Films about different types of rivalry have been displayed in many forms throughout the years. In areas of competition, i.e. sports, siblings, even job hunting, we see rivalry, whether it be comedy or drama. We now have, yet another film to add to that never ending list and it's in the form of "Clouds of Sils Maria".
At the peak of her international career, Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous 20 years ago. But back then she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked, by director Klaus Diesterweg (Lars Eldinger), to step into the other role, that of the older Helena. She departs with her sharp witted assistant, Valentine (Kristen Stewart) to rehearse in Sils Maria; a remote region of the Alps. A young Hollywood starlet, Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloe Grace Moretz) with a penchant for scandal is to take on the role of Sigrid, and Maria finds herself on the other side of the mirror, face to face with an ambiguously charming woman who is, in essence, an unsettling reflection of herself- basically a 'ghost' that comes back to haunt her.
Others to round out the cast are Johnny Flynn as Christopher Giles, Angela Winkler as Rosa Melchior, Hanns Zischler as Henryk Wald, Nora von Waldstatten as Actress in Sci-Fi movie, Brady Corbet as Piers Roaldson, Claire Tran as Maria's London assistant, Peter Farkas as Journalist in Zurich, Stuart Manashil as Maria's Agent, Aljoscha Stadelmann as Urs Kobler and Ben Posener as Journalist in London.
This was directed with such realism and finesse by Olivier Assayas ("Disorder" '86, "Winter's Child" '89, "Paris Awakens" '91, "A New Life" '93, "Irma Vep" '96, Les destinees" 2000, "Demonlover" '02, "Clean" '04, "Paris je taime" (segment- "Quartier des Enfrants Rouges") '06, "Boarding Gate" '07, "Summer Hours" '08, "Something in the Air" '12). The actors in this came across as seeing them as these actual characters, instead of actors in a film, especially Stewart. She acted so effortlessly that she it seemed like we were eavesdropping into this assistant's life, however Stewart is coming into her own as a very talented actor. Assayas also wrote this film as well. Whereas his ability in directing was clearly delineated in amazing ways, his writing came up a bit short. I know he's a veteran seasoned writer--this is not his first rodeo, but this was definitely too slow, and the continuity was off. Things got entirely too choppy and it was difficult to follow in places, not to mention that a good 15 minutes could have been cut to speed this up a bit. The acting was amazing--Binoche, Stewart and Moretz were solid and played off well with each other, but the writing could have been polished more.
Maybe this film would have been better as a comedy--albeit a subtle, dry comedy, but a comedy. When one is dealing with the area of rivalry and competition, sometimes comedy can be the safer bet over drama. If you go to see this, revel in the acting, because this will keep you riveted far more than the script.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: R 123mins.
Apocalyptic films are typically based in a grim future, hence the word apocalyptic, but they are usually in desolate locales with next-to-impossible living conditions, i.e. "The Book of Eli", "Elysium", "The Omega Man", "Divergent" to mention a few. I suppose if they are located in an urban area, it wouldn't look so obvious hellish. This is a remake of a franchise based basically in the early 80's and where most remakes are lackluster at best, "Mad Max: Fury Road" is one that truly finds its niche a healthy 30 years later.
This is an apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and almost everyone is crazed, fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exists two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order. There's Max (Tom Hardy), a man of action and a man of few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos. And Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a woman of action and a woman who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland. Their main obstacle? One crude and violent leader of all the populace of the area--Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and his henchmen including Nux (Nicholas Hoult) and Slit (Josh Helman).
Others to round out the cast are Nathan Jones as Rictus Erectus, Zoe Kravitz as Toast The Knowing, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as The Splendid Angharad, Riley Keough as Capable, Abbey Lee as The Dag, Courtney Eaton as Cheedo the Fragile, John Howard as The People Eater, Richard Carter as The Bullet Farmer, iota as The Doof Warrior and Angus Sampson as The Organic Mechanic.
This was directed by the comparable George Miller ("Mad Max" '79, "Mad Max: The Road Warrior" '81, "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" '85, "The Witches of Eastwick" '87, "Lorenzo's Oil" '92, "40,000 Years of Dreaming" (TV movie documentary) '97, "Babe: Pig in the City" '98, "Happy Feet" '06, "Happy Feet Two" '11). One can respect this kind of filmmaker, if for no other reason than that of his ability to create his projects is a very slick, precise way that usually hits you like a ton of bricks. He lets his crew do what they do best, for example, the photography by John Searle, asc/acs and the editing by Margaret Sixel blended effortlessly together--again the slickness of it. This is clearly great collaborating by Miller. It was written by Miller, Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris based on characters created by Miller. As I mentioned above, this is one of those few remakes that actually worked. This was grittier, slicker, much more intense than its predecessors, and with these elements, it was a sight to behold. With limited dialogue and increased action with amazing visuals, and stunts that looked surreal, these writers made this rendition of the franchise rock!
Whether one is a Mad Max fan or not, this is pure fantasy at its finest that all can get something out of. It's a crude, rude assessment of humanity that's done so over-the-top and in an incredible 3D format where we see people going...well Mad.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: R 120mins.
One thing about being a film critic is that I'm exposed to so many different genres of film, with messages that can range from light to very heavy. Many have no message at all, but are there for the pure entertainment factor. When it comes to message films, we not only have seen a number of them recently, but they're certainly films we can learn from as well. Case in point, we have one such message or inspirational film entitled "Noble" in our midst.
Vietnam. 1989. Fourteen years after the end of the war. When Irish woman Christina Noble (Deirdre O'Kane) flies into Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) she leaves behind an extraordinary life story. But the best is yet to come. Christina lands in a country "that she wouldn't be able to show you on a map". With a few dollars, a dream that she claimed God showed her, and her own hard-won courage, she is about to change everything for hundreds of thousands of people forever. She inadvertently runs into a run down government funded type of housing for children where she encounters Madame Linh (Nhu Quynh Nguyen) who runs and operates the facility. Christina decides to help with the children and soon notices that they are in desperate need of more food, medical supplies and education which Linh is in dire need of. Through Christina's perseverance and contacts, mostly with Gerry Shaw (Brendan Coyle) and her friend Joan (Ruth Negga), she starts to realize there is much more that is needed because there are so many needy children. This is the inspirational true story of a woman who believes that by walking with God, it only takes one person to make a difference, and how she is proved right.
Others to round out the cast are Sarah Greene as Middle Christina, Gloria Cramer Curtis as Young Christina, Mark Huberman as David Somers, Kinh Quoc Nguyen as Trung, David Mumeni as Mario, Liam Cunningham as Thomas, Christina's Father, Derbhle Crotty as Annie, and Lauren Malone as Kathy.
This was directed with amazing compassion, but with a certain grit by Stephen Bradley ("Sweety Barrett" '98, "Chasing the Lions" (TV movie documentary) '05, "Boy Eats Girl" '05, "Des Bishop Live at Vicar Street" (TV movie) '05). The grit mentioned was by how Christina was able to, through all her 'crosses to bear', become so determined and patient with all the trials she was up against and this was presented clearly by Bradley's talented directing. Bradley also wrote this gem in such a way that once you finished with the film, you felt like you've known this amazing woman for a lifetime--the script was delineated that thoroughly. And other than a couple of very small places where the story jumped a bit, this was an incredible journey. Three different time spans in Christina's life were showcased here, and this is not an easy task when it comes to writing--in keeping the continuity going, but Bradley really pulled it off. Casting of all three actors portraying her in different parts of her life were gifted--they even all looked similar, which is the casting.
This is a gem that all must see, especially before more of the big-budget summer flicks enter the multiplex, because unfortunately once the big films hit, films like these will undoubtedly get lost in the shuffle.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 100mins.
Why is it that comedies, by and large, are just not as funny as they were years ago? For some reason, they feel like unless they aren't over-the-top in the antics, lines and delivery, then it's just not funny. This couldn't be further from the truth. When I saw the trailer for "The D Train", it looked like it could have promise, and in some ways it did, but at the end of the day, it was a script that was as contrite as a lot of their predecessors.
All his life, Dan Landsman (Jack Black) has never been a cool guy. That's about to change-- if he can convince Oliver Lawless (James Marsden), the most popular guy from high school who's now the face of a national Banana Boat ad campaign, to show up with him to their class reunion. A man on a mission, Dan travels from Pittsburgh to L.A. and spins a web of lies to recruit Lawless. But he gets more than he bargains for as the unpredictable Lawless proceeds to take over his home, career, and his entire life. How far will Dan go to be this popular? Will the end really justify the means or is Dan living in a fog?
Others to round out the cast are Kathryn Hahn as Stacey, Dan's wife, Jeffrey Tambor as Bill Shurmur, Dan's boss, Russell Posner as Zach, Dan's son, Kyle Bornheimer as Randy, Mike White as Jerry, Henry Zebrowski as Craig, all Dan's friends, Corrina Lyons as Lucy, Han Soto as Dale Harkin, Donna Duplantier as Taj, Charlotte Gale as Renina, Denise Williamson as Alyssa, Danielle Greenup as Heather and Dermot Mulroney as Himself.
Remember what I said in the prior review about the number of newer, but talented filmmakers that have come along? Well, with this film, I have to retract that statement. This was directed by Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel who have no other films to their credit, and this shows, because the staging and pacing could've been tighter. Black and Marsden gave it their all, but they weren't allowed to shine like I believe they could've. It was also written by Paul and Mogel ("Yes Man" '08), plus some TV, and what started as a promising premise, soon turned to a pure over-the-top trite comedy we've seen far too many times. The message here is clear: as the old adage goes--"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive". This storyline lets its audience know that constant lying will get you nowhere. In fact, your life will go into a tailspin in the process. The means in which these writers used were hammering to the head--I get it already, but this IS the difference between seasoned and unseasoned writers. Maybe these guys should work on more TV to hone their potential before they continue in the feature film realm.
If you like silly, exaggerated, unruly comedies, this will be for you, but if a more sophisticated, well written, but funny comedy is what you're looking for, I would bag this and wait for the DVD.
Out of 4 Stars: 2 Rated: R 102mins.
I have always had a fascination with Australia as far back as I can remember, so when I had heard that "The Water Diviner" was not only an Australian film, but starred Russell Crowe, who is a fine actor, I couldn't resist. Australia has produced many fine films including "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", "Australia", "The Mad Max" films, including the new one released on 5-15, "The Rover", "The Sapphires",to mention a few. Their films are rivaling those of Hollywood hugely, so much so that more and more people are flocking to these films. No wonder here.
Four years after the battle of Gallipoli in 1915, an Australian farmer, Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe) after losing his wife, Eliza (Jacqueline McKenzie) travels to Turkey to attempt to locate his three missing sons, Arthur (Ryan Corr), Edward (James Fraser) and Henry (Ben O'Toole) from the war reported missing in action. As he's there, he forges a reluctant relationship with a beautiful hotel manager, Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko) where he is staying. Holding on to hope, he must travel across the war-torn landscape with the help of a Turkish Officer, Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdogan) and an Australian Officer, Lt. Colonel Hughes (Jai Courtney), both veterans of the battles. Question: Is Connor as good at locating his sons as he is at locating water on his farm property? He will find that this is the challenge of a lifetime.
Others to round out the cast are Cem Yilmaz as Cemal, Dylan Georgiades as Orhan, Ayshe's son, Steve Bastoni as Omer, Isabel Lucas as Natalia, Salih Kalyon as Dr. Ibrahim, Megan Gale as Fatma and Damon Herriman as Father McIntyre.
It seizes to amaze me that the number of newer, but talented filmmakers that have come along recently have more than impressed me--nothing surprises me anymore. This was exquisitely directed by Russell Crowe ("Texas" (Documentary) '02) plus two shorts. After viewing this film, one would believe that Crowe has directed many films, because his style is as consummate as any veteran director out there. He was able to pull the nuances of the period out of these actors with finesse. It was equally well written by Andrew Knight and Andrew Anastasios based on true events. Most of the experience of these writers is TV, especially Knight. This is why I feel that newer writers should cut their teeth on a lot of TV, before they attempt to tackle feature films. This film proved that concept. There were a couple of very small places of inconsistencies in this, but not enough to draw the audience from the grit this definitely provided. It's one man's story of finding his sons, whether dead or alive, and bringing them home no matter the insurmountable odds.
This is a film that is worthy of watching whether it is based on true events or not, because it shows such a determination of this man believing that blood is definitely thicker than water. And this is something we all can learn from.
Speaking of life, I just lost a dear friend of mine recently cut short in his life. So I would like to dedicate this film toward his memory. May you rest in peace my friend Eric.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: R 111mins.
Just when you thought it was time for all the big-budget films--hence it's the summer season, out comes a small inspirational film to truly knock your socks off. Sure, there have been many of these films in recent past ("Heaven is For Real", "Spare Parts", even "The Age of Adaline"), but there is something expressly compelling and irresistible about "Little Boy" that will leave you with a warm heart.
This is a powerful and moving film about a little boy, Pepper Busbee (Jakob Salvati), who is willing to do whatever it takes to bring his dad, James (Michael Rapaport) home from WWII alive. The heartwarming story will capture your heart and lift your spirits as it reveals the indescribable love a little boy has for his father and the love a father has for his son. Set in the 1940's, this kid has few friends due to his shortness (he's only 39"), so receiving encouragement to pursue his journey in attempting to bring his dad home makes this a challenge to say the least. He really has only a few to encourage and help toward that end including Father Oliver (Tom Wilkinson), his mother, Emma (Emily Watson) and Hashimoto (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). Even Hashimoto becomes a friend reluctantly, considering Asian people were treated like the enemy--it being during WWII. This film mostly captures the wonder of life through the eyes of an 8-year-old boy and ends up teaching us all about faith, hope and love in the face of adversity.
Others to round out the cast are Kevin James as Dr. Fox, David Henrie as London Busbee, the little boy's big brother, Ben Chaplin as Ben Eagle, an illusionist, Eduardo Verastegul as Father Crispin, Ted Levine as Sam, Abraham Benrubi as Teacup, Matthew Miller as Freddy Fox, Dr. Fox's unruly son, Ali Landry as Ava and Toby Huss as Col. Bob.
This was wonderfully directed by Alejandro Monteverde ("Bella" '06) plus two shorts. It is incredible to believe that this was directed by a filmmaker with the limited experience that this guy exuded. The emotions emitted from these actors not only ran the gambit, but were so real in their execution as well. I know I can be a bit critical when it comes to the writing of films, however this being written by Monteverde ("Bella" '06) and Pepe Portillo (Two shorts) was credible, thought provoking, well thought out, cohesive, and had a simple, but incredible story we all can relate to on one level or another. And this shows that when we are encouraged by those few around us, that we will believe we can succeed in whatever we do, and if we're around those that belittle, are super critical, negative, than we will probably go that route also. This is such a simple concept in life that sometimes we need to see films like these to remind us what we should already know. It's the basics folks--you can't beat 'em. These guys will assuredly receive more work--I know I will see anything else with there names on it.
Hopefully these filmmakers aren't just 'one night wonders' and this was just a fluke. However, on the other hand, how can one wite and direct this well by mere chance? Life is not that much of a crap shoot. Enjoy this gem!
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: PG-13 106mins.
Batter Up-p!! Well, today marks the opening of the summer movie season, and I'd say we're in for some roller coaster rides (film wise) going on. Hey, we can see dinosaurs going amok, watch a terminator attempt to save someone else, see yet another beginnings of the guys from the fantastic 4 group, and even witness those little voices in your head. All in good fun, of course. What a better film to kick off this first day than that of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" in my book.
When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things end up going awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man (Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron (voiced by James Spader) emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for a global adventure. Will Stark and the others be able to change this dormant peacekeeping program, Ultron from following through with his diabolical plan, or will Ultron continue until he succeeds in masterminding the extinction of the human race?
Others to round out the cast are Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as voice of Jarvis, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/The Falcon, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Stellan Scarsgard as Erik Selvig, Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton and Claudia Kim as Helen Cho.
This was directed with the effectiveness as we've come to expect from Joss Whedon ("Serenity" '05, "The Avengers" '12, "Much Ado About Nothing" '12). His resume is clearly eclectic, which is why I have so much respect for him--he cannot be pigeon-holed. He's focused, determined and knows actors well. This could be that he done quite a bit of writing, this being another he wrote along with: ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer" '92, "Toy Story" '95, "Alien: Resurrection" '97, "Titan A.E." 2000, "Serenity" '05, "The Cabin in the Woods" '12, "The Avengers" '12, "Much Ado About Nothing" '12, "In Your Eyes" '14). This was based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.Whedon actually gnawed his teeth on a ton of TV and continues to do so, which definitely allows him to cross over into different medias when he feels the creativity leads him. The guy is a phenomenal writer, and with the exception of a couple of very small areas of discontinuity, this film actually rocked. The visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and Double Negative were seamless, but we're talking about ILM, the granddaddy of all visual effects companies. There were a plethora of other companies, far too many to name, involved in the visuals, so this has to be experienced on the large screen which it was designed for.
What a film to kick off the season! If this is a benchmark of how the summer is going to roll, then we are into a ride to beat none. And this is all in a nifty 3D format as well. Have fun at the multiplex--I know I did.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 141mins.
Films about different types of rivalry have been displayed in many forms throughout the years. In areas of competition, i.e. sports, siblings, even job hunting, we see rivalry, whether it be comedy or drama. We now have, yet another film to add to that never ending list and it's in the form of "Clouds of Sils Maria".
