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Before time gets too far away from me I must make a complimentary report on the "bro-mance" comedy "I Love You, Man". Co-written and directed from the writer of "Meet the Parents", co-wrote "Zoolander" and "Along Came Polly", which he also directed, These all starred Ben Stiller. "...Man" keeps up this good work. Of course the chemistry between the leads is crucial here, and Judd Apatow repertory players Paul Rudd (last excelling in "Role Models") and Jason Segel ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") have a good thing going. In short, Peter (Rudd) needs a best man for his wedding but lacks good male friends. He meets Sydney (Segel) who enlightens him about being in touch with his masculinity, while the two also have their shared interests which challenge the way things are. Anyway, it's all well performed and entertainingly scripted. The rock band Rush are also given the acknowledgement that Kiss were endeared with in the aforementioned Role Models, so who next then?
4 out of 5.
Also getting short mention are "The Hangover" and "Disgrace". The Hangover from "Old School" director Todd Phillips is decent entertainment but for me not as funny as it wants to be. Maybe it will grow on me if I see it again, but it just felt too proud of the men's bad behaviour which is what the film is all about, but it doesn't make it's make its mark as an interesting work.
3 out of 5.
"Disgrace" starring John Malkovich is a superb and challenging work which like "Samson and Delilah" should be seen and appreciated. Directed by Australian Steve Jacobs and adapted from the prize-winning book, this South African set tale of sordid human drama is tough and uncompromising and a triumph for it.
4 out of 5.
I enjoyed what I saw in "Terminator Salvation", the fourth installment of the Terminator series of films begun by writer-director James Cameron back in 1984. "Salvation" is the first one without Arnie Schwartzeneger as a Terminator, but it's probably time that we did without him now.
We are now in the future that was discussed in the previous films and Christian Bale stars as the messianic John Connor who is leading the human resistance against the Terminator machines. Rising Australian movie star Sam Worthington plays the film's mysterious, yet intriguing new element as Marcus Wright, once on death row and then an important aid to Connor in the future. Wright is the real hero in this Terminator film.
"...Salvation" has been maligned by certain critics for being an empty, vacuous and ugly action-oriented film. It does rely on "Transformer"-like special-effects action and sound sequences which might deter. "Charlies Angels" McG directs as Cameron has gone on to bigger things, however, I rate this as a pretty good spectacle and what we get here is the best of the blockbusters so far this year.
4 out of 5.
Coming highly endeared to me is the quick to come for him fourth feature from Brooklyn writer-director James Gray. "Two Lovers" is his third collaboration with star Joaquin Pheonix and it's also the best for me. Basically Pheonix's Leonard is a bi-polar sufferer who lives with his folks in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn and is caught between the doting family friend (Vinessa Shaw) and the unhinged new neighbour (Gwyneth Paltrow). All the performances a really great here, and it's also shot and scripted quite beautifully. If distracted by two beauties as Leonard is, well, I can feel for his plight.
I give it 4 and a half out of 5.
Also seen some time back has been "Observe and Report", starring the talented Seth Rogen as a mall cop (again, psychologically unhinged, although Taxi Driver-like). Unfortunately this effort from writer-director Jody Hill is pretty puerile, disgustingly so rather rather than amusing, and a bad taste as a result.
1 out of 5.
"Synechdoche, New York", the writing-directing debut of Charlie Kaufman (the writing genius behind "Being John Malkovich", "Adaptation", and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind")
gives us his most mind-bending work yet. The first half of the film goes well, but is then likely to lose one into the second half. The brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the hypochondriac theatre director and a name female cast round out the women in his life, but the film becomes a victim of its ambition and it's hard to get into.
It does get 3 out of 5 though.
"State Of Play" is a new feature in cinemas adapted from the BBC mini-series from earlier this decade. I don't think you need to feel like you have to see the television show for you to enjoy this one, as this comes with a lot of entry points in which to find yourself thrilled and curious as to what is unravelling here. Perhaps the films' leading strength is a top class performance from leading man Russell Crowe as a weathered old-school crime reporter at a Washington DC newspaper. Crowe really plays the part well, as does the rest of the cast which includes Ben Affleck as the Congressman involved in the scandal that Crowe's reporter is investigating, and Rachel McAdams - an on-line journalist, Robin Wright Penn - Affleck's wife, and Helen Mirren - the newspaper editor, round out what is a classy cast. I felt that it is with much thanks to this cast as well as director Kevin McDonald, who made "Last King of Scotland" and "Touching The Void", that this film is as slick and tantalising as it is, as the labrinthine and coincidence laden plot is not altogether satisfactory.
But is very good and I give it 4 out of 5.
"What Just Happened?" stars Robert De Niro as a busy Hollywood producer who is juggling a film starring Sean Penn that the studio won't accept, Bruce Willis with a beard that he won't shave off, two ex-wives - namely Robin Wright Penn again, and then there's his agent, a crazy director, and whoever else can complicate his life. Barry Levinson directs and this is pretty good entertainment without setting the world on fire.
3 and a half out of 5.
Its time to update what's on show around town, and I'll begin with "Star Trek". This is apparently the eleventh Star Trek film made, but J J Abrams film is more of a reboot or reimagining of the space saga that just won't go away. The film does look spectacular and the new young sexy cast bring the quality that audiences are after as this film is doing well as I write. I can confidently say that this film is a crowd pleaser, although this viewer did not love it a lot. There is fun to be had with Star Trek, but it just didn't cut to the bone with me like some films can.
It gets 3 out of 5.
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Welcome back to "Saturday..." folks and the blockbuster season is upon us, which means that that there's the usual slew of the good and the bad.
Today I saw "Defiance", another true WWII set story, but this starring James Bond himself Daniel Craig as one third of the Polish Bielski brothers, the others played by Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell, who hide out in the Belarussian forest where they become leaders of a resistance and a cold and chilly fight to survive. With a series of films set amongst or against the backdrop of World War 2, this one does the job most effectively for me. Director and co-writer Edward Zwick is a consummate with this sort of material and it feels like a pretty well-rounded affair.
It can have 3 and a half out of 5
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Seen a few weeks ago now was "Blindness", directed by Brazilian Fernando Meirelles, who gave us two fine films in the middle of this decade, first with "City of God" and then "The Constant Gardener". Blindness, which is shot in a blaring white tinted palette, tells us of an apocalyptic future like in the tradition of Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" and Terry Gilliam's "12 Monkeys". In this one everyone is going blind and a group of them have to band together to sort through the chaos. Fine actors are present including Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, and Latin American stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Alice Braga. Meirelles is a fine filmmaker himself who I think will be always worth a look, however this film is something of a mess. It's a hard one to watch, and while some of the ideas put forward are interesting, maybe one of the better films about being blind perhaps, but this is basically unsatisfying after his previous two triumphs.
2 and a half out of 5
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It's been a little while, but I'm back with an entry.
Firstly I must make a report on the Swedish vampire film "Let the Right One In". After a recent output of American/Hollywood produced vampire films aimed at the youth of today, this Swedish production comes along not only as a breath of fresh air as if to show how it should be done, but it moves and chills the viewer who gets to enjoy its threatening charm. In brief, it basically tells a story (adapted from a best-selling Swedish novel by the writer himself) of a 12-year-old boy who is a loner and is bullied at school but befriends a mysterious girl the same age living next door. This film is made memorable for its atmosphere, emotional resonance, and quite striking scenes and shots. The performances in particular by the two pre-pubescent leads are also impressive.
4 out of 5
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Greetings folks, and welcome to the new look "Saturday Morning Movie Club", as authored by me.
Just seen has been Aussie movie star Eric Bana's debut as director, a doco titled "Love the Beast". The "Beast" is his labour of love away from acting, his Ford Coupe car, which he has refurbished and worked on for 25 years. He also races the car. Yes, he is a rev head. Bana narrates the story and introduces us to the friends who have helped him with the car, as well as his beloved family. To give added purpose, Bana chats with the likes of Dr Phil, Jay Leno and Jeremy Clarkson about his passion for his car. This is quite a personal and indulgent project for Bana who has been one of the finest film actors around ever since he broke out in the classic "Chopper" in 2000. However, this is an easy film to watch and is quite enjoyable without being exactly riveting, or life changing anyway. I went to the film with little interest in Bana's subject matter here, which isn't such a problem though as Bana is quite infectious with his enthusiasm for it, but I'm pretty convinced that there's other better things to watch.
It gets 3 out of 5
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Showing in cinemas in Oz at present his Oliver Stone's third film about a US president, following "JFK" and "Nixon". W. essays the life and times of the mighty George W. Bush, US president 2000-2008. As played by Josh Brolin, and surrounded by a name cast as the figures in his life, W. charts the rise of the delinquent and arrogant young son of Texas aristocracy to the pressure and expectation to be fulfilled as the most powerful man in the world. The film shifts from the board rooms and grounds of the President's meetings with his staff to back in time to when Bush was the errant son who worked his way to power.
The thing with this film is it feels like a lot of details are missing, and it could easily been two films. However, what we have is a very entertaining and interesting flick which is nicely done. I'd definitely recommend this to most people, conservative and liberal alike. Brolin is really fine as Bush, and I think that it gets away with giving us a story which is the sort of thing we all like to chew on.
3 and a half out of 5.
"Zack and Miri..." is the latest offering from Kevin Smith, who made a splash with his debut "Clerks" in the early nineties and has since made "slacker comedies" like "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma". With Judd Apatow - raised stars like Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks and others, Smith has been given a new lease on life with the sort of stars that serve his material well. Justin Long makes an hilarious appearance as a gay porn star who partners Superman Returns star Brandon Routh at Zack and Miri's high school reunion. But back to the film. Basically Zack and Miri decide to make a porno because they can't pay their bills, and, not wanting to spoil here, but they actually long for each other. The film is filled with crudity upon crudity, which is to be fairly expected from this sort of material by these people. Frankly, Mr Rogen's foul mouth reaches its limit at times but I suppose the guy's endearing, just don't see how Bank's Miri would find him attractive. But that's the movie. There's fun to be had with this, but it doesn't really soar.
2 and a half out of 5.
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