Film Review: This is where I leave you

Tags

Abigail Spencer, Adam Driver, August Osage County, Corey Stoll, Dax Shepard, director Shawn Levy, entertainment, Film Review, Film Review: This is where I leave you, Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Shawn Levy, This is where I leave you, Tina Fey

After the abysmal August Osage County, This is where I leave you is another painfully humourless attempt at a family drama.

When Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) walks in on his wife Quinn (Abigail Spencer) having sex with his boss (Dax Shepard) he unravels, unsure of who is and what he wants in life.

In the midst of his depression Judd’s father dies and his grieving mother Hillary (Jane Fonda) orders him back to the family home, to sit Shiva with his siblings.

For seven days they must spend time together with their mother as the matriarch at the helm. The siblings fall back into their family roles: big brother Paul (Corey Stoll) as the annoying bossy boots: Wendy (Tina Fey) the nagging, over-protective sister; baby brother Philip (Adam Driver) who still gets away with murder and Judd the odd one out.

Childhood sweethearts show up, family secrets are exposed and old wounds are reopened, but instead of being a bittersweet tale of drama and love This is where I leave you is a mess of bad one-liners, weak characters, predictable plots and a lot of overacting.

This is where I leave you is a film better left unwatched, but if you must see this humourless piece by director Shawn Levy, be warned as it could leave you feeling a little nauseated and bereft for the time you wasted.

Film review: The Book of Life

Tags

3D, animation, animation films, Channing Tatum, Day of the Dead, Diego Luna, director Jorge R Gutiérrez, entertainment, Film Review, Film review: The Book of Life, Films, Ice Cube, Jorge R Gutiérrez, Kate del Castillo, movies, Ron Perlman, The Book of Life, Zoe Saldana

The Book of Life is a quirky animation film by director Jorge R Gutiérrez, celebrating Mexican folklore and the Day of the Dead.

The story begins outside a dusty old museum with a rag-tag bunch of temperamental children showing up for a tour and delightful guide, with long hair and a sexy smile showing them a hidden doorway.

With the help of wooden puppets she begins telling the old Mexican folktale of Manolo (Diego Luna), Joaquin (Channing Tatum) and Maria (Zoe Saldana).

As children the three are the best of friends, playfully teasing each other, both boys already in love with Maria, but on the Day of the Dead the stunning La Muerta (Kate del Castillo), the ruler of the Land of the Remembered, bets Xibalba (Ron Perlman), the lord of the Land of the Forgotten, that one day gentle Manolo will marry Maria.

Xibalba champions the adventurous Joaquin and decides to stack the odds in his favour, so he cheats and gives Joaquin a mystical medal.

The children grow up, each following the path their parents envisions them too, but when Maria returns from boarding school, things change, rules are broken and death happens.

But in this charming story, death isn’t permanent, love triumphs and staying true to oneself is the biggest victory of course there is a happy ending, moral and all.

The Book of Life is an original take on a predictable tale with the colourful take on Mexican artwork adding to its appeal. The figures look like they have been carved from wood and painted in as many colours as possible, but tasteful and endearingly so.

And even if the adventure down to the land of the forgotten may be a little scary for some of the more junior viewers, the happy and huggable Candle Maker (Ice Cube) lightens the mood ensuring that darkness never prevails for long.

With it’s 3D imaging and unusual design The Book of Life is an enjoyable film for everyone in the family and a brilliant Halloween treat.

Film Review: Captain Phillips

Tags

Captain Phillips, director Paul Greengrass, entertainment, Film Review: Captain Phillips, film reviews, movies, oscars, Paul Greengrass, Phillips, Somali pirates, Tom Hanks

Director Paul Greengrass is back and at his very best with his latest film Captain Phillips. Like in Green Zone his focuses on the emotional turmoil his main characters go through, creating a very personal insight into an action driven story.  Based on the book A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea, written by Captain Richard Philips himself, Greengrass’ s film is exciting to watch, a little claustrophobic but always spellbinding.

When Captain Richard ‘Rich’ Phillips  (Tom Hanks) packs his bag to leave his Vermont home to catch a flight to the Middle East, there already is a sense of foreboding.  Once he boards his ship, the massive container ship Maersk Alabama, and leaves Oman bound for Mombasa the unsettling feeling only increases.

It is obvious to all that Captain Phillips wants to get the trip over with as quickly as possible and as soon as they enter the notoriously dangerous waters off the coast of Somalia all his fears are confirmed when two small fishing-boats take up pursuit of the Alabama.

It seems impossible that four armed pirates on a tiny metal boat could ever board and hijack such a massive giant as the Alabama but the do, forcing most off the crew into hiding. As the pirates prowl the ship, Captain Phillips, as the pirates hostage-guide, trying to find the crew-members an intense game of cat-and-mouse ensues.

Of course things go horribly wrong and Captain Phillips finds himself trapped inside a tiny lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with his brutal kidnappers growing more and more unpredictable and restless by the minute.

Captain Phillips lives from both Greengrass’s ever-present camera and Tom Hank’s brilliant performance.  This is Hank’s strongest performance in years and reminds the viewer of his skill. In Captain Phillips Hank plays to his strengths, the everyman who gets caught up in a situation beyond his control. But it is his raw emotions and obvious vulnerability that pulls you in, and his sheer physical reactions in the final scene of the film is reason enough for an Oscar nomination.

And while it is obvious that Hanks is the star of the film the four Somali pirates aren’t just flat characters but each has a story of their own to tell.  All four of them are fishermen, living on the poverty line, for them piracy is a business not a political act.

Captain Phillips keeps all the promises the previews and media fanfare make and is worth every penny for a ticket. And with a lot of rainy days ahead of us  a perfect film to watch.

Film Review: The Fifth Estate

Tags

Bill Condon, Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, entertainment, Film Review, Film Review: The Fifth Estate, Inside WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, Laura Linney’s, movies, Stanley Tucci, The Fifth Estate, WikiLeaks

In the summer Alex Gibney released his documentary We Steal Secrets: The Story of the WikiLeaks showing the world what went on behind closed doors of the infamous whistle-blowing website. Now Director Bill Condon shows us his fictional version of the story in his film The Fifth Estate.

Both films try to unravel the story behind WikiLeaks and Julian Assange’s rise and fall and both struggle with all the possible angles. While Gibney just documents what happened, Condon takes some creative leeway and turns the story into something close to a thriller.

When Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl) meets Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) he is fascinated by his single mindedness and desire for total transparency. Soon the two start working together, finding secrets and generating a buzz around the WikiLeaks.

As the website grows and gains followers Julian finds himself trust into the limelight, and enjoying it. But while his fame increases so does his paranoia and secret keeping. Daniel on the other hand struggles to maintain his normal life and while he believes in the importance of their venture he starts to realise that Julian is not all he may seem to be. As the cracks appear in their friendship the secrets they unfold become bigger and more dangerous, they are forced to decide between total transparency or protecting sources and innocents.

The Fifth Estate is based on the book Inside WikiLeaks by Daniel Domscheit-Berg yet it still seems to be in two minds about whether or not Assange is the villain in the story or not. This ambivalent attitude towards the lead character in the film creates a lot of messiness in the plot and leaves quite a few questions unanswered.

That being said Cumberbatch is the perfect choice for the role of Assange. He somehow manages to replicate Assanges unique halting speech patterns, jerky movements and twitchy nervousness without ever just being an imitation. Brühl also finds his stride as his loyal spokesperson and fallen believer towards the end.

The main problem that The Fifth Estate faces is Laura Linney’s role as the fictitious State Department official Sarah Shaw and Stanley Tucci as her right-hand man James Boswell. Somehow their part in the story feels like an ‘ad-on’, just there to show that they US State Department has hypothetical blood on their hands.

Overall The Fifth Estate makes a good attempt at telling modern day story but at times does seem to get carried a way a little with visual concepts, bombarding the viewer with an array of virtual maps, electronic front pages and a virtual office.

The Fifth Estate is filled with ideas but even the extensive 128 minutes just aren’t enough to cover any of them in too much detail. Leaving the viewer with many unanswered questions, one of which is: does Assange really dye his hair?

 

Film Review: The Irish Pub

Tags

Alex Fegan, documentary, Dublin, entertainment, film review: The Irish Pub, film reviews, Films, Ireland, Irish heritage, Irish Pub, pubs, The Irish Pub

All around the world Ireland is famous for it’s pubs and for many the reason to visit the Emerald Isle.  They want to sit around a turf fire and listen to traditional music, have a pint of the black stuff and remember a time gone by.

Sadly these kinds of pubs are slowly disappearing and that was the reason why filmmaker Alex Fegan thought it was time to document them before they become another part of lost Irish heritage.

Travelling all around Ireland Fegan met third generation pub owners and lets them tell their stories, no script and no need for one. The Irish Pub is a joyful and melancholic love letter to publican houses all over Ireland.

What may surprise is that no matter where in Ireland a pub may be, they all have a lot in common. They seem to favour an eclectic collection of bits and bobs as decoration, never letting anything go, documenting time in the shape of a wellington-boot hanging from the ceiling, old portrait photos nailed to the walls and pots, pans, mole traps and other contraptions lining the selves.  The owners see their pubs as an extension of their living-room, their paying costumers as part of the family, their jobs as a service to the community.

Fegan has found some interestingly wonderful and quirky characters who talk about their points of view, creating a very Irish and authentic charm to this unique documentary.

And while everything is filmed within the pubs the storytelling is never really about drink. It is about chatting to friends, community life, the importance of having a place to go to and life in general.

The Irish Pub may at times be little bit twee, but as the publicans and local are constantly telling a new story, singing a song or serving a pint, the moment never last long and it never becomes boring.

So if you enjoy a few jars, a little bit of craic and a great story The Irish Pub truly does deliver, a beautiful film that celebrates Irish life at its very best.

night out with tales of old

Tags

Dublin, entertainment, Films, Ireland, pubs, The Irish Pub

Trying to settle back in to teaching, preparing and doing all those things we have to do on a daily basis has made me somewhat busy. When I come home I feel the need to keep to myself, entertaining students all day really isn’t an easy feat and really talks the ‘talk’ right out of you, no matter how much Lyons tea you drink (insider joke, which you will understand if you watch this ad).

But yesterday I decided it was time to catch up with a  good friend and since I had free tickets to a film it seemed like the perfect opportunity. And oh how right I was!

I had seen a trailer for the film, a documentary called The Irish Pub and was really looking forward to it. It was such a beautiful film, all about proper Irish pubs and the part the play in Irish society. (You can find a review here).

But what made the night out with my friend so special was that the film maker Alex Fegan and most of the pub owners from the film where there too. It was great to get a chance to chat to some of them and the stories they told were funny and truly part of what makes Ireland great.

My friend and I ended up meeting the owner  and some of the locals of The Palace Bar, an old Victorian pub and bar established in 1823. It is one of the oldest pubs in Dublin and you can find it ob Fleet Street in Temple Bar, at the heart of this dirty old town.

These charming old men, one with a long white bear, one with brilliant blue eyes and one even with a cane bought us drinks and in true Irish fashion enchanted us with their tales of old. They talked about what the Pub means to them and who Dublin has changed, they explained that although all enjoyed a drink or five  going to the pub was all about community, after all it is called a “public house”, a place for people to meet and share each others lives.

As we  finally said our good-byes, cider in our bellies and smiles in our hearts, I could help but be grateful for such a wonderful night out and for the chance to hear those tales of old  form those who lived them, a dying bread of old-fashioned Irish men.

The men who shared the tales of old with us (still from the film The Irish Pub)

Film review: Blue Jasmine

Tags

Alec Baldwin, Blue Jasmine, Cate Blanchett, entertainment, Film review Blue Jasmine, Films, movies, Peter Sarsgaard, Sally Hawkins, Woodly Allen Films, Woody Allen

Woody Allen is back, again. After Midnight in Paris and Vicky Cristina Barcelona he is returning to what he knows best: neurotic behaviour. But Blue Jasmine is far from a comedy; it is a drama portraying the breakdown of the high and mighty.

Self-named Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) has lost everything, her husband, her pent-house, her step-son and all of her money. Forced to abandon her Park Avenue home Jasmine moves in with her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) in San Francisco. This shabby chic apartment above a Mexican café is far from Jasmines usual standards and she can seemingly only survive with the help of a steady flow of alcohol.

Not wanting to give up, Jasmine takes a job as a receptionist and tries to better herself with an evening computer course. But she can’t let go of her past life and in flash-backs we meet her ex-husband Hal (Alec Baldwin), her high society friends and obviously questionable lifestyle.

Unable to deal with the present, Jasmine talks obsessively about her past, her wealth, her husband, her travels and property, creating an alternative reality in which she seems more at home than in the real world. Her pearls, Chanel jacket, Fendi bag and Roger Vivier shoes are all that remains of this high flying past, that she is so desperately yearns for.

Over time Jasmine unravels more and more and when her last hope, a promised engagement to diplomat Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard), evaporates because of the web of lies she spins, she becomes completely undone.

Allen is at his best in Blue Jasmine but it is arguable that this is mainly down to Blachett’s stellar performance. The only downside to her brilliant portrayal of this Park Avenue downfall is that she isn’t very likable.

Hawkins as Blachetts sister Ginger is good, but sadly nearly a caricature of what Allen deems working class Americans to be like. Baldwin is wonderful as Hal, he is a businessman with a hidden agenda, a little to squeaky clean, has affairs but still quite likeable.

Overall Blue Jasmine is a good film, a return to what we expect from Woody Allen, with a little bit more grit. However it doesn’t quite have the greatness of his early works like Annie Hall or Manhatten, even if the soundtrack is brilliant. The strong plot, fantastic actors and brilliant lead make Blue Jasmine a film to watch, not just if you are an Allen or Blanchett fan.

Film review: Austenland

Tags

Austenland, Colin Firth, comedy films, entertainment, Film Review, Film Review: Austenland, Georgia King, Jane Auten, Jennifer Coolidge, Jerusha Hess, Keri Russell, movies, Mr Darcy, Stephenie Meyer

If you are expecting Mr Darcy or any Colin Firth lookalikes Austenland is going to disappoint.

Austen addict Jane (Keri Russell) just can’t find her perfect gentleman so after she pours herself another cup of tea she decided to invest all her savings in a trip to England and stay in Austenland, a Jane Austen themed park, romance guaranteed.

Since she only bought the copper package she watches from the servants quarters how ‘platinum’ Austen fans Elizabeth Charming (Jennifer Coolidge) and Lady Amelia Heartwright (Georgia King) are treated to the full blown experience, petticoats and four-poster-beds included.

Realising that she may have made a big mistake she pairs up with stable boy Martin (Bret McKenzie) and mocks the ludicrous games of make-believe. But of course there is a twist, a dance and a love story.

Sadly Austenland is anything but Austenesque and is very painful to watch as it over the top juvenile with no subtleties. Coolidge does what she always does with her overbearing stature and boobs. And although Russell delivers what is expected of her it is just not enough.

If director Jerusha Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and producer Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga) think that this is what women want they have gotten it very wrong. This sub-standard jokes and stale plot are just too silly and very messy. And while the film does circle around the Americans fascination with British culture and heritage and the female desire for romance it really doesn’t deliver.

Austenland is as far away as you can get from Jane Austen’s beautiful storytelling and detailed character drawing. And I am sure that all involved feel no sense of pride at the end result and all your negative prejudices will be proven right if you do want to waste time watching this trivial drivel.

Film review: R.I.P.D

Tags

director Robert Schwentke, entertainment, film, Film review: R.I.P.D, film reviews, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, movies, Ryan Reynolds

It’s hard to know where to start on the mess of a film that is R.I.P.D. It should be could fun as it is a buddy-cop movie mixed in with zombies and lots of CGI but it really isn’t.

Nick (Ryan Reynolds) is a cop in Philadelphia, one who likes to keep some of the loot for himself. But since he is a good guy at heart he decides to change his way and hand in the gold the stashed away. However his partner Bobby Hayes (Kevin Bacon) isn’t too happy about this development and kills him.

Finding himself in some sort or heavenly police department, the R. I P.D (Rest in Peace Department) sitting opposite agent Proctor (Mary-Louise Parker), Nick soon discovers a whole new reality.

Partnered up with old time wild-west Marshall Roysephus Pulsipher , big Roy(Jeff Bridges) Nick is sent back to Philly to track down and bring back ‘deados’, dead people who somehow stayed on earth and turned into evil demons packaged in human shells.

This leads to CGI chases around Philadelphia, massive cartoon like undead running riot and a show down with a massive portal threatening to end the world.

R.I.P.D is tries to be a bit like Men in Black or Ghostbusters, but it really isn’t. There is nothing new; the plot is weak and very predictable, the CGI is a little rough and the there is no real excitement.

Reynolds is the same character he always is, no matter if it’s his take on the Green Lantern or Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins : Wolverine he just furrows his brow and spouts a few one-liners.

Bridges on the other hand seems to have cornered the “old coot” market and his version of Big Roy is no different from his characters in Men who stare at Goats, Crazy Heart and True Grit.  The only difference is this time he is dead but his mumbling tobacco chewing intonations are no less annoying.

Bacon has perfected his sleazy bad-guy routine and offers really no surprises as Bobby Hayes. Parker is kind of cute as Proctor but can’t really offer any real support.

Whatever director Robert Schwentke was thinking when he made R.I.P.D, a big budget film, is anyone’s guess. So if you are looking to have some fun there are lots of better ways to spend 96min of your life

Film Review: The Call

Tags

Abigail Breslin, director Brad Anderson, entertainment, Film Review: The Call, film reviews, Films, Halle Berry, Michael Eklund, movies, The Call

Phone operator Jordan (Halle Berry) works in the busy 911 emergency call center in Los Angeles. Everyday she sits, listens and helps those in distress, always cool and methodical as she was trained to be.

However when she answers the call from a young girl whose home is being invaded everything changes. Always the professional Jordan tries to calm the girl down but suddenly the perpetrator is on the other end telling her: “It’s already done.”

This sentence haunts Jordan and when a few days later the body of the young girl is found she swaps her headset for a clipboard and teaches new applicants how to do her old job. While on the floor of ‘the hive’ as the bustling call-center is dubbed a call comes in from Casey (Abigail Breslin) and a breathtaking journey begins.

Casey is calling from the boot of a moving car, confused, crying and very scared. With the help of Jordan she manages to create a trail and the search is on. Her abductor Michael (Michael Eklund) is at first quite unaware of what is happening behind his back but as soon as he finds out his rage takes over.

The Call is a fast-paced movie filled with suspense. And even though a lot of it is filmed inside the boot of a car it doesn’t feel overly claustrophobic. Both Breslin and Berry manage to be believable, Breslin obviously filled with terror and Berry desperate to help. However it does seem odd when Jordan leaves her desk and turns into the hero who saves the day.  Eklund is brilliant in his sweaty lunacy, menacing, furious and utterly deluded.

However The Call does have its weaknesses. The prologue to the story is a little long, which is odd as the film is only 94 minutes long. But director Brad Anderson seems to want to set the scene and create too much of an unnecessary back-story. And although the ending may be surprising and somewhat satisfying for some it makes little sense to find Jordan as the one who takes action.

Overall The Call is much better than it may first appear, even if the plot does have a few weaknesses.  It is a film that is carried by strong actors, a lot of suspense and great filming, a thriller in every sense of the words.