paths with friends, family, and strangers, Oscar realizes that change is not going to come easily. His resolve takes a tragic turn that would shake the Bay Area - and the entire nation - to its very core.

The Counselor - Ridley Scott and Pulitzer Prize winning author Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) have joined forces for this dark crime thriller, starring Michael Fassbender, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt. McCarthy, making his screenwriting debut and Scott interweave the author's characteristic wit and dark humor with a nightmarish scenario, in which a respected lawyer's one-time dalliance with an illegal business deal spirals out of control. Review by Blake Howard at Graffiti With Punctuation.

Mr Pip - It is based on the New Zealand author Lloyd Jones novel, Mr Pip. It is named after the chief character in, and shaped by the plot of, Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations. Adapted and directed by Andrew Adamson and stars Hugh Laurie.

Weekly Recommendation: Fruitvale Station. One of the year's best. It is a really important film that should be seen by everyone. This affecting, well-acted drama is an exceptional debut feature. The anticipated documentary-esque dramatization of the devastating true events that took place in Hayward on the 31st December 2008 and at Fruitvale Station in the early hours of January 1st 2009 is sure to provoke some pretty strong emotions. I liked Insidious but I have heard mostly negative reactions to the undesired sequel, so I'll likely give it a miss. Mr Pip has received next-to-no marketing, and has been seen by very few people, so I cannot comment on it at all. The Counselor, love it or hate it, will leave you with something to discuss. I did NOT like it. Review to come soon.