The Fighter: Movie Review

The Fighter: Movie Review

The Fighter
Rating: 9/10
Cast: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo
Director: David O Russell
Boxing films are all the same, right?
An underdog loses a series of fights in a desperate attempt to make a comeback and suddenly comes good when it really matters.
The Fighter is different.
And infinitely better than the usual fare.
Based on a true story, Mark Wahlberg stars as Micky Ward, a boxer who's living in the shadow of his older brother Dicky Eklund (a wonderfully wiry and sparky, Golden Globe award winning Christian Bale.) Eklund is the pride of Lowell, Massachusetts; a boxer who once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, he's the celeb of the working class town.
However, Eklund is racked with addiction to crack cocaine and is dragging the family down - as well as his brother's hopes of staging some kind of fighting revival. Plus along with the fearsome matriarch of the nine strong family, Alice (a ferocious Golden Globe award winning Melissa Leo) in charge of their careers, Micky is going nowhere fast.
So when Micky meets Amy Adams' Charlene, a local bartender college drop out, a tender romance develops and Micky begins to start to believe in himself and his ability again.
But Charlene realizes the only way to boost Micky's career is to remove the cancer of Alice and Dicky - and so the battle lines are set and the confrontation begins.
Let's get the boxing clichés out of the way now - this is a knock out of a film which pulls no punches.
But it's the ensemble cast which gives this true story a human feel and raise it well above the mire of a clichéd boxing film.
Christian Bale is astoundingly good as Eklund, a sinewy frame supporting a "can't take your eyes off him" performance. There's energy and world class acting on show here as the small town hero who was on the cusp of having it all but blows it for the cycle of addiction.
Yet, while Bale's great, thanks to the sensible and restrained direction of David O Russell, it doesn't detract from the rest of the cast - specifically Mark Wahlberg, whose subtly underplayed performance is the perfect antithesis to Bale's sparky energy. He's an assured presence here and conveys the torment of realizing the family's holding him back and the pain of having to try and make that clean break.
Amy Adams is also excellent as Charlene and Melissa Leo needs special mention as the most frightening mom in charge since the mom at the head of the clan in Animal Kingdom last year.
If you're expecting a series of montages of fights as well when we see Micky start to box again, that's another cliché dispensed with by Russell; at most each fight on the way to the title racks up about two seconds. It's a great move which means the drama's solely focused on life outside the ring (which is where the emotional core of this film lies) and because of it, when the title bout comes round and that plays out in its entirety rather than a brief snippet of narrative, there's more invested in you wanting to see Micky win.
With humour, raw honesty and brilliant casting, this tale of redemption and addiction will suck you in right from the very beginning.
The Fighter is guaranteed to leave your pulse racing and your heart beating from beginning to end - as it lines up with The King's Speech for potential Oscar glory, it looks as if 2011's finally off to a superb cinematic start.

Simply a knock out and unmissable.

The King's Speech: Movie Review

The King's Speech: Movie Review

The King's Speech
Rating: 9/10
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham-Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall
Director: Tom Hooper
Here comes the early contender for Oscar glory - and rightly so (and it's already been lavished with plenty of pre award season nominations.)
Colin Firth stars as Prince Albert aka the soon to be King George VI, who's crippled by a stammer. With the health of his father failing and the second World War looming, his wife Elizabeth (Bonham Carter) decides Bertie needs help.
So, after doctors fail him and other therapists come up short, she finds a potential salvation in the shape of Aussie Lionel Logue (a brilliant Geoffrey Rush), an alternative and maverick therapist.
After a slightly dodgy start to their relationship, Bertie and Logue begin to work together in unusual ways to overcome the problem.
But with the death of his father, the forced abdication of Edward and the looming Second World War, Bertie soon finds it'll be his words which will inspire the Commonwealth.
However, it's those words which don't appear to be coming any time soon.
The King's Speech is, quite simply, marvellous.
A brilliant crowd pleaser, with a script liberally peppered with dry wit and humour, along with some stunning turns from Firth and Rush, it's a riveting watch from beginning to end.
Colin Firth will be a shoo in for some form of glory with this performance (although as ever, early buzz sometimes cripples the front runners) but his role as the monarch to be is mesmerizingly good. The frustration Albert clearly feels in his inability to speak is etched perfectly on his face - and not once do you feel Firth is over egging the role. In fact, it's his restrained turn that may have you doubled with nerves as you will him to speak every single word when he's struggling.
Throw in the great laid back and human performance of Geoffrey Rush and it's a brilliant double act which will entertain in ways you couldn't possibly imagine on screen.
Bonham-Carter and Spall are equally as good as the Queen Mum and Churchill. Bonham-Carter particularly brings the mischievous twinkle in the Queen Mum's eye vividly to life.
But it's Firth who effortlessly commands the screen in this - you won't believe how much you've emotionally invested in the build up to one man delivering a speech.

Simply the first unmissable crowd pleasing film of 2011, which will leave you lost for words.

Soul Kitchen: DVD Review

Soul Kitchen: DVD Review

Soul Kitchen

Rating:M
Released by Madman

Winner of the Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2009, Soul Kitchen is the tale of Zinos (Bousdoukos) a German restauranteur whose life is at a crossroads.

His girlfriend Nadine is about to fly to Shanghai for a job, his ex con brother Ilias (Bleibtreu) is on parole and his Hamburg hangar based restaurant, The Soul Kitchen is facing a crisis with a lack of patrons.

One day Zinos hires a new chef - and despite the initial frostiness towards the cordon bleu chef's offerings, somehow the kitchen manages to take off and become the hip centre of town.

But when Zinos' back gives out, he realizes he has to try and heal his broken heart and head to Shanghai. So he leaves the restaurant with Ilias - and that's when everything starts to go wrong.

Soul Kitchen is a vibrant comic film with a bustling cool soundtrack (it's got one of the best opening scenes I've seen in a long time in terms of hooking you in and getting you grooving)- it's also possibly one of the most over the top pieces of cinema I've seen in a while, thanks in part to the apparent overacting of Bousdoukos at odd moments.

There are screwball moments, warmth and heart in this kitchen - and the final result is somewhat of a crazy yet very digestible and insanely enjoyable mix.

Rating: 6/10

Tomorrow, When The War Began: Blu Ray Review

Tomorrow, When The War Began: Blu Ray Review

Tomorrow, When The War Began
Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

Based on the very popular books by John Marsden comes this version of Tomorrow, When The War Began, starring former Neighbours actress Caitlin Stasey stars as Ellie Linton, the beloved heroine of many a reader, living out in the Aussie town of Wirrawee.

Overnight, an invasion force arrives - and with all the population rounded up, suddenly Ellie and her friends (who are away camping) are the only hope to strike back.

Tomorrow When The War Began is the kind of film you can gather the family together on a Sunday afternoon and sit down and watch.

The ensemble cast do well - even if the director appears to have gone nuts with the FX budget turning every minor explosion into a serious screen shredding destruction.

With an underplayed appeal, the film's more intimate scenes work well and this Tomorrow, When The War Began is a promising start to the saga.

Extras: Profiles, making of, director's commentary, alternate ending and behind the scenes - a good solid bunch.

Rating: 7/10 

Burlesque: Movie Review

Burlesque: Movie Review

Burlesque
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Stanley Tucci, Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet, Alan Cumming, Eric Dane
Director: Steve Antin
Nominated for a Golden Globe for best Musical/ comedy seems entirely apt for Burlesque.
Aguilera (and her warbling pipes) stars as Ali, a small town American girl with a great voice who dreams of making it big in LA. (There's the first cliché for you.)
So, after quitting her crummy job in a bar, she heads to the city of lights and stumbles across the Burlesque Lounge, a failing but stomping club run by Cher's Tess with a little help from Stanley Tucci's stage manager Sean.
Talking her way into a bartending job there, she strikes up a friendship with the bar manager Jake (Twilight's Cam Gigandet) and manages to find her way onto the stage - but not without making an enemy out of Kristen Bell's Nikki.
However, unless Tess can find a way to keep the club afloat, Ali's time in the spotlight may be brief.
Burlesque is essentially a series of extended music videos - broken up by some clichéd plot and some, at times, frankly awful (and unintentionally funny) dialogue.
Aguilera acquits herself brilliantly in the singing portion of the film but brings little extra in terms of acting to the role of Ali; Cher is lacking any real emotional depth (and facial movement) as Tess - so the two leads are a mixed bag.
Thankfully, the wonderfully classy Stanley Tucci lights up every scene he's in and is blessed with some wonderfully witty moments (and revels in them); Mc Steamy aka Eric Dane is just lacking a handlebar moustache to twirl as the evil property magnate - and Alan Cumming is woefully underused as the club's doorman who has great lines like "I should wash your mouth out with Jagermeister" as well as a great risque song and dance moment.
I guess at the end of the day, Burlesque is about the spectacle more than anything else - while the club scenes and songs rock the joint, they certainly do little (with one exception) to capture the sexiness and seductive tease of Burlesque. However, they do showcase some stunning choreography and singing from Aguilera. Cher gets to do a couple of numbers but they're a lot more downbeat than you would expect.
While it's fair to say Aguilera essentially brings her music video presence to the big screen (and therefore nothing new in terms of acting or performance) she certainly lends a much needed musical credence to Burlesque.

The love story between Jake and her is naïve at best and corny at worst; but it certainly provides something for all - overall, Burlesque is an okay spectacle (a tad overlong) but is instantly forgettable the minute you walk out.

The Dilemma: Movie Review

The Dilemma: Movie Review

The Dilemma
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Vince Vaughan, Kevin James, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly, Channing Tatum, Queen Latifah
Director: Ron Howard
Vince Vaughan's back in this film, pitched as a comedy from the trailer, which is more like a drama with occasional comedy thrown in for good measure.
In the dramedy, Vaughan is Ronny, whose best mate since college days is Kevin James' Nick. These two are tight and are probably one of the best definitions of bromance I've seen for a long time - they work together and party together.
Nick's married to Winona Ryder's Geneva and has been for years - but one day Nick sees Geneva in the arms of another man.
That throws him into a moral quandary - should he tell his best buddy and risk their friendship and business partnership falling apart? Or should he keep quiet?
But as Nick looks further into Geneva's infidelity, he soon discovers the sheen of his best friend is slipping a little and the whole right and wrong leads to plenty of dilemmas for Nick - and those he loves.
The Dilemma falls into the Couples Retreat territory - that is to say, the trailer pitches it as a comedy and you head to it expecting that, and that's a little far from what's actually served up on the big screen.
It's a mixed bag too - some painstakingly raw honest moments are well done and the drama is good too. But with a two hour running time and not enough funny, you may feel in a bit of a quandary yourself about whether this film is good or not.
Vaughan is okay as the suitably downbeat Ronny whose world falls apart amid suspicion and mistrust - and Winona Ryder (who appears to be undergoing something of a cinematic comeback this year) certainly gives her all as the morally challenged wife.
The main quartet are realistic and genuinely well acted to be believable and Ron Howard brings an assured eye to the direction yet The Dilemma lacks that certain kind of pizzazz and oomph which it needs to keep it moving along as it shifts into the more straight acting and out of the humourous territory.

But it is worth seeing for an hilarious scene where Ronny gives a very amusing toast but as you have to wait for over an hour to get to that part, you may feel yourself drifting and entering your own quandary about whether you want to wait that long.

Yogi Bear: Movie Review

Yogi Bear: Movie Review

Yogi Bear
Rating: 3/10
Cast: Yogi, Boo Boo, Ranger Smith, Ranger Jones, Pic-a-nic baskets - Dan Aykroyd, Tom Cavanagh, Justin Timberlake, Anna Faris
Director: Eric Brevig
It's nature vs corporate greed in this latest film for Yogi Bear, partially shot here in good ole NZ.
Dan Aykroyd, a lifelong Yogi fan, voices the brown bear who's notorious in his home Jellystone Park - mainly for attempting to steal picnic baskets (along with compatriot Boo Boo).
Yogi's nemesis is Ranger Smith (Scrubs' Tom Cavanagh) - but both of them face a fresh threat when the local mayor decides to shut down Jellystone Park and sell it off in an attempt to get the region out of debt and stave off his being thrown out of office.
When a visiting doco maker (Anna Faris) turns up, it seems there's some hope for the park in its 100th year.
But it looks as if Yogi and Smith have underestimated the power of the corporate big boys.
Looking at this through a rosy tinted pair of nostalgia glasses may prove fatal for fans of the original Hanna Barbera series.
First up - both Aykroyd and Timberlake (particularly) do excellent vocal versions of their respective characters but they can't save this terribly unoriginal, lazily 3D converted travesty.
With a script that reeks of corny jokes (which only the really young of the audience will enjoy), there's little here that sings from this mercifully short film. The message of love nature is pummeled through at every available opportunity - and fair enough.
But the joy of the original shorts and the antics of the bear are unimpressive and out of place in the 21st century - with really only the very young sector of the audience likely to get plenty of mirth from what transpires on the screen. Parents who remember the original may walk out feeling that they've had a childhood memory destroyed in a bitter disappointment.

Faris and Cavanagh make a good couple and do as best they can - but with a script that appears to have been found where a bear does its business in the woods, that's cold comfort.