Wild: Movie Review

Wild: Movie Review

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee

Based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir, adapted by Nick Hornby and directed by Dallas Buyers' Club's Jean-Marc Vallee, Wild has more than just calibre going for it.

Witherspoon (who produces too) stars as Strayed, who decides to hike more than a thousand miles along the Pacific Crest Trail after a series of life moments push her into action.

With Wild, it's best to know less about the background of the story and go with it - it begins with the tiny Witherspoon losing a shoe atop a mountain, and hurling the next shoe off before screaming at the top of her lungs. Is it fear, frustration, relief?

Vallee reveals much of Strayed's past through elliptical flashbacks, slicing and dicing the onion of time and peeling back multi-layers to her story in a way that draws you in and immerses you in Strayed's mental turmoil.

But, it's easily Witherspoon's film by far.

With her small frame eclipsed by a massive tramping pack that lightens as the journey goes on (the allegory and allusion of emotional baggage isn't subtly hammered home but is patently obvious), you clearly wonder how she's going to survive the ordeal as she heads out on her own with only her thoughts and demons for company. (Not even a few animals like Mia Wasikowska managed in Tracks last year).

But the inner resilience of Strayed is brought to life by a subtle Witherspoon and a side of her acting that we've not really seen before - a human vulnerability and complex emotional pull that's really quite affecting as the movie plays out. She's really grabbed something out of the bag to distract the naysayers who believe she's only fit for light and frothy material.

Masterfully weaving flashbacks and some timely moments of the era (a Jerry Garcia memorial setting the scene at one point to remind you of the chronology), Vallee's constructed a journey that is, in many ways, timeless and one that we've seen time and time again. Grief, temptations, familial relationships - all of these fall under the microscope and all have potential to elicit groans from a cynical audience bombarded with these tropes many times before.

Thankfully, the pairing of Vallee and Witherspoon proves to be a powerful concoction that's eminently watchable. Acting solo for the most part (aside from the odd occasional interactions), Witherspoon's already generating Oscar buzz as she straddles Strayed's quest to conquer the elements, her crippling past and her debilitating demons - it's a dazzling, heady watch that captures the essence of the appeal of being alone and yet also explores the uncertainty and doubt that nags at one's spiritual being when so alone.

Rating:

Foxcatcher: Movie Review

Foxcatcher: Film Review

Cast: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum, Vanessa Redgrave
Director: Bennett Miller

Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction.

And in Foxcatcher, the simple fact is that the true crime explored within is nothing more than intensely disturbing.

It's the story of Channing Tatum's Olympic gold winning athlete Mark Schultz, a veritable gorilla of  a man with a jutting jaw, and an increasing feeling of alienation and lack of self-worth. Having won the gold with his brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), Mark finds himself living alone, feasting on two-minute noodles and giving hollow speeches to school assemblies about what it takes to win a gold.

With his brother settled into wrestling coaching, Mark's listless and is contacted by John Du Pont (an unrecognisable Steve Carell, complete with prosthetic nose, stooped poise and swerving gaze) to come and coach a group of wrestlers with the aim of winning an Olympic gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Mark accepts, finding something of a kindred spirit in du Pont's apparent benevolence and patriotism and moves into the estate. But, when Du Pont insists on bringing his brother to work in the gym, the quest and its subsequent journey is a mere catalyst for what comes next.

Foxcatcher is a deeply unsettling, an aloof and disturbed movie that's likely to haunt you for days to come.

Miller (who directed Capote and Moneyball) has constructed something minimalist and almost aloof that challenges as much as it chills and creeps. By refusing to delve too deeply into the background of Dupont or the Schulz brothers (we never fully know whether Mark's so resentful of his brother or if there was a bust up) and by using a controlled and measured method, Miller's made it that you have to work to get the reward out of the intense, slow-burning fear of dread that gnaws away at you as this claustrophobic drama plays out. Scenes of wrestling, lingering looks and silence (both spoken and from the soundtrack) say more than reams of on-screen exposition ever would.

At its centre is a career-U-turn of the highest order from Steve Carell, whose pallid exterior and prosthetic nose demeanour seek to disguise the actor from everything you've ever experienced from him - a la Charlize Theron in Monster. Every scene that he's in moves a little closer to making you feel uncomfortable as this fascinating story plays out and as Dupont insinuates his way into Mark's life. But, there are moments when Dupont transcends the creepy weird benefactor who never blinks once in a scene tag; a moment when he explains to his mother what he's doing and her visit to the gym ache with a subtext that's sublime - and one scene where he frees horses is the closest to a release the character gets (though even that drips with a dread that's ever present).

Equally, Tatum channels desperation, frustration and an inability to externalise Mark's opinions with an expert touch. Hunched and ape-like, Mark's vulnerability, grunting and aching desire to find something to desperately cling to are brilliantly realised because of both his acting and Miller's camera hanging on him awkwardly. Likewise, Ruffalo's brother says more with a few looks than any words could do; scenes where his concern for his brother are evident but can't be expressed are excellently committed to the screen - all of the players in this bizarre piece bring their A game.

While Miller plays a little fast and loose with some of the facts of the case (the denouement wisely omits a siege and trial), the slow-burning tension actually produces a richer character tapestry as a result. The subsequent histrionics of such an ending would only provide a deeper understanding of why DuPont was how he was - but by withholding those, there's more a cinematic sense of unease which is commendable.

Restrained, tragic and minimal, Foxcatcher is easily the most uncomfortable film of the year. But it's also the most impressive thanks to two career-redefining turns from Carell and Tatum, which drip with poignancy.

Rating:

Unbroken: Film Review

Unbroken: Film Review

Cast: Jack O'Connell, Domnhall Gleeson, Miyavi
Director: Angelina Jolie

The fact that after a gruelling 2 hours and 20 minutes director Angelina Jolie chose to end Unbroken with a Coldplay song (Miracles) speaks volumes to what she's trying (and just failing) to strive for here with this passion project.

Unbroken is the remarkably powerful (in parts) true story of Louis "Louie" Zamperini (Starred Up's Jack O'Connell) an immigrant whose fortunes changed for the worst when he was shot down during a 1943 bombing raid. With only two fellow survivors, the former Olympic athlete Zamperini survived 47 days lost at sea only to be rescued by the Japanese and thrown into a Prisoner of War camp and consequently brutalised by the guard's sneering commandant (Miyavi).

Aiming for inspirational but thanks to the over-use of bon mots such as "Forgive the sin, smile on the sinner" and "If I can take it, I can make it" (a couple of many sayings espoused rather thickly at the beginning), Unbroken is a curious beast, preferring to go for cliche and many war film tropes rather than demonstrate directorial flair.

The first half is unwisely consumed with Zamperini's running (something akin to Chariots of Fire as he pounds the track and trounces both the opposition and timings) and talking philosophy, cooking and religion while being lost at sea in a surreal spin on Life Of Pi. It's a move which nearly fatally derails the film; while the intention is clearly to demonstrate how Zamperini is a true survivor and was at his lowest when he was subjected to even more in the camps.

However, if Jolie had perhaps restrained that hour and peppered it more with flashbacks, it may have worked; particularly given how powerful and horrific some of the imagery she commands in the second half is, showing her eye for the gruesome detail.

It's ironic because the second half of Unbroken which focuses on Zamperini's internment is actually where the power of the film lies but the confines of the genre and the cliches come to the fore.

The real issue is the focus of the film - it's so squarely on Zamperini that nobody else gets a look in; the camp leader known as the Bird (played by Miyavi) is your dyed-in-the-wool bad guy and all those around Zamperini (colleagues, crew-members) are so lightly written and sketched that they barely register on the dramatic scale.

Thankfully, O'Connell continues to show why he's a fast rising star by giving Zamperini the pluck, resilience and humanity needed while enduring what he's had to. There's no denying that Louie suffered greatly and was denied the closure he needed as his war experiences accrued; and there's also no denying that O'Connell imbues his character with a much needed in point to help endure the occasionally over-wrought and lumpen drama.

I had wanted to leave Unbroken with a sense of inspiration; what I left feeling is that it was more a conventional war film that I had to endure in parts rather than salute the spirit of a man who suffered more than any human ever should.

Rating:

Oscars 2015 - Full list of nominations

Oscars 2015 - Full list of nominations

It's that time of year again - the Oscars nominations are here.

Here's the full list of the 2015 Oscar nominations:

Top line info - Birdman and Grand Budapest Hotel - 9 nominations
The Imitation Game - 8 nominations
American Sniper and Boyhood - 6 nominations
And Meryl Streep racks up a 19th nomination
Robert Duvall becomes the oldest male to be nominated

Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Best Director
Alexandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

Best Actor
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, Two Days One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Robert Yeoman, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, Ida
Dick Pope, Mr. Turner
Roger Deakins, Unbroken

Best Foreign Language Film
Ida, Poland
Leviathan, Russia
Tangerines, Estonia
Timbuktu, Mauritania
Wild Tales, Argentina

Best Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper, Jason Hall
The Imitation Game, Graham Moore
Inherent Vice, Paul Thomas Anderson
The Theory of Everything, Anthony McCarten
Whiplash, Damien Chazelle

Best Original Screenplay
Birdman, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
Boyhood, Richard Linklater
Foxcatcher, E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler, Dan Gilroy

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard, Foxcatcher
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White, Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Original Score
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Mr. Turner
The Theory of Everything

Best Original Song
“Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie; Music and Lyric by Shawn Patterson
“Glory” from Selma; Music and Lyric by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn
“Grateful” from Beyond the Lights; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me; Music and Lyric by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond
“Lost Stars” from Begin Again; Music and Lyric by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois

Best Animated Feature
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Best Documentary—Short
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper
White Earth

Best Film Editing
Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach, American Sniper
Sandra Adair, Boyhood
Barney Pilling, The Grand Budapest Hotel
William Goldenberg, The Imitation Game
Tom Cross, Whiplash

Best Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
The Imitation Game, Production Design: Maria Djurkovic; Set Decoration: Tatiana Macdonald
Interstellar, Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
Into the Woods, Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Mr. Turner, Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Charlotte Watts

Best Animated Short
The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life

Best Live Action Short
Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh
The Phone Call

Best Sound Editing
American Sniper, Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
Birdman, Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Brent Burge and Jason Canovas
Interstellar, Richard King
Unbroken, Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro

Best Sound Mixing
American Sniper, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
Birdman, Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and Thomas Varga
Interstellar, Gary A. Rizzo, Gregg Landaker and Mark Weingarten
Unbroken, Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño and David Lee
Whiplash, Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley

Best Visual Effects
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Erik Winquist
Guardians of the Galaxy, Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould
Interstellar, Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
X-Men: Days of Future Past, Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer

Best Documentary — Feature
Citizenfour
Finding Vivien Maier
Last Days of Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

Best Costume Design
Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Mark Bridges, Inherent Vice
Colleen Atwood, Into the Woods
Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive, Maleficent
Jacqueline Durran, Mr. Turne

Nosgoth Open Beta launches

NOSGOTH OPEN BETA BEGINS NEXT WEEK

Get Ready to Play for Free

Sydney, 15^th January 2015 - Square Enix and Psyonix are delighted to announce that Nosgoth, the free to play team based competitive multiplayer will launch worldwide into Open Beta on 22^nd January from 5am AEDT / 7am NZDT.

Nosgoth empowers players of all skill levels with a system focusing on sidegrades rather than upgrades. Offering a level playing field, with balancing being key; Nosgoth focuses on asymmetric combat – where players play as both the melee-oriented Vampire faction as well as the ranged Humans.

"Thanks to our highly dedicated and very passionate community, we've had an amazing journey so far," said Corey Davis, Game Director. "Our goal for the Open Beta is to deliver a fun and engrossing metagame and we realize that working closely with our community is the best way for us to balance and deepen the experience going forward. We are thrilled to see what the future brings!"

About Nosgoth:

Nosgoth is a fast paced and intense game that features two opposing factions with very different gameplay mechanics, both requiring different strategies and tactics. Within a match gamers play one round as Humans and one round as Vampires with both sides featuring a variety of classes.

·         The Humans primarily rely on ranged attacks and are most effective when staying together as group. Humans win through attrition, by wearing down the vampires at range and healing at various supply stations around the map. Armed with weapons from a repeating crossbow, to the ability to blind enemies with Sunlight Vial, the Humans are a force to be reckoned with.

·         The Vampires are dangerously focused on melee attacks, relying on speed and agility to attack the enemy from multiple angles. With mobility including scaling buildings and a flying class, the Vampires fight best solo in coordinated attacks with team mates and recover health by feeding off the Humans.

For more information on Nosgoth, please visit the official Nosgoth Blog: http://www.nosgoth.com/blog

Battlefield Hardline Beta on way

Battlefield Hardline Beta on way

EA's today announced the Battlefield Hardline Beta is on its way.

We are excited to announce some details about the Battlefield™ Hardline beta! First things first: It's open to everyone and on all platforms - PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360®, PS4™ and PS3™.

Bust out those new gadgets, form new strategies and showcase your skills on two different maps and modes. 

First, take a test drive of Hotwire, an all-new mode coming to Battlefield focused on combining all-out warfare with all-out speed. This is how you introduce yourself to the new flavour Visceral Games is bringing to Battlefield with Battlefield Hardline. Or you can go all-out in 64-player cops and criminals warfare in the oldie but goodie, Conquest.

While it's just a taste of the whole game, there won't be a cap on the max progression level so whether you’re busting criminals or fleeing the cops, unlock away. The beta is your shot to test the different classes, toy with different gadgets, and find your crew to take down your foes.

To be frank, we want you to play this beta to death. We need you to. This test is only going to make the game stronger, and help us take a look at ways we can ensure we deliver the most stable launch you deserve.

So keep that feedback coming and head to the Battlefield forums atbit.ly/bf4forum. We've got our ears to the ground, and we'll see you on the streets of Battlefield Hardline soon.

Battlefield Hardline will officially launch in Australia on the 19^th March, 2015.

Kingsman: The Secret Service: Film Review

Kingsman: The Secret Service: Review

Cast: Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Taron Egerton, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Caine, Samantha Womack
Director: Matthew Vaughn



Mixing (in no particular order) Star Wars, Attack The Block, James Bond, The Hunger Games, Ender's Game, Utopia (The TV series), The Raid, Austin Powers, Kickass, Spy Kids and a dollop of R-rated violence blended with Brit stiff upper lip, Kingsman: The Secret Service is an incendiary piece of film-making by a director who's clearly determined to light the blue touch paper and walk away.

Based on a comic book series The Secret Service written by the legendary Mark Millar and the iconic Dave Gibbons, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Colin Firth stars as Harry Hart, a suave and sophisticated agent.

Tasked with finding a new Lancelot agent for their order after the current one falls (they're all modern day Knights of the roundtable) and with a lisping billionaire (played by Samuel L Jackson) threatening a twisted global scheme, it turns out the future is squarely on the shoulders of troubled kid Eggsy (played by relative newcomer Egerton), who's got to earn his place in the secret organisation - as well as save the world...

Audacious, bold, provocative and in one sequence, extremely violent (albeit perfectly choreographed to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird) and likely to polarise, Kingsman: The Secret Service is somewhat of a risk for Vaughan, whose previous work X-Men was easily more mainstream. (A move that should be commended)

Riffing on Bond with some self-deprecating lines about it not being that type of film before becoming an R rated version of that type film, Kingsman is certainly likely to strike a chord in places. (The no2 of the bad guy is a female blade runner - entirely reminiscent of an Oscar Pistorius / Bond villain / No 2 mash up)

But it's also incredibly fresh, thanks to Firth's Brit stiff-upper-lip Peel-esque Harry, a gent whose penchant for saving the world is as sharp as his suits. Seeing Firth dish out the violence throughout will be somewhat career-redefining; equally as impressive is Egerton who makes the ruffian an identifiable protagonist rather than an all out tyke as he works his way out from under Harry's wing (and quotes My Fair Lady at the same time). Their scenes together as the Luke / Kenobi / spy/mentor relationship is fleshed out are a joy to behold.

Stoic support comes from Strong, who as ever brings his character A game as Merlin, Michael Caine as the head of the organisation and Jackson who veers close to caricature before pulling it back.

But the real star is Vaughan, who pulls together some never-before-seen stylings and executes them perfectly on the screen in among the usual genesis storyline.

It's exhilarating and visceral viewing that lands squarely on the spectrum of visual overload as it ramps up in parts to extreme cartoon trappings - and herein lies one of the big problems of Kingsman for me.

A sequence in a church shocks, even though it's wonderfully choreographed and timed to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird. It's the only time the violence is ever close to anything real world in terms of brutality - the rest of the film the violence is more of a comic nature; it's ultra-violence in the extreme and while I get that this sequence is supposed to be a shock for all involved, and that it's impressively put together with a daring that's clearly aimed at pushing the envelope, it's the first time in a long while that I've felt conflicted by what's transpired in front of my eyes.

There's a demented madness to Kingsman: The Secret Service; it's a button pusher on many levels (and even presents to us Jack Davenport - the Bond that never was) but its spy trappings, visceral thrills and nutty joie de vivre makes it an incredible cinema experience - despite the concerns.

Rating: