Film Review - Inherent Vice (2015)

Inherent Vice is written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and is based off the novel by Thomas Pynchon and stars Joaquin Phoenix as Doc a hippie PI asked to investigate the disappearance of a local developer (Eric Roberts) but along the way the hardnosed cop Bigfoot (Josh Brolin) is determined to get in his way.

There is a lot to like about this film and first of those is the overall look of the film itself Robert Elswit's cinematography and the production design by David Crank really make you feel immersed in the world of the early 70s and it is a feast for the eyes to watch, the second is the performances Phoenix is good here as is Jena Malone in a small role, Martin Short, Reese Witherspoon and Benecio Del Toro but the star of the show by far is Josh Brolin who just steals every scene he's in.

Sadly this psychedelic murder mystery overstays its welcome with its 148 minute running time and there are times in the third act where I just wanted the film to be over and done with so it could be over despite its effective first two thirds though I will say also that this was a better film I thought than the Master as it had more of a structured narrative to it whereas at times the Master felt a bit disjointed.

And so that was Inherent Vice, it has some positives but the films 2 and a half hour running time tested my patience with its psychedelic mystery, 2 and a half out of 5.

Film Review - Tomorrowland (2015)

Tomorrowland is directed by Brad Bird and stars Britt Robertson as Casey a young girl who dreams of the stars and one day finds a mysterious pin amongst her belongings when she is released from jail after being arrested, when she touches the pin she sees a strange place called Tomorrowland and her quest for more answers to this place leads her to Athena (Raffey Cassidy) and the reclusive scientist Frank (George Clooney.)

Now I went into this hopeful for a fun and exciting ride as I liked the look of what I saw in the preview for the film and I also like Clooney despite the Monuments Men being a near complete disaster so could Clooney return to form and could Bird deliver on his promise of a fun and exciting ride not unlike what we normally see at the movies?

Sadly neither of them could as this was a very boring movie to sit through and the reasons are three:

- The first is that the characters here are so unlikeable to watch as all they do throughout the entire film is fight and argue and as a result you couldn't care less about what happens to them and after a while you just keep thinking "WILL YOU ALL PLEASE JUST SHUT UP" then again Bird did this in the Incredibles where all they did was yell at each other the entire time and I'm sorry but this is not character conflict it is annoying and I hate it when it's done for cheap effect.

- The second is that the story feels like a bad pastiche of the first Terminator film and Joe Johnston's 1991 underrated adventure flick the Rocketeer and there was a moment where I thought Athena was going to do the Kyle Reese exposition on the run moment from the first Terminator film and combines with the jetpack flying and lightly sprinkled adventure the Rocketeer had and frankly its a bad combination as after a while you just sit there bored by it all especially during the action sequences which looked exciting in the trailer but here are just dull as all heck to watch primarily as your just not invested in either the story or the characters.

As for the main cast well Clooney is miscast as Frank and if ever there was a role destined to be played by Tom Hanks it was this one as Hanks would've made you invested in Frank's arc and brought some heart to the role as well, Robertson and Cassidy are okay but are also fairly one note while Hugh Laurie pretty does the same cranky man routine he did as Dr House but without that character's down deep charm and effectiveness to solve the problems.

- And lastly the visual effects are really dull to look at and again this comes back to the lack of interest I had in this film, at first it reminded me of Cloud City but then the fake look of it all started to seep in and coming off the back of Mad Max which at least had some real stunt work and vehicles well I now appreciate that film some more despite being middle of the road on it after seeing this.

Look it could be easy to blame Damon Lindelof the co-script writer for this turkey given his poisonous track record so far but I'm not going to for Brad Bird is the man responsible for this mess given he's the director and he and he alone must take the blame for this borefest, rent the Rocketeer instead, 1 out of 5.

Film Review - Blackhat (2015)

Blackhat is directed by Michael Mann and stars Chris Hemsworth as Nic Hathaway, a computer hacker who is currently serving a prison sentence when a nuclear plant in China is hacked into so the joint Chinese US operation decides that they need Hathaway's help in order to find who is responsible.

Blackhat is easily one of the year's worst films for me for multiple reasons:

- The first is the script by Morgan Davis Fohel is just ridiculous with its endless scenes of people talking about computer codes that made me want to fall asleep and also none of it is really all that engaging in terms of being a thriller or indeed an interesting story as you also don't really care about anyone in it or any of the events going on inside this script.

- The second is the performances and frankly they're not very good, the idea that Chris Hemsworth Thor himself is a computer hacker yeah right boys and girls this was just dumb casting right from the get go and his performance doesn't help matters either with that look of disinterest in the whole thing and that stupid mumbly American accent he does and it hurts somewhat to say this because I always enjoy watching him in a film and he's never let me down but here he does so and it makes me sad.

As for the others well Viola Davis gets very little to do and looks bored doing it, Yorick van Waningen is dull to watch while Leehom Wang and Wei Tang don't leave much of an impression and the chemistry between Hemsworth and Tang I didn't really buy all that much either.

- And lastly Michael Mann's direction is all over the place, some shots look nice while others just wreak of bad digital photography, I cannot believe this man made Manhunter and the Last of the Mohicans both of which are good pictures but here he just cannot bring this script to life and even the gunfights kinda bored me here.

And so that was Blackhat one of the real turkeys of 2015 for me with its terrible script, performances and direction, oh how Mann has fallen from grace with this and Public Enemies in a way that when he hit the pavement there was a lot of blood on the concrete, rent 1992's Sneakers instead as that is a far better computer thriller, 1 out of 5.

Film Review - A Most Violent Year (2015)

A Most Violent Year is written and directed by JC Chandor and stars Oscar Isaac as Abel, the head of a small company in New York City in 1981 (said to be the most violent year in that city's history) that deals in fuel but his trucks are being harassed while out on the job which concerns his wife (Jessica Chastain) and has the DA (David Oyelowo) breathing down his neck.

A Most Violent Year may very well be one of if not my favourite film so far in 2015 its seriously worth that consideration as I really loved the slow tense gas cooker Chandor lets play out in his film and his script, the violence scenes here have a real impact to them in a way we don't see in mainstream American films anymore (can't have blood or strong impact otherwise we don't that magical PG-13 rating and all of those paying families with their rivers of gold don't come through the doors.) plus there are moments where you can really feel the tension seeping through the frame.

But my praise doesn't end there it begins with the performances, Isaac and Chastain are incredible here, Isaac is seriously shaping up to be one of the best actors of his generation and watching him here I was reminded of the kind of performance I'd see from someone like Elliot Gould who was a 70s character actor or even John Turturro before he exposed all those young kids to his manparts in his Transformers movies.

And Chastain strongly returns to form after being so criminally wasted in Chris Nolan's Interstellar last year and my swoon meter went into overdrive as she is also super sexy here in her costumes and her chemistry with Isaac (who by the way she studied with at Juiliard and has been friends with for years) is just amazing, it feels so real and natural and you just totally buy them as a pair.

But they're not the only good ones, Oyelowo is a nice foil for Isaac here despite only having a small role while Albert Brooks (best known as Dr Brad Goodman and Hank Scorpio from the Simpsons) was someone I liked seeing again despite playing a straight laced role this time around.

But my praise also has to extend to John Goldsmith's sets, Bradford Young's cinematography and Ron Patane's editing, both the sets and the cinematography really give you a lived in feel of the interior scenes (the lighting is gorgeous) and Patane's editing reminds you of the films of the 70s and early 80s with their long takes and uncut editing that allows you to soak it in like a sponge but I also have to mention the costumes by Kasia Walicka-Maimone as the outfits she has Chastain's character in are gorgeous not to mention the various coats the characters wear throughout the film.

And so that was A Most Violent Year which could be my favourite film of 2015 so far, oh how I miss these sort of films for grownups but sadly the rise of the superhero cinematic universe has all but destroyed them in the mainstream market and they've now been relegated to the independent and arthouse markets which is a very very sad shame, 4 and a half out of 5.

Film Review - Spy (2015)

Spy stars Melissa McCarthy as Susan Cooper a desk officer in the CIA who helps out veteran Agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) when he is in the field but when a nuclear weapon goes missing and Fine is presumed Dead Cooper finds herself getting an unexpected promotion to field agent to save the world.

Spy is amusing for the most part but it is also flawed but before I delve more into that I want to delve into what I did like and that is the film's supporting cast who pretty much steal the show from under McCarthy's feet, Jason Statham is very funny as a foul mouthed fellow agent, Rose Byrne is really good (all seems right in the world when she gets a good role in a film) here as well and I also liked Peter Serafinocwicz in his small role as well plus Law is pretty good here as well.

But sadly I didn't find McCarthy's character all that appealing as her screeching started to grate with me after a while though her scenes with Byrne were pretty good to be fair but coming back to the jokes so I can elaborate on that point some more the constant throwing down of F bombs and curse words to not be all that funny after a while plus the film does feel a little bit too long for its own good, there's a good 90 minute comedy here but sadly the film goes to near 2 hours and it didn't really earn it that much.

So Spy is a good comedy despite some repetitive jokes and a too long run time and is worth seeing on a matinee ticket, 2 and a half out of 5.

Film Review - Woman in Gold (2015)

Woman in Gold is based off of a true story and stars Helen Mirren as Maria Altmann a Jewish woman who flees to America from Nazi occupied Austria but one of the pieces of art taken from her was a portrait of her Aunt Adele so she hires a lawyer Randol (Ryan Reynolds) to take her case to the court in terms of getting her portrait back.

Woman in Gold was a nice surprise for me and I think a lot of that comes down to the story and characters whose plight I found myself getting invested in, Mirren was very good here and made up for her underwhelming efforts in the Hundred Foot Journey, Reynolds put me off at first but when the film was over I thought to myself "Now that casting makes sense" and it sure was nice to see Daniel Bruhl from Rush again in a supporting role and all three together made for a trio I found worth caring about.

The film also has a very interesting story at its core in terms of the Nazi occupation of Poland and the good and bad it brought as well as the sides people took for better or worse and at times I was waiting for the penny to drop in terms of the plight of young Maria (played by Tatiana Maslany) and the Nazi Soldiers occupying her home and it does create a tense sequence in the movie.

All in all Woman in Gold is worth seeing for its interesting story and characters and especially if you miss seeing films aimed at grownups hopefully Bruhl will get a meaningful role in Captain America Civil War next year but sadly I fear he will be wasted in that film, 3 out of 5.

Film Review - Mad Max Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max Fury Road is the fourth film in the Mad Max series and is directed by George Miller but this time Tom Hardy takes on the role of Max instead of Mel Gibson, the story this time sees Max captured by the War Boys of the overlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne who also played the Toecutter in the first Mad Max film) but secretly his Rig Driver Furiosa (Charlize Theron) smuggles his 5 wives (Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee and Courtney Eaton) away from his fortress and to the land of Green where they can be safe but Joe vows to pursue them across the wasteland.

I am a massive fan of the first two Mad Max films, their energy, imagination, storytelling and performances all blew me away and both films also had that very real Dinki Di true blue Australian feel to them but alas the third film in the series 1985's Beyond Thunderdome did not work very well for me and this new movie Fury Road has been a long time in the making and the first attempt WAS going to see Gibson reprise his role but alas that fell through and Gibson declined to return and now Hardy has taken his place plus the previews for this film left me feeling very skeptical about it.

But could this film actually deliver the goods for me or would it just be proof that we didn't really need another hero.

Well actually it was just okay for me, don't get me wrong I liked the film and do think it's well done but this was also a case for me where what worked really did work and what didn't badly misfired:

- First off the stuntwork and the action sequences are amazing to watch as like Mad Max 2 (which this film has the inspiration of running all throughout it) it really does feel like these trucks and cars and bikes are smashing into each other at high speed and some of those smashes really do make your jaw drop.

- The second is that the performances for the most part are pretty good, Theron invests a lot into her role of Furiosa and it was nice to see her back on form after a few misfires in recent years, I liked also the group of wives I thought they worked nicely together as a group and I also liked seeing Josh Helman and Nicholas Hoult as two rival War Boys plus we get to see a group of kick ass warrior women led by Megan Gale who shows what she might have done as Wonder Woman in George Miller's aborted Justice League film.

But alas as good as those points are there are some major negatives to counteract it:

- The first of those is indeed the feel of the film itself and frankly it doesn't really feel like a Mad Max film to me it feels more like one of the knockoff films the US, the UK, the Italians and a lot of other countries tried to make after the success of the first two films at the international box office and given how important that classic Australian feel was to Mad Max 1 and 2 to not have that feeling here just took a lot of the flavour out for me.

- The next one and it is massive for me and it has to be Hardy himself, I'm sorry but every time he was on screen I just kept missing Gibson as all Hardy does is mumble his lines through first a pretty bad Australian accent and then in his native British tongue and even then he just mumbled or grunted a lot of his lines and I just kept thinking to myself "I miss Mel Gibson" and that feeling hasn't changed and I think also that this is a danger for when a new Indiana Jones is chosen as Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones and these roles are not like the comic books where it's a literary character and it doesn't really matter, Ford and Gibson originated those roles and without them then their respective franchises should be allowed to retire.

- And lastly the film did have that "more of the same" feeling in that Max is out in the desert and there's a powerful warlord who wants a precious substance and everyone chases the big truck with the substance and to be honest Mad Max 2 did this better for me and this time when I started to think about the film more after coming out of the cinema that feeling came to mind.

And so that is my review of Mad Max Fury Road which despite my skepticism I did like but it also has some big flaws in my mind but still as an action thrill ride I recommend it but with the warning to say to keep a check on your expectations for it, 3 out of 5.

Film Review - Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Pitch Perfect 2 is directed by Elizabeth Banks who also stars in the film and it continues the tale of the Borden Bellas the Acapella singing group but when a presidential celebration goes wrong the group finds itself suspended and to reclaim its title it has to square off with the German championship group the Das Audio Machine.

I was keen to see film before going in primarily because of Banks being in the director's chair and her work as both Effie Trinket in the Hunger Games and as Wildstyle in the Lego Movie had impressed me so could she deliver the goods in the captain's chair?

Actually she did though I think she is let down somewhat by average script material as I primarily thought this film was okay but before I do delve into that I want to talk about what I did like and that is Anna Kendrick's Beca, Kendrick is a fantastic screen talent as she pours her heart and soul into her work and like in the first film I liked watching her character, Rebel Wilson was a lot better here than she was in the first film and I did like Halle Stenfeld as well as the musical numbers and some of the jokes plus Katey Sagal shows up and who doesn't love seeing Leela again.

But the jokes are what killed this film for me as so many of them were basically about female anatomy and certain manoevers and I have to say that I didn't find it all that funny and in some instances I began to feel uncomfortable watching those jokes but the girls sitting around me in my session ate it up, they loved it and as a result I began to feel when I walked out of it that this movie just wasn't for me which is a shame as I like Banks and Kendrick enormously.

But I do not feel disappointed with this movie like I did with Avengers Age of Ultron but I feel more that this film is not for me or for a male audience for the most part this is strictly a girls night out at the cinema and they are who I recommend this film to, 2 out of 5.

Film Review - Cocktail (1988)

Cocktail stars Tom Cruise as Brian, a young man who returns to New York after serving his country but cannot get a job on Wall Street or in Advertising so he goes to a Bar one night and sees a Help Wanted sign put there by Doug (Bryan Brown) who says that if he sticks with him he'll make him a star.

I hated this movie and the reasons are three:

- First off is I hated these characters, they are reprehensible to watch on screen and they consistently make the wrong choices in their lives and when something good comes along you just want to strangle them for botching it so badly and they are also just so bloody unlikeable.

- Which leads me to my second point which is the very questionable morals in this film that is pretty much represented in the characters Cruise and Brown play and they both have this unshakeable belief that drinking all night and picking up girls at the bar and having unprotected sex will lead to "Happy Days are Here Again, They Skies Above are Clear Again Let Us Sing a Song of Cheer Again" when it just fundamentally does not I mean not once do these guys have any hangovers so it feels more like a glorified sugar drink than real alcohol.

- And lastly it wastes some good actors, I love watching Brown but he is wasted here, Elisabeth Shue does a good job with the pathetic script material she's been handed, Kelly Lynch gets little to do and Cruise is just obnoxious and his early scenes made me think he would've been out of his depth as Bud in Oliver Stone's Wall Street, what a real shame this happened to these actors.

So all in all I hated Cocktail with its reprehensible characters, questionable morals about alcohol and the waste of talented actors, 1 out of 5.

Film Review - Outrageous Fortune (1987)

Outrageous Fortune stars Shelley Long as Lauren and Bette Midler as Sandy two women who find out they're dating the same man Michael (Peter Coyote) but Michael is not all that he seems the two girls find themselves unlikely allies on a great adventure.

Outrageous Fortune I thought was great fun and that comes down to the terrific chemistry between Long and Midler, the two of them play off each other very well and Midler's manic comedy styling's really made me smile and laugh (although I have to say that the film had me smiling pretty much from start to finish.)

But what also works here is the great script by Leslie Dixon which combines the light comedy with the dark thriller and yet the combination of the two which shouldn't work but it does and you have a great time watching all this unfold, the film also has some great supporting performances by Robert Prosky, Anthony Heald and George Carlin (Rufus from Bill and Ted).

So all in all Outrageous Fortune was great fun that had me smiling all the way through, 3 and a half out of 5.