Reel Review Roundup

The Hunter (M)

Directed by: Daniel Nettheim

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Frances O’Connor

Three and a half stars

Review by: Julian Wright

A movie about a loner creeping through the Tasmanian woods looking for a creature that may or may not exist? Doesn’t really lend itself to an abundance of cheap thrills on a Saturday night. If that is what you were expecting from this often leaden piece you may want to keep looking. Director Daniel Nettheim slows things right down here taking more time with the characters than the mythical Tasmanian Tiger one of them is trying to capture.

Based on the novel of the same name by Julia Leigh, The Hunter follows hired hand Martin David (Willem Dafoe) from the luxuries of European hotels to the isolated woods of Tasmania to hunt for an animal that is supposed to be extinct. Apparently there have been unproven sightings up in the hills and if captured, could be worth a lot of money to certain people.

Martin bunks with depressed and doped up Lucy Armstrong (Frances O’Connor) and her two children Sass (Morgana Davies) and Bike (Finn Woodlock). Their father went out into the woods and never came back and their mother has had a tough times dealing with it. As Lucy sleeps day and night, Martin slips in and makes the accommodation in the neglected cabin livable before he gets to work.

We observe Martin as he lays his traps and waits for a possible sighting of the animal then as he bonds with the struggling family. There are no great surprises that a couple of kids who miss their Dad would become attached to this man or that their mother would find some solace in having a man around the house. But it does offer some tender and touching moments. When Lucy mistakes Martin for her husband in drug induced haze, it is powerful.

Dafoe is definitely watchable during long, wordless sequences and it is fascinating to watch him bring this character to life and see him operate in the wilderness. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much going on under the surface of this slow-moving drama until the stunning conclusion. If only the rest of the film made us think as much as the ending does.

However, this is a much preferred version of a story about man hunting a mythical creature than any Hollywood studio script writing machine could churn out. Could you imagine it if this went through a dozen re-writes? The critter would have three rows of razor-sharp teeth and would make its way through a handful of scantily clad teens. The horror.

Ocean’s 13 (M)

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino

Two and a half stars

Review by Julian Wright

This year has seen a few part three’s grace our cinema screens and none have been able to top their predecessors. Spiderman 3 was too long and over plotted and Pirates 3 went right off the rails. Unfortunately, Ocean’s 13 is no exception.

When Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) goes into the hotel business with the sneaky Willie Bank (Al Pacino), who has a history of double crossing his partners, the last thing he expects is to be double crossed himself. But that’s exactly what happens and it causes him to have a nasty heart attack that puts him in hospital.

In an act of revenge, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) brings his gang back together again to bankrupt Bank on the opening night of his new big hotel/casino. They have put people on the inside, rigged the roulette tables and slot machines, tampered with the dice and manage to fake a minor earthquake to disable a super computer used by the casino to check the crowds for cheats. The plot thickens when Ocean finds he must turn to his rival Terry Benedict for extra funding to pull off this elaborate heist.

Having never been very impressed with these ensemble films, I was hoping the third in the series might offer something new but it doesn’t. Movie goers are given the same routine for the third time. These films rely so heavily on star power that the direction and pacing are so relaxed, resulting in some sedate and boring sequences.

Just when the plot thickens and the screws of suspense should be tightened the film still cruises along in first gear. It is undeniable that audiences enjoyed watching some of Hollywood’s biggest names share the screen but they are lifeless. They just stand there oozing charisma and appeal but it is just not enough to carry a two hour film.

The best moments are when director Steven Soderberg takes a break from all the expositional dialogue and allows the characters to engage in idle chit-chat.

As appeared in Examiner Newspapers 2007.

The Whistleblower (MA)

Directed by: Larysa Kondracki

Starring: Rachel Weisz, Monica Bellucci, David Strathairn, Vanessa Redgrave

Three and a half stars

Review by: Julian Wright

For an audience to go along with any film plot, whether it is based on truth or completely fabricated, the opening scenes are crucial in convincing the audience that this is a trip it should go on. One of the most important roles in this is the main character and whether or not we identify with him or her. An underdeveloped character could be the difference between an audience investing in the story or switching off and thinking about which household chores need to be tackled.

One misstep The Whistleblower makes is rushing the main character’s introduction. And for a film that is borne out of an existing context of harrowing injustices and political unrest, this could have been fatal. In its hurry to cut to the chase, Rachel Weisz’s Nebraska cop Kathryn Bolkovac is taken from her depressing home life to a Bosnian camp as a peacekeeper in the space of four scenes.

All we know about Kathryn is she is split from her husband, who has custody of their daughter, because she is married to her job. And we get all this information in one clunky dialogue scene between the feuding exes. Not the best way to start things off. Luckily, the story develops so compellingly and Weisz so terrific in her role that we are able to leave the bumpy start behind us and engage in the story as it unfolds.

Kathryn takes a lucrative job as a peacekeeper in Bosnia so she can later afford to move closer to her daughter. On her new duties, she successfully prosecutes a man for abusing his wife and is promoted to head a department that deals with women involved in crimes. This exposes her to the trafficking of abused and drugged young women at a local brothel passing itself off as a bar that she learns is frequented by the men she works with.

More devastating is the revelation that these men, posted to protect these women, are involved in its cover up and take financial cuts for keeping their mouths shut. The more Kathryn uncovers and the harder she pushes to bring the men behind the trafficking and the men covering it up to justice, the more danger she is in herself. Making her more desperate to catch these men is the bond she makes with Raya (Roxana Condurache) – one of the victims.

While at times difficult to watch – these women are horribly mistreated and the camera rarely shies away from it – and narrow in scope with its storytelling, it is Weisz that holds the film together and keeps us glued to the screen. The academy award wining actress turns in a commanding performance. This is Kathryn’s story and journey, so the details of the political context are sparse. More focus on this could have meant a stronger film, but the story of a woman compelled to do the right thing makes for enough drama that one is willing to see this through.

Knocked Up (MA)

Directed by: Judd Apatow

Starring: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann

Four stars

Review by: Julian Wright

Who would have thought that a relatively low budget comedy/drama with virtually no-name actors about an unplanned pregnancy could hold its own ground against this seasons’ blockbusters? Well, that is what Knocked Up has done. It has been raking in copious amounts of money at the box office and garnering positive reviews.

When a young career minded woman named Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) gets a promotion as on air presenter for E! News, she goes out clubbing to celebrate. On her night out she meets dead-beat stoner Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) and they both get thoroughly drunk and end up sleeping together. The next morning is understandably awkward given their opposite personalities and they hastily decide to go their separate ways.

Eight weeks later, Alison discovers she is pregnant as a result of her night with that no hoper and decides to forge a relationship with him before the baby is born. Comedy ensues.

Those expecting a side splitting, thigh-slapping time may be slightly disappointed with this film as it isn’t as hilarious as the previews make it out to be. But that doesn’t mean it is a terrible film. It is consistently and genuinely funny and some viewers may be surprised by the moments of drama and poignancy. However, it is those moments that make this film special and stand out from the barrage of by-the-numbers comedy films Hollywood churns out.

Writer/director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) gets carried away with his sub plots (hence the two hour plus running time which is epic for a comedy) and the film sometimes loses its focus. But he has once again created an appealing adult comedy with real, down to earth characters that you can identify with and who actually make sense. By the end of this film you will have come to care about what happens to these people and this is the films greatest strength.

Seth Rogen achieves the seemingly impossible by making his unemployed, pervert character likeable and Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl is solid in both the serious and comedic scenes. The two leads are often outshone by the supporting cast including Ben’s drop-kick friends and Alison’s bitter sister with marital problems. If you want a break from the special effects driven action films at the movies at the moment, check out Knocked Up for a laugh.

As published in Examiner Newspapers 2007.

Atonement (MA)

Directed by: Joe Wright

Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan

Two stars

Review by Julian Wright

Keira Knightley has spent most of her short career in period costumes. The starlet shot to fame in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and gained a best actress academy award nomination for her appearance in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. This Christmas, she slips into 1930s attire for the Golden Globe nominated film Atonement, a love story filled with tragedy and scandal.

In England in 1935, 13-year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) has an over-active imagination. While scripting a play to perform for her brother upon his return home to the grand family mansion, the girl witnesses her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) with Robbie (James McAvoy), the caretaker’s son.

Later, Briony reads a sexually graphic letter Robbie wrote to Cecilia and then catches them in the act of making love. Briony is convinced Robbie is a sex maniac. When Briony witnesses her cousin being attacked in a field that night and sees a man flee, she is convinced it was Robbie who committed the crime.  Briony’s testimony puts Robbie in jail and the two lovebirds are separated.

During World War II, Cecilia and Robbie are able to meet briefly and rekindle their passionate affair. Briony is racked with guilt about what she had done and tries to redeem herself by training as a nurse to help care for the soldiers of the war.

This love story has plenty of potential and strives to be as grand as Gone With The Wind. Unfortunately it doesn’t even reach the heights of the Nicole Kidman film Cold Mountain, which uses similar plot devices.

The tone of the film is all over the place. It begins with comical misunderstandings, then jumps back and forth in time more often than Marty McFly in the Back to the Future series and touches on the horrific conditions of the wartime battlegrounds. There is so much scandal in the story and yet one would be forgiven for taking a nap during the proceedings.

Director Joe Wright gives us some breathtaking imagery, capturing some splendid scenery and composition. He does not succeed in sweeping the audience up and creating a convincing ride. The performances are more melodramatic than an episode of Passions and it detracts from the story.

The score is genius, incorporating the frantic click of Briony’s typewriter to create a sense of suspense, urgency and drama. It is deserving of its Golden Globe nomination. The ending is both touching and tragic but having been faced with such a struggle to reach that point, it is difficult to care.

As published in Examiner Newspapers, 2007.

Final Destination 5 (MA)

Directed by: Steven Quale

Starring: Nicholas D’Agosto, Molly Harper, Miles Fisher

Two and a half stars

Review by Julian Wright

You didn’t really believe it was going to be the last one when they gave us The Final Destination in 2009, did you? The makers would have had us believe death had finally caught up with every last psychic teen and bumped them all off in imaginative ways. But horror buffs should know better than to fall for that old trick.

Friday the 13th: The Final Friday purported to be the last and so did Freddy’s Dead: The Final Friday. Let’s make a new horror movie rule: we should never believe producers when they put a “final” in the title.

Like those seemingly never-ending 1980s franchises and the Saw films, the Final Destination series sticks close to its formula and each sequel is more of the same. Same plot, same dopey characters but bloodier and gorier death scenes than its predecessor. But that is why we love them.

Several co-workers board a bus to take them to a team building retreat. There are the usual stock standard “characters”: Sam (Nicholas D’Agosto) and Molly (Emma Bell) are having relationship issues, Olivia (Jaqueline Macinnes Wood) is the busty one, lovebirds Peter (Miles Fisher) and Candice (Ellen Wroe) and their boss Dennis (David Koechner) who is just a jerk.

While stopped on a suspended bridge to wait for road works, Sam has a vision that the bridge collapses in a spectacular fashion and everyone dies. In a mad panic he, and a handful of his friends and co-workers, get off the bus just in time to see it fall into the river below.

Before they can say “that was close”, the surviving group start dying one by one in what appear to be bizarre accidents. Even stranger; they seem to be dying in the order they would have in Sam’s vision. To explain too much more of the plot would be a waste of time because if you have seen any one of the last four entries, you already know it.

What we are here for are the gooey, gross and shockingly violent and hilarious death scenes. And the one thing this series does well is death scenes. They are even more fun in three glorious dimensions. And judging by the squeals of disgust and laughter at the preview screening, this one has pleased its fans in this department.

The major letdown is making an audience sit through the same revelations as every other film in the series. We are already so far ahead of these lame-brained characters that restlessness begins to set in during the talky moments. Just get to the next death! While the routine path taken to get to this ‘destination” can be alternately yawn inducing and a minor thrill, I am hoping this is the final one.

The Change Up (MA)

Directed by: David Dobkin

Starring: Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde

Three and a half stars

Review by: Julian Wright

You know the story it has been done to death; two people un-happy with their lives wish they could switch places with each other and, hey presto, it happens. Heck, we have all done the same thing. When the going gets tough, we wish we were someone else, someone who we think has it easy.

It is fun cinematic fluff, to watch the two people whose wish comes true only for the both of them to realise just how hard it can be being the other. One of the hurdles with these high concept comedies is how the characters switch. It is actually impossible to do, so how do the writers get around it?

The original Freaky Friday (1976) was simply a wish mysteriously granted, its 2003 remake employed fortune cookie mysticism. A skull does the trick for father and son in Vice Versa (1988). The Change Up uses peeing in a fountain. Not exactly high brow stuff, folks, but this sets the gross out tone of this instalment in the life swapping sub-genre.

Dave Lockwood (Jason Bateman) is the responsible type. He settled down, married the beautiful Jamie (Leslie Mann) and had a bunch of cute kids. His best mate Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) revels in the bachelor, job-free life of booze and a revolving door of hot chicks. They both think the other has it all.

Dave wants to experience the care-free bachelor lifestyle just one more time. A life without a nagging wife, whiney kids and the pressures of working in a law firm. Mitch, on the other hand, craves the love and affection of a gorgeous wife and the stability of a secure job.

The two buddies head out for a night of drinking at a local bar to catch up, drunkenly pee into a park fountain and make their wish. Thunder suddenly claps, lightning flashes and the guys wake up the next day in each others house and with each others life. But low and behold, the timing is all wrong because Dave is on the verge of a big important company meeting and Mitch is about to film a role in an adult film with a very kinky, older cast mate.

Now Dave must masquerade as Mitch fending off sexy women to stay faithful to his wife and Mitch must struggle through lawyer jargon and endure dirty nappies as Dave. No points for guessing these two learn a valuable lesson. Clearly Hollywood isn’t in the movie making business to gain points for originality. But your enjoyment of this film depends on how funny you find the borderline offensive gags.

The Change Up is rude, crude, vulgar and vile and, Lord help me, I laughed like a lunatic. There is poop shooting into a character’s mouth, an old porn star that enjoys a lot of thumb action and a baby that smashes its head into its crib railing. And none of it failed to make me laugh. Granted, the gross out humour is a thin veil to hide the tired old plot and exercise in life lessons, but darn it, director David Dobkin has handled it like a pro. Going into this film I was wishing I someone else, someone about to watch some quality film making. But by the end I had learned my lesson.

Hanna (M)

Directed by: Joe Wright

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana

Four and a half stars

Review by: Julian Wright

You remember how hard it was being a teenager. Overbearingly strict parents, silly household rules and hormones racing. It is that rough period of self discovery we all have to deal with. Such is Hanna’s dilemma. Except this teen, who has a lethal streak, doesn’t post whiny Facebook statuses about her tough teenage life. She is not like other girls.

Wave goodbye to pouty teen flick pin-up girl Molly Ringwald and say hello to Saoirse Ronan as ass kicking, killing machine Hanna. Sure her journey includes discovering boys for the first time and the joys of a BFF like our favourite 80s red-head – but it also includes a few broken necks and dead bodies.

Raised as an assassin in a remote part of Northern Finland by her ex-CIA agent father Erik (Eric Bana), 16-year-old Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is fluent in several languages, knows how to hunt and gut animals, and defend herself with mighty strength. She is focused and unflinching. Having been cut off from the world most teenage girls are used too, Hanna doesn’t even know what electricity is – but she is ready to fly the coup.

Erik is hesitant at first and warns her that once she leaves their secluded home, she would always be on the run from mysterious enemy agent Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett). Hanna insists she is ready and at the flick of a switch (literally) Hanna is scooped up by a fleet of soldiers and taken to a high security compound underground in Morocco.

Hanna escapes and begins her trek to Berlin where she must meet up with her father. When she hitches a ride with a hippy family on vacation she must suppress her true identity while at he same time making some discoveries about herself and facing a few shocking revelations.

Hanna learns about friendship, boys, family and encounters music and the internet for the first time. It is all a bit much for one person to be confronted with in such a short period of time. Not only that, she is constantly being hunted. As Hanna adapts to the world, her instincts often make amusing cameos such as when she reacts to her first kiss with a swift blow to the unsuspecting boys’ face.

The familiar coming of age story is given the action treatment with echoes of The Bourne Identity but it is a thrilling and original mash-up. It may mostly be a case of style over substance but the snappy script feeds us information at just the right time to keep us intrigued and the exciting action sequences keep us on the edge of our seat.

One of the most surprising things about this film is the humour that alleviates the bone crunching violence. There are some hilarious moments but they do not derail the tension of this tautly directed action/thriller. Give Molly and her teen angst a rest for a bit and go on the violent ride of self discovery with Hanna.

A Mighty Heart (M)

Directed by: Michael Winterbottom

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Archie Panjabi

Four stars

Review by: Julian Wright

Angelina Jolie came out of nowhere in 1999, outshone Winona Ryder in Girl,Interrupted and took home the oscar for her performance. Since then she has made more appearances in the tabloids than she has in quality films. It was starting to look like her highly acclaimed performance as a mental patient was a fluke.

Always one to surprise, Jolie has finally turned in one more searing performance as Mariane Pearl. Just days after the shocking attack on New York city on September 11, married couple Mariane and Danny Pearl (Dan Futterman), both journalists, were working in dangerous territory in Pakistan.

Danny was the South Asia Bureau chief at the Wall Street Journal and was trying to make contact with a man who might have inside information on al-Qaeda. When he does not return from the meeting, which was supposed to be his last interview before the couple headed home, his heavily pregnant wife becomes worried for his safety.

With the help of Danny’s colleagues, US diplomats and the head of the Pakistani anti-terrorism unit, she discovers her husband has been kidnapped by an extremist group. They set up camp at Mariane’s friends house and try to track down where her husband is and find out if he is safe.

What follows is a harrowing account of the long, slow and agonising process of trying to track a Jewish man held captive by Muslims in a country that is so heavily populated. Director Michael Winterbottom cleverly chose to shoot this movie on location, which adds an unforgettable authenticity to the film. It is a technique that fellow British director Paul Greengrass used in his Bourne films and it successfully transports the viewer to that place and time.

While Angelina Jolie gives the best performance of her career, the film itself is sometimes flawed. With so many speaking parts and thick accents, it is often hard to follow who has done what to whom. The maze of endless contacts that the authorities must sort through to find Danny makes things more difficult. The film’s pacing also lacks when it should be making you grip the arms of your chair.

Winterbottom does masterfully craft an emotional journey that, by the end, will have broken your heart. He skilfully and respectfully omits any footage of Danny’s horrifying demise and yet still creates a high level of emotion and one of the most chilling moments in cinema when Mariane learns about it.

Jolie skilfully embodies Mariane’s brave and dignified nature while at the same time, refusing to portray her like a saint. By doing this, Jolie’s raw, layered and complex performance makes Mariane even more relatable. Not so much a political film about who is right and who is wrong, it looks at how terrorism affects people and how those people rise above it.

As appeared in Examiner Newspaper 2007.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (M)

Directed by: Rupert Wyatt

Starring: James Franco, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Brian Cox

Four stars

Review by Julian Wright

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a case of the trailer not doing the film justice. Taken out of context, shots of a scared looking man in the foreground as a shady figure swings past behind him and James Franco talking to an ape in the woods looked utterly preposterous. And what is with that title? Is the planet rising? Or the apes?

Clunky title aside, this is the surprise blockbuster of the American summer. Having seen the film, it is understandable that it would have been hard to capture the film’s themes and pathos in just over two minutes – especially if the marketing department want to appeal to as many teenage boys as possible.

This is one of the most thoughtful and cleverly scripted films so far this year; something I did not expect to get out of a movie about cranky apes. In addition to the tight script is the phenomenal special effects that bring these animals alive.

In San Fransisco, scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) heads a team that is experimenting with genetic engineering to try to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Their work is paying off with one chimpanzee they are experimenting on showing unprecedented intelligence for that species.

When the chimpanzee escapes and causes havoc in the lab, the team is shut down. What they discover is that the animal’s behaviour was not out of aggression but protection for its infant. All the chimpanzees are put down but Will takes the youngster home with him to save his life. Over the years the chimp, named Caeser, displays increased intelligence, suggesting a genetic inheritance.

While Will is able to raise Caeser as his own and develop a strong bond, it is clear that Caeser is not in the right environment. A confrontation with a neighbour lands Caeser in a compound with other chimpanzees, apes and orangutans. Despite being with his own kind, it is a struggle for him to fit in, especially in the very unnatural environment. Unhappy with their mistreatment, Caeser sets the wheels in motion to rise against humans and reclaim their place in the world.

Up until the “rise”, this is a surprisingly intelligent film that takes it’s time developing character – and not just the human ones. Caeser is the centre of the story as he struggles with a confused and confusing upbringing; raised as a human but hidden away. There are many touching moments as he grapples with the changes he encounters and tried to make heads or tails of his existence.

The final third of this film is alternately thrilling – with some great action set pieces – and laughably bad. Subtitled signed conversations between animals, the discovery of vocals and a chimpanzee riding a horse are a few moments that are sure to induce more giggles than anything else. Look past the mouthful title and underwhelming trailer and give this “rise” a go.