The Hero: DVD Review

The Hero: DVD Review

Cast: Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Nick Offerman
Director: Brett Haley

Mixing melancholy and offbeat humour as well as a great deal of heart, The Hero centres around Sam Elliott's gravel-voiced one time Western actor Lee Hayden.

With a career that's been defined largely by one great role in a film called The Hero, Hayden's world has been reduced to doing voiceovers for BBQ sauce (in a nod to perhaps UK comedy show Toast of London).

Estranged from his daughter (Ritter) and separated from his wife, Lee's life is hit by an unexpected terminal cancer diagnosis, Lee's spending time brooding and smoking weed with former fellow actor Jeremy (Parks and Rec's laconic Nick Offerman).

But when he meets Laura Prepon's Charlotte by chance and an acceptance speech for a lifetime achievement award goes unexpectedly, his apparently over life changes in more ways than one...

The Hero's laid back ageing premise may hit differing audiences in differing ways.

However, Elliott's nuanced and rugged turn as Lee is emotionally resonant no matter how you view the film and its cliches.

Regardless of whether some of the film's plots follow an all-too familiar trajectory, there's something in Elliott's compellingly understated performance that's simply captivating.

Prepon plays enigmatic too, but there's a real sense of these two connecting despite a major age difference potentially in their way. Thanks to some sensitive direction, it just about works when, against all the odds, it really shouldn't.

Whether it's being lost in ruminations on his life, or being lost in a haze of drugs around Charlotte, Haley's script manages to coat everything in a forlorn fashion that plays to Elliott's silent strengths.

And there's something about this veteran actor that just fits the part.

There are elements of this which may seem almost autobiographical in many ways as the older generation of actors tries to find a place in Hollywood, and rides a revival, and at times, to be frank, the script treads an all too familiar line, but there's just something about this low-key indie from Sundance, with its drawling lead that makes The Hero a success in ways it shouldn't be. 

The Commuter: DVD Review

The Commuter: DVD Review

Re-teaming with his Unknown director after their 2011 outing, Liam Neeson's supposed retirement from action thrillers sees him taking part in an action thriller.

Neeson is Michael McCauley, a straight and down-the-line insurance seller, whose life is a daily routine.

From the morning commute to the office to the routine of trying to sort money for his son to go to college, McCauley is a straight arrow.

But it all changes one day, when with retirement closing in, McCauley is made redundant.

As he takes the train home, he's approached by a woman (Vera Farmiga) who sits opposite him and offers him a Faustian deal - someone on his train doesn't belong there. Find out who they are before the commuter train terminates its run and net a cool $100K.

Given only a short time to decide, McCauley finds his hand forced as a race against time begins.

The Commuter has a clever premise, one that's ripped from the pages of a pulpy page-turner.

But on screen, Collet-Serra seems unable to bring it to life with a series of coincidences and incredulities crippling parts of what unfurls.

(Let's not even start with the insane concept that perhaps people actually talk to each other on a US train).

Neeson is solid but unspectacular as he rolls out yet another take on a man with a special set of skills.
(Fortunately, his character is an ex-cop this time around). It's easy to see why Neeson would take the gig as it plays on the everyman-forced-to-do-extraordinary schtick that's become his thing.

However, with dialogue that lays everything bare, and a shaky cam ethos, Collet-Serra at times feels like he's beating you across the face with the film, rather than letting the piece breathe naturally and its subsequent rhythms grip and thrill you.

As the script grows ever more ludicrous, with red herrings and a bizarre take down of Goldman Sachs that's supposed to be middle America responding, Collet-Serra orchestrates the whole film into a train-set CGI spectacle that's unfortunately more laughable than laudible.

Muddled and frankly average at best in its stolid lumpiness and old school "charm", The Commuter is an action film and script, ripped straight from 1980.

Unfortunately, it's 2018 - and this kind of thing is possibly best shown either on TV or on a flight on a plane where coherence isn't fully embraced.

For Neeson, it's about time this action train was stopped - and he was allowed the dignity of getting off. 

Fifty Shades Freed: Blu Ray Review

Fifty Shades Freed: Blu Ray Review

Let's be honest, nobody expects Oscar-calibre material from this mommy-porn book series.

And nobody really expects a critic's view of the film to quash the series that's galvanised female audiences and raked millions in here and abroad.

It is fair to say that the series' capper Fifty Shades Freed is perhaps not the film for fans of the franchise or for drama given how lacklustre and terrifically dull it plays out on screen.
At the end of Fifty Shades Darker, sub Ana Steele (played by Johnson, who finds the humour and humanity in some of her delivery) was betrothed to marry dom Christian Grey (Dornan, whose sole direction appears to be to act wooden throughout).

Fifty Shades Freed picks up the story, and rather than delivering a spanking capper to the franchise, it follows Christian and Ana's push-and-pull relationship as Ana tests the boundaries of marriage and Grey's expectations - while throwing in a laughable stalker plot and mountains of product placement.

Whereas the earlier films had a commitment to the central relationship, the problem with Fifty Shades Freed is its attempts to wrangle out conflict where there's little, drama that's underwhelming and has potential squandered and someone trying to jam all the narrative elements together with the skill of a 3-year-old trying to smash a jigsaw complete.

Things happen, then mesh into a highly choreographed music-driven sex scene, before morphing out into the wider story without any signs of cinematic finesse.

It doesn't help that in many ways, Fifty Shades Freed becomes a different tale of white privilege in the MeToo world. Most of the squabbles and in particular Christian's reaction to them seem petty and selfish. These are the personifications of first world problems in many ways.

Granted, this is supposed to be some kind of character arc for Mr Grey, but unfortunately, through Foley's lack of direction, Dornan's acting is wooden in extremis. What emerges is a problem that's dogged Christian's portrayal throughout the series.

By contrast, Johnson's Ana finds the humanity in her character, and as with previous films, brings it to the fore. She's been the star of this series and has risen above some of the more risible dialogue thrust upon her.

Ultimately, Fifty Shades Freed is a fizzer.

Complete with some unsexy sex scenes that perpetuate the male gaze (there's a constant surprise there's little equality here), sub-lots that drift and resolve without any tension, copious product placement and a lack of any real drama, Fifty Shades Freed is a limp flaccid end to the series.

Thankfully though, audiences have finally been freed of the shackles of this series. 

Tully: Film Review

Tully: Film Review

Cast: Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Ron Livingston, Mark Duplass, Elaine Tan
Director: Jason Reitman

Forever likely to be known as the M Night Shyamalan film of mothering, Diablo Cody's Tully is a mixed bag of a film, that flounders badly in its final strait.

Theron is largely excellent for a good two thirds of this as mother-of-two Marlo. Heavily pregnant with her third due any day, and with her brother (Duplass) claiming that something was snuffed out in her years ago, Marlo's life is pretty tough.

Ensconced in her family house, bedecked as it is in beige and with signs of age, and struggling to get by even with her husband absentee help, Marlo's given the chance to get a night nanny by her brother to help out.

Essentially the service comes in, watches the kid overnight and wakes the parent when feeding is needed - for her brother Craig, it was apparently a game-changer.

Initially reticent, Marlo grudgingly accepts - and into her life comes free spirit Tully (Davis, a gleeful blast of sunshine). Their relationship grows and a parenting groove is settled on - and to say more is to ruin some of what lies ahead.

The problem with Tully is that largely the first 60 minutes of the film, which concentrates on the pressures of mothering, the monotony of looking after children and the growing disillusionment of life outside of the bubble, are great.

Theron's more than committed to the role, with her pale gaunt appearance, worn down by endless feeding and a second problem child, conveying more of exasperation and acceptance than could ever be done by Cody's trademark whiplash dialogue. That's not to patronise or proffer feint praise to Theron, she's genuinely watchable and empathetic as she juggles all.

Equally, the feverishly anarchic and perky Davis adds a degree of life to Marlo's life and the house that prove a welcome tonic to the grind that's gone before.

But it's in the last 30 minutes of Tully, where things of great importance happen with little to no consequence that it feels like narrative contrivance and supposed magical script wizardry writ large.

There are no spoilers here, but the denouement feels largely like it cheats the film of the grounded reality and mundanity it finds itself in, early on. It's impossible to win though, with Cody's occasionally snarky screenplay clearly mocking the perfect mothers and simultaneously bigging up those who simply accept it and get on with it (which will be a large part of the intended viewing population.)

Ultimately, Tully becomes tarred by the path it chooses - that it does so with relative finesse for most of the journey is a good thing because when it revels in its veracity and borders closely on reality, it's a compellingly familiar watch.

It's just a real shame that Tully's divisive ending tarnishes and to a degree, belittles everything which has gone before it, slathering most of the film in a feeling that consequence is nothing but bothersome and inconsequential.

The Greatest Showman: DVD Review

The Greatest Showman: DVD Review

If you're looking for a deep psychological take on PT Barnum, the infamous ringleader and potential exploiter of the outcasts, The Greatest Showman is not it.

If you're looking for a film where character forms the basis of the musical, rather than once over lightly characterisation, a film where the emotional attachment is formed because of the arc the leads are on, The Greatest Showman is not it.

But if you are looking for a sugar-coated, superficial, candy-rush of a spectacle, where toe-tapping songs are thrown in and which genuinely come close to pulling you out of your seat as you marvel at how white privilege can get you so far, then step right up, because The Greatest Showman is that - and then some.

A hugely charismatic Hugh Jackman leads the pack as PT Barnum, a dreamer whose desire to make a life for his wife Charity (Williams, all smiles and little else) and children is his driving force.

Hitting upon the notion of pulling together a troupe of outcasts, Barnum finds himself a ringmaster of success in the lower rent world. But chancing across a singer of class, Jenny Lind (Ferguson), Barnum feels he can win the acceptance he's never had his whole life - yet, at what cost...

The Greatest Showman aims to tackle bigotry, welcoming minorities and the whole pursuing your dreams angle but manages to do it all under a cloud of smoke and a hint of mirrors.

That's not to deny this typical rags to riches and then back to rags before back to riches story doesn't have some truly impressive toe-tapping songs to carry you from one distraction to the next. There's the wondrous This Is Me and Come Alive which really wind up the energy and give the film a pizazz and verve that are hard to deny.

And Jackman is perfectly cast, with a great deal of charisma and charm to carry you along this superficial journey. His is a Barnum who faces problems with a song and a dance, and this infectious attitude may well help you to paper over the weaker narrative cracks.

Principally, the invented conflict that appears in the film feels thrown in rather than earned; there are meta touches about a theatre critic picking away at what Barnum's doing and how a critic's job is a joyless one.

Racial tensions are thrown into the fore, because that's what The Greatest Showman wants to do and damned if you can stop them with your rational thinking.

And yet, much like Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge and La La Land, there's an infectious beat to all this which is hard to deny in its frippery and flippancy. Although unlike those two, there's not the emotional depth to carry it all along - but it's impossible to deny that you won't be carried along by it.

In many ways, The Greatest Showman is perhaps the perfect film for this time of the year - it's light, fluffy, family-oriented, brain-be-damned, blessed with only a small hint of danger and is an easy antidote to seasonal excess. It offers simple easy solutions to bigger problems facing its protagonists and is hell bent on sending you on your merry way with a song in your heart and not a care in your world.

It's admirable after what 2017 has thrown at us from Hollywood, but much like any big show and musical with Barnum as its lead, The Greatest Showman is all about the conman whirling his baton and seducing us - to which, one suspects, many will willingly submit. 

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: DVD Review

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: DVD Review

Revelling in the kind of dark and comedic touches that were in 2008's In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a tale for our times, and a reflection on the world we live in.

McDormand stars as Mildred, the emotionally battered and destroyed mother of a girl killed in her small town.

With justice having eluded her seven months later and fearing her daughter's case is going unnoticed by the police as time goes by, Mildred deploys a triumvirate of provocative billboards, aimed at keeping the unsolved murder at the front of everyone's mind.

Naming and shaming the local police chief (played with mournful touches by Harrelson), Mildred finds herself in opposition with the town and in the line of the racist drunk sheriff Dixon (a brilliant Rockwell, playing fast, dastardly and loose, yet surprisingly engaging and emotional).

It's hard to give more away of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri as part of the satisfaction of McDonagh's film is in the journey and the devilish edges of the dialogue.

Whilst there are a few frustrations here and there (from the film's resolution to a few scenes such as the disrespecting of a Catholic priest for no reason other than to launch a diatribe), there is a lot to perversely revel and reflect on in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Chiefly, it's the triumvirate of performances from McDormand, Harrelson and Rockwell that hit a series of dizzying highs.

McDormand manages to tread a fine line between perseverance, bringing heartbreak and hard resolve to Mildred. There's never any doubt that you're on your side, and McDormand delivers a controlled pitch perfect performance that aches with loss, and teeters on extreme sadness. Harrelson and Rockwell surprise too, particularly as their law enforcement attitudes are as poles apart as you could expect.

However, Rockwell's racist drunkard, wrapped up in his momma's boy hillbilly outlook and his Archie comics, proves to be the film's surprising emotional touchstone for reasons that would spoil too much here.

In many ways, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri deals with a lot of issues currently around - a sexual predator and murderer who appears to be above the law, the inherent seething racist underbelly in the police and the innocent wronged and left hanging outside of a justice system which appears to be skewed in favour of the criminals.

And yet, deep within Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and its penchant for potty-mouth moments, there's a lot of humanity and love on show; of people coming together when divides seem too immense and of the one thing that unites us all - sadness.

McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is being touted for awards, and while parts of its heart are black beyond recognition, thanks to McDormand and Rockwell's powerfully compelling performances, this at times jaw-dropping spectacle has all the compulsion you'd need to be carried along on the darkest of rides. 

International directors heading to NZ for Doc Edge fest

INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED DIRECTORS VISIT AOTEAROA

The Documentary New Zealand Trust presents THE DOCUMENTARY EDGE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2018 The 13th Annual Doc Edge, International Documentary Film Festival opens this Wednesday 9th May at Wellington’s Roxy Cinema followed by Auckland’s Q Theatre on Wednesday 23rd May, bringing an influx of prestigious directors and documentary subjects from all over the world. Anote’s Ark  Making its Asia-Pacific premiere, the opening feature of the festival is Anote’s Ark. Kiribati’s former President Anote Tong, who is the subject of the film, attends the Festival, as does director Matthieu Rytz. Matthieu is a producer, curator, photographer, director, and trained visual anthropologist, with his passion for photography and ethnology leading him across the globe to photograph cultural and human diversity over ten years. A Q & A follows the 7:30pm Auckland screening on May 23rd. The Invisible Heart Canadian Screen Award-winner, Nadine Pequeneza, will attend the Auckland Premiere of her film, The Invisible Heart. Nadine has a Gold Hugo award from the Chicago International Film Festival, as well as seven CSA and Gemini nominations, and an honourable mention Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association. Her films have screened at festivals world-wide, and she is best known for her focus on social issues which offer unique access to character-driven stories. Q & A’s with Nadine will follow both Auckland screenings on May 25th at 7:15pm, and May 26th at 12pm. With the support of the Canadian High Commission, the Canadian delegation of former President Anote Tong, Matthieu Rytz and Nadine Pequeneza, will also include Alicia Smith of the National Film Board of Canada. She will be attending the Doc Edge Opening Night on May 23rd and Screen Edge Forum on May 25th-27th. Postcards From India — A Busker’s Adventure In the World Premiere of Postcards From India — A Busker’s Adventure, we travel with musician Filippo Masé, aka 'Miserable Man', along the streets of India. From the Rajasthan desert to the big city of Kolkata, he will cross paths with many characters: fellow musicians, spiritual seekers and street kids. The film follows the steps through which this street performer decided to embrace a new lifestyle, dedicated to music, travel and self-discovery. Both subject, Filippo, and director of the feature, Tommaso Dolcetta Capuzzo, are guests of the Festival. When God Sleeps Premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, When God Sleeps took out the Cinema Peace Award for Most Valuable Documentary at this year’s Berlinale, and the Golden Heynal Award in the International DocFilmMusic Competition at the Krakow Film Festival. Director Till Schauder will join the Festival for its New Zealand premiere in Wellington and Auckland, with Q & A’s after the screenings. Till has won a German Emmy for his previous works and appeared in the HBO series “Mildred Pierce,” acting alongside Kate Winslet. Hope Road  In this film, refugee Zacharia Machiek sets out with high hopes to build a school back in his village in war torn South Sudan with dedicated Aussie supporters, but his ambitious plans are challenged when life intervenes. Hope Road has been nominated for the Documentary Australia Foundation (DAF) Best Australian Documentary Award. Director Tom Zubrycki has won the Australian Film Institute Awards for previous works, for both Best Director and Best Documentary. Hope Road has Q & As at both Auckland screenings on May 26th at 6:45pm, and May 27th at 12:15pm. Point of No Return In its Australasian premiere, Point of No Return takes viewers behind the headlines of Solar Impulse, the first solar-powered flight around the world. Billed as one of the great scientific adventure stories of our century, the film follows pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg as they take turns battling nature, their own crew, and sometimes logic itself, to achieve the impossible: flying 26,000 miles powered only by the sun, to prove the potential of clean energy. Directors Noel Dockstader and Quinn Kanaly will attend the festival, as well as participate in Docs 4 Schools, Doc Edge’s educational programme providing free screenings to schools in Wellington and Auckland. Q & As will be held after the two screenings in Wellington, May 18th & 20th, and the first screening in Auckland on May 25th.   Other international guests to visit the Festival include PJ Raval, director of Call her Ganda, which follows three strong women in their quest for justice for murdered transwoman Jennifer Laude as they take on U.S. diplomatic and military institutions. Director of Ben-Gurion, Epilogue - Yariv Mozer will attend with his film on former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Star of Big In Japan, David Elliot-Jones attends with directors Lachlan McLeod and Louis Dai, with their film on fame and the dangerous idea that is “celebrity.” Kiwi Kieren Jameson returns home, attending with director Gail Freedman, after featuring in Hot To Trot, a film on the little-known phenomenon that is same-sex competitive ball-room dance. A highlight each year at the Doc Edge Film Awards is the prestigious Doc Edge Superhero Award which recognises outstanding achievement in documentary. The 2018 recipient is Diane Weyermann (USA), President of Documentary Film & Television at Participant Media. Diane has executive produced many award-winning and critically acclaimed documentaries including Doc Edge 2018’s Far From The Tree and Kailash, and previous Oscar winners Citizenfour and An Inconvenient Truth. Alongside the Festival, guests will attend the 12th Screen Edge Forum on May 18th at Park Road Post and May 25th- 27th at The University of Auckland. Together, the events bring the largest annual meet-up of international filmmakers and leading screen industry in New Zealand. The Forum features masterclasses and workshops on current screen issues and developments. A popular event during the Forum is the annual Doc Pitch, a pitching competition that led to the development of many best loved Kiwi documentaries, which takes place on May 25th. Members of the public are welcome to register and attend Screen Edge Forum. Returning this year to the University of Auckland is the Story Edge World Exhibition, a selection of the latest and most innovative interactive digital storytelling projects on May 26th-27th. Entry to view the Exhibition is free.