David M. Brown's Blog, page 32

This Week’s Films

Busy old week on the film front. Managed to get through 8 films this week:-

The Flowers of War (2011)

It s 1937 and China is on the brink of collapse. Nanking is under siege from the Japanese Imperial Army, the streets awash with violence, the civilians desperate. The protective walls of a western church provide the only haven from the vicious battles outside. Here, an American John Miller (Christian Bale) caught in the midst of the chaos, joins a small group trying escape the violence wrought by the Japanese army. Through one act of heroism, this group of disparate refugees fight back, risking their lives for the sake of others and the nation. Inspired by true events, THE FLOWERS OF WAR tells the incredible story of an unlikely group standing up against an unimaginable and overwhelming evil.

Verdict: This has glimpses of Zhang Yimou’s mesmeric visuals but it pales in significance to his earlier work. 7/10

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** FILM OF THE WEEK **

Pollock (2000)

Ed Harris directed, produced and stars in this drama about the American abstract artist Jackson Pollock who became the first internationally famous artist in the 1940s. His lover-turned-wife, artist Lee Krasner (Marcia Gay Harden) gave up her career to help his, recognising the importance of his work, but with the fame and fortune came Pollock’s self-doubt and ultimate destruction.

Verdict: Directed and performed passionately by Ed Harris with great support from Marcia Gay Harden, Pollock unfortunately lacks depth in conveying the artist’s work. 7/10

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Azumi (2003) 

Cult director Ryuhei Kitamura directs this computer-graphic enhanced big-screen adaptation of Yu Koyama’s samurai manga. Aya Ueto stars as Azumi, a beautiful young femme fatale who, along with nine other orphans, has been trained as an assassin by martial arts master Gessai (Yoshio Harada). To test the fearlessness of his trainees, Gessai orders them to pair off and fight until death – a mission that provokes Azumi to start questioning her role. But, caught in Gessai’s lethal trap, and under orders to kill the evil warlords that are tearing the country apart, she must forge ahead despite the immorality and bloodshed.

Verdict: Azumi offers two hours of bloody battles which are often eye-catching but the characters lack substance, while the story is pretty average. 6/10

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Jerry Maguire (1996)

Top sports manager Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is fired when he suggests to his employers SMI that they concentrate on caring more for fewer clients. He starts up his own company, with only two clients – one of whom double-crosses him by returning to SMI. However, Jerry still has American football player Ron Tidwell (an Oscar-winning Cuba Gooding Jr), plus the unlikely support of fellow former SMI employee Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), a single mother who Jerry begins dating.

Verdict: Well-acted and scripted, Cameron Crowe’s sport comedy/drama is let down only by being too long, while one or two cheesy moments creep in. 7/10

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Postcards from the Edge (1990) 

Based on actress Carrie Fisher’s semi-autobiographical novel, this darkly comic drama focuses on the strained relationship between showbiz mother and daughter, Doris Mann (Shirley Maclaine) and Suzanne Vale (Meryl Streep). Tensions between the two are brought to a head when Suzanne, fresh out of drug rehabilitation and struggling to revive her flagging career, is forced to stay with her brassy ex-movie star mother during production of a new film.

Verdict: Streep and MacLaine both dazzle in this comedy drama based on Carrie Fisher’s book that explores addiction and the uncompromising acting world in Hollywood. 7/10

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Ghoul (2012)

Something ghastly haunts Golgotha Cemetery – an entity of unspeakable evil…and insatiable hunger. It is the summer of 1984, a time that should be full of lazy, carefree days for 12-year-old Timmy (Modern Family’s Nolan Gould) and his two best friends, Doug and Barry. But when a teenaged couple goes missing among the gravestones of the local cemetery, the bloodcurdling legend of a horrific ghoul begins to seem more like reality than myth. As the body count rises, Timmy and his friends are forced to confront their worst fears when they unearth long-buried secrets and unleash not only their personal demons…but also the one lurking underground! Based on the novel by Brian Keene comes GHOUL, a tale of terror about the convergence of monstrous inhumanity and a ravenous, inhuman monster.

Verdict: A blend of childhood drama and horror that doesn’t quite reach its potential. 4/10

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Sharp Teeth (2006)

Toxic heavy water from a university’s nuclear reactor leaks into its nearby nature reserve marsh changing the local fish. Luscious Lola Dent, mature journalism student gets her teeth into this meaty story to make her president’s honor list.

Verdict: A strong contender for worst film of the year and given that I’ve also seen Suburban Sasquatch, Swamp Zombies and Piranhaconda, that takes some doing! 1/10

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Uncertainty (2009)

The Choice is Theirs…

Every choice has a consequence. But what if the flip of a coin could trigger two separate but parallel destinies? Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 DAYS OF SUMMER) and Lynn Collins (WOLVERINE) star as Bobby and Kate, a young New York couple at a crossroads whose lives are about to take very different heads/tails directions: A visit to Brooklyn leads them to gentle discoveries about family, loss and each other, while a day in Manhattan plunges them into an urban nightmare of pursuit, suspense and murder. Olivia Thirlby (JUNO) co-stars in this uniquely powerful thriller written, produced and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, the award-winning filmmakers behind SUTURE, BEE SEASON and THE DEEP END.

Verdict: A modern version of Sliding Doors which begins okay but quickly loses its way with only one of the two stories being interesting. 4/10

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The post This Week’s Films appeared first on News of the Worlds.

This Week’s Books (15/12/13)

Just two books off the TBR pile this week:-

Terry Pratchett – Raising Steam (2013) 

To the consternation of the patrician, Lord Vetinari, a new invention has arrived in Ankh-Morpork – a great clanging monster of a machine that harnesses the power of all the elements: earth, air, fire and water. This being Ankh-Morpork, it’s soon drawing astonished crowds, some of whom caught the zeitgeist early and arrive armed with notepads and very sensible rainwear.

Moist von Lipwig is not a man who enjoys hard work – as master of the Post Office, the Mint and the Royal Bank his input is, of course, vital… but largely dependent on words, which are fortunately not very heavy and don’t always need greasing. However, he does enjoy being alive, which makes a new job offer from Vetinari hard to refuse…

Steam is rising over Discworld, driven by Mister Simnel, the man wi’ t’flat cap and sliding rule who has an interesting arrangement with the sine and cosine. Moist will have to grapple with gallons of grease, goblins, a fat controller with a history of throwing employees down the stairs and some very angry dwarfs if he’s going to stop it all going off the rails…

Verdict: While not Pratchett at his very best, Raising Steam has enough about it to prove that the master has lost none of his touch after 40 Discworld novels. 4/5

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Hunter Davies – The Beatles (1968)

In this behind-the-scenes look at the most famous musical group in history, Hunter Davies gives the complete story of the Beatles. As the only authorized biographer, Davies had full access to the Fab Four as well as their help and encouragement. He spent eighteen months with them when they were at the peak of their musical genius and at the pinnacle of their popularity, and he remained friends with each of the members as they went their separate ways.

This updated edition addresses recent changes in the lives of the Beatles: Paul’s marriage, George’s death, and their new books and records.

Verdict: A fascinating account of the Fab Four from their earliest origins and chronicling many of the highlights of their illustrious career. 4/5

The post This Week’s Books (15/12/13) appeared first on News of the Worlds.

This Week’s Books

Just two books off the TBR pile this week:-

Terry Pratchett – Raising Steam (2013) 

To the consternation of the patrician, Lord Vetinari, a new invention has arrived in Ankh-Morpork – a great clanging monster of a machine that harnesses the power of all the elements: earth, air, fire and water. This being Ankh-Morpork, it’s soon drawing astonished crowds, some of whom caught the zeitgeist early and arrive armed with notepads and very sensible rainwear.

Moist von Lipwig is not a man who enjoys hard work – as master of the Post Office, the Mint and the Royal Bank his input is, of course, vital… but largely dependent on words, which are fortunately not very heavy and don’t always need greasing. However, he does enjoy being alive, which makes a new job offer from Vetinari hard to refuse…

Steam is rising over Discworld, driven by Mister Simnel, the man wi’ t’flat cap and sliding rule who has an interesting arrangement with the sine and cosine. Moist will have to grapple with gallons of grease, goblins, a fat controller with a history of throwing employees down the stairs and some very angry dwarfs if he’s going to stop it all going off the rails…

Verdict: While not Pratchett at his very best, Raising Steam has enough about it to prove that the master has lost none of his touch after 40 Discworld novels. 4/5

 

Hunter Davies – The Beatles (1968)

In this behind-the-scenes look at the most famous musical group in history, Hunter Davies gives the complete story of the Beatles. As the only authorized biographer, Davies had full access to the Fab Four as well as their help and encouragement. He spent eighteen months with them when they were at the peak of their musical genius and at the pinnacle of their popularity, and he remained friends with each of the members as they went their separate ways.

This updated edition addresses recent changes in the lives of the Beatles: Paul’s marriage, George’s death, and their new books and records.

Verdict: A fascinating account of the Fab Four from their earliest origins and chronicling many of the highlights of their illustrious career. 4/5

The post This Week’s Books appeared first on News of the Worlds.

Dave’s Odyssey #1

In May 2008, I went travelling on my own for the first time and was out of England for a month. Along the way I took in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand before coming home. I kept a journal of my time on the road, so here’s a day by day account of my trials and tribulations that has the undeserved title of Dave’s Odyssey. 

Day 1 – London – Singapore

It had been a week without nerves, but all too soon the false hope that this travel thing would be easy suddenly reared its ugly head. The Sunday before the tour of Heathrow I’d found solace in, first of all, the snooker before heading for the hotel bar. The snooker didn’t improve that night and nor did my nerves.

After an uneven night’s sleep it was time to face the holiday. The epic build-up was finally over. My taxi to the airport was due at 8.30a.m. but I opted to get up at 7.00. It took me ten minutes to get ready. The backpack was already there and waiting. I spent the next hour waiting for the clock to tick by – my thoughts were only interrupted by the incessant cleaners rapping on nearby doors and calling, “Housekeeping.” Good thing I set my alarm for 7.00!

There was no drama booking out or in my taxi showing up to take me to Heathrow. The path to Singapore was bound to be littered with the odd mishap i.e. Barnsley boy goes travelling for the first time, he’s a bag of nerves and blah-de-blah; something had to give and in this regard I didn’t let myself down. I just wish I could have at least got to the departures lounge before something went wrong.

Surprisingly, my passport and ticket were fine; it was me that was the problem. Having a backpack you can carry in a multitude ways led me to trying out the extendable handle and, dare I say, I felt pretty smug wheeling the old luggage along. My last holiday in Tenerife had nearly killed me with the excess weight I had to carry. When the moment came for the old backpack to be weighed I couldn’t put the handle back in place! The Heathrow chap didn’t say a word though I suspect he stifled a snigger or two; I was too flustered to notice. Eventually I found pressing a button had the desired effect I was hoping for. I was wondering what that was for.

The rest of Heathrow was a breeze. I revelled in the latest football scores in the paper heading for my allotted gate. I’d noticed signs up for some gates saying to allow 15 minutes to get there. How any gate could be that far away puzzled me. However, after walking the seemingly 3,000 miles to my plane I could understand and appreciate what had, at first, seemed a ludicrous sign.

There had to be one more twist before boarding. I handed over my passport and ticket and the rather amused Heathrow woman, exclaimed, “You’re a Barnsley boy, eh?”

There seems to be some stigma attached to being from Barnsley. No one ever fails to react when you reveal where you’re from. Admittedly, most just laugh. Now, this woman had really put the pressure on here. I pride myself on being able to muster a witty retort when needed and with a large queue behind me, the stage was set to conjure up something special. I didn’t. All I could force was an apologetic, “I’m afraid so.”

The Heathrow woman then informed me she was from Harrogate. Not only that but she seemed proud as well. I was just eyeing up the exit behind her, wondering when – hell, make that if – I’d ever be allowed onto the plane. Eventually, our mutual Yorkshire roots enabled me to stem the tide and I found my way on board.

Things started to look up on the plane and that wasn’t intended as some bad pun. No, I ended up with an aisle seat. Very convenient for a quick dash to the toilet but the downside being you’re right in the firing of the air stewardesses. My last holiday in Tenerife resulted in one air stewardess assaulting me with an ice cube. I hadn’t said anything nor given any look to even prompt such a reaction but it didn’t stop her. If I had I imagine it would have been far worse.

The plane was delayed nearly an hour taking off. I can only assume it was the 20,000 strong procession amassed on the runway in my honour. Once airborne, I had the joys of negotiating a twelve-hour shift and trying to keep both mind and limbs intact.

I passed the first six hours reading Catch-22. A book about fighter pilots crashing a lot was probably not the best choice but it passed the time. There were several interruptions while the busybodies dished out first pretzels, an assortment of drinks, then, finally, some food.

There have been one or two anecdotes about things going wrong and here’s another. The menu comprised of two dishes so delicious I don’t recall what they were. I can narrow it down enough to reveal one was lamb and the other chicken, but what else was including I’ll never know. Now, as the majority of people began feasting, myself and the guy next to me were informed they’d run out of lamb so it would have to be the chicken dish for us. We then heard they’d run out of that too. It seemed clear someone had a vendetta against us both.

When our meal arrived I wasn’t overly clear what the hell it was. There were what looked like potatoes then some lumps buried under a green/yellow sauce. Doesn’t sound that appetising, does it? I decided to give the stuff a try and it wasn’t bad, not even a trace of poison.

After six hours of reading it was becoming difficult to continue not just because it was now dark outside but one of the stewardesses decided to turn all the lights off. Thankfully, Quantas had graced each of us with some headphones and the best entertainment system I’ve ever seen on a plane.

I was going to brave a film or two but chose some comedy instead in the shape of Family Guy and Mr Bean. From our personal screens we were also able to trace the whereabouts of our plane on the world map. Suffice to say we weren’t getting anywhere fast. It was at this point that I settled for a film – There Will Be Blood. At two and half-hours it was the perfect tonic to the sheer boredom of the flight.

Not long after my viewing was over Quantas fed us again. This time it was breakfast. I hadn’t slept since Sunday night so all of a sudden I was having breakfast twice without any rest in between. The Quantas version of a cereal breakfast was some Muesli – with barely enough milk to drown a fly never mind the cereal – tea/coffee, orange juice, a bowl of sliced fruit, yoghurt and some bread. I’d have been happy with a slice of toast but can’t complain too much.

With breakfast out of the way it was time for the hot towels. I didn’t make the same mistake as Adam Sandler in “The Wedding Singer” when handed mine. I even went to the trouble of folding the damn thing for collection and when the steward showed up he took it from a distance with the aid of some tongs. I must say I was rather offended.

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Masterpieces #1: Blade Runner

About Blade Runner (1982)
Visually spectacular, intensely action-packed and powerfully prophetic since its debut, Blade Runner returns in Ridley Scott’s definitive Final Cut, including extended scenes and never-before-seen special effects. In a signature role as 21st-century detective Rick Deckard, Harrison Ford brings his masculine-yet-vulnerable presence to this stylish noir thriller. In a future of high-tech possibility soured by urban and social decay, Deckard hunts for fugitive, murderous replicants – and is drawn to a mystery woman whose secrets may undermine his soul.

Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Runtime: 117 minutes

Studio: Warner Home Video

 

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Blade Runner (1982)

For my sixth birthday I received a VHS copy of Blade Runner from my father, even though the age rating was 15. I don’t think it did me any harm. I spent the next few years watching the film regularly, not fully understanding it, but that didn’t stop me revisiting it. Today, I have no hesitation in telling anyone that Blade Runner is, for me, the greatest film ever made.

Directed by Ridley Scott and adapted from Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blade Runner didn’t start life so well. Documentaries and books I’ve read all talk of difficult production with Scott more interested in the visuals than his actors. Ford and Scott did not get on though they are friends today. A screen test concerned the studio enough to insist that Harrison Ford, firmly against his wishes, provide a narrative to events to help the audience along. The voiceover wasn’t Scott’s vision either. This change didn’t help. Blade Runner failed to ignite the box office, released in 1982, the same year as E.T. There was never going to be any contest really.

The original film is excellent, no question, but the lack of enthusiasm in Ford’s narrative is palpable and often intrusive on key moments in the moment, especially the dramatic ending. This was the version I originally owned but it was the superior 1992 Director’s Cut that really elevated Blade Runner for me. Dispensing with the narration and adding Deckard’s dream sequence of a unicorn that led to a memorable mystery, this remains the ultimate version of the film for me. There have been others since with Scott’s final cut being released in 2007.

On the surface, the story seems fairly straightforward. It’s Los Angeles 2019 where the dystopian landscape is one of heavy rain and dark skies. Those that can afford it or are healthy enough, have left Earth to live on Off-World colonies, while endless arrays of adverts try to lure the unfortunates left behind to a better life elsewhere. Earth is very much like rats leaving a sinking ship. Colonisation was made possible by the use of advanced robots known as Replicants, that resemble humans, and differ only from them in that they lack emotions. At the outset we learn that Replicants are slave labour and forbidden to step foot on Earth. Blade Runners – a bounty hunter unit within the police force – are assigned the task of killing any Replicants that trespass on Earth.

We spend much of the film with Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former Blade Runner who is coaxed out of retirement to hunt down six Replicants, led by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), that have come to Earth. The Replicants seem to have designs on the Tyrell Corporation, the company that created them, but it’s unclear at the outset why. While we follow Deckard’s manhunt, we do also watch Roy and the other Replicants trying to evade detection and their plight is arguably more interesting than Deckard’s fatigue with killing and the chance of romance that comes his way. At the start Deckard is the good guy chasing a group of bad Replicants, but by the end your perception of who is good and who is bad may well have changed.

As adaptations go, Blade Runner is one of those rare gems that is actually better than the book and the late Philip K. Dick was said to have been bowled over by Scott’s film, which he felt captured his vision perfectly. The effects hold up well today and Los Angeles in 2019 is a dark and miserable place. Scott’s level of detail is stunning in conveying a future where the Earth has been bled dry and the best life can only be found on another world.

A notable cast all play their parts and create some memorable characters, whether it’s Edward James Olmos as the hard to read Gaff or William Sanderson as the kind hearted and sympathetic J.F. Sebastian. Ford is great in the lead, especially given that he had to improvise a lot with little direction from Scott. However, Blade Runner’s shining light comes in the form of Rutger Hauer who is imperious as Roy Batty, whether he’s wandering the streets in search of answers or delivering one of the classic speeches at the film’s denouement, some of the lines which the actor wrote just minutes before filming! It is a dominant and brilliant performance from the Dutch actor.

Blade Runner is a special film for me in many ways. Released the year I was born and the best gift my father ever gave me, it’s a film that has been with me for 25 years. I have no idea how many times I have watched it but it never gets old or monotonous going through it again. Ridley Scott has made other great films such as Alien and Gladiator, but with Blade Runner he reached his zenith and delivered an undoubted masterpiece that I am so pleased has the recognition today that it truly deserves.

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Film Review: Stripes

About Stripes (1981)
John Winger (Bill Murray) is a loser; he literally loses everything that matters to him – his car, apartment and girlfriend – on the same day. Along with his equally unsuccessful best friend, Russell Zitsky (Harold Ramis), John decides to enrol in the US Army, but discovers that his unit is little more than a refuge for drug-addled psychotic misfits. Matters are not helped by the no-nonsense Sergeant Hulka (Warren Oates), who is determined to instil some discipline in his unruly recruits.

Starring: Bill Murray, John Candy, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P.J. Soles

Directed by: Ivan Reitman

Runtime: 106 minutes

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

 

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Review: Stripes

John Winger (Bill Murray) is a down on his luck cab driver who loses his job, car and girlfriend all in the same day. Seeing like as unfulfilling, John convinces best friend, Russell (Harold Ramis), to join him in signing up for the United States Army. Both men enlist as a bit of a joke but soon find themselves fully immersed in the intense physical and mental training that the army demands of its soldiers.

John has only just started training when he manages to annoy Sergeant Hulka (Warren Oates) and this becomes the continued pattern. While the army has strict discipline in place, John continually questions authority, reasoning that getting up early and training in cold weather isn’t necessarily good for the men. John and Russell stick through the training though, helped in part by romantic interests in the form of two MPs Louise (Sean Young) and Stella (P.J. Soles). The question is will John and Russell complete the training programme and what will they do beyond the army?

If Stanley Kubrick had directed Full Metal Jacket while either drunk or high, then he might have produced a quirky little film like Stripes. Thriving thanks to another excellent performance from Bill Murray, the film is not as heavy on laughs as I was expecting, but it has such a good cast that you won’t mind too much. John Candy makes one of his earliest appearances here and demonstrates his comic potential that would be realised later in the eighties, while Ramis sports one scary hairdo at the outset that near gave me nightmares.

Stripes is an amusing and farcical comedy that sees John disrupt the established order of the military in favour of his own approach. Imagine soldiers marching to Do Wah Diddy and you get the idea of the comical revolution in place. Silly from start to finish, Stripes benefits thanks to some great performances and an excellent leading turn from Murray, who always makes it look so easy.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

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Film Review: 13 – Game of Death

About 13 – Game of Death (2006)
Intense thriller about a man who is given the chance to complete 13 challenges for the chance to win $100 million. The challenges get more and more intense, dangerous and grotesque. At what point would you draw the line and give up $100 million?

Starring: Krissada Terrence, Achita Wuthinounsurasit, Sarunyu Wongkrachang, Nattapong Arunnate

Directed by: Chukiat Sakveerakul

Runtime: 109 minutes

Studio: Revolver Entertainment

 

 

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Review: 13 – Game of Death

Phuchit (Krissada Sukosol) is not having a good day. He is heavily in debt, has just lost his car, his job and has recently been dumped by his girlfriend who wants to pursue a career as a pop star. Gathering his thoughts on a stairwell, Phuchit receives a call inviting him to take part in a game. The caller describes everything about Phuchit, even where he is standing at that particular moment which is enough to get his attention. To start with he is invited to kill an annoying fly with a rolled up magazine and if successful he will have 10,000 baht sent straight to his account. Phuchit kills the fly, checks his balance and the money is indeed there!

What follows is a day of challenges for Phuchit. The caller offers him the chance to take part in a game where he has 13 challenges to complete in total. Each one comes with an increased amount of money as a reward while completion of all tasks will amount to 100 million baht. Suddenly, Phuchit has the opportunity to settle all of his crippling financial affairs in the space of a day but each challenge ups the ante and pushes him to the absolute limit. Phuchit also has the problem of a colleague, Tong (Achita Sikamana), who is suspicious of his strange behaviour and investigates what is going on. There are many rules in place where Phuchit can forfeit the game but failure to complete all 13 challenges will see him lose all the money he has won. Can he complete all the challenges and at what cost to himself and others will his pursuit of money entail?

13 – Game of Death is a fascinating thriller that asks the question of what one desperate man is willing to do for money. In this case, Phuchit is willing to go very far. Some of the challenges here initially seem straightforward but others will horrify you, with at least one or two likely to turn a few stomachs. Sukosol is great in the lead, visibly deteriorating both physically and mentally as he becomes immersed in the game and continually gets his hands dirty in search of that ultimate prize. As with many good thrillers, a twist is waiting at the end and it is both clever and surprising.

13 – Game of Death is a very good Thai thriller that explores the depths of human greed and endeavour. While some elements may be too unpleasant for some people, this is still worth trying for the myriad of challenges alone and that twist at the end as Phuchit nears the end of the game. Undoubtedly gruesome but difficult to turn away from.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

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Film Review: Animal Kingdom

About Animal Kingdom (2010)
Following the death of his mother, 17-year–old Joshua ‘J’ Cody (James Frecheville) moves in with his hitherto–estranged family, under the watchful eye of his doting grandmother, Janine ‘Smurf’ Cody (Jacki Weaver), and her three criminal sons–the Cody boys. Eldest son and armed robber, Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody (Ben Mendelsohn) is in hiding from a gang of renegade detectives. Middle brother Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) is a successful but volatile drug dealer, whilst the youngest Cody, Darren (Luke Ford), naïvely follows his elder brothers’ lead. Just as Pope’s business partner and best friend, Barry Brown (Joel Edgerton), decides that he wants out of the game, recognising that their days of old–school banditry are all but over, tensions between the family and the police explode. J finds himself at the centre of a cold–blooded revenge plot that turns his family upside down and which throws him directly into the path of senior homicide detective, Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce).

Writer and director David Michôd’s brutal and captivating depiction of Melbourne’s criminal underbelly heralds the arrival of an intense new voice to contemporary Australian Cinema.

Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton

Directed by: David Michod

Runtime: 113 minutes

Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

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Review: Animal Kingdom

Joshua Cody (James Frecheville) is forced to live with his grandmother Janine (Jackie Weaver) after his mother dies from a heroin overdose. Joshua and his mum had previously had no contact with the rest of the Cody family but Janine is delighted to have her grandson come and live with the family. Joshua comes into the circle of Janine’s three criminal sons – the volatile Andrew (Ben Mendelsohn), drug addict Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) and the quiet, easily led Darren (Luke Ford). Joshua finds a girlfriend, Nicky (Laura Wheelwright), and settles into the family but his uncles are keen to immerse him into their way of life.

When Barry (Joel Edgerton), best friend of Andrew and a friend in general to the Cody family, is murdered by police officers, Andrew vows revenge and calls on his brothers to join him in taking vengeance against the police. Joshua is roped into their plan which sees two police officers murdered though Joshua isn’t present at the scene of the crime. What follows is a tense battle between the Cody family and the police with Joshua stuck in the middle, not wanting to risk Nicky’s safety, while a concerned police officer Nathan (Guy Pearce) tries to guide Joshua away from joining his family in their criminal life.

This is a gripping crime drama from start to finish, inspired by true events as well. The three Cody brothers are well portrayed here, each with their own unique traits, while Weaver’s is a delightfully complex depiction of Janine who always insists on kissing her boys and seems a gentle soul, but in protecting her own she can soon change and has more control than she appears to. Frecheville puts in a confident performance as the young Joshua who is thrown into the lion’s den with the Cody family and must choose whether to join their way of life or look to go his own way.

Animal Kingdom is a well-acted and gritty Australian drama that never lets up with the tension, an air of violence always floating in the air of the Cody household along with Janine’s cooking. A great cast carry the story along well and the conclusion is both surprising and at the same time completely apt as Joshua makes his final choice about his future.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

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Film Review: Tell No One

About Tell No One (2006)
TELL NO ONE tells the story of pediatrician Alexandre Beck who still grieves the murder of his beloved wife, Margot, eight years earlier. When two bodies are uncovered near where Margot’s body was found, the police reopen the case and Alex becomes a suspect again. The mystery deepens when Alex receives an anonymous email with a link to a video clip that seems to suggest Margot is somehow still alive and a message to tell no one.

Starring: Francois Cluzet, Kristin Scott Thomas, Marie-Josee Croze

Directed by: Guillaume Canet

Runtime: 125 minutes

Studio: Music Box Films

 

 

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Review: Tell No One

Alexandre Beck (Francois Cluzet) is a doctor haunted by the murder of his wife, Margot (Marie-Josee Croze) eight years before. The couple had been swimming together when Margot briefly disappeared and, in responding to her screams, Alexandre was knocked unconscious. Alexandre has managed to pick up the pieces eight years on but he finds himself the chief suspect in a double homicide, the bodies found by the lake where his wife was attacked. It turns out that Alexandre had been the police’s prime suspect for Margot’s murder but a lack of evidence had led to the case being closed.

Alexandre’s life is thrown into further turmoil when he receives an email with a video attached that apparently shows Margot is alive and well. The email may also be from her and warns Alexandre he is being watched. Having found some semblance of stability in his life, Alexandre is now thrown into a compelling mystery with both the police and group of henchmen on his tail who are keen to find Margot themselves. Is Margot alive after all? If so, what happened to her eight years before?

From the start, Tell No One is an intriguing and well-crafted thriller beginning with Margot’s murder. Though Alexandre is knocked unconscious trying to help his wife the police raise the obvious question of who pulled him out of the water if he is innocent? As the puzzle unravels the narrative veers from the present to events eight years before leading up to that fateful night where Alexandre’s life was changed forever. This is an intricate story and requires one’s full attention but it’s simply too difficult to look away once you have been sucked into this mystery.

Tell No One is a fantastic thriller from start to finish. The revelations and pieces of the jigsaw are carefully inserted as the story unfolds and though you may predict some elements of what’s going on before the denouement, it’s unlikely you’ll solve everything. Some great performances, especially from Cluzet, make this one a resounding winner.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

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Film Review: Biutiful

About Biutiful (2010)
Academy Award® nominee Javier Bardem is Uxbal, a man on the wrong side of the law who struggles to provide for his children on the dangerous streets of Barcelona. As fate encircles him, Uxbal learns to accept the realities of life, whether bright, bad — or biutiful — in this unforgettable Academy Award®-nominated film from director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros,21 Grams and Babel).

Starring: Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez

Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Runtime: 148 minutes

Studio: Roadside Attractions

 

 

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Review: Biutiful

Biutiful is the gritty but moving tale of Uxbal (Javier Bardem) who lives in Barcelona with his two children in a run down apartment. He is separated from his wife, Marambra (Maricel Alvarez), who is bipolar and her unreliability has seen custody of the children given to Uxbal. Uxbal makes ends meet by helping immigrants find work and he has a vested interest in a warehouse where Chinese immigrants live and work but in horrendous conditions, something Uxbal is trying to remedy. Uxbal also has the ability to talk to the dead and sometimes earns extra by being a conduit between the dead and their grieving families.

Uxbal’s life is turned upside down when he is diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer and only has months to live. Withdrawing from all around him, Uxbal knows he must sort his affairs and secure the future of his children, but it is no easy matter with Marambra trying to reconcile with her family and many of the immigrants Uxbal is helping so often being at risk of deportation. The question is can Uxbal die knowing his children are safe and that they both have a future?

Biutiful covers many angles with Uxbal’s personal deterioration as his cancer battles the chemotherapy that is trying to preserve his life for a few months more. Uxbal’s family is a key area as well, along with the poorly paid Chinese immigrants that Uxbal works tirelessly to provide for. The streets of Barcelona tell many a tale of struggle in Biutiful as everyone tries to get by any away they can and Uxbal wanders silently amongst the locals, contemplating his untimely end. Oscar-nominated Bardem is wonderful in the lead, his physical and mental decline being well conveyed and so moving to watch.

Given the subject matter, Biutiful is not an easy film to watch at times but it is very well filmed, offering a much bleaker side of Barcelona, one of poverty and struggle that so many will not see. There are some good performances in what is a poignant story but the main plaudits belong to Bardem for his wonderful portrayal of man whose end is coming, though he fights with every last breath to defy it.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

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