The Proposal: Movie Review

The Proposal: Movie Review

Rating: 4/10
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Craig T Nelson, Betty White, Mary Steenburgen
Director: Anne Fletcher
The problem with doing an unoriginal story is how you do it anew.
The Proposal sees Sandra Bullock's uptight, bossy editor in chief Margaret Tate (hated and feared by many in her office) facing an expired visa crisis.
Being a Canadian, she's looking at losing her job and deportation from the USA unless she can find some way to stay in the country.
Enter her much put upon executive assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) who has spent the last three years working for her, in the hope he'll become editor.
Suddenly Andrew's facing a shotgun wedding if he wants that promotion - and Margaret's facing a weekend away with the in laws in Alaska on an impromptu (but necessary to beat immigration) fact finding mission.
And you'll never guess what happens next...
Except, to be honest, you probably will.
The Proposal is not a stunning - original - piece of cinema - but it never sets out to be. It's a romantic comedy which has some funny moments but that's about it as it's predictable throughout.
That said though, Bullock's Tate and Reynolds' Paxton have a good chemistry on screen as their characters share an uneasy pact - however, the revelations about them are easy to spot and the Paxton family tensions are completely unoriginal.
Bullock underplays the comic elements and situations to her credit- but Reynolds is reduced to simply staring in disbelief at what's unfolding around him (no doubt a view some of the audience could ascribe to)
Sitcom stalwarts Betty White (Golden Girls) and Oscar Nunez (The Office) make the most of their parts and actually light up the screen with their antics - Nunez's appearance in the post film credits is a highlight (and worth staying around for)

When push comes to shove, depending on your mood, you'll either love or hate The Proposal - but you will leave with a distinct feeling of déjà vu.

The Hangover: Movie Review

The Hangover: Movie Review

Rating 6/10
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Heather Graham, Zach Galifianakis
Director: Todd Phillips
We've all done it - partied so hard the night before and woken up to have little recollection of what exactly went on.
That's the premise of The Hangover - a gang of three guys head to Vegas to send off the groom in true style.
Only they wake up the next day - to find the expensive hotel suite trashed, various unwanted and unwelcome surprises in the room - and perhaps, worst of all, the groom is nowhere to be seen.
The trio of Stu (Helms), Alan (Galifianakis) and Phil (Cooper) decide to start retracing their steps to find the missing Mr-to-be before it's too late.
However, the further they delve, the more they realize they're in big trouble...
Vegas, baby - the retreat of so many middle aged people these days for bachelor parties, it's all becoming a bit clichéd.
And the road trip genre has been done to death as well.
So, what is there about the Hangover which is new?
Well, Todd Phillips (Old School) has assembled a pretty good, relatively unknown (outside of some circles) cast and a pretty amusing script with some great one liners.
And Zach Galifianakis.
His slightly dorky and awkward Alan is the main reason to see this film (although it's closely followed by Ed Helms' Stu, a dentist who can't see his relationship is a mess) - with most of the best (and oddest) lines, his bearded, pot belly attitude helps him steal every scene he's in. And at times, he's borderline idiot savant and rather than just idiot.
The three main actors teeter at points on physical slapstick - a scene in a police station brings to mind The Three Stooges - but all put in such restrained performances with potentially over the top material, that they make this film likeable.
However, as for any other cast, well they're reduced to cameos ( don't even get me started on how wasted Heather Graham was in this.)
A lot of the hilarity comes from the unexpected (which I don't want to spoil the fun of here by pointing out every gag in the film) - but the only real problem with The Hangover is that it's amusing throughout - rather than riotous.

Some of the best laughs come during the end credits - it's a shame that couldn't have been spread throughout.

Terminator: Salvation: Movie Review

Terminator: Salvation: Movie Review

Rating: 5/10 - 9/10 if you like things blowing up, fanboy (or girl) moments
Cast: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Michael Ironside, Bryce Dallas Howard
Director: McG
It's 2018 - the world's been annihilated as Skynet continues its purge against the human race.
In this post apocalyptic world, John Connor (Christian Bale) is continuing to lead the resistance - which is growing ever more desperate and despondent as the battles continue to rage.
But Skynet decides the way to decisively win the war against Connor is to target his father Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin).
So Connor races against time to save his father and the future.
At the same time, Kyle Reese's befriended by a death row inmate (Sam Worthington) from 2003 who finds himself mysteriously in the future and desperate to find some answers to who and what he is.
Terminator: Salvation is an odd beast - as a Terminator film, it doesn't really work - as a blockbuster film, it's okay with plenty of things exploding in widescreen and plenty of action sequences.
There's much to admire in this film - some of the action sequences are superb; but for every moment that has you admiring what they've done, there's an equal myriad of celluloid scenes which scupper your enthusiasm.
McG's created a brilliant vision of the world post nuclear holocaust - he's bleached the desert scenes so that it's a desolate white - but while you're admiring that, he shows us an industrial world which is riddled with stereotypes and with random fireballs shooting into the sky.
As for the cast, they're all pretty impressive - Anton Yelchin is good as Reese (although he's a little underused); Bale is all gravelly voiced resistance fighter and world weary as the so called saviour of the world.
However, the film belongs to Sam Worthington's character, Marcus Wright.
Worthington spends most of the film looking for answers - even though the audience's already guessed what he is - but it's this turn which should, if there's any justice, see him given a much higher profile.
McG's made a film which will have the real Terminator fans impressed with some of his vision (and some nice cameos for fans of the genre) but many will feel overall it's a little lacking.
Granted, there could have been a bit more done to tweak the plot (and improve some of the frankly atrocious dialogue) but he's created a very real vision of what the world could be - and his high octane action sequences are visually stunning and enthralling.

Just a shame it doesn't hold up to the cancelled far too early Sarah Connor Chronicles - which managed a lot more with character and on a TV budget.

Rachel Getting Married: Movie Review

Rachel Getting Married: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Bill Irwin, Sebastian Stan, Rosemarie DeWitt
Director: Jonathan Demme
Can there be anything worse than an enforced family gathering?
Well, if it's a wedding then sometimes, although it's supposed to be a happy occasion, there can be one or two problems.
Throw in a dysfunctional family and a girl fresh out of rehab, and it's heading for "memorable" (read: disastrous)
Hathaway is stunning as Kym, the sister of the titular Rachel (DeWitt) who shows up back at home days before the actual ceremony.
Straight out of rehab for drugs, she's the flashpoint for some long buried family tensions to resurface as the happy day grows closer.
This film saw Hathaway nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress - and based on this performance, she was robbed by Kate Winslet's taking of the statue.
Her Kym is everything a screwed up, rehab character should be - her acting in this elevates her beyond the Princess Diaries most will remember her for - it's subtle, nuanced and mesmerizing.
In one particular scene, called to the family table to celebrate her sister's wedding rather than sing her sister's praises, Kym actually seizes the moment to bring out her 12 steps programme.
The direction by Demme (The Silence of The Lambs) isn't intrusive - it's all about observation and that lends itself to a documentary style feel.

Rachel Getting Married shows Hathaway's risen well above the teen fodder - and based on this performance, coupled with the right material, she's got a stellar career ahead of her.

Easy Virtue: Movie Review

Easy Virtue: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Barnes, Kris Marshall
Director: Stephan Elliott
Ah, Noel Coward - such a witty way with words and so many ideas bursting out of the big screen.
Easy Virtue sees Jessica Biel's glamorous widow Larita impetuously marrying an Englishman John (Ben Barnes) in France.
But the problems begin when she heads to meet the inlaws back in England - to say the atmosphere is frosty from her mother in law (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a major understatement.
However, Jim (Colin Firth) is more accepting of his daughter in law - but slowly the divides and cracks begin to show - and ultimately something has to give.
Easy Virtue is a social comedy - but this version of the film seems, at times, at odds when it comes to deciding which decade it's in.
While Larita and John's mother seem to be firmly from the 1920s, Colin Firth's Jim seems more of a 90s man when it comes to his outfits. Jim's attitude is ahead of his time as well - although Coward's said this play is about comparing the modern women with the stuffy women of the late 1800s.
And it's this kind of mish mash which proves a little distracting in this flighty comedy.
Biel's not too bad as the sassy Larita who struggles to find her place in 1920s English society - essentially she's pitched against icy Kristin Scott Thomas - and Biel's positively charming next to the dour mother.
The main problem with Easy Virtue is at times, it feels like a play which has made it to the big screen - very little's made of the sumptuous countryside and manor around them - although with Noel Coward's words, it's all about what's spoken and said (and occasionally what's not said) rather than what's physically around.

Easy Virtue is pleasant enough and will pass the time on a Sunday winter afternoon - all of the cast turn in solid performances in their respective roles - it's just overall, it does feel somewhat lacking and a little bit out of time.

Bottle Shock: Movie Review

Bottle Shock: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Bill Pullman, Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, Freddy Rodriguez, Dennis Farina
Director: Randall Miller
Based on a true story, Bottle Shock (one of the contenders for worst film title of the year) is the account of how, in the 1970s, a British ex-pat Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman), living in France, decided to travel to the then unknown Napa Valley to see if there were wines which could compete against the best the French had on offer.
Once he gets to Napa Valley, he has a chance meeting with struggling Chateau Montelena vintner Jim Barrett (the ever wonderful Bill Pullman) and realizes there is plenty to tap into.
However, Barrett and the rest of the would-be vintners scattered around the region are not sure how to take Spurrier and initially begin to fleece him.
Barrett has his own problems - the acres of land he owns are mortgaged upto the hilt and if his latest attempt to crack the industry fails, he'll lose everything.
Throw into that mix Bo Barrett, Jim's son (Chris Pine from Star Trek) a hippy who's still living the Woodstock life, and it's easy to see why everything could come crashing around their ears.
Bottle Shock is beautifully shot (with rolling footage of vines and acres of land - which will see it do well in New Zealand) - and has a wonderful character whimsy about it.
Granted, it's not the most earth shattering of stories - even if it is based on events back in the 1970s which saw the wine world open up to tipples outside of the French Riviera. It could do with a bit of editing as well as it feels a little like it's dragging towards the end.
But Bottle Shock has an easy laid back charm - and is essentially about coming to accept your place in the world - or doing something to ensure that position changes; it's about fathers and sons, ambition and self belief, independents and the big players and competition among friends.

Don't dismiss it because of its title (although it is a term associated with the wine industry) - Bottle Shock deserves to do well in New Zealand - many Kiwis will associate with the have a go mentality on display as well as the roguish element of youth.

State of Play: Movie Review

State of Play: Movie Review

Rating: 9/10
Cast: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jeff Daniels, Jason Bateman, Helen Mirren.

Director: Kevin Macdonald

State of Play is based on the critically acclaimed BBC series of the same name.
It's no doubt an intimidating task adapting a much loved British drama into a feature length American film.
What sacrifices should be made reducing a six-episode series into a feature length film? Can blockbuster actors do justice to much loved roles?

It's worth pointing out here that I haven't seen the television series in its entirety; though I was familiar with the conclusion before seeing the film. This hasn't changed my opinion in the slightest: this movie is quite brilliant.

Congressman Stephen Collins (Affleck) is a rising star in his political party. Responsible for chairing a committee exploring US defence spending commitments, Collins' career is derailed when his research assistant - and mistress - is killed.

Journalist Cal McAffrey (Crowe) is sent to investigate the accident, along with the murder of a junkie on Washington's mean streets. McAffrey treads the fine line between maintaining his long-standing friendship with Collins while remaining committed to the demands of his editor Cameron (Mirren).

As McAffrey and hot shot reporter Della Frye (McAdams) discover the connection between the murders, the two uncover a web of corporate deceit so intricate it becomes to differentiate the good from the bad and the trustworthy from the corrupt.

While developing the film, the producers struck a road block. After signing on to play Cal McAffrey, Brad Pitt left the production - a decision director Kevin Macdonald approved wholeheartedly. According to recent interviews Pitt requested that McAffrey's wardrobe include cashmere suits. Mcdonald disagreed and Russell Crowe took the role.

As the fleshy, flawed McAffrey, Crowe manages to avoid the trappings of playing the classic antihero. Crowe's McAffrey is both hack and friend, constantly torn between journalistic integrity and a desire to protect his old mate from the very vultures he works with.

Crowe has managed to transcend the earnest masculinity that has dominated his previous roles. While devouring twinkies and slugging whiskey from cracked mugs - wearing a crumpled old suit - Crowe manages to create a real character who in spite of obvious flaws is still dedicated to justice.

State of Play relies heavily on the interplay between its main players and this isn't Crowe's movie alone. Ben Affleck is particularly good as the guarded Collins, while Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn and Helen Mirren are as consistent as usual. Jason Bateman deserves a mention for his a nicely ironic performance as a hapless PR schmuck.

State of Play's characters are intrinsically conflicted, each determined to protect their own backs and advance their careers while attempting to reveal - or conceal - the truth.

Who has control? Who is manipulating whom? It's a credit to these actors that they manage to make a bunch of scoundrels so likeable.

Political thrillers don't get better than this.