Simon Dutton, writer and director of this thriller, has said of it "''We wanted to make something that was an assault on the senses" and I can assure you, he's done that in spades.
An independent Australian production, this was done on a shoe-string and whilst you can tell in the practical sense, it doesn't take anything away from the story.
It's about a woman whose two children were kidnapped and assaulted before one was murdered. She summons the help of her dead husband's brother to punish the remaining perpetrator who has evaded it through traditional means like police.
Set in St Kilda, Melbourne, the film then weaves through the story of a bunch of people as he tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together to track down the perpetrator and punish him. Most of these characters will be unfamiliar acting faces to you but there's some superb performances. Lead actor Greg Fleet will be recognized by many for his stand-up comedy work but his acting credentials are well & truly proven in this. The film is produced by someone who may be familiar to many of you, broadcaster and journalist, Angela Pippos, who is also Dutton's wife.
It's fairly violent though it's sometimes implied rather than actually demonstrated and I fear some of the complexity of the plot was lost on me as I was confused at a few points. There was also two or three moments where the script felt a bit forced, moments where I thought to myself 'people don't actually talk like that', but overall I think this is really well done and I'd happily watch it again.
The sad thing for independent Australian films like this is that it's so damn hard to get your film in cinemas for people to actually see it. This one is on at just one cinema, for now at least, in Melbourne - the Classic Cinema in Elsternwick. If you're in that neck of the woods, I'd recommend dropping in to catch it.
More on the film in this story in the Sydney Morning Herald and trailer here via The Age.
Sunday, 9 March 2014
Thursday, 6 March 2014
TRACKS - film
If I told you this is a film that chronicles a woman walking 2700 kilometres across the Australian desert, what would you say?
"That sounds really boring, Steph!"?
Ding ding ding! You are correct.
There are some redeeming features in the film, including beautiful cinematography capturing the Australian outback, but it's simply not enough to drag this into 'you should go and see' territory. I'd barely recommend it for a DVD viewing to be frank.
It stars Mia Wasikowska, who is an undeniably talented actress and Adam Driver who will be recognised by fans of the US TV show 'Girls' for his portrayal of Adam. But when it comes to casting, special mention must go to whoever cast an Australian actor to play an Afghani person. What an unbelievably weird choice.
The lesson? That someone can do something remarkable and it not be worthy of a 110 minute film.
Here's a 2.5 star review from the Sydney Morning Herald if you want to know more about the storyline and what their critic Jake Wilson made of it.
Trailer here.
"That sounds really boring, Steph!"?
Ding ding ding! You are correct.
There are some redeeming features in the film, including beautiful cinematography capturing the Australian outback, but it's simply not enough to drag this into 'you should go and see' territory. I'd barely recommend it for a DVD viewing to be frank.
It stars Mia Wasikowska, who is an undeniably talented actress and Adam Driver who will be recognised by fans of the US TV show 'Girls' for his portrayal of Adam. But when it comes to casting, special mention must go to whoever cast an Australian actor to play an Afghani person. What an unbelievably weird choice.
The lesson? That someone can do something remarkable and it not be worthy of a 110 minute film.
Here's a 2.5 star review from the Sydney Morning Herald if you want to know more about the storyline and what their critic Jake Wilson made of it.
Trailer here.
Sunday, 2 March 2014
NEBRASKA - film
This is nominated for best film at the Oscars so there's no disputing it's a good film. I enjoyed it a lot but in the landscape of what's out at the moment, if you were able to see just one film, I don't think it'd be this one I'd recommend. Great but not must-see great for me. Though shout out to the star of the film, Bruce Dern - my God, he's fantastic in this.
More on the storyline, cast etc in this five star review from the New York Times.
Trailer here.
More on the storyline, cast etc in this five star review from the New York Times.
Trailer here.
Sunday, 9 February 2014
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB - film
When I saw this, I didn't realise it was 'inspired by real events'. In fact, the only reason I rushed to see it on the preview weekend before general release is that I saw the trailer for it one solitary time and thought, 'that looks fantastic'. So there I was and so it was.
I've mentioned in a previous blog post that I've not been much of a Matthew McConaughey fan but as the lead in this, he's just superb. I'm definitely a fan now! This article about Matthew and this film rang true when it mentioned some of his early stuff such as 'How to lose a guy in 10 days'. God, I hated that movie and I think it set me on a path to unfairly hating him.
In this he plays a Texan womanising electrician Ron Woodroof who is diagnosed with HIV in 1985 when treatments were nowhere near as advanced as they are now. He's given a very grim diagnosis but sets about researching and tracking down treatments, regardless of whether they're approved and where they come from. It's such a compelling story, you get totally hooked on him and what will become of him.
Jared Leto was a great choice to play transgender Rayon who becomes Ron's business partner - he's excellent in this too.
Matthew McConaughey won the Golden Globe for best actor in a dramatic motion picture a few weeks back and is nominated for best actor at the Oscars also. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he took the double, he's brilliant in this.
Read this five star review in the UK Daily Mail if you need further convincing or want a little more background to the story and film.
Trailer here.
I've mentioned in a previous blog post that I've not been much of a Matthew McConaughey fan but as the lead in this, he's just superb. I'm definitely a fan now! This article about Matthew and this film rang true when it mentioned some of his early stuff such as 'How to lose a guy in 10 days'. God, I hated that movie and I think it set me on a path to unfairly hating him.
In this he plays a Texan womanising electrician Ron Woodroof who is diagnosed with HIV in 1985 when treatments were nowhere near as advanced as they are now. He's given a very grim diagnosis but sets about researching and tracking down treatments, regardless of whether they're approved and where they come from. It's such a compelling story, you get totally hooked on him and what will become of him.
Jared Leto was a great choice to play transgender Rayon who becomes Ron's business partner - he's excellent in this too.
Matthew McConaughey won the Golden Globe for best actor in a dramatic motion picture a few weeks back and is nominated for best actor at the Oscars also. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he took the double, he's brilliant in this.
Read this five star review in the UK Daily Mail if you need further convincing or want a little more background to the story and film.
Trailer here.
Monday, 3 February 2014
12 YEARS A SLAVE - film
This is an excellent film.
Really, really great.
Perhaps don't go if you're feeling depressed and would like a film that puts a spring in your step but otherwise, I can highly recommend this one. It's been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars with good reason.
Trailer here.
It's an adaptation of a memoir
written in 1853 by Solomon
Northup, a free black man from New York who is kidnapped and sold into
slavery where he stayed in obviously awful, awful circumstances for 12 years.
So, if
you get the sense this isn't a thigh-slapping good time, you're right.
Perhaps don't go if you're feeling depressed and would like a film that puts a spring in your step but otherwise, I can highly recommend this one. It's been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars with good reason.
Trailer here.
Sunday, 19 January 2014
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - film
One of the joys of writing about films on my modest (spin doctor alert) blog rather than being a proper film critic is that I don't have to analyze a film in any great depth. I walk out of the cinema and then tell you whether I liked it or I didn't. Whether I think you should spend your hard-earned to see it or not. After all, it's my aim to 'cut to the chase', not provide a review, per se, which you can find on a million other websites.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a little trickier. I saw it over a week ago and have given it quite a bit of thought since then and also read a lot of articles and reviews. As the credits rolled, the two people I was sitting with reacted strongly. One with "I hated that!" and one with "Really? I loved it!".
I enjoyed watching it a lot, in spite of it being three hours long. But I do see my hater-friend's perspective. Some of the characters in the film are truly awful people and that can be hard to watch.
The film is based on the memoirs of dodgy (convicted) stockbroker Jordan Belfort. To say he lived a life of debauchery on his rise to powerful multi-millionaire status would be an understatement and director Martin Scorsese really makes this spectacularly, graphically clear. There's a reason it's rated R here in Australia.
The cast is fantastic. Belfort is played brilliantly by Leonardo DiCaprio, scoring a best actor Golden Globe for his trouble. Co-stars Jonah Hill (with distracting weird fake teeth), Matthew McConaughey, Joanna Lumley and others are all great also. One pleasant surprise for me was Australian Margot Robbie who plays Jordan's wife. Never heard a hint of the Australian accent (same cannot be said of most Aussies in Hollywood) and quite apart from that, it was a terrific performance and I expect we'll see more of her on the big screen soon.
When it comes down to it, I enjoyed watching this film. You might walk out with mixed feelings like I did but I doubt you'll walk out thinking it wasn't worth the $19 ticket price. If you hate anything about it, it will likely be the awfulness of Wall Street depicted, not the film itself. If you see it, I'd love to hear what you think.
This review in The Guardian gave it 3 stars and this one in the UK Telegraph gave it 5 stars. You be the judge!
Trailer here.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a little trickier. I saw it over a week ago and have given it quite a bit of thought since then and also read a lot of articles and reviews. As the credits rolled, the two people I was sitting with reacted strongly. One with "I hated that!" and one with "Really? I loved it!".
I enjoyed watching it a lot, in spite of it being three hours long. But I do see my hater-friend's perspective. Some of the characters in the film are truly awful people and that can be hard to watch.
The film is based on the memoirs of dodgy (convicted) stockbroker Jordan Belfort. To say he lived a life of debauchery on his rise to powerful multi-millionaire status would be an understatement and director Martin Scorsese really makes this spectacularly, graphically clear. There's a reason it's rated R here in Australia.
The cast is fantastic. Belfort is played brilliantly by Leonardo DiCaprio, scoring a best actor Golden Globe for his trouble. Co-stars Jonah Hill (with distracting weird fake teeth), Matthew McConaughey, Joanna Lumley and others are all great also. One pleasant surprise for me was Australian Margot Robbie who plays Jordan's wife. Never heard a hint of the Australian accent (same cannot be said of most Aussies in Hollywood) and quite apart from that, it was a terrific performance and I expect we'll see more of her on the big screen soon.
When it comes down to it, I enjoyed watching this film. You might walk out with mixed feelings like I did but I doubt you'll walk out thinking it wasn't worth the $19 ticket price. If you hate anything about it, it will likely be the awfulness of Wall Street depicted, not the film itself. If you see it, I'd love to hear what you think.
This review in The Guardian gave it 3 stars and this one in the UK Telegraph gave it 5 stars. You be the judge!
Trailer here.
Saturday, 18 January 2014
HER - film
This film is hard to explain. The wikipedia entry for 'Her' opens: "Her is a 2013 American science fiction romantic comedy-drama". Confused? Hmmm. Indeed.
It stars Joanquin Phoenix in the lead as the guy at the centre of the romance. With a computer operating system. Yep, you read right.
At first I was loving the film. In a world of films that are all pretty same-same, this film is really different and just sings its difference from the rooftop. It's a story unlike any other, as the Wikipedia sentence makes clear. It asks a lot of questions, without actually asking them, about the nature of relationships, loneliness and more.
At just over two hours, it actually feels a lot longer which isn't a good sign considering it started so well. I enjoyed this but it did test my patience a bit the longer it went on. The friend who I saw it with hated it, thought it was just too silly to take. You do need to open-minded and just go with it if you're going to enjoy it.
It's nominated in the 'Best Picture' category at the Oscars this year and I'm glad it is. It's great to see something a bit unusual included. But would I recommend you rush out and see it? Well, frankly, it's not for everyone. Maybe one to save for DVD on a rainy night. Some will love, others will hate and with the cost of an outing to the movies what it is, it's probably a bit of a risk for the average punter. Especially when there's so many crowd-pleasers out at the moment.
If you want to read more about the storyline, background to the film, the cast etc, read the Wikipedia entry for yourself here...
Trailer here.
It stars Joanquin Phoenix in the lead as the guy at the centre of the romance. With a computer operating system. Yep, you read right.
At first I was loving the film. In a world of films that are all pretty same-same, this film is really different and just sings its difference from the rooftop. It's a story unlike any other, as the Wikipedia sentence makes clear. It asks a lot of questions, without actually asking them, about the nature of relationships, loneliness and more.
At just over two hours, it actually feels a lot longer which isn't a good sign considering it started so well. I enjoyed this but it did test my patience a bit the longer it went on. The friend who I saw it with hated it, thought it was just too silly to take. You do need to open-minded and just go with it if you're going to enjoy it.
It's nominated in the 'Best Picture' category at the Oscars this year and I'm glad it is. It's great to see something a bit unusual included. But would I recommend you rush out and see it? Well, frankly, it's not for everyone. Maybe one to save for DVD on a rainy night. Some will love, others will hate and with the cost of an outing to the movies what it is, it's probably a bit of a risk for the average punter. Especially when there's so many crowd-pleasers out at the moment.
If you want to read more about the storyline, background to the film, the cast etc, read the Wikipedia entry for yourself here...
Trailer here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)