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American Hustle (2013)
American Hustle Review
"Some of this actually happened" reads an early title card, rather than the traditional "inspired by a true story", these words provide a sense of relief. Director David O. Russell acknowledges the historical ABSCAM investigations that influenced this film but he isn't willing to let the details compromise the story he wants to tell. Like his previous work he is able to focus on the characters story than the plot.
"American Hustle" is his second film of the past 12 months after "Silver Linings Playbook" and for this project he gathered an ensemble cast by combining Christian Bale and Amy Adams of 2010's "The fighter" with Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro from "Silver Linings Playbook"
The interaction between these cast members offers a unique chemistry that could never be replicated with any other actor each character has their own story and each story is told to perfection, but its when these stories intersect that the emotions emerge and the quirky sense of humour follows.
The hair-styling, costumes and set design is fascinating to examine and O. Russell emphasises the 70s look by using camera angles iconic to 70s movies, like John Travolta's strut in Saturday Night Fever.
American Hustle opens on Christian Bale's 'beer belly', as the camera tilts up, we see him piecing together a rather elaborate comb over. Gone is his physique from "The Dark Knight" Trilogy as Bale again puts his body through an intense transformation for his role in as Irving Rosenfeld.
Irving is an experienced con-man who along with his cunning partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for FBI agent Ritchie Di Masso (Bradley Cooper). DiMasso pushes them into a world of Jersey power brokers and mafia that's as dangerous and alluring.
Amy Adams has never been better, she is sleek, sexy and seductive as Sydney Prosser The chemistry between her and Irving seems genuine, but the ease and comfort that she plays her British alias Lady Edith Greensly keeps us on our toes, whose side is she really on? Amy Adams is dazzling and guaranteed to feature in the upcoming awards season
even her cleavage gets enough screen time to warrant an Oscar statue.
It's the hot-headed Ritchie DiMaso who transforms the most throughout the film. Played by Bradley Cooper, Richie is the young, ambitious FBI agent still living with his mother and with a point to prove. His ambition sometimes gets the better of him as he tries to bag some of the biggest crooks in the state.
Caught in the middle of this diverse threesome is Jeremy Renner as Carmine Polito, the passionate New Jersey politician who wants to recover the local economy and Jennifer Lawrence as Irving's wife Rosalyn – A real loose cannon and the most manipulative of the lot.
When Rosalyn almost sets the kitchen alight by putting metal in the new "Science Oven" (Microwave). She manages to manipulate her husband to show a bit of gratitude for extinguishing the flames. In a role written specifically for Jennifer Lawrence she continues to prove that she is the most versatile and talented actress in Hollywood. No matter what she's doing she is enchanting, even an unexpected rendition of "Live and let die" is captivating.
The biggest setback for American Hustle is its pacing, although never boring, the film does meander and the 138 minute runtime begins to be felt midway through, however this is somewhat redeemed with an energizing use of 70's music, featuring tracks from Elton John, David Bowie and the Beegees.
Philomena (2013)
One in a million...
"Philomena", inspired by true events is a sincere and harrowing tale, which follows a woman's search for her long lost son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and forced to live in a convent.
Every day for 50 years Philomena Lee, a quiet softly spoken dear old lady relives the memories of her first child with much anguish and discomfort.
Judi Dench plays Philomena, and although we are used to seeing her in more commanding regal roles or as James Bonds no-nonsense boss 'M', don't be fooled, this is her most complex role to date and her performance is nothing short of sensational and worthy of an Academy award.
The film begins with a series of flashbacks, interlaced with close ups of Dench's aging facial features. Each wrinkle adjusts slowly each time Philomena relives an emotion, It's through these scenes that we get a glimpse of Philomena's pain and it is as strong now as it was all those years ago.
In the flashbacks, Sophie Kennedy-Clark plays the heavily pregnant young Philomena who is abandoned by her family at Sean Ross Abbey. The nuns are obstructive and damn right mean "you are the cause of your shame. You and your own indecency" lectures mother superior, before reluctantly admitting Philomena into their care. Furthermore they refuse any pain relief when Philomena goes into a labour "The pain is her penance, It will help absolve her of her sin".
Worse yet – the convent sells the children to wealthy Americans looking to adopt, and after four years of being forced to work in the convent laundry Philomena is helpless as she watches her Anthony being removed from the convent by an American couple.
After 50 years of keeping quiet about Anthony, the anniversary of his birth causes Philomena to speak up and share her story. "I'd like to know what he thought of me", explains Philomena to reporter Martin Sixsmith "I've thought about him every day." Martin Sixsmith is played Steve Coogan (who also co-wrote the screenplay), He is a well educated former political journalist. Who initially believes human-interest stories are for "vulnerable, weak-minded, ignorant people". Nevertheless Sixsmith at his own crossroads can't ignore the potential in this story and invests in the operation of tracking down Philomena's boy.
Coogan and Dench's on-screen chemistry is undeniably charming, Coogan is a well known British funny-man, last seen in one of this years best comedies 'Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa' but in this role he takes a comedic backseat to Dench who provides most of the best chuckles and Coogan gives the film the thoughtful and serious balance that is needed.
The 'road trip' Philomena and Martin take is full of amusing exchanges with Philomena having a healthy frankness when it comes to discussing sexuality and her constant marveling at the first class lifestyle she's experiencing. It is Martin who has to keep Philomena motivated with the task at hand when she gets side-tracked by the possibility of renting something called "Big Momma's House" from the comfort of their hotel room.
As with most journeys, you need to come a full circle to get the perspective you're looking for and Martin (And the film itself) does just that. After traveling to the United States we return back to Ireland to the Sean Ross Abbey and it is here where we find our answers.
Director Stephen Frears (The Queen) manages to make this sedate tale of a woman searching for her son thought provoking and sensitive but it also takes a cynical glance towards the institutions of journalism, politics and religion. We are reminded once again before the end credits that it is a true story and a remarkable one at that. As Philomena would say this film is "One in a million".
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Time to stop dreaming and start living
Ben Stiller, stars and directs in this powerful and uplifting film based on the short story from James Thurber. Stiller plays Walter Mitty, a white-collared daydreamer who works as a "negative asset manager" at Life Magazine. He is responsible for collating and processing photos from freelance daring photographer Sean O'Connell.
Walter escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. But when Walter misplaces the 'photo of the century' and his job is threatened, he embarks on a real-world adventure more extraordinary than anything he could ever have imagined.
"The Secret life of Walter Mitty" is interlaced with a humour that Stiller is cast perfectly for, but you wouldn't define it as a comedy, this is an adventure tale which is well balanced between a Hollywood blockbuster and art house cinema. Accompanied by a great soundtrack including Hall & Oates, David Bowie and Arcade Fire This movie will inspire and keep you warm hearted right from the beginning.
The supporting cast are a little hit-and-miss, Sean Penn oozes charisma as Sean O'Connell, he only has a few lines of dialogue but they are all profound, deep and reflective. Kristen Wiig's Cheryl Melhoff is adequate as Walter's love interest but lacks chemistry and Adam Scott portrays the perfect amount of jerkiness as executive Ted Hendricks.
The visual landscape is the movie's best feature. Like many other blockbusters this year including "Oblivion" and "Thor: The Dark World", much of the film is shot in Iceland and cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh's use of wide angle allows for some poetic views of the stunning panoramas, you can't help but wonder why Twentieth Century fox didn't push for a release in the larger IMAX format.
The ending is predictable and even unnecessary, but "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is not about the destination, this is a story all about the journey. Whether he's jumping from helicopters, fighting sharks, climbing the Himalayas or skateboarding down erupting volcano's, Walter inspires us that it's time to stop dreaming and start living.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Fear, chaos and pain...
The Matrix, Spiderman and Pirates Of The Caribbean, all critically acclaimed and all bringing in a satisfying box office return. Their reputation inspiring movie bosses to produce sequel, which all ended up disappointing... Will The Epic 'Dark Knight' trilogy be reduced to the same fate... The world waited with baited breath.
The Dark Knight Rises, the third and final installment of Christopher Nolan's comic book saga lived up to it's name to rise above other movie trilogies and soar to the thematic and stylistic heights of its predecessors.
In the mid 1990s' the reputation of Warner Bros. Batman franchise was at an all time low with Batman & Robin producing some of the cheesiest one liners in cinema history (such as Mr Freezes "Ice to see you!").
In 2005 Nolan resurrected the Caped Crusader in with the critically praised 'Batman Begins'', the grittier and darker origin story of how Bruce Wayne became to be a moonlight masked vigilante standing up against injustice in the city of Gotham. Helped with solid performances from Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes and Cillian Murphy a sequel was inevitable.
In 2008, Nolan and his team returned for the follow-up. The Dark Knight, just as captivating and ingenious as the first but with one exceptional difference. Heath Ledgers Joker, stole the show (and Academy Award) as he bought Gotham City to it's knees by turning Gothams White Knight (DA Harvey Dent) on to a grief driven killing spree that destroys everything that Harvey and Batman had fought so hard to stop.
In The Dark Knight Rises, the story has progressed eight years. Batman has taken blame for Harvey Dents murders and left Gotham to fend for itself. Bruce Wayne is holed up in a rebuilt Wayne Manor and is the most adrift we've seen the character on screen, weakened and even going grey he is considering a return to action against taking a new path. Bruce and Alfred (Michael Caine) debate Batman's future in tense and tender exchanges, that will tug your heart. You're hooked, and the fighting hasn't even started.
In a scene James Bond would kill for, a CIA aircraft transporting terrorists is sensationally hijacked in midair by Bane (Tom Hardy), an intimidating hulk whose nose and mouth are encumbered by a tubular, grill-like metal mask which gives his voice an artificial quality similar to that of Darth Vader. What Bane is up to is not entirely clear, but it can't be good.
Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), A spirited Cat burglar tries to get Bruce Wayne/Batman back into the limelight. But an attempted kidnapping of Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and a brazen attack on the Stock Exchange from Bane is what catches the Bats attention, the latter catastrophe having the double effect of bankrupting Bruce Wayne.
Commandeering the city's sewers with his fellow mercenaries, Bane begins his first onslaught on the caped crusader which will leave you gasping in disbelief. If the Theme behind Batman Begins was fear and the Dark Knight is chaos then the theme behind this movie is clear
Pain! The remaining 90 minutes will keep you on the edge of your seat, the pinnacle moment when Bane destroys
well everything, including a masterfully created scene that we've already seen in the trailers when Gotham's Football stadium implodes to the earthy. Depths below.
The real world threats of terrorism, political anarchy and economic instability make The Dark Knight Rises incomparable to this years other superhero blockbusters. While The Avengers may have bigger zings, The Dark Knight Rises has one thing Whedon missed: emotional engagement; a genuine sense of jeopardy and deepening human drama. (OK, three things.)
Carrie (2013)
A faithful entertaining remake
You can only push someone so far before they break. Carrie White was a regular girl in almost every way, she had hopes and dreams, but all she wanted was to fit in "Carrie" directed by Kimberley Pierce (Boys Don't Cry) is a faithful remake to the 1976 Brian de Palma film providing a much needed, rejuvenated look to a classic story of revenge.
Chloe Grace Moretz, mostly known for supporting roles in "500 Days Of Summer" and "Kick-Ass" comfortably plays the title character, she does well to portray the innocence and vulnerability early on and transitions the character to the blood dripping teenager who unleashes a telekinetic terror on her small town during senior prom. Moretz continues to grow as a young actress but it's Julianne Moore's' performance of Carries mother that is most impressive.
Having played an unnerving mother earlier in the year in the superb "What Maisie Knew", Julianne Moore injects the perfect amount of creepiness into her performance of Margaret White, The opening scene shows Margaret suffering an agonising labour, crediting the pregnancy as a test from God and claiming her newborn as a cancer Margaret allows her devout religious beliefs to compromise how she will raise her child. It is clear to us that this poor girl is going to have a very difficult upbringing.
Director Pierce does well to retain the famous scenes from the original, they are well presented with some cleverly placed nods to modern technology, such as Carries embarrassing shower moment recorded and broadcast via IPhones and YouTube by school bully Chris Hargensen (Portia Doubleday).
The movie flows at a decent pace and our feeling of empathy towards Carrie morphs to one of excitement when she discovers her telekinetic, And when Carrie is suspiciously asked to the prom we are delighted for her, even though we all know what's going to happen.
The "Carrie prom" scene is iconic in cinema history. It has been replicated and parodied on many occasions so it needed to, and was approached with a certain amount of care and responsibility, although there were a number of small editing annoyances.
Moretz style like her character does a U-turn at the climax of the film, she consciously changes to puppet-like movement to exhibit the controlling presence from deep within her. The addition of computer visual effects provides these scenes with some great visual gruesomeness, a protruding car accident the most memorable..
With a solid performance from the supporting cast, Carrie is an adequate and faithful remake, whilst not the greatest film of the year, it's a story of that will keep you wondering who the real villain is...
What Maisie Knew (2012)
She knew who really loved her and who cared for her.
She knew who really loved her and who cared for her...
She also knew that mummy and daddy were too busy arguing to notice that the pizza guy had arrived. "What Maisie Knew" practically opens mid-tirade and Maisie, a wide-eyed six- year old girl has heard it all before, she skips innocently through their art-deco New York apartment, past her none-the-wiser parents, pulls out a fistful of dollar bills from her own piggy-bank and returns to the door to pay for the pizza.
"What Maisie Knew" is a re-visioning of the 19th-Century Henry James novel by the same name. The story follows Maisie, played by the captivating Onata Aprile , caught in the midst of a custody battle between her aging rock star mother Susanna and art-dealer father, Beale.
Susanna intensely played by the always-brilliant Julianne Moore and Beale (Steve Coogan) only unite in their neglect and emotional abandonment of little Maisie, and both of whom are not above using their daughter as a pawn in their war game.
As they battle on with the messy custody arrangements, Beale marries former nanny Margo (Joanna Vanderham), and in retaliation Susanna also remarries, to young bartender Lincoln, (Alexander Skargard).
As Maisie moves between her parents now separate lives, we unearth a natural connection between Maisie and Lincoln. You feel safe when he is around, even though he doesn't know what he is doing half the time and like Maisie, is out of his depth and unsure where he stands in Susanna's life.
Constantly, Susanna relies on Lincoln to pick Maisie up from school, drop her off, and spend time with her and improvise when necessary. But as the affectionate bond between her new husband and her daughter grows, Susanna becomes jealous of the relationship to the point of enforcing to Lincoln "you don't get a bonus for making her like you".
"You don't deserve her," Lincoln lashes out as Susanna breaks up with him, expressing exactly what the viewer has been thinking. But as another relationship in Maisie's life ends, it's her resilience that keeps us captivated and in awe of such a brave girl.
The story is told from Maisie's perspective including many shots even captured from Maisie's eye level so we get a fresh look at an unoriginal story. Instead of finding out why a parent leaves her at school, we just see how the child remembers being left alone. Instead of knowing what the parents are fighting about, we see how it impacts the child and her memories of it.
"What Masie knew" is a bleak film but hopeful, it demonstrates that innocence is not something to be wasted and used but cherished and protected. What Masie knew is to trust the people who actually take care of her - never voicing an allegiance against anyone but accepting love when it's offered
Man of Steel (2013)
Man Of Steel is Cold & Heartless
When the first "Man Of Steel" trailers were released, you could have been forgiven to think that Terrence Malick (Tree Of Life) was behind the latest superman outing with its haunting voice-over and close-ups of, uh, pencil erasers, The final two-and-a-half hour film however is less Terrence Malick and more a Michael Bay explosion filled popcorn flick.
Like all Comic-book super hero movies made these days Warner Bros. and director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) aimed to make Superman Begins "Man of Steel" a darker - grittier film than its predecessors but instead the movie is cold and heartless, despite Warner Bros acquiring Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy) to produce the film which was arguably the most anticipated summer movie for 2013.
In an opening scene similar to that of the 2009s Star Trek movie, the planet Krypton is moments before destruction and Jor-El (RussellCrowe) has just become a father to our beloved hero Kal-El. Without any time for some Father-Son bonding, the child is sent to Earth for refuge and to give the planet hope, "something to strive for".
Jump 33 years to the future and A bearded, reserved and a muscular figure -- yes, it's Clark Kent, is working on a fishing boat and is quickly jumping into action on a flaming oil rig to save workers trapped onboard.
It turns out that Clark (Henry Cavill), conflicted about revealing his alien heritage and has kept moving around the globe whilst reminiscing on his childhood with Ma and Pa Kent where he had to learn to control his senses so he could blend in with his adoptive home.
Meanwhile we are introduced to the instinctive reporter of Lois Lane (played by an underused Amy Adams). And after a near death experience, Lois investigates the origins of her mysterious savior. Before Lois can say "Look! up in the sky!" Her story is soon interrupted by the appearance of our main antagonist and fellow Kryptonian General Zod (Michael Shannon), who has come to earth with the old fashioned plan of 'Taking over the Planet' and turning Earth onto the new Krypton.
Cue rampant destruction and loss of life in both Smallville and Metropolis "Man Of Steel" ends up just being another summer movie about bad guys toppling Skyscrapers nothing we haven't seen before in "the Avengers", Batman or the Spiderman Movies, - The best visuals are all in the trailers and the use of 3D is pointless and not worth the extra admission price.
The moments between Clark and Earth-Father Jonothan Kent (Kevin Costner) give the film some much needed soul and warmth, but these moments are soon gone to soon and we recede back into the cold.
Do we get to meet mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent with the dark framed glasses ? Not quite. Is there romantic chemistry between prize-winning journalist Lois Lane and Clark? Nope. There's not even any 'Tony Stark style clever one-liners to make the audience smile.