Amelia: Movie Review

Amelia: Movie Review

Rating: 5/10
Cast: Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston
Director: Mira Nair
Hilary Swank stars as the symbol of optimism and hope to many during the great depression in this latest attempt to bring Amelia Earhart to the screen.
(The first of course was the button nose Amy Adams in this year's Night At the Museum 2)
Earhart's story is obviously one which is well known given how her final flight turned out - although the mystery behind it has never been solved, there's been endless speculation about what exactly happened when she disappeared.
Book-ending this film is that flight - as the film opens, Earhart's in the plane with her navigator - but from there, we're cast back into the past as we see exactly how she became interested in the whole business of flying and cracking the gentlemen's club of the time. The story's told in flashbacks as we see Earhart taking her final flight, the 1937 round the world attempt from which she disappeared.
Earhart first meets with publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere) who asks her why exactly she wants to fly. He's after a female face to help sell a book - and interest - in aviation. But Putnam's reckoned without Earhart's moxy and her ambition to fly solo (something which was framed upon in the boy's club of the time).

Amelia is a disappointing biopic - despite Swank's uncanny resemblance to Earhart, there's little passion in the film - even an affair with Ewan McGregor's Gene Vidal is brushed over without any real depth and feeling. And Putnam's desire to keep Earhart and his jealousy over her friendship with Vidal is fumbled over as well. It's a case of missed opportunities with this biopic.
Earhart was clearly a conflicted, passionate character - she was forced to endorse products she didn't believe in because of the harsh reality that a lack of product placement would mean no cash to finance the flights. We see her give in with little fight and it's frustrating.
Director Mira Nair's used to great effect old aeroplanes and some of the old reel footage which exists of the flights at the time (the newsreels fade into excellent recreations of the scenes) and there's a wonderful sweeping score.
But set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, I never really got a sense of how Amelia Earhart was the modern hero to those who suffered so badly in the 30s - and I certainly never felt that the filmmakers got that message across well enough.

There's a simplicity of story telling within Amelia - but unfortunately it's a little too broad brush and treats the subject a little too lightly. It's very tempting to say the biopic rarely takes off (sorry) but in all honesty, Amelia just doesn't gel together; the story's a little flat and it's hard to emotionally engage with Amelia herself and sympathise with her plight as she tried desperately to pioneer her way in the skies.

Under The Mountain: Movie Review

Under The Mountain: Movie Review

Rating: 7/10
Cast: Sam Neill, Oliver Driver, Tom Cameron, Sophie McBride
Director: Jonathan King
How do you adapt a classic?
Particularly one as inherently Kiwi and steeped in our culture as hokey pokey ice cream or The Topp Twins?
That's the dilemma facing the director Jonathan King in this new adaptation of Maurice Gee's much loved book Under The Mountain, first published back in 1979.
In this version (a little removed from the iconic eighties television series) teen twins Theo and Rachel (Tom Cameron and Sophie McBride) are growing apart after the death of their mother.
The psychic bond shared by the pair is under strain as Theo refuses to face the reality of the situation - however, the pair stay with relatives in Auckland and discover their future lies in helping Mr Jones (Sam Neill) defeat the Wilberforces before they unleash the power beneath the volcanoes and destroy the world..
Personally I think it's hard to really appreciate Under The Mountain out of context of New Zealand - the whole production is clearly a NZ venture; from the sweeping panoramic shots of Auckland and the NZ countryside to a very funny aside about the reality of calling in the New Zealand Army, Under The Mountain is steeped in Kiwiana.
Maurice Gee's book is considered a classic by many - and it's fair to say there's a weight of expectation on this adaptation.
What director Jonathan King's managed to create is an incredibly creepy and, in places, downright scary film - the oozing menace from Oliver Driver's head Wilberforce is likely to give kids nightmares. He is a boogeyman for the 21st century and thanks to WETA workshop's impressive prosthetic work and Driver's staccato vocals, there'll be plenty who'll want to sleep with the lights on for a while to come.
The effects are equally as impressive - whereas the directors could easily have used CGI to create everything, they've opted for a mix of live action and CGI which seamlessly blend in.
Scenery plays a vitally important part in this film - Rangitoto towers in the background, forever lurking and casting a shadow over what transpires in the film - beautiful panoramic shots highlight the juxtaposition of the alien decay of the Wilberforce place on Lake Pupuke in comparison to the life and vitality of Auckland's finest.
For first time actors, Tom Cameron and Sophie McBride acquit themselves not too badly; and Leon Wadham's cousin Ricky, who initially grates as a comedy relief, finds something meatier is required of him when the Wilberforce threat becomes real - Sam Neill as ever brings gravitas and a degree of humanity to his role as Mr Jones.
If there's to be a criticism of Under The Mountain (and unfortunately there has to be), it comes after the 60 minutes mark - after building an incredible atmosphere of menace and threat, it all becomes a little unstuck and the ending is somewhat rushed and a little muddy. A moment of sacrifice from a major character unfortunately doesn't ring as emotionally true as it should and it clouds the film's denouement.

Overall, Under The Mountain deserves to do well in New Zealand as it's imbued with an inherent love of the source material here - for the young kids, there's a brand new generation of Wilberforces to give them the heebie jeebies - and for those who fondly remember the iconic TVNZ series, there's plenty of moments to empathise with the kids as their teen fears are realized.

The Time Traveller's Wife: Movie Review

The Time Traveller's Wife: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston
Director: Robert Schwentke
Based on the best selling book by Audrey Niffenegger about a time travelling librarian (yeah, who knew?), the film version of The Time Traveller's Wife finally materialises in cinemas.
Bana stars as old and young versions of Henry deTamble, who, thanks to a genetic anomaly, can travel back and forth through time. Without warning, he simply disappears, leaving behind a pile of clothes and questions - and shows up somewhere else stark naked.
However, one day at a library, he meets Rachel McAdams' Claire Abshire, who tells him that they've met before - only Henry's never met her. Yet.
So they start a relationship and Henry begins to realise that he's met the young Claire - and as their life together grows, Claire begins to suffer the strain of not knowing how long Henry's around for her and what they can do together.
Can their love survive? And what hurdles will they face in their future - will Henry's genetic problem be passed onto their children?
The Time Traveller's Wife may have you leaving the cinema doing one of two things - either scratching your head over the intricacies of jumping around in your own timeline (the bane of sci-fi - and Sam Beckett - for years) or bawling your eyes out.
It's a romantic fantasy with a narrative that jumps back and forth (although not as strongly as the book did) - director Robert Schwentke has made the narrative as linear as he could.
Bana and McAdams bring considerable charm to their respective roles - and the effects of Bana melting away as Henry are pretty cool (like water running through a painting) - but The Time Traveller's Wife has a kind of mournful spirit throughout.
Henry's condition is never seen as anything more than a curse for him - he can't save his mother from a fatal car accident and he never seems entirely happy to just disappear. Even when flashes of his death appear, it's a nice touch to see that Bana's character is scared because he finally has something he wants to stick around for and that's now out of his control.

The Time Traveller's Wife won't set the world alight - despite some of the corny lines, there's a quiet air of sadness in it which induces a major case of the weepies at the end.

Where The Wild Things Are: Movie Review

Where The Wild Things Are: Movie Review

Rating: 7/10
Cast: Max Records, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Catherine Keener, Lauren Ambrose, Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker
Director: Spike Jonze
Max is your typical kid - rambunctious, lacking in boundaries and discipline and blessed with a fiercely imaginative mind.
He spends his time building igloos in the snow and wandering around in a wolf costume.
One day after a fight and heated argument with his mum, he runs off, gets in a boat and heads to an island. That island is Where The Wild Things live - and under the cover of darkness, he meets Carol and the rest of the gang - a group of 10 foot tall hairy creatures wreaking havoc for no reason.
Max, feeling dejected and rejected from his home life, decides to stay with the Wild Things after he's made King of their clan - however, he soon discovers that ruling is not as easy as he thought.
Spike Jonze's version of Where The Wild Things Are is of course based on the 1963 book by Maurice Sendak and of course comes with the weighty expectation of fans worldwide.
However, it's no disappointment.
Granted, there's not much story to build on but what Jonze has visually created is stunning in places - and his decision to turn the Wild Things into toweringly tall animatronic full suits (with creatures made by Jim Henson's Creature Shop) is nothing short of cinematic genius.
Shot with a handheld camera, the film is full of beautiful visuals - as well as nightmarish visions and will amaze you from the very moment the Wild Things appear on the screen. They look like cuddly puppets in places - but Carol's temperamental behaviour and tantrums which rock Max's world are brilliantly brought to life by the vocal work of James Gandolfini of Sopranos fame. In fact, it's possible to say Gandolfini's Carol is a creature version of his Tony Soprano - charming and charismatic but with the capability of turning at just the bat of an eyelid.
Let's be clear though - this is not really a kid's film. The themes of anger, loneliness and melancholy coupled with some dark, sinister visuals are the stuff of nightmares. The younger end of the audience may find it hard to watch - but that said, there's wonderment aplenty in the vision Jonze has had.
He's clearly stayed true to his idea of how the book should be created; he's fleshed out the plot and brought the creatures to life. There's a raucous soundtrack to complement this ragtag bag of misfit creatures whose occasionally sadsack ways will amuse and upset in equal measures.

Where The Wild Things will appeal to the imaginative - and Spike Jonze's creativity deserves to be saluted. As the year heads to a close, it's proof the best is still coming

The Informant!: Movie Review

The Informant!: Movie Review

Rating: 7/10
Cast: Matt Damon, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale
Director: Steven Soderbergh
The Informant! is the tale of Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) a rising executive at the American agricultural firm during the 1990s.
Despite doing well within the company, Whitacre ends up blowing the whistle to an FBI agent (Scott Bakula) about apparent price fixing within the market instigated by the very people he works with.
However, as the FBI dig deeper into what's going on, Whitacre reveals more about the company's involvement with lysine, an additive used in the commercial livestock industry.
And the closer the FBI get to nabbing those responsible, the more bizarre turns the investigation takes thanks to the increasingly erratic behaviour of Whitacre himself.
The Informant! is a curious new film from Matt Damon and Steven Soderbergh.
Based on an apparently true story, there's a feeling of growing incredulity the longer the film goes on. Matt Damon's Whitacre is clearly a conflicted and bipolar character, whose tormented inner monologue at key moments see him ruminate on the minutiae of life - one side comment sees him wondering how polar bears learnt to cover their black noses when hunting given they had no concept of black and white.
It's a dark comedy that Soderbergh's created in places - but with tremendously solid performances from the likes of Damon and Taranaki's very own Melanie Lynskey (who plays Whitacre's long suffering wife), you're never quite 100% sure where to laugh - or even if you should.
As the film nears its conclusion, there's more than just a little element of screwball appearing in it as Whitacre's world begins to unravel.

Blessed with a brilliant bossanova 70s style soundtrack, The Informant! is an odd treat with unexpected and unbelievable moments. Granted there will be those who feel the film is trying a little too hard to be quirky and aiming for an insane zaniness; however, at the film's conclusion, you'll be hard pressed to have anything but an unusual admiration for Whitacre and how he led the entire FBI on a wild dance.

The Cake Eaters: Movie Review

The Cake Eaters: Movie Review

Rating 5/10
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Aaron Stanford, Bruce Dern, Jayce Bartok
Director: Mary Stuart Masterson
Kristen Stewart (sort of) sheds her Bella from Twilight image in this bittersweet story of love.
Set in small town America, Stewart plays Georgia, a teen with Freidreich's Ataxia, a progressive degenerative disease of the nervous system.
Georgia suffers with a slurred speech and a stuttering walk - but one day, while at a car boot sale, she meets Beagle (Aaron Stanford), the son of a local butcher. Beagle's family has been torn apart by their mother's death and his long errant brother has also just returned to town - to a wall of bitterness and anger at his absence during the family loss.
And that's really it for plot in this indie film, the directorial debut of actress Mary Stuart Masterson.
This quiet low key, character driven indie would probably have been consigned to TV movie status (and has sat on a shelf since 2007) were it not for Kristen Stewart and the Twilight mania. That said, while she does play a variation of the Bella character, Stewart shows what a talented actress she actually is.
She plays Georgia with a headstrong desire to live a life while she can - and she and Beagle pursue an uneasy relationship as those around them come to terms with life, love and loss.

There's nothing seriously wrong with The Cake Eaters - granted, it's a little predictable and clichéd and you can probably see what's coming a mile off. It's a Sunday afternoon film - but thanks to Stewart's superior and genuine performance, it is saved from the mire - given Stewart made this film before the ascendance of Bella, it shows she really does have the promise to make it long after the vampire franchise has been staked.

Zombieland: Movie Review

Zombieland: Movie Review

Rating: 8/10
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Amber Heard
Director: Ruben Fleischer
From the opening slow mo titles which see zombies taking people out in very drawn out fashion to the final showdown at the end, Zombieland is one hell of a lot of fun.
Basically, thanks to a diseased burger, the entire US of A has been overrun with zombies, leaving just a few survivors determined to avoid being bitten.
The hero is Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a nerdy student who encounters Woody Harrelson's red neck Tallahassee one day as he tries to find out if his family's survived the apocalypse.
(That's one of the great things about Zombieland - none of the characters have real names; they've simply given their locations as their monkers)
So teaming up, the duo head across America - however, on the way they encounter Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) who manage to con them out of their car, guns and belongings. It appears the end of the world has still brought out the worst in some people&as well as that whole zombie flesh eating issue.
Tallahassee is determined to wreak revenge - but as the road trip progresses, both parties grow closer together - will their nuclear family be ruined by revenge and zombies?
Zombieland is not your average undead film flick - for one thing, it's a terrifically fun ride, chock full of unexpected madness and laugh out loud moments.
Eisenbeg and Harrelson's nerdy Columbus and redneck Tallahassee double act sizzles with a sparkling energy - Tallahassee's not at all impressed with his new buddy, as it's throwing him off his quest to find the last ever Twinkie on earth.
Columbus on the other hand has a whole set of rules he has which help him survive the end of the world - and as he espouses these at the start of the film, they seem to have helped him get through. But having spent so much time as a loner, he soon realizes those ways are going to have to change.
Director Fleischer gives the film some visual flair and a vibrancy which sees it never outstay its 90 minute duration.
But there's one main reason to see Zombieland - and unfortunately, I'm determined not to spoil it for you - because the pure unadulterated pleasure I felt as I witnessed what was the best plot point I've seen for years left me beaming for ages after the end.
And trust me, it'd be a shame to spoil that for you - it's sheer genius and very brilliant.



Zombieland is a reminder of how fun and disposable great cinema should be - it's trashy, it's pulpy and yet underneath all the undead flesh, there's a beating heart which will give you the widest grin you've had for a long time, long after you've left.