Tracks is the true story of Robyn Davidson, an Australian woman who journeyed from inland Western Australia to the Indian Ocean, a journey of some 2000 miles with only 4 camels and her pet dog for company but there's always a way across the desert and this is one woman who is determined to find it.
I really enjoyed Tracks, the film has an interesting story to it despite its fairly simple premise but I was drawn into Robyn's story primarily because part of me finds those "loner" stories exploring a wasteland rather appealing, part of me also thought of Mad Max 2 in some very silly way but that film whilst heavily action packed but at the heart of that film as well as this one was a lone person wandering through a wasteland in search of a deeper meaning.
As for the performances well Adam Driver is perfectly fine though he doesn't an awfully large part in the story but the main one that matters is that of Mia Wasikowska who plays Robyn and she is just wonderful, never failing to hold your attention the entire time on screen, there aren't very many actresses that I find myself swooning over but she would definitely have to be one of them and I hope that she continues her good work for years to come.
So all in all, Tracks is well made and well performed but if some have reservations about it I can understand as it's a tough ask and a hard sell but it's well worth a watch when the DVD is released, 3 out of 5.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
Film Review - Non Stop (2014)
Non Stop stars Liam Neeson as Bill Marks, a Federal Air Marshal who goes aboard a flight to London but whilst there receives messages that someone on the plane will die every 20 minutes unless they're paid 150 million dollars so it's now up to Marks to save the day.
Non Stop is surprisingly good fun, especially as the last few Neeson action films have underwhelmed in a big way but here I think he's back on form playing a not so very nice character than can kick ass when he needs to, Julianne Moore is also good in her role and the two of them play off each other very nicely, I also liked Michelle Dockery in her role as well.
But what I found most surprising was how it went in directions I didn't think it would, I won't say too much more than that but if you've seen the previews for the film which I have then it might have looked more like the traditional Liam Neeson action fare but the final film had some very nice turns to it that I didn't expect and it really made me think this was a solid film.
And so to wrap it up, I really liked Non Stop for its surprising story and solid performances, definitely worth a look, 3 and a half out of 5.
Non Stop is surprisingly good fun, especially as the last few Neeson action films have underwhelmed in a big way but here I think he's back on form playing a not so very nice character than can kick ass when he needs to, Julianne Moore is also good in her role and the two of them play off each other very nicely, I also liked Michelle Dockery in her role as well.
But what I found most surprising was how it went in directions I didn't think it would, I won't say too much more than that but if you've seen the previews for the film which I have then it might have looked more like the traditional Liam Neeson action fare but the final film had some very nice turns to it that I didn't expect and it really made me think this was a solid film.
And so to wrap it up, I really liked Non Stop for its surprising story and solid performances, definitely worth a look, 3 and a half out of 5.
Film Review - The Monuments Men (2014)
Based on a True Story in World War 2, The Monuments stars George Clooney as Frank, a Soldier in World War 2 assigned to track down and recover artwork and statues from Europe before the Nazi's burn it to the ground or blow it all up but a job like this will need a crack team for it to succeed.
I have to confess that I wasn't looking forward to seeing this film going into it primarily because the previews for the film looked pretty average but the film has a good cast in Clooney, Matt Damon (replacing Daniel Craig), Bill Murray, Jean Djuradin and Cate Blanchett, could this star power defy the odds?
Well, it does and it doesn't boys and girls, don't get me wrong the film is MUCH better than I expected it to be primarily due to the main Monument Men cast members having some fun in their roles and the musical score by Alexandre Desplat has some nice themes in it but at the same time the film as a whole is merely okay.
And by that I mean that the film really doesn't find a tone or structure it wants to use to tell this story which in and of itself is an interesting one but here Clooney and co-writer Grant Heslov try to steal the artwork and admire it too as at times the film is fun and light hearted while other times you see burnings and bombings and dead bodies which really jar with the Ocean's esque tone the two were clearly trying to aim for.
Another big weak link is Blanchett as quite frankly she is miscast in that role as her French accent and overall manner of playing it more serious than the others didn't quite work for me and I started to think after a while "I wish Marion Cotillard had been cast instead" as she would've fit the period and tone of the film a lot better as for the men well they're okay for the most part but Damon and Murray came across as the weakest of that group, I kept wishing Craig was in Damon's role as was originally planned and Murray well I got the sense that here was a man who had just stopped showing any interest in making movies as at times he comes across as just wanting to be anywhere else but there.
And so to wrap it up, the Monuments Men is an okay time at the movies but best saved for either a cheap tickets night or a DVD rental and given the talent on display here it feels a bit disappointing to say that, 2 out of 5.
I have to confess that I wasn't looking forward to seeing this film going into it primarily because the previews for the film looked pretty average but the film has a good cast in Clooney, Matt Damon (replacing Daniel Craig), Bill Murray, Jean Djuradin and Cate Blanchett, could this star power defy the odds?
Well, it does and it doesn't boys and girls, don't get me wrong the film is MUCH better than I expected it to be primarily due to the main Monument Men cast members having some fun in their roles and the musical score by Alexandre Desplat has some nice themes in it but at the same time the film as a whole is merely okay.
And by that I mean that the film really doesn't find a tone or structure it wants to use to tell this story which in and of itself is an interesting one but here Clooney and co-writer Grant Heslov try to steal the artwork and admire it too as at times the film is fun and light hearted while other times you see burnings and bombings and dead bodies which really jar with the Ocean's esque tone the two were clearly trying to aim for.
Another big weak link is Blanchett as quite frankly she is miscast in that role as her French accent and overall manner of playing it more serious than the others didn't quite work for me and I started to think after a while "I wish Marion Cotillard had been cast instead" as she would've fit the period and tone of the film a lot better as for the men well they're okay for the most part but Damon and Murray came across as the weakest of that group, I kept wishing Craig was in Damon's role as was originally planned and Murray well I got the sense that here was a man who had just stopped showing any interest in making movies as at times he comes across as just wanting to be anywhere else but there.
And so to wrap it up, the Monuments Men is an okay time at the movies but best saved for either a cheap tickets night or a DVD rental and given the talent on display here it feels a bit disappointing to say that, 2 out of 5.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Film Review - Don Jon (2014)
The directorial debut of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Jon stars him as Jon, a young man who loves his friends, his church and women, lots of them but one night he meets Barbara (Scarlett Johansson) and everything changes.
Don Jon is one of those films where I can't help but say "I'm not Angry, I'm just very very disappointed" as I do like JGL a lot, he's a very talented man and here he shows some real skill in the director's chair, the film has a nice snappy pace to it and its clear he was paying attention in recent years when working with directors like Chris Nolan, it's made me keen to see him do more directorial work in the future.
His script for this film on the other hand is horrible and not in a "its badly written" way but more in a way that I just found really bothersome, allow me to explain better:
The first problem is the god awful stereotyping present here and it's not just the all too common stereotyping of women as basically being objects to be conquered in the bedroom or just aloof fantasies with no personalities of their own but the stereotyping of the men is just as bad if not worse as its the awful one where the men are basically bros before hoes booze hounds who go out clubbing every night, give me a fucking break.
The second problem I had was the treatment of love and intimacy in this film and to cut a long story short all these things are here for in this film are a cheap thrill and as a result I found that the film lacked any real heart at its centre, yes the film zips along at a nice pace but the film has no meaningful centre to it and for me if you're going to deal with this sort of subject matter there has to be some sort of heartfelt centre to it and here there isn't one and as a result, the film suffers.
But to wrap this up, I'm not Angry about Don Jon but I do feel very disappointed by it as I do like JGL and have enjoyed his recent film work but I wanted something better from him than this and unless you're a diehard fan of his, this is to be avoided, 1.5 out of 5.
Don Jon is one of those films where I can't help but say "I'm not Angry, I'm just very very disappointed" as I do like JGL a lot, he's a very talented man and here he shows some real skill in the director's chair, the film has a nice snappy pace to it and its clear he was paying attention in recent years when working with directors like Chris Nolan, it's made me keen to see him do more directorial work in the future.
His script for this film on the other hand is horrible and not in a "its badly written" way but more in a way that I just found really bothersome, allow me to explain better:
The first problem is the god awful stereotyping present here and it's not just the all too common stereotyping of women as basically being objects to be conquered in the bedroom or just aloof fantasies with no personalities of their own but the stereotyping of the men is just as bad if not worse as its the awful one where the men are basically bros before hoes booze hounds who go out clubbing every night, give me a fucking break.
The second problem I had was the treatment of love and intimacy in this film and to cut a long story short all these things are here for in this film are a cheap thrill and as a result I found that the film lacked any real heart at its centre, yes the film zips along at a nice pace but the film has no meaningful centre to it and for me if you're going to deal with this sort of subject matter there has to be some sort of heartfelt centre to it and here there isn't one and as a result, the film suffers.
But to wrap this up, I'm not Angry about Don Jon but I do feel very disappointed by it as I do like JGL and have enjoyed his recent film work but I wanted something better from him than this and unless you're a diehard fan of his, this is to be avoided, 1.5 out of 5.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Film Review - 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Based off of the memoirs of Solomon Northup, this film stars Chiewetel Ejiofor as Solomon a free black man educated in New York but is later sold into slavery in the American south with some master cruel but also kind as well.
Where do I begin in regards to this film well actually I do know where to begin and that is I did like the film but I would say that it is a film that I admire more than I like and there are two key reasons.
First off is Steve McQueen's direction, he kept a good hand on the whip and made sure you felt the impact of the many beatings and lashings people go through in the film, at times I was reminded of the violence in the Shawshank Redemption which has a very similar theme to this film in terms of a wrongly imprisoned man never giving up on himself even when he faced his darkest hour, his direction is also one that asks for patience from his audience to see the film through to the end as it will all pay off in the end and here it most certainly did and it was nice to see a director do that sort of thing in these times.
The second is the performances, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano and Benedict Cumberbatch are all very good (Fassbender redeems his woeful work in the Counselor with this performance) but Ejiofor is the heart and soul of this film and like Leonardo DiCaprio in the Wolf of Wall Street he gives it everything he has and more, it's such a shame both of those men lost out on the Best Actor Oscar to Matthew McConaughey, a decision that to me looks a lot like a decision made as to award one of their mates.
But alas after a while the near endless beatings and whippings and screaming really bothered me after a while and as a result part of me didn't really care all that much about their plight as it just started to become "Shut your face" and lo came the bashings or whippings or hangings plus Lupita Nyongo's character as good as she was in the role I didn't really care for either as again I began to predict she would get the lashes or beatings.
But despite that nitpick, I did enjoy 12 Years a Slave for its patient direction and extremely good performances but not a film for the faint of heart and will most certainly be debated in many American schools for a long long time to come, 3 and a half out of 5.
Where do I begin in regards to this film well actually I do know where to begin and that is I did like the film but I would say that it is a film that I admire more than I like and there are two key reasons.
First off is Steve McQueen's direction, he kept a good hand on the whip and made sure you felt the impact of the many beatings and lashings people go through in the film, at times I was reminded of the violence in the Shawshank Redemption which has a very similar theme to this film in terms of a wrongly imprisoned man never giving up on himself even when he faced his darkest hour, his direction is also one that asks for patience from his audience to see the film through to the end as it will all pay off in the end and here it most certainly did and it was nice to see a director do that sort of thing in these times.
The second is the performances, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano and Benedict Cumberbatch are all very good (Fassbender redeems his woeful work in the Counselor with this performance) but Ejiofor is the heart and soul of this film and like Leonardo DiCaprio in the Wolf of Wall Street he gives it everything he has and more, it's such a shame both of those men lost out on the Best Actor Oscar to Matthew McConaughey, a decision that to me looks a lot like a decision made as to award one of their mates.
But alas after a while the near endless beatings and whippings and screaming really bothered me after a while and as a result part of me didn't really care all that much about their plight as it just started to become "Shut your face" and lo came the bashings or whippings or hangings plus Lupita Nyongo's character as good as she was in the role I didn't really care for either as again I began to predict she would get the lashes or beatings.
But despite that nitpick, I did enjoy 12 Years a Slave for its patient direction and extremely good performances but not a film for the faint of heart and will most certainly be debated in many American schools for a long long time to come, 3 and a half out of 5.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Film Review - Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Based off the off Broadway show, this film version stars Rick Moranis as Seymour, a down on his luck worker in a small flower shop on Skid Row who fancies his co worker Audrey (Ellen Greene) and finds a mysterious plant that he names after her and puts on display in the shop window.
Little Shop is a wonderful musical with some terrific songs by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken that feel fundamental to the films storytelling plus are just great great fun to listen to (Son be a Dentist and Mean Green Mother from Outer Space to name as examples) and in some cases (Somewhere that's Green being one example) foreshadowing some of their later work at Disney and yes, those songs will be on the tip of your tongue long after watching this film.
There is also some great effects work on the Audrey II plant itself no doubt director Frank Oz of the Muppets and Yoda fame had a lot to do with that and at the heart of this musical is a sweet love story between Audrey and Seymour.
However and here is where I begin to talk more about the recently released director's cut of the film which restores the original ending of the Broadway show the third act deviates from that sweet love story and becomes much more of a monster musical with a big effects laden finale and it doesn't quite work, don't get me wrong the effects work is phenomenal as is the touching reprise of Somewhere That's Green and it's great to be able to see it after so many years of mainly hearing about it.
But for me the main reason this ending doesn't work in the film is that old idium of just because it works on stage (and it can there as the cast come out to take a bow 5 minutes later) doesn't mean it's going to work on film and part of me thought when I saw it "You could press play on Pacific Rim right after watching this ending" as boy does it have that feel to it.
So despite my preference for the theatrical version of the film (it's normally the case for 99.9% of all Special Editions, Director's Cuts and Extended Versions of hit films), you shouldn't skip Little Shop of Horrors as it's a terrific musical, 4 and a half out of 5.
Little Shop is a wonderful musical with some terrific songs by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken that feel fundamental to the films storytelling plus are just great great fun to listen to (Son be a Dentist and Mean Green Mother from Outer Space to name as examples) and in some cases (Somewhere that's Green being one example) foreshadowing some of their later work at Disney and yes, those songs will be on the tip of your tongue long after watching this film.
There is also some great effects work on the Audrey II plant itself no doubt director Frank Oz of the Muppets and Yoda fame had a lot to do with that and at the heart of this musical is a sweet love story between Audrey and Seymour.
However and here is where I begin to talk more about the recently released director's cut of the film which restores the original ending of the Broadway show the third act deviates from that sweet love story and becomes much more of a monster musical with a big effects laden finale and it doesn't quite work, don't get me wrong the effects work is phenomenal as is the touching reprise of Somewhere That's Green and it's great to be able to see it after so many years of mainly hearing about it.
But for me the main reason this ending doesn't work in the film is that old idium of just because it works on stage (and it can there as the cast come out to take a bow 5 minutes later) doesn't mean it's going to work on film and part of me thought when I saw it "You could press play on Pacific Rim right after watching this ending" as boy does it have that feel to it.
So despite my preference for the theatrical version of the film (it's normally the case for 99.9% of all Special Editions, Director's Cuts and Extended Versions of hit films), you shouldn't skip Little Shop of Horrors as it's a terrific musical, 4 and a half out of 5.
Film Review - Videodrome (1983)
Videodrome stars James Woods as Max Renn, the head of Channel 83 in Toronto which is a small station wanting to hit it big and the program calling itself Videodrome may prove the key to the success of his Station.
Videodrome is simply terrific, director David Cronenberg finds a very nice balance between his horror effects which gruesome but also very effective and it combines with a beautiful commentary on what is basically Video Violence.
For you see, the early 1980s was very much the Video Boom and with that came a lot of violent Video tapes and Videodrome very much comments on this with the points it makes in the movie about how it will affect your mind in a certain way and that having these Video tapes in your hand was somehow going to corrupt your mind in bad ways and that was certainly the case in regards to violent Videos in the 80s and for me, it was not hard to think of that whilst watching this film.
The film also has some great performances most notably Woods who absolutely holds your attention throughout as he goes through the changes he does throughout the film and Deborah Harry is also effective in her role as well albeit not as prominent as Woods is.
What else can I say but Long Live the New Flesh and this is a terrific film, 4 out of 5.
Videodrome is simply terrific, director David Cronenberg finds a very nice balance between his horror effects which gruesome but also very effective and it combines with a beautiful commentary on what is basically Video Violence.
For you see, the early 1980s was very much the Video Boom and with that came a lot of violent Video tapes and Videodrome very much comments on this with the points it makes in the movie about how it will affect your mind in a certain way and that having these Video tapes in your hand was somehow going to corrupt your mind in bad ways and that was certainly the case in regards to violent Videos in the 80s and for me, it was not hard to think of that whilst watching this film.
The film also has some great performances most notably Woods who absolutely holds your attention throughout as he goes through the changes he does throughout the film and Deborah Harry is also effective in her role as well albeit not as prominent as Woods is.
What else can I say but Long Live the New Flesh and this is a terrific film, 4 out of 5.
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