J Edgar: Blu Ray Review

J Edgar: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Video

Leonardo di Caprio stars as J Edgar Hoover, the man who, over nearly 50 years in public office and serving somewhere in the region of 8 presidents, helped redefine the criminal system in the USA, set up the FBI - and who had a tendency to spy on a lot of people.

It starts with a looming voiceover intoning that “It’s time this generation heard my side of the story” and cuts to Hoover dictating his memoirs to a series of agents – starting with his first foray into the world of crime investigation in 1919, while at the Department of Justice.

Central to the story is the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh’s son in 1932 aka The Crime of the Century– which not only sent J Edgar’s FBI into the spotlight but horrified the nation at the time.

And at the same time, Eastwood’s picture concentrates on Hoover’s own internal struggle with his sexuality, his attraction and friendship to protégé Clyde Tolson (played by The Social Network’s Armie Hammer), and his relationship with his mother (Judi Dench) and his fiercely loyal secretary, Helen Gandy (Watts).

While the narrative jumps around a lot and flashes back and forth between the investigations andHoover’s later years, it’s a film which really does belong to Leonardo di Caprio.

His ferocious blistering performance as the man whose puritanical, even evangelical speeches were clearly his defining trait, is one to watch from the moment it begins. It’s a commanding performance which while seeming initially full of bluster, is one which lets some of the hidden truths about Hoover come out through a subtly nuanced performance of inner turmoil.

Scenes with Judi Dench stand out as well – as Hoover tries to reveal to his overbearing mother he doesn’t like women, he’s told she’d rather have a dead son than a “daffodil”.

Di Caprio’s co-star Armie Hammer does well as Tolson in conveying their relationship and mutual love too – even if towards the end, he’s a little weighed down with latex and liver spots. Naomi Watts suffers a little from a lack of limelight as Hoover’s trusted secretary Helen Gandy and you’re never quite 100% sure why she supported Hoover so rigidly.

All in all, J Edgar is an interesting – if occasionally overlong - portrait of the man – and while Clint Eastwood’s direction sometimes errs toward the clunky, it’s a fascinating and compelling central performance from di Caprio which keeps the audience along for the ride.

Extras: Behind the scenes piece

Rating:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Blu Ray Review

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by Warner Home Video

Based on the best selling book by Jonathan Safron Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the story of one boy's life after his father was taken from him in the September 11th World Trade Centre attacks.

Newcomer Horn stars as Oskar Schell, a borderline Aspergers Syndrome sufferer who shares an incredibly close bond with his father Thomas (Hanks). The pair are inseparable and his jeweller father sets quests for Oskar to complete and mysteries for him to solve. 

So, when his father is killed in the 9/11 attacks, Oskar is devastated and rejects his mother Linda (Bullock), drawing further into his own world. And his world is blown apart when Oskar one day finds a key in a vase - believing his father's left it for him and with only the clue Black written on the back of the envelope it's written on, Oskar sets about finding the lock the key will open...

However, his quest looks unbeatable with the odds mounting up against him - and Oskar ends up getting the help of Max von Sydow's The Renter, who lives with his grandmother. Unspoken and communicating only via written notes, The Renter begins to fulfill Oskar's father figure needs as the quest goes on...

It's a powerful subject to be tackled in a haunting film like this and there are still some I suspect who may find the idea of a film like this difficult to watch.

It's certainly harrowing in parts and you can't help in places but feel emotionally manipulated as this extremely long film spools out. But there's no denying the wallop some scenes hit you with - one where Oskar tells his mum he'd rather she'd died in the Tower collapse is horrifically shocking but feels so true and real in these actors' hands.

The trouble is that in places you can't help but feel emotionally milked and wish Daldry would have eased back a little on some of his direction; montages of people reading letters and the frankly cheesily appaling freeze frame end would have been better excised from the final cut. Also, a scene of Hanks plunging to his death could really have been left out.


Yet, thanks to a very impressive turn from first time actor Horn gives this something for us to pin our cinema going hats on; it's a remarkably assured performance as the troubled borderline Aspergers syndrome kid hunts for the key to the mystery. But it's not just that - it's the fact, Horn's anger feels real and in line with what a kid would feel when railing against the injustice and unfairness of the death of his father.
Likewise supporting players like Von Sydow, Viola Davis, Hanks and Bullock also give this sense of gravitas and empathy in amongst the brooding. 

Scenes of Oskar listening to the six answerphone messages from his father trapped within the towers feel raw, awkward and intrusive, hinting at a grief which is still too new but also alluding to how families of those affected must still be coping.

A veritable weepie in places, this will reduce even the hardest of audiences to tears at times - and while not exactly an overwhelmingly upbeat film, its ending certainly hints at a healing.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close rises above mawkish sentiment by very impressive ensemble performances from its cast; and while it's not flawless, it's certainly an emotional watch which feels raw and true.

Extras: Making of, Thomas Horn talks, ten years on - looking at 9/11 and a piece on Max von Sydow

Rating:

New Zealand Film Festival Reviews - Day Five

New Zealand Film Festival Reviews - Day Five

Actually, in all honesty, I've lost track of whether it is Day Five of the reviews, due to the level of choice I'm being spoilt with...

But, if you are scanning ahead for films to watch, check out the following links:

New Zealand Film Festival Reviews - Day One
New Zealand Film Festival Reviews - Day Two
New Zealand Film Festival Reviews - Day Three
New Zealand Film Festival Reviews - Last Dogs Of Winter special
New Zealand Film Festival Reviews - Day  Four

Here's the latest take on the films which I saw last night -

Your Sister's Sister - Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass and Rosemarie DeWitt star in this threesome which is probably one of the most charming films I've seen so far at NZFF 2012. From Humpday director Lynn Shelton, comes this tale of the trio and whose lives are changed by a trip. Duplass stars as Jack, whose brother Tom died 1 year ago; Jack's struggling to cope so his best friend Iris (the ever luminous Blunt) sends him off to a family cabin to get some headspace time and to hopefully, change his outlook on life. But when he arrives there, he finds Iris's gay sister Hannah (DeWitt) there nursing a break up. One bottle of tequila and a drunken fumble later finds the duo in all manner of problems. Particularly when Iris shows up unannounced... Jack's plan? To keep the truth from Iris and just get through the next few days. However, both Iris and Hannah have designs on Jack which he could never have expected. Deftly funny, smartly written and with a cast that underplays each line and scene so beautifully, Your Sister's Sister is a gently amusing, utterly engaging and totally enjoyable visit to the festival.Clever writing which feels real is Shelton's trade in this - and when matched up with the rising brilliance of a deadpan and yet farcical Duplass (who you really should see in Safety Not Guaranteed when it shows up), it's a winning combination. Even when things take a turn for the apparently more serious, Your Sister's Sister never loses the plot - or the audience. This goofily charming movie is an acutely observed three hander which is poignant when it needs to be and totally winning from beginning to end.

The Hunt - I'd heard dark things about The Hunt from others who'd attended this - about how it got unrelentingly bleak and so to be honest, I had been expecting the worst from this tale of kindergarten teacher Lucas ( an award winning Mads Mikkelsen) whose life is irrevocably changed after one of the children in his charge lies and falsely tells his boss he's been sexually abusing them.

What I couldn't have been expecting is just how utterly compelling and totally claustrophobic, this latest film from the director of Festen, Thomas Vinterberg was going to be. It's actually one of the films of the festival so far as far as I'm concerned. It's no wonder Mikkelsen won the Best actor at Cannes this year for his portrayal of Lucas, the innocent man who's damned before his peers without any shred of evidence.

But what's winning about this film is how utterly plausible it is and how non-hysterically it plays out. Mikkelsen and youngster Annika Wedderkopp (who plays Klara who makes the claim) are completely the stars of the piece thanks to underplayed, subtly sly and riveting performances. Sure, it's an old story and one which we've all seen shades of before, but it's these two actors who imbue their time on screen with such utter devotion that you can't help but be swept up by it.
Vinterberg also needs commendation for his directing and crafting of the tale - Lucas goes from being part of a gang of friends whose bond stretches years back to a haunted and vilified ghost of a man, whose (admittedly frustrating) refusal to totally refute the claims seems like madness. No doubt his self belief is what carries him through but as they say, it's darkest before the dawn, and Mikkelsen's subtle performance is a cinematic tour de force.
Similarly, Wedderkopp, a cute blond moppet (a direct contrast to Mikkelsen's frog like facials) plays a girl who doesn't understand the truth of her lie and who's caught up in a world she can't possibly understand. The scenes where she tells her mother that it didn't happen and her mother comes back telling her it did are gobsmackingly heart breaking and cut an emotional quick as well as hint at a reality of what could play out. Vinterberg's hit a fine form here and a few nerves as well (judging by the horrified yelp of one woman at the screening's ending last night) and makes The Hunt as dark as anything you're likely to experience during the festival. ,
The Hunt is horrifyingly good heart in the mouth drama that challenges but showcases acting genius and really does need to be seen up on the big screen while you have the chance.

Take a look at a clip from The Hunt below.



And also, if you fancy previewing any of the films on at the New Zealand International Film Festival, here's the festival's official Youtube channel for you to peruse at your leisure.

Dredd stills released

Dredd stills released

In a move which will excite the fans of comic book anti hero, Judge Dredd, there's a whole heap of stills from the upcoming Dredd 2012 movie out there now.

And as we approach the October release date in New Zealand, I thought it was time to collect the drokkin' lot together.

To say I'm excited by the Judge Dredd movie, starring NZ Karl Urban as the judge is a massive understatement - so for now, here's a collection all the images we've had so far.

The Judge Dredd movie hits NZ Cinemas October 4th

Bel Ami: Movie Review

Bel Ami: Movie Review

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, Colm Meaney, Philip Glenister
Director: Declan Donnelan, Nick Ormerod

Robert "R Patz/ Edward" Pattinson stars in this period romp based on the classic French Novel Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant.

It's 1880 Paris and Rpatz is George Duroy, a returning soldier from the war. Down on his luck and living in abject poverty, Duroy has a chance meeting with fellow former soldier Charles Forestier (Glenister) while out on the town.

Feeling compassion toward his old compadre, Forestier gives Duroy a job as a journalist on the newspaper La Vie Francaise despite a lack of experience. However, with some tutoring from Forestier's wife (played by Uma Thurman), he's soon the toast of the newspaper.

But he also comes face to face with the realities of the corrupt Parisian high society to which he aspires: the sleazy colleagues, the wily financiers, and manipulative mistresses, and realising that there's a power game to be played here, he begins his own manipulations to ensure that he stays in the upper echelons of society, beginning an affair with Christina Ricci's Clotilde.

However, events begin to conspire against Duroy and soon he's left plotting revenge and vowing never to be caught in a world of poverty ever again...

Bel Ami is gorgeously shot but is tremendously pedestrian and shallow in places.

(Even if its release comes at a bitterly ironic time with Kristen Stewart cheating on Robert Pattinson and revealing she had been with director Rupert Sanders - some could see this film as a RPatz lovefest revenge piece...)

Pattinson fails to impress early on and through a combination of dead eyes, brooding eyebrows, sulky looks and moody silences, he tries to bring (and largely fails) some chemistry with the women on the Parisian front as he tries to manipulate his way through society. It's largely because the film feels so rushed you have trouble believing that the character of George Duroy could ascend so quickly. But if you're after a shirtless naked Robert Pattinson, baring his bum and giving it his all during sex scenes, then this film is for you...

It's a real shame because in the back end of the film, his character's anger, manipulation and desperation really are translated well by the actor - but you have to really bear with the film to get to that point and it's a hard slog to reach that dramatic conclusion.

And in all honesty, I don't believe it's Pattinson's performance which is at fault - it's his directors who've not realised how wooden and detached his character's made to be.

It's a disappointment because Bel Ami has some very good scenes. But as it plays out over a short period of time in the film, the pace leads them to feel rushed; one scene where the editor of the newspaper, a minister and Duroy play cards brings everything a film like this should to the table - it offers an insight into the manipulative ways, seething jealousies and political games which are afoot.

Elsewhere in the cast, Thurman's impressive as a political puppeteer, Kristin Scott Thomas amuses as a lady who falls for Duroy's "charms" and Ricci still looks too young to be doing sex scenes. (Plus Ricci and Pattinson have a complete lack of chemistry throughout.)  They're a mix of women and portrayals in this film, and given that it's intimated that the women have all the power, I'm not entirely convinced by the acting of the main three.

All in all, Bel Ami is a muddled mess which borders on the dull in its first half and manages to up its game toward the end. It's no Dangerous Liaisons and lacks the edginess and danger of such a film - sadly,despite all his hollow eyed occasional seething mopiness, it's not entirely RPatz's fault - the directors have squandered their chance to make a Bel Ami which has sizzle, pearls of peril and threat as it tears its way through politics and Paris.

Rating:

Magic Mike: Movie Review

Magic Mike: Movie Review

Cast: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Olivia Munn, Cody Horn
Director: Steven Soderbergh

Yes, yes, as you can see, it's that film about the strippers.

But if you're expecting a full on raunchy night out with the ladies, you may be in for a little bit of a surprise.

And for the film lovers out there, a bit of a surprise from renowned director Steven Soderbergh - and yet again, another surprise from Channing Tatum.

Magic Mike is based on Tatum's experiences as a stripper - and follows his character, a guy called Mike, who's a self-professed businessman, entrepreneur and of course, dude throwing his robes off on stage and gyrating around for the cold, hard cash in the wilds of Tampa.

When he meets up with the Kid (Alex Pettyfer, looking a bit mopey, chiselled and scruffy) on a construction job, the two end up becoming friends and Mike introduces him to the world of stripping - a world which The Kid embraces whole heartedly being 19 and out for a good time.

But Mike does a little more than simply introducing him to the world - he takes him under his wing, and cares for him.

Inevitably though, the Kid's entry into this occasionally sleazy pasttime causes real problems for Mike...

Let's be clear about this, Magic Mike has scenes of Channing Tatum stripping (and others) and full routines that highlight the extreme pecs appeal of the rock hard abs of the cast which have been hired as the "Cock Rocking Kings of Tampa." And said scenes, and indeed routines, will cause many of the female audience to wilt, blush and generally whoop and holler at the screen. I will concede they're very well done, pandering to what an audience wants and are liberally used throughout. (Although I will confess I am deeply grateful that it's not in 3D)

And yet, this film is about more than the pelvic hip thrusts of the beefed-up man candy which are strutted during some mightily impressively choreographed dance scenes.

Soderbergh's pulled together a kind of cross between The Full Monty meets Boogie Nights which is more dramedy than drunken hens' night out antics.

Usually, these kind of hedonistic pieces would be filmed from the viewpoint of the newbie - but Soderbergh's flipped that, choosing to follow Mike, a genuinely nice guy who wants more to his life than his stripping (even though, based on his chiselled talents, that's clearly where the cash is) with businesses being run on the side and a desire to set up a custom-made furniture company. It's wise to have concentrated on Mike too, as the Kid's generally unlikeable and offers little to give you any real lasting connection throughout.

It's here that Tatum excels again, putting in an underplayed performance which channels sensitivity, charm and a bit of angst as Mike hits a very early mid-life crisis and begins to lose his way. Tatum's really impressed recently in a string of roles (21 Jump Street, The Vow) which have shown he's a little more than just a good lookin' guy. His Mike is occasionally mopey, lacking any real connections with anyone outside of his fake stripping world and give him a universal appeal to both women (who're lusting over him) and men, who've no doubt been dragged to the cinema with a nagging idea of what's ahead. Plus his fledging relationship with the admittedly rather bland sister of The Kid works thanks to his sparkiness and playfulness.

But I have to confess, in amongst the undeniable energy, the star of the piece is Matthew McConaughey's club owner Dallas, whose self parodying, lounge lizard is a blast to watch whenever he's on the screen (fully clothed or otherwise). McConaughey has a ball playing this and there are hints of rifts between Dallas and Mike, who's wanting a bigger stake in the club, which add an undercurrent of uncertainty to their relationship and a frisson to the dramedy that's unfolding.

All in all, Magic Mike is the perfect blend of angst and cheesy stripper moves (I never thought I'd be writing that) and is actually more of a downbeat low-key drama with heart (with a thoroughly predictable denouement) than you'd ever have expected from the posters and promos.

Rating:

New Zealand Film Festival Reviews - latest from the fest

New Zealand Film Festival Reviews - latest from the fest

The very latest reviews from the New Zealand International Film Festival as it continues in Auckland. As the first week continues and the plethora of choices multiply, I'm getting a bit of onside help from Akl writer Jacob Powell to help cover as many films as we can between us.

The Wall
The Lives of Others' Martina Gedeck stars as an unnamed woman in this slightly bizarre, left of centre, day after tomorrow feeling psychological piece. After being dropped off at a cabin, the woman (who's never given a name or background throughout the film) sets about her day-to-day existence with only Lynx, a dog left behind by the previous owners. One day, when heading out for a walk, she bumps into an invisible forcefield, separating her from the world beyond. Obviously shocked and with no clues as to what's happened, the woman retreats to the safety of her cabin and regroups - but heading out again, she finds the wall still there and the few people she can see beyond are frozen and unmoving. But she gradually discovers she's not alone with animals ending up in her care and near her home to provide her with what she needs. However, her reality is jolted when she hits a crisis point... Sparse, sombre and a tour de force one woman feminist performance, Die Wand, is a surprising piece of cinema which uses sound, its fantastic valley surroundings to maximum effect. Some images are stark, haunting and frightening - and a lack of real resolution or reason as to what's unfolded leads your mind to wild conclusions and expectations.  Gedeck is nothing less than compelling throughout in this piece which is adapted from a book and is told via flashbacks. But the tonal shift when events change dramatically at the end, seems to sit at odds with what's already unspooled in front of you and prove more baffling and frustrating after investing some two hours in this intelligently put-together feminist existence. Die Wand is a challenging piece of cinema, destined to provoke questions and discussion which makes it the perfect fodder for the New Zealand International Film Festival.

Room 237 

Probably one for the film nerds, conspiracy theorists, and sociologists - but ZOMG, WHAT a film!? Rodney Ascher's Room 237: Being an Inquiry into The Shining in 9 Parts is an exquisitely fascinating documentary of five persons' close reading of Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of 1977 Stephen King novel The Shining that spirals down the wormhole of neurosis and beyond, appearing once again on the other side. Fact meets fiction as the full gamut of possible and impossible theories is expounded with regards to Kubrick's genius as applied to this piece of cinema; just as you find yourself attesting to the plausibility of someone's point of view they stretch your credibility to breaking again. Wonderful stuff that, in terms of type and level of appeal, I would sit alongside the equally compelling Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession which played NZFF 2005. Room 237 is shaping up to be one of my picks of the NZFF 2012. (Guest reviewer - Jacob Powell)


Wuthering Heights

Social realism in the North Yorkshire moors! For her 3rd feature rising British auteur Andrea Arnold turns her hand to adapting Emily Bronte's much revered 1847 classic Wuthering Heights and does so with a strong directorial vision. Arnold's film is firmly clothed in its Northern setting capturing the grim, forbidding environs in which Cathy & Heathcliff's young love blossoms in crisp detail, extracting the raw beauty behind the ever present wind. It is fair to say that the viscera of everyday country living gets more attention from the film than does its limited dialogue. Similarly Arnold dials back the use of music preferring ambient sounds from within the scene. The obsessive, single-minded focus on the world the characters inhabit reflects the nature of the intense bond between the two protagonists; finding a sense of home in the spare, cold crags and moors mirrors the tenor of the relationship they grow into. Arnold delivers classic romantic drama as a work of cinematic art. (Guest reviewer - Jacob Powell)