Hope Springs: Movie Review

Hope Springs: Movie Review

Cast: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell
Director: David Frankel

Welcome to the world of Twilight sex.

Not Edward and Bella - this is an altogether less supernatural phenomenon, although frankly, no less terrifying.

Meryl Streep's Kay and Tommy Lee Jones' Arnold have been married for over 30 years.

They're in the later years of life, and also their love life. Stuck in an endless routine - the same eggs and bacon for Arnold for breakfast every day, the same Arnold slumped asleep, watching the golf channel at night and the same separate bedrooms without a hint of intimacy - Kay decides enough is enough.

Rather than walking out the door, Kay enrols Arnold and herself in a week long intensive couples therapy clinic run by Steve Carell's Dr Feld.

Unsurprisingly, Arnold's against the whole idea and is cynical about being involved in the first place. As time goes on though, the pair begin to discover intimacies about each other held long locked away and face truths which could prove difficult to overcome.

Hope Springs is a dramedy, with the emphasis more on reality and drama than endless bouts of sex comedy.

Streep and Lee Jones are perfectly matched and deft at breathing life into this somewhat unoriginal story. Sure, we've all been to films where couples are having trouble but this one is adept at putting the story squarely into the latter stages of life. Both the leads bring a light comedic touch to a tale which is essentially downbeat and seriously dramatic in parts. They lift the duo from being stereotypes and give them a warmth and humanity which makes you empathise with them - and Kay and Arnold's situation - immediately and as the film goes on. both handle what's asked of their characters wonderfully. Sure, there are comedic moments which are required of both but the drama lingers long after the humour's worn off and as the therapy (both for the audience and the characters) grinds on.

Equally, Carell who spends most of the time smiling sympathetically is incredibly convincing in his dialled-down turn as the therapist.

That's the thing with Hope Springs - it has a hefty dose of reality which may hit a little too close to home for some in the audience; there's a tenderness and honesty to the script which may cut to the quick but has its roots squarely in something which may face many in years to come.


Hope Springs is quite a serious piece - despite how knockabout the trailer initially appears, with a pace that may actually give you the feeling that it's infinitely longer than it is.

However, you should also be aware that there's plenty of squirm in your seat moments as we have the duo discuss their sex lives, watch Meryl's character Kay literally get in touch with herself and hear sex talk that may frankly put you off any meal you may be about to have...It's to be applauded for getting this kind of thing on the big screen, a rare feat in Hollywood these days, but for some in the audience not over a certain age, it could be a hard ask.

But what you should be impressed with in Hope Springs is an adult dramedy that really does explore what it's like to be older, and dealing with issues of intimacy and attraction - with two very impressive performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep.

Rating:

Tony Scott R.I.P

Tony Scott R.I.P

Sad news this afternoon that acclaimed movie director Tony Scott has committed suicide.

TMZ.com's reporting the director jumped from a bridge in LA - according to the LA County coroner.

The site says:

"According to the Coroner, 68-year-old Scott -- Ridley Scott's brother -- jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal Island around 12:30pm.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Jennifer Osburn said a suicide note was found in Scott's Toyota Prius, which was parked on one of the eastbound lanes of the bridge.

Scott directed such films as "Top Gun," "Beverly Hills Cop II," "Enemy of the State," and "The Taking of Pelham 123."

Authorities used sonar equipment to find Scott's body in the port's murky waters. His body was recovered at approximately 4:30pm ... four hours after he jumped.

His body has since been turned over to coroner officials."

Scott is of course famed for a whole stack of movies - including Top Gun, Man On Fire, Unstoppable, Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, Enemy of the State and Crimson Tide.

He'd recently been announced as director of Top Gun 2.

The Raid: Blu Ray Review

The Raid: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Madman Home Entertainment

You may have heard of The Raid; you may have heard of it talked about in gushingly reverential terms...you may even know someone who's seen The Raid.

But quite frankly, nothing can prepare you for what you experience in this intense Indonesian martial arts action film.

Directed by Welshman Gareth Evans, The Raid stars Iko Uwais as Rama, a member of a SWAT team called in to help take down the crime lords living in a downtown Indonesian high rise building. Rama's about to become a dad and so has everything to fight for in this raid. Once inside though, the crime lords appear to have the upper hand and set the residents onto the SWAT team - and Rama can't prepare himself fully for what lies ahead - betrayals, shock and plenty of fighting....

And that's it for plot - because, quite simply, that takes second fiddle to some unbelievably violently intense and technically impressive fight sequences which pepper the entire film. Sure, there's a few lulls and quiet moments here and there between the action scenes - but man, oh man, what a stunningly good action film this is.

The Raid is unbelievably violent, utterly adrenaline soaked and will beat you into submission - in a good way.

The body count is incredibly high - people are gored and impaled by a door, shot thousands of times, taken out by machetes and even by fluorescent light tubes. The novelty factor of some of the kills is something audiences will lap up and you can't help but pump your fist in the air as the action escalates.

It's utterly watchable though thanks to spot on direction from Evans and there's something almost balletic about the way the lead up to the action is choreographed; with a slow brooding electronic soundtrack or beating drum, you're taken to the edge of your seat and then smashed in the face with the inevitable beat downs. 

There's a real adrenaline rush to this intensely brutal flick - but the martial arts sequences when the guns are jettisoned and it's just hand-to-hand combat are simply stunning, sensationally choreographed and visually gobsmacking.

The Raid is heading for an American remake - and that's ok with those involved in it because it means there'll be money to make a foreign sequel; my advice though is to see it now while it's in its purest form and at its most thrilling.

Extras: Inside the Raid, TIFF Premiere, Q&A with cast

Rating:

The Women on the 6th Floor - DVD Review

The Women on the 6th Floor - DVD Review

Rating: PG
Released by Madman Home Entertainment

It's off to 1960s Paris we go in this Upstairs, Downstairs social drama about the owner of a house and his relationship with the maids he employs.

A starched Fabrice Luchini is stockbroker Jean-Louis Joubert who lives with his socialite wife amid the perks of wealth. One such perk is the owning of maids; but when the head of the household quits, Joubert ends up hiring Maria (Natalia Verbeke), a Spanish maid new in town, who soon makes his mark in the household.

But not for the wrong reasons - her bright breezy attitude opens up Joubert's eyes to the injustice and suffering of the Spanish help as this cross cultural dramedy unfolds.

The Women on the 6th Floor is a gentle Gallic charmer of a film - it runs foul of a few cliches here and there as it negotiates the day to day life and politics of a stiffly starched yet compassionate relationship and tensions between the French and the Spanish as the Civil war continues. 

Luchini and Verbeke make a pleasant couple - with her youthfullness and joie de vivre bringing out the compassion over time of his repressed socialite. Occasionally, their relationship feels a little forced and lacks perhaps some of the sizzle that you'd expect of the story.

All in all, The Women on the 6th Floor is a light, breezy Gallic treat of a film to wile away a Sunday afternoon.

Extras: Cast interviews, behind the scenes, deleted scenes, theatrical trailer

Rating:

AVATAR gets the 3D Treatment

AVATAR gets the 3D treatment

News reaches Darren's World of Entertainment that Avatar's getting the 3D treatment.

Here's the release, which fans of the phenomenally popular film will want to savour:

PANDORA COMES TO LIFE LIKE NEVER BEFORE WITH THE ULTIMATE HOME VIEWING EXPERIENCE

AVATAR ON BLU-RAY 3D
 

Over 33 Million Facebook Fans Receive Exclusive Global Announcement as the Film That Became a Worldwide Phenomenon Arrives on Blu-ray 3D in October 
 

Auckland, New Zealand – The world of Pandora has never looked better as over 33 millionAVATAR Facebook fans were the first to learn of the upcoming release of the AVATAR Blu-ray 3D Collector’s Edition, available in New Zealand from October 24 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. A home entertainment experience like no other, for the first time ever, fans will be able to welcome James Cameron’s global box office sensation into their homes in stunning 3D high-definition.

“3D television is the future of home entertainment,” said James Cameron, the Oscar® winning Director. “I’m a huge proponent of the technology and very pleased that AVATAR can be viewed in the living room the way it is meant to be seen.”

“As the number of homes with 3D televisions continues to grow, we thought it was important to bring the biggest 3D film ever right into your living room,” continued Jon Landau, Academy Award® winning Producer of Avatar. “This is the only way fans should experience the world of Pandora and this release offers the highest picture quality possible. ”Previously only available to consumers through an exclusive deal with Panasonic, the two-disc AVATAR 3D Blu-ray Collector’s Edition will feature the original theatrical release and be available in all-new collectible packaging. Seen by more than 310 million people worldwide, the Oscar and Golden Globe winning epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in more than $2.7 billion in worldwide box office. It is also top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time."

Avatar 3D Blu ray hits October 24th

Wrapping up some of the best from Gamescon

Wrapping up some of the best from Gamescon

There's been a whole heap of trailers out from Gamescon - and here in one handy little blog, are some of the best trailer.

First up, Rocksmith - I've had hands on with Rocksmith on PS3 already - but this trailer makes it look even more awesome.



Next, there's Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth:



And there's even more of a look at Assassin's Creed 3 - Official Liberation Feature:




Plus, a first look at SpyHunter... I used to love and live this game, so the classic looks cool when updated for 2012....

The Hunger Games: Blu Ray Review

The Hunger Games: Blu Ray Review

Released by Roadshow Home Entertainment
Rating: M

So, amid all the hype, the first part of Suzanne Collins' wildly successful young adult series The Hunger Games is unleashed.

The film's set in a not too distant futuristic world known as Panem, which has risen from the ashes of a rebellion.

Those behind the rebellion have been defeated by the ruling classes and now live in run down districts outside of the main centre of Panem, The Capitol. But there's a heavy price for this rebellion as the powers that be hold the annual Hunger Games - where in a boy and a girl from each of the 12 Districts is chosen by ballot annually and must fight to the death in an arena with the world watching on. 

Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen, who lives in District 12. She's the carer for her widowed mother and younger sister, Prim, after their father was killed in an explosion down a mine.

But when Prim is chosen as one of District 12's Tributes during the annual Reaping ballot, Katniss volunteers to take her place in the Games - and she's whisked into the Capitol along with baker's boy Peeta (Hutcherson) to train for the life and death ceremony...

The Hunger Games arrives with a hefty weight of expectation on its shoulders; from the fans, a desire to see their beloved books adapted well; from the studios, a chance to potentially launch a new franchise and for the non-fans, a chance to see what the hype is about and buy into the rest of the series.

And thankfully - mainly due in large part to Jennifer Lawrence and a lot of restrained direction from Ross, it's a success.

Lawrence's Katniss is a well rounded, focussed yet vulnerable character; a hunter gatherer whose desire to protect herself and her loved ones blinkers her to the world around her. Lawrence once again excels in a lead role and shows she can hold your attention for long swathes of the film. Through a subtly nuanced performance which internalises her emotions and showcases Katniss' stillness, Lawrence imbues the heroine with a series of instantly recongisable traits - fear and calculation mixed in together when she's hunting in the life or death situations and uncertainty when having to deal with emotions and new situations. Clearly once again, she demonstrates an acting talent beyond her years.

Along with great supporting turns from Kravitz as Cinna, Katniss' stylist, Harrelson as Haymitch, a former winner of the Games, Tucci as a slick and slimy Master of Ceremonies and Banks as the District 12 escort, this is a film which impresses on many levels.

That said, it's not without its flaws; an over reliance on shaky cam at the start quickly outstays its welcome; there's confusion over what rules the sponsors (who have the chance to help the tributes inside the arena) must conform to other than offering a deus ex machina once in a while; and the film stumbles a little as its length kicks in and it awkwardly centres on a love angle between Peeta and Katniss, as well as trying to throw in a love triangle with Liam Hemsworth's Gale, one of Katniss' friends from back in the district.

Fans of the book will adore The Hunger Games - others should be suitably impressed by Lawrence's trail blazing turn - and while purists may claim it's been done before (Battle Royale anyone?), The Hunger Games is a brilliantly rousing mix of teen drama, futuristic sci fi and rebellion - which results in an extremely impressive film and a very confident start to the franchise.

Let the Games begin...

Extras: The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games - an eight-part documentary covering the making of the film in all aspects from the pre-production process all the way through the theatrical release and fan reactions, Game Maker: Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Phenomenon featurette, Letters from the Rose Garden - featurette insights from Donald Sutherland on the development of his role as President Snow, Controlling the Games featurette - stories and concepts behind creating the control center, 
A Conversation with Gary Ross and Elvis Mitchell, Propaganda Film (in its entirety) Marketing Archive, 
Preparing for The Games: A Director's Process (Blu-ray Exclusive)

Rating: