The Sessions: Movie Review

The Sessions: Movie Review

Cast: John Hawkes, William H Macy,Helen Hunt, Moon Bloodgood
Director: Ben Lewin

Martha Marcy May Marlene's cult leader John Hawkes takes the lead in this film which broke out at the Sundance festival this year and is based on a true story.

Hawkes plays journalist and writer Mark O'Brien, who's been paralysed from the neck down due to contracting polio when he was younger. O'Brien lives his days in an iron lung, and one day after falling in love and being rejected by his carer, and when researching an article on Sex and the Disabled at an editor's request, he decides he wants to lose his virginity after 38 years of life.

So, to that end, via a friend and with the blessing of his priest (brilliantly played by a shaggy haired William H Macy) O'Brien contacts sex surrogate, Cheryl (Helen Hunt) to help out.

Cheryl begins a series of six sessions with O'Brien to help him achieve his goal....

The Sessions will knock you sideways.

John Hawkes is frankly a revelation in this film; it's a role which has little physical presence other than moving his head and speaking  but Hawkes imbues his O'Brien with a real strength of character, charm and humour and delivers such an affecting performance that you can't help but be moved by it. Don't get me wrong - this is no mawkish, dragged down into the mire piece - it's the very opposite in fact thanks to Hawkes' performance and a very sharp and witty script.

It's also a film about celebrating a full life whatever the limitations placed on you are - be they physical, mental or religious - and Hawkes delivers that conviction in spades thanks to some greatly amusing lines, a brilliantly warm, witty and real friendship between him and William H Macy's priest and a relationship between himself and his carer Vera (a supporting role played with sensitivity and heart by Moon Bloodgood).

Also Helen Hunt delivers a bravura performance as well - stripping down literally and metaphorically for the audience. Gently played and sensitively handled, Cheryl feels like a real character rather than a sleazy stereotype.

The Sessions is a deeply engaging and powerfully accessible film which has been carefully put together by Lewin, a former polio sufferer. But it's a film which stands or falls on the performance of its lead - and Hawkes delivers in spades despite the physical limitations of what's demanded of him. It's really one of the strongest performances of its ilk that I've seen on the screen in a long time.

Don't miss The Sessions - it may make you re-evaluate your life and will deliver you a film which is mature, thoughtful, funny and hauntingly good.

Rating:

Brand new pics from The Wolverine

Brand new pics from The Wolverine

The Daily Telegraph's been busy.

They've snapped a couple of shots of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine on the set of The Wolverine, during filming in Sydney.

Logan's got his claws out in one and there appears to be a fair amount of snow too... as well as ninjas.

The Wolverine is due for release next year.

New character posters for The Hobbit

New character posters for The Hobbit

With the clock ticking towards the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington in just about three weeks time, anticipation is rising.

And to satiate that, 15 new Hobbit character posters have been revealed for the Hobbit.

Take a look at the new character images from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey below

Last Will: DVD Review

Last Will: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Vendetta Films and Rialto

From the crime capital of the publishing world (apparently) comes this latest attempt at launching a Swedish crime franchise (and from a book series of six which pre-dates The Millennium Trilogy by some three years, published as it was in 2002).

The blonde Malin Crepin stars Annika Bengtzon, a crime reporter trying to get a break on tabloid paper Kvaillspressen who's also a mother of two and workaholic.

While Bengtzon is attending the annual Nobel banquet, she witnesses the attempted murder of the latest winner and the death of a high ranking Nobel committee member, Caroline von Behring. Gagged by the police for reporting on the crime as she's a direct witness to what happened, Bengtzon finds herself sidelined by the paper's editors and legal eagles.

However, the journalistic drive is strong in this one - and believing that the police and press are concentrating on the wrong shooting victim, she starts her own investigation...

And unsurprisingly that leads to corruption, intrigue, global mystery and threats.

Plus on top of that, Annika's having trouble with her youngest son, who's being bullied.

Nobel's Last Will is inevitably going to end up being compared with The Millennium Trilogy - and I'm sorry to say, when pitted against that, it will be found wanting.

Let's just say that crime solving has never looked so glamorous and flashy.

Nobel's Last Will opens with a slick and stylish section at the Nobel awards and then hurtles into traditional action film territory - it's a very odd mix and kind of sets out where this film is going.

It's more of a pulpy trash novel than a high faluting, wide reaching conspiracy piece to be honest; it's the Swedish crime sensibilities mixed in with a good looking Hollywood lead (Crepin even looks a little like Maria Bello) and some Hollywood style action rather than slow burning reveals.

Sure, there's plot holes aplenty (wouldn't someone actually notice that a key witness to a crime was investigating a death?) and with mixes of montages and flashbacks as Annika pieces together the clues (along with scenes of her underlining key names) it's not exactly challenging stuff. Granted it is watchable, well made pacy fluff, despite being a challenge to logic and pushing more for ludicrous than serious but whether I'd want to sit through another five adaptations of the Annika Bengtzon cases, I'm not so sure.

Rating:

The Hobbit takes to the air

The Hobbit takes to the air

It was only a matter of time really....

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has now got an airline behind it.

National carrier, Air New Zealand's today launched its An Unexpected Briefing: Hobbit safety video, with a cameo appearance from Sir Peter Jackson.
Air NZ partnered with WETA workshop on the brand new Hobbit inspired safety video.

Take a peek below.

Rec 3 - Genesis: Blu Ray Review

Rec 3 - Genesis: Blu Ray Review

Rating: R16
Released by Vendetta Film

You're cordially invited to the wedding of Koldo and Clara in this third outing for the Rec series, a horror franchise where an infection leads to serious zombie action.

In this latest one, which runs parallel to the first film Rec, the action is all largely set at a wedding and begins by being captured on handheld cameras. Just as soon as Koldo and Clara celebrate their union, they find their uncle acting a little strange after being bitten by a dog.

Later on at the reception, things take a turn for the worse when said uncle starts attacking and biting people and pretty soon, the Infected are on the rise and Koldo and Clara are parted. But Koldo's determined to save his new bride (Till death us do part, remember?) and sets out to try and ensure she's alive.

Rec 3: Genesis is a different beast to the other two films, because it's set more in daylight than the darkness of the first outing. It gives it a different feel and needs the director to work scares a little more cautiously rather than relying on the odd jolts and shocks here and there (although there are a fair few of those throughout).

They've gone more for a comedy gore outing this time round - with there being a very large sprinkling of humour dashed throughout - be it a running gag where the children's entertainer is called John Sponge to avoid copyright issues with a certain Mr Squarepants or having the bride seething "This is supposed to be my special day" and revving up a chainsaw, the whole thing has a slightly OTT feel at times.

But that doesn't mean they've skipped on the gore and violence. Not in the slightest - beheadings, death by car jack, death by stick mixer - they're all thrown in for gory as effect - although they're played largely for laughs more than anything. However, there's one truly horrific moment as well - a scene where a busload of guests is overrun by the Infected is nothing short of disturbing.

The two leads are fairly disposable but relatively likeable and the rest of the guests barely get much of a look in for characterisation etc but at the end of the day, they're just meat to be slaughtered as they try to escape the viral outbreak. The film scores extra points for subtly referencing what's going on in the first film - indicating everything's tied.

As ever, there's the defying stupidity of the trapped and the lack of real logic (one sequence sees them trapped in a kitchen and trying to escape to the sewers but dropping a pen knife and being unable to loose the screws from a grill - why not use a knife from the kitchen area?? Whereas another sequence sees the infected stopped by religious readings and demons being reflected in mirrors) but Rec 3 Genesis is an over the top film of extremes; both extreme gore, kills and action, it's a reasonably solid entry to the franchise which will give bloodhungry punters exactly what they want but won't win over any new fans to the series.

Extras: Making of, wedding album and trailer

Rating:

Bait 3D: Movie Review

Bait 3D: Movie Review

Cast: Xavier Samuel, Chris Betts, Phoebe Tonkin, Julian McMahon, Sharni Vinson,
Director: Kimble Rendall

What is it about those Aussies and their shark worries?

Well, whatever it is, this latest release will do nothing to quell any fears they may have.

Twilight's Xavier Samuel stars as lifeguard Josh, whose life is turned upside down the day after his engagement party when his surfer colleague and fiancee Tina's brother, Rory, is mauled by a shark. Riddled with guilt, the pair split up.

One year later, Josh is working in a supermarket on the coast of Queensland - and his life is turned upside down once again when a robbery takes place in the mall and he finds Tina is one of the robber's hostages.

But that's nothing compared to when the mall is over-run by a tsunami, trapping Josh, the robbers, Tina and a group of others in a potentially watery grave.

Things get even worse when the trapped group finds they're being hunted by a couple of hungry great white sharks....

And so, the fight for survival begins.

Bait 3D is a veritable cheesefest.

It sets its stall out before the titles have even shown on screen and Josh is channelling his very deepest Anakin Skywalker learning that Padme died howl while on a jetski when his colleague Rory is chomped by a shark.

Pretty soon after that, wooden acting, risible dialogue and utterly ludicrous situations unfold (one victim even wears a shark cage suit made from shopping baskets and cans) and you're laughing at the film perhaps a little more than you should. There's very little tension as the shark circles, to be frank, picking off each victim one by one. And there are plot holes a-plenty - like how is the top part of the supermarket flooded but the underground car park not completely underwater? (Apparently, because of two doors...)

The cast are very earnest in their (at times over) acting as well as scenery chewing and the whole thing is ludicrously silly as you'd expect. Sure, there are bits of splatter gore when the sharks chomp in a frenzy but there's little else in between.

There are your stereotypes - a pair of lovers, separated but destined to be together; a father and daughter, whose relationship is strained but will stand the test of a great white bearing down on them; a comic relief couple who are airheads but provide the laughs and a bad guy, who's not actually all bad but just forced into a bad situation and will ultimately come good.

Swirls of blood are the only real flourish for the 3D - everything else is fish swimming at you, a gun pointing out of the screen and a shark jumping in the air. Not exactly challenging or redefining the technical boundaries.

Bait ticks all the boxes for a cheap night out but it's so appallingly done in places, you can't but help be swept along by the risible dialogue, OTT acting and soon to be cult quoted lines.

In essence, Bait is Sharks in a Supermarket - so if you like that idea, (much like Snakes on a Plane) then you know what you're in for. Just don't be surprised, if you find yourself laughing when you shouldn't and rolling your eyes as the terrible plot plays out.

Rating:





: