What’s It All
About? A mysterious organism brings two lost souls together.
The Verdict: Trippy,
beautiful and head-scratching. Did we say trippy?
3.0/5.0
Celluloid hallucinogenics don’t come much trippier than this.
"Unique, beautiful, bizarre and haunting"
When a parasite is forcibly inserted into Kris (Amy Seimetz, You’re Next) a hypnotic state follows,
an uncanny transference-laced relationship with the deceptive Jeff (Shane
Carruth, Primer) blossoms and
telepathy with swine unknowingly develops.
Have we met before?
This unique, beautiful, bizarre and haunting film from writer/director
Carruth defies categorisation, let alone explanation. It’s mostly convincing, but
that head-scratching abstractness also induces detachment.
This review appears in the September 2013 issue of Empire Magazine.
What’s It All
About? A mismatched quartet pretend to be a clean cut RV holidaying family to
sneak a massive drug haul over the Mexican border.
The Verdict: Watch
the trailer and you’ve seen the best bits.
2.0/5.0
Imagine if the National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise were rebooted with a semi-subversive edge with the crass
factor ramped up to eleven. Subtract much of that series’ lovable bumbling
humour and you have a rough idea of how this comedy has turned out. The Millers
ain’t the Griswolds.
"With plenty of gross out humour, profanity and ample hard-bodied Aniston flesh on display it’s pretty clear who the target market is – teenage boys."
When down-on-his-luck pot dealer David (Jason Sudeikis, Horrible Bosses) is forced to courier a
massive marijuana haul by the surprisingly corporate drug king pin Brad (Ed
Helms, The Hangover series, who
incidentally is attached to a planned actual Vacation reboot) he comes up with the brainwave to pose as a clean-cut
family on vacation to Mexico to escape detection.
Not the Griswolds
He recruits stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston), dorky Kenny (Brit Will
Poulter, The Chronicles of Narnia: The
Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and tearaway Casey (Emma Roberts, Celeste & Jesse Forever) as his fake
wife and kids and after a clean-cut makeover for all it’s all aboard a jet
plane to pick up an RV haul of weed. Predictably things don’t go to plan,
there’s an aggrieved Mexican drug lord (Tomer Sisley, Largo Winch) and a saucy down-home family of RV
enthusiasts (Parks & Recreation's Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn)to deal with.
Spot the joke
With plenty of gross out humour (men, gird your loins for there's a There’s Something About Mary moment)
profanity and ample hard-bodied Aniston flesh on display it’s pretty clear who
director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball:
A True Underdog Story) is targeting – the swarms of teenage boys who
supposedly make up the holy grail of Hollywood’s majority movie-going audience.
There’s nothing wrong with crude but it does help to have some genuine
wit-laced humour behind it but apart from a handful of genuine laughs and a few clever lines in a lazily crass
script from the writers of Wedding
Crashers and Hot Tub Time Machine,
that’s in short supply. And a fairly late lurch into saccharine-sweet territory
does the film no favours.
Jen knew a fart-related catastrophe when she saw one
Sudeikis and Aniston – who have appeared together in The Bounty Hunter and Horrible Bosses and will team up for
that film’s sequel - can both be strong comic leads but in this fairly stale
screenplay they don’t have a lot to work with. Aniston has some fun with her
stripper meets down-home mom role but Sudeikis’ character is mostly unlikable. Their
reported improvs don’t amount to much.
The film had reportedly spent almost ten years in development wilderness
with the likes of Steve Buscemi, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman attached as the
lead with The Full Monty director
Peter Cattaneo set to direct at one stage. You wonder what We’re The Millers might have been but as it stands it’s a poor indictment
on a film when its best scenes can be found in the trailer and blooper reel.
For some quality screwball family holiday cinema, revisit the original National Lampoon’sVacation instead.
What's it all about?:Three bodybuilders try to make
it rich by kidnapping a millionaire.
The Verdict:More
pain than gain.
2.0/5.0
You have to hand it to Michael Bay (Transformers, Armageddon), he’s nothing if not consistent. He snubs subtlety again with this roided-up crime romp based on a true story.
It's very nipply out here.......
"A mildly entertaining, knuckle-headed outing that falters under the brute force of machismo."
When three opportunistic Miami body builders - Daniel (Mark Wahlberg), Paul (Dwayne Johnson) and Adrian (Anthony Mackie, The Adjustment Bureau) - swindle a millionaire with the cocky, self-help-spouting fitness evangelist Daniel leading the charge, hedonism and violence ensues.
Rebel Without a Cause
Somewhere amongst the ironic dunderheaded talk of percentage body fat, pecs and “the American dream” is a mildly entertaining, knuckle-headed outing but despite an estrogen hit from Aussie import Rebel Wilson it falters under the brute force of machismo.
This review appears in the September 2013 issue of Empire magazine.
What’s It All
About? An epic pub crawl turns into an epic fight for survival for six old school
chums facing off an apocalyptic robot invasion.
The Verdict: An
entertaining, if very familiar romp towards the end of the world.
3.5/5.0
Who’d have thought the funny could be found in the apocalypse?
Last
year’s underrated Seeking a Friend for the End of the World starring Steve Carrell and Keira Knightly found plenty of
humour in impending doom as does this entertaining romp. It’s the last in the
so-called ‘Cornetto Trilogy’ from director/writer Edgar Wright and Brit comedy
duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who brought us Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot
Fuzz (2007).
"There’s plenty of laughs to be had but also an acute sense of déjà vu"
The World's End shouldn't be confused with This Is The End which it follows hot on the heels of, if only because it’s a
superior film than it's predecessor. Where the latter - about a group of Tinseltown actors holed up in
James Franco’s house as the world crumbles outside - wallowed in gross-out
humour, product placement and ironic Hollywood self absorption that quickly wore thin, the former has a greater wit.
Sign of the times
We’re introduced to middle-aged reprobate Gary King (Pegg) in rehab as
he recalls the best night of his life – a messy but ultimately incomplete epic
pub crawl (that’s twelve pints in twelve pubs) in his home town of Newton Haven
with four school chums over twenty years ago. He skips out of rehab and
reunites the group to attempt the beer quest again which will culminate at The
World’s End pub.
His estranged pals - Andy (Frost), Steven (Paddy Considine, The Bourne Ultimatum), Peter (Eddie
Marsan, The Disappearance of Alice Creed)
and Oliver (Martin Freeman, The Hobbit)
with Oliver’s younger sister Sam (Rosamund Pike, An Education) tagging along – are all very grown up, or so they
think. At any rate, they’re worlds apart from Gary who is in arrested
development, a ‘maby’ or man-baby to borrow a pearl from the script, who still
dresses like a punk rocker complete with bad black hair dye and Doc Martins and
whose only aspiration is to get epically pissed.
Newsflash: Village People policeman swallows mirror ball
But it’s not just that ocean of difference or the disturbing trend that
their old haunts have been ‘Starbucked’ that’ll rupture the night. The group unwittingly
discover they’re slap bang in the middle of a robot invasion. The townsfolk may look human, in an all-too-perfect kind of way but most have been substituted by robots with flashy blue eyes, blue ink for blood and a terminator-esque
fighting acuity, hell bent on recruiting the world’s population.
Have we met?
The seed of the story, co-written by Pegg, lies in Wright’s own failed
teenage pub crawl, presumably minus the kick-fighting robots. Where Shaun of The Dead was their tribute to
zombie movies and Hot Fuzz to action/buddy
flicks, this supposedly final entry tips it’s hat to sci-fi.
There’s plenty of laughs to be had, some witty dialogue and adroit comic
performances particularly from Pegg. Yet there’s also an acute sense of déjà vu in content and style, this
being the third time we’ve seen the ‘unwitting duo/group bumbling their way
through other worldly chaos’ gag.
But The World’s End couldn’t be accused of false advertising. For
those familiar with the series and fans alike it'll be like slipping into some comfy, well worn slippers. It’s a fitting lark to conclude
the series.
What’s It All
About? During one summer an awkward teen finds his groove and acceptance in an
unexpected place - a water fun park.
The Verdict: A
feel-good coming of age film with a lot of heart, one that pulls fewer punches
than you might expect.
4.0/5.0
Imagine the ignominy of sitting like an outsider, back to everyone else
in the bench seat of a Griswold era wood-panelled station wagon. You’re already
dreading your way to a blended family vacation when your tosser Stepdad wannabe
patronisingly rates you as a person with a withering three... out of ten.
We're going to need a bigger boat.....
Not a great start to the summer for a withdrawn teenage boy. But with
the bitterness, things are going to get sweeter for young Duncan (Liam James, 2012) once he, his trodden-upon mum Pam
(Toni Collette), said stepfather-in-waiting Trent (Steve Carrell) and his
spoilt brat daughter Steph (Zoe Levin, Trust) settle in to holiday in an east coast US hamlet.
"It's a film with a lot of wit, humour, heart and nostalgia."
For the adults, it’s time to kick the heels up, drink, smoke and be
merry while the kids make their own fun – “This place is like spring break for
grownups,” Duncan’s love interest Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) tells
him. Her mother played by the scene-stealing Allison Janney (The West Wing) is at the steep end of
the mildly debaucherous mood as a gregarious, boozy whirling dervish.
Hold me now.... Whoa whoa
With Duncan’s mother all too wrapped up in her relationship with the
tactless, arrogant Trent and with Trent riding him like Flipper, Duncan finds
solace and acceptance in an unlikely place, the aptly named local water park Water
Wizz. Slacker manager Owen (a wonderfully charismatic Sam Rockwell, Iron Man 2) – a mix of manic man-child,
generous spirit and aspiring comic – in his quirky way takes Duncan under his
wing unconditionally, giving him a much needed distraction in a summer job. Owen becomes
the friend, brother and even paternal figure Duncan’s sorely been missing.
It might sound all a bit too schmaltzy but while this is definitely a
sentimental film, it also tells it how it is, pulling few punches when it comes
to family dynamics – the dysfunctional and those not of blood ties. And it does
so with a lot of wit, humour, heart and nostalgia.
Who's your daddy?
The story is based on the summer childhood experiences of
writer/director team Nat Faxon and Jim Rash - both well known comedy actors who
appear in the film and who, with director Alexander Payne wrote the Oscar winning
screenplay for The Descendents - when
the adults were a distant presence and the kids frequented a “chlorine, urine
infested paradise” (as they put it in the press notes) and made the best of awkwardly
blended families. The film’s deflating ‘3/10 scene’ comes direct from Rash’s
childhood. The pair were influenced by Little
Miss Sunshine and Juno so that
gives you a semblance of the comedy-drama mix.
Co-writer/director Nat Faxon makes a splash.
Despite the big ticket reuniting of Sunshine
stars Collette (whose Pam is one of her least rounded characters) and
Carrell (who effectively plays against type as the ultimate irritant), it’s not
the rapprochement between mother and son that ultimately resonates but the joyfully
comical, poignant and unconventional friendship between man-child and awkward
teen. Liam James and Sam Rockwell have a terrific rapport. This is their film.
What’s It All About? When a family is terrorised by a
powerful spirit, demonologists the Warrens are called in to attempt to vanquish
it.
The Verdict:A winning fright-fest that lovingly recreates classic horror.
It’s true story origins make it all the more chilling. Bring a spare pair of
underpants.
4.0/5.0 from me, Margaret
It’s hard to recall a film of recent times that so
authentically and effectively evocates the classic old school horror movies of
the 1970’s and 1980’s.
That it is until this chiller arrived from Australian writer/director
James Wan (Saw). The irony is that in
a time when torture porn and special effects heavy entries in the genre have long
become de rigueur, Wan, one of the modern progenitors of the former (alongside writing
partner Leigh Whannell) here strips things back to create a classic fright fest
complete with creaking doors, spine-tingling scares and that old staple, a
freaky demonically possessed doll.
Dorothy was definitely a long way from home
If you didn’t recognise the high profile cast you
could be fooled into thinking you’re watching a re-release of a classic 1970’s haunted
house horror. The Conjuring – from
the retro opening credits to visual and tonal flourishes that echo classics
like The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist
and The Shining – is a loving tribute
to the era.
"Macabre, atmospheric and genuinely spine tingling"
And it’s 1971 where the story takes root as Carolyn and
Roger Perron (Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston) and their spirited brood of five
daughters make that most familiar of unwise moves into a Rhode Island farmhouse
that (of course) isn’t the charmingly rustic dream home it appears. The Perron’s
faithful dog knows better than to enter its domain though.
We need to talk.....
Soon enough, things start to go bump in the night. And
then some. Mother is coming up in mysterious bruises, clocks are stopping in sync, the temperature is chilly and the kids are
seeing dead people amongst other supernatural idiosyncrasies – tugging of
limbs, errant farting etc. Yes you read correctly.
Who farted?
Who you gonna call? It’s time for a visit from veteran
paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera
Farmiga) who discover that the house is indeed haunted by a coven of spirits
with one particularly hateful one about to give them all the fight (and frights)
of their lives. There’s spirits dragging and levitating bodies, crashing family
portraits and one hell of an exorcism. Not to mention some
classic “don’t-go-in-there/down-there” moments.
Just hangin'
Sure, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before but even the
loosest interpretation of the moniker ‘Based on a true story’ adds to the
fright-factor veracity in a major way.
How true to life (or afterlife) the story is, is hard
to tell. It’s based on the case files of The Warrens an infamous real life ghost-hunting
duo (Lorraine has said the film is mostly accurate). In the film, the Warrens light
heartedly attest they’ve been called everything from demonologists to kooks.
We’re told at the film’s beginning that the Warrens have opened their case
files to, for the first time, reveal one of their most infamous ghost hunts
(Another was the basis for The Amityville
Horror).
Casper wasn't being very friendly
What really elevates this horror story above some
others is the top-notch cast. But this film belongs to the ladies; Taylor is
truly haunting, Farmiga truly haunted. She brings a gravitas, an inherent truth
to every role she plays and her clairvoyant Lorraine is no exception.
Vera really needed that nasal hair clipped
Don’t be put off by a clichéd beginning featuring the
aforementioned demonically possessed doll – this is merely a window into the Warren’s
world of hauntings. And while the film looks like it may just be a retread of classic horror
tropes it’s to Wan’s credit that he slowly ratchets up the tension making this
haunting a believable one, the slow-burn then upping the ante in the film’s
second half.
Macabre, atmospheric and genuinely spine
tingling, this is one movie where a backup pair of underpants is best advised.
What’s it all about? In AD 117, a band of Roman Centurions fight for survival in the Scottish Highlands.
The Verdict:Centurion isn’t perfect but if you can stomach the blood it’s a suitably slick and thrilling ride.
3.5/5.0 from me, David.
Based on a 2,000 year old legend that tells of the mysterious disappearance of the invading Roman Ninth Legion in Scotland, Centurion opens in AD 117 as the Roman Empire’s mass land occupation reaches a stalemate in Britain’s north.
A territory war is being waged between Roman armed forces and a vicious cluster of tribes known as the Picts and Roman Centurion Quintas Dias (Michael Fassbender, Inglourious Basterds) bare-chested and bound, is on the run from his Pictish captors.
"It may not be in the same league asGladiatorin terms of spectacle but Centurion prefers to travel a darker path with a focus on the relentlessness of survival. If you can stomach the blood, it’s a suitably slick and thrilling ride."
Saved by the Ninth Legion, led by General Titus Virilus (Dominic West, The Wire), Quintas’ loyalty is secured and he vows to lead the Legion’s few remaining soldiers to asylum after they survive a bloody attack by the Picts.
What follows is a game of cat and mouse as the small band of men fight for survival in the freezing, forbidding Scottish Highlands, the Picts, spear-headed (pardon the pun) by the cold blooded super huntress Etain (former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko) in dogged pursuit.
Does my bum look big in this?
While director NeilMarshall’s screenplay, brought to life amidst the spectacular Scottish wilderness, may raise questions of historical veracity ( Marshall freely admits he used his imagination to fill in the gaps), Centurion, unlike the more conservative Gladiator, pulls no punches in its portrayal of battle. Ultra violent and gruesome, this is bloodletting on a grand scale. As the endless crimson tide spurts, almost comically at times, you can’t help but think that along with the grisly veracity, Marshall (who proved to be a gore lover with The Descent and Dog Soldiers) is getting a kick out of the blood sport. Look out for the stomach churning arrow-through-the-eyeball scene.
The staring content went on for hours and hours........
But there’s more than blood on display here. Sure it’s a dark tale with imagery filtered in murky blues and greens but amongst the bleakness there’s ample suspense, a touch of humour and romance and some reasonably well rounded characters. Fassbender brings understated gravitas to proceedings while Kurylenko, whose Etain has been rendered mute by the Romans, does surprisingly well in conjuring up pure evil. Whether the history books concur or not, this is one poster girl for lethal girl power way ahead of her time.
Centurion isn’t perfect but Marshall does bring a fresh spin to the sword-and-sandals genre giving it a modern sensibility; from rapid-fire action sequences to no-nonsense parlance – “When will people learn not to fuck with the Ninth?” fumes Virulus – and a tongue-in-cheek sensibility.
The fire warden would surely be sacked
While it may not be in the same league as Gladiator in terms of spectacle (fear not role players, there’s sufficiently epic battle-porn on display) Centurion prefers to travel a darker path with a focus on the relentlessness of survival. If you can stomach the blood, it’s a suitably slick and thrilling ride.
This review was originally published on Trespass Magazine, July 2010.
With Luhrmann’s Gatsby, you get what you pay for.... Almost.
Genre: Drama. Rated: M
What’s It All About?F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1920's New York-set classic novel about the mysterious aristocrat Jay Gatsby and those that come into his orbit gets an epic makeover.
The Verdict:It’s not perfect but it is an impressive, engaging adaptation and less excessive than you might think.
3.5/5.0 from me, David.
Firstly a bit of perspective. Some critics have lashed out at Baz Luhrmann labelling his adaptation of The Great Gatsby overblown. Each to their own but let’s face it, complaining about a Baz Luhrmann film being over the top is akin to objecting to New Orleans during Mardi Gras season. Both are going to be extravagant, gaudy, raucous, big and bombastic. You get what you pay for.
Party like it's 1920-something
And Luhrmann’s Gatsby with thanks in no small part to his partner in life and artistry Catherine Martin is all of those things - to a point, around the mid way point that is. But after most of the frenetic party scenes have passed, the film becomes much more sedate than you’d expect a Luhrmann film to be - a point glossed over by some critics – as the pace slows considerably to concentrate on the drama.
"Complaining about a Baz Luhrmann film being over the top is akin to objecting to New Orleans during Mardi Gras season. Both are going to be extravagant, gaudy, raucous, big and bombastic. You get what you pay for."
Luhrmann could never be characterised as a restrained director but in this case, he has reigned himself in, in part. In fact if you were expecting an entirely in-your-face Luhrmann experience you might ask for half the ticket price back.
All that glitters....
I confess I’m not exactly a fan of Luhrmann’s films – I found Moulin Rouge and Australia too excessive (I’m the pot calling the kettle black here I know) and the latter laughably cringe-worthy. Conversely, Luhrmann’s hugely creative approach to bring Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet alive for a new generation was I thought, inspired.
And that approach is undoubtedly his aim in this adaptation of the American literary classic - to shake the story up in a big way, backed by a characteristically modern soundtrack. And this Gatsby if nothing else is far more involving that the most recent adaptation of the novel – 1974’s fairly dull sudser starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Luhrmann’s version featuring a charismatic performance from Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, not surprisingly makes its predecessor look positively dead on arrival.
Kiss me you fool
I didn’t have a problem with Luhrmann’s over-the-top approach to Jay Gatsby’s opulence because in this case it’s fitting for the story (after all, isn’t that what opulence is?). The parties, the excess, the hedonism and the larger-than-life depiction of all are a kind of thinly veiled allegory for Jay Gatsby himself. He’s a man who isn’t what he seems, his opulence simply a facade masking grand delusions of a truly happy, contented life.
The theme of longings manufactured, experienced and ultimately dashed is one that runs through the story; our narrator Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire, Spiderman) gets a taste of high society but he’ll never belong to it. His cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan, Never Let Me Go) finds that love proves a tragically pragmatic notion and all the money and hopefulness in the world can never buy Gatsby what he so desires, to have Daisy by his side.
King of the world!
Purists of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel will no doubt object to Luhrmann’s creative licence – the 3D friendly camera swoops, the Jay Z-centric soundtrack for example – but again, they’re points that seem moot in light of Luhrmann’s track record.
While some of the cast’s performances are laid on with a larger-than-life brush, others are nonetheless impressively nuanced; standouts for me were Mulligan, Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty) as Daisy’s brutish, womanising husband Tom and Elizabeth Debicki (A Few Best Men) reminiscent of a young Cate Blanchett as their sporting socialite friend Jordan Baker.
Yes, at almost two and a half hours this Gatsby is much too long but an epic running time is also a Luhrmann trait. Like I said, you get what you pay for.
