A good woman is hard to find

A South African, a Belgian, and a Northern Irishman walk into a film, and the confluent results are worthy of your attention. This may not be award-winning drama; however, it is very well executed, to the point where some scenes are compelling and some not so much. It’s a classic case of a film riddled in with some really strong parts and unfortunately some that let down the whole.

When it works, it’s different, its edge of your seat, and its surprising. When it doesn’t its predictable, pastiche, and boring. Thankfully the former dominates for the most part, and so we enter the world of a rough estate in Belfast, following the struggles of a recently widowed young woman with two young children to bring up in the wreckage of their recently murdered father.

Sarah Bolger’s central performance pins and ebbs the narrative around corners with nuance, even to little scenes with supermarket staff that manages to in one moment convey the whole tone of the piece. That this woman is a victim and everywhere she turns she is victimized. However, this film is quite simple in that it is a straight-up revenge thriller, but done with some real sharp satire and style.

It trips up on its reliance with two-dimensional thugs and generic gangster motifs that we see in literally every other film of this genre. However what makes it unique, is the not so obvious or seen scenes of our main character encountering the horrors of victimhood first hand, and the kaleidoscope of manifestations it penetrates her otherwise normal attempt at a life.

The use of music and colour adds fervour to certain violent scenes that would otherwise be quite ordinary. Strangely the film has a lot to say about the society we live in especially in the ‘me too’ era, but also its packaged in a bargain bin Essex gangster packaging. So it falls at the viewer’s discretion how much to take from it, but it’s a solid contribution to the genre that adds rather than takes away.

 

Patriots Day

 

Patriots day is the latest culimination in Peter Berg’s seminal duplex of his modern American tragedy saga. Both last years Deepwater Horizon and now this sister film, both manage to craft with haunting unison, a concotion of imagery only the likes of really good cinema can make visceral and palpable.

 

With Deepwater Horizon Berg manages to make what is both a nail-biting edge of your seat traditional Hollywood blockbuster segued with a intimate emotional drama of the fragility of human lives when faced with the awesome power of corporate machinisation and brutal force. Berg having managed to successfully navitage the treachous waters of what could easily have been smarmy american tokenism and for-the-sake-of-it Hollywoodism, managed to produce a film full of optimism, triumph over adversity and the power of endurance and working together out of the ashes of a repugnent (could easily have been prevented) man made disaster- sympotmatic of our greed above all age.

 

In addition to that most welcome of modern american story-telling, Berg goes one further with Patriots Day. With this film, we follow a especially on form albeit archetyal Mark Wahlberg as he experiences the events of April the 15^th 2013 when terrorism erupted onto the streets of Boston. Once again, this could have easily have been another stereotypical quintessential american piece of propaganda tokenism, full of cliché. Thankfully it is the complete opposite.

 

Berg puts the viewer right into the heart of the events, like for which, for my money no other modern film on terrorism has managed to do thus far. Even though we know full well what happened, this is such masterful film-making that you are transported into the taste and feel of the action like you were subject to the horrors yourself. This film is like a punch in the guts, waking us up from our apathetic slumber of who cares and changing channel.

 

We follow an unconventinal narrative by not only simultaneously following the lives of the victims and authorities involved, but also seeing behind the scenes from the perspective of the perpetrators themselves. This unique creative decision, allows the audience to develop a intricate psychological map of emotion, that builds and adds enormous grativas the heat of the action when it arrives.

 

Patriots Day is the finest examination of a modern story-teller encapsulating the zeitgeist and yet not falling victim to the more generic and darker conclusions, instead illustrating that in such moments of darkness, it is the light that burns the brightest, this is ulimately a film of hope and love, which is presented in such an unbias, opposite of im-sick-to-my-stomach American patriorism ( despite what the title suggests) that only if are completely void of any empathy can you not be overwhelmed by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inception

Christopher Nolan’s imminent return after The Dark Knight has manifested itself in a completely new film, which embodies and fuses the blockbuster scale of his Batman franchise with the psychological headfucks of Memento. Inception is his new baby, before he endeavors to finish the Batman trilogy and throw his hands at re-boosting the Superman franchise. However this summer’s blockbuster is an animal of an unforeseen nature. Without laying danger to the follies of hype, Inception is arguably the greatest piece of film-making of the 21st century. I would argue that only The Matrix (the first one I mean) had the same affect on me, the power to completely revolutionize your perceptions of everything, to not only entertain you more than any other rival action or comedy film, but at the same time take you on tour de force of the history of modern philosophy at the same time.



Nolan first started writing Inception around the time of his under-rated feature Insomnia, in which he became fascinated with the idea of lucid dreaming and the fundamental questions that dreams made us question about the nature of the human mind and reality. However, Nolan knew that to dream big on this scale and honour the stories requirements, he would have to wait. This is by no means a small scale film; in fact both aesthetically and cognitively this is perhaps the grandest canvas of film-making up there in cinema history. There has been talk that Nolan is the new Kubrick or Scott, but I like to think Nolan is just the new master of cinema, he is more Hitchcock in his methods, and yet the result is something you would expect from Spielberg and Lucas and more.


Narratively, it is very difficult to actually explain to someone who hasn’t seen this film what is actually about, which I think is integral to its beauty and attraction. In simple terms ( if that’s at all possible) the premise is that Leonardo Dicaprio’s character Dom Cobb is a dream thief, a specialist spy who has the ability to enter your mind and either extract or plant information through the medium of the subconscious. Dicaprio and an ensemble team of experts join together for one final mission, which proves to be make or break. All the odds are against them and if they don’t succeed its game over. That’s about as much as can be given away or explained of this ingeniously original and complex screenplay. Dicaprio offers one of his most challenging yet rewarding performances yet and acts the emotional catalyst throughout, forever sustaining the audience’s interest and compassion. He is also joined by a host of incredible talent, coming from the likes of Ellen Page, British Newcomer and one to watch- Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Marion Cotillard, and the standard Nolan crew of Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe. Furthermore in addition there is an unexpected but ultimately brilliant casting choice of the long lost Tom Berenger.


Where in the lies the true mastery or sorcery of Inception is its ability to almost transform as a remarkable example of any genre. It cannot be defined, I mean at a push you could say it is a multi-layered science fiction heist action blockbuster peppered with comedy and brutal drama, o and least I forget perhaps the most audacious and enthralling story in the last decade of cinema since its principal influence and main source of inspiration The Matrix. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s cool, it’s beautiful, its slick, its breath-taking, it hurts your head, it pumps adrenaline into your heart, it entertains, it stimulates all spectrums of the IQ, it captivates your attention and does not take any mercy on you, it surprises, it twist and turns, it bends and collapses, it forces you to become part of it and until you cannot resist. Also for such a complicated piece, it never for one moment becomes too indulgent or hypocritical, its tempo is just rite like a fat bass beat, it’s so smooth you could just listen to it on loop. It’s just got the perfect equilibrium of everything to make everything work. You’re never quite comfortable enough but then you’re never bored enough or confused enough to even begin to be distracted or discontented. This film will not let you do anything other than be sucked it and spat out.


Inception offers some of the truly finest action sequences I have ever experienced, up until the point where you just can’t take it; it illustrates some of the finest uses of C.G.I since The Return of the King. (Although Nolan remains old school in that he deferred from the use of 3D or Imax technology and the over use or ease of use of too much C.G.I in favour for expensive and realistic constructions and explosions like the Ice Fortress). One of its central themes is an emotional journey into one man’s ability to cope with madness and death, playing on the notions of loss and the effect it has on the psyche. Or perhaps just an educated disposition into the principal hypothesis of Descartes body of work- Cogito Ergo Sum- I Think Therefore I am. No wait perhaps just a true understanding and exploration of Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams and the hallucinogenic nature of lucid dreams or a psychological investigation into the world of dreams as either a metaphor for reality itself or this just socially accepted journey into hedonistic and ludicrous dimensions of madness and beauty that we all collectively embark upon every time we close our eyes.


Nolan’s fundamental message here I believe is that anything is possible, but even without a central thesis or framework of intelligent ideas, Inception would still be a masterpiece, in that it offers anything you could possibly want from any film, also without revealing anything, one of the most finest endings I have ever witnessed, leaving you tantalizing useless and in sheer awe of what you have just been subjected to. Inception is truly in the face of all post-modern criticisms and the suggestion that originality is dead, and that everything is a re-hash or interpretation of everything else. This is truly original and pure, yes heavily inspired and resting on the shoulder of giants (perhaps mostly Wachowski giants) but none the less a completely fresh experience and tale of its own, further experimenting and fucking with your world. This is Nolan’s Bond film, his 2001, his Blade Runner, his Matrix, taking the best of Memento and The Dark Knight to create his Guernica, his Sistine, his Fifth symphony and cementing him and his film into history. If you have any interest in the experiment that is film what so ever, you will do yourself a favour and see this film, if not don’t worry son.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood is the setting for the latest marriage between the omniscient Ridley Scott & omnipotent Russell Crowe. It is the couple’s fifth outing together and first for Crowe in the producers seat. The premise for this reunion was to pursue a reimagining of the infamous English folk legend that is Robin Hood, a story which seems to permeate throughout the ages in countless incarnations. This interpretation proves to be worthier than most but however feels quite flaccid in comparison to previous Scott- Crowe offerings such as the mighty Gladiator.



It was dubbed ‘Gladiator with arrows’ but despite its obvious similarities it is quite a different beast altogether. This latest feature is directed towards American families and the summer block-buster market to generate much needed revenue for Hollywood in a period of economic uncertainty. The 12-A classification is testament to the creative sacrifices that Scott has traded for fiscal prosperity. Unlike its Roman predecessor, Robin Hood is quite a desperate and unfortunate cut and paste production. Originally helming from a CSI: Investigation script-writer, the script was bartered and battered amongst the movie moguls until Crowe took the incentive to get Ridley on board. It quite sadly had all the promise to be a masterpiece, considering these two chaps had pulled it off before, why couldn’t they again?


The story of Robin Hood is as famous and as important as King Arthur, Beowulf or even any Shakespearian tale, and yet even which such fruitful material, it has never been properly translated onto celluloid. This version does however offer some strong performances from the likes of Cate Blanchett as a strong and sexy Lady Marion, Oscar Isaac as Robin’s putrid nemesis King John, William Hurt as a very convincing member of the English gentry, Danny Huston as a memorable Richard ‘The Lion heart’, the charming as ever Mark Addy as Friar Tuck, the serpent yielding Matthew Macfadyen as the Sherriff of Nottingham & finally the gloriously memorable Max von Sydow as Sir Walter Loxley. Collectively offering solace to an otherwise wooden script and numb performances from Crowe and especially and surprisingly from Mark Strong as Sir Godfrey, King John’s henchman and English traitor (surprising in that Strong has proved to be very consistent in various recent films such as Kick-Ass & Sherlock Holmes).


Furthermore, despite the fact that Crowe believes he doesn’t have to act anymore to warrant a good film and that Scott is making films as far removed from Alien, Blade Runner or Gladiator as he possibly can, believing that his vision must still be as worthy. It’s a case of two men who have had tremendous success and deservingly so, but are now satisfied and respect each other so much that there is no tangible bridge between director and lead man, there is no conflict of interest, it’s all plain sailing and as such so is the emotional depth of the film. The absence of violence is especially noteworthy, obviously a notable sacrifice for its all friendly money-making rating, but also makes all the battles and conflicts redundant and therefore begging the question why bother in the first place?


However, despite many flaws there is some magic here; Scott is still unrivalled in creating that dirty yet funny medieval English landscape, from the meanderings of the nobles to the tricks and trades of the peasantry. The plot is solid enough if not completely historically inaccurate, but Robin Hood is supposed to be cocktail of historical relevance and fantastical idealism. There are some prominent socialist motifs to the ideology, which are only dealt with sparingly towards the end in which annoyingly is so self-obsessed and self-constructed to setup the film for another money –making sequel, that this has become a notable disease of the industry, fully evident in the recent travesty that was Iron Man 2, in that the filmmakers and studios are so interested in setting up franchises that they cease to concentrate on the project at hand which has led to a paramedic in the notion of a blockbuster but is perhaps fittingly reminiscent of our buy it now 3D HD twitter mentally oscillating culture.


Despite all this, this film is littered with strong performances, idyllic settings, a magnificent aesthetic creation of middle aged England, memorable and comedic characters, also with all seriousness aside, there is a strong sense of play throughout which offers a nice addition to the down and dirty conflicts. However the pros do not outweigh the cons. The choreography is so shoddy it’s like watching a music video on ecstasy, there is no room for the audience to advocate any particular side or understand what is actually happening. The settings are perfect, but the execution is pathetic.


To conclude, Scott & Crowe really missed the bull’s eye this time round, Gladiator was a masterpiece in film-making, forcing you into the belly and guts of the Roman Empire, Robin Hood is a less than adequate ok feature for the summer, with some moments of clarity but ultimately a vision of irrationality, there is such potential and yet we witness such failure, perhaps second time round they will get it right and create a masterful and memorable Robin Hood rather than a flaccid and soulless one.

Brooklyn's Finest

Brooklyn’s Finest is the newest delivery from Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, which follows that contemporary idiom of following numerous stories that throughout appear unrelated until the ultimate climax. Films such as Paul Haggis’ Crash displayed this creative format and managed to successfully interlink all of the characters life’s into a believable dichotomy. However the tag line for this film is simply ‘This is Brooklyn, This is War’, and with such premise we are presented with three very different police officers in the form of Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke, and follow the unique ways in which they tackle the crime epidemic within their city. The script was written Michael C. Martin, a subway flagger from Brooklyn who successfully secured industry interest and saw Brooklyn’s Finest venture forth to gain momentum at 2009’s Sundance Film Festival.


Antoine Fuqua took the director’s chair in his first outing since 2007’s mediocre action flick Shooter, almost on the presumption of re-creating his masterpiece of 2001’s Training Day, or at least that is the feeling one gets when bearing witness to the same direction but just in different locations, (not helped at all with the casting of Ethan Hawke in more or less the same role as before). Additional support comes with the surprise return of the illustrious (tax troubled) Wesley Snipes, in a role that is acutely perfect for him. As Wesley provides the main support, the principal protagonists are equally shared with Richard Gere’s seven days from retirement cop, who spends his spare time snorting coke and fucking hookers aside from turning a blind eye to almost all crime around him and failing to show rookie cops any kind of guidance in the treacherous conditions of Axl Roses’ coined ‘Jungle’. Gere’s said performance is especially memorable, as it marks a completely different direction to his previous incarnations.

Furthermore, Don Cheadle provides a very solid performance reminiscent of his in 2008’s stomper Traitor, in which he plays the good cop entangled in undercover operations with a daily taste of the very things he is secretly fighting against while simultaneously trying to balance the ruins of his once normal life and his allegiance to his street comrades. Ethan Hawke adds a further dimension with his every man character that is willing to take advantage of blood money in order to help his family and his mounting debts. Hawke, as always delivers a passionate portrayal but unfortunately not as convincing as his previous displays in Training Day or most notably in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. However, a certainly sustainable enough delivery to add another slice of corruption to the films satirical and seedy nature.

Brooklyn’s Finest unfortunately proves to be Brooklyn’s ok-est. It draws great parallels on last year’s Pride and Glory and previous Harsh Times, in its gritty look at the criminal under-belly. New York especially is an ever endearing climate for the investigation of criminal activity as L.A proves to be. The climax of which is although predictable, a very engaging piece of bloody adrenaline fuelled danger displayed on screen. There are certainly merits to both the direction, acting, story and it’s no bull-shit attitude in tackling notable issues of police corruption, reflecting a perhaps social critique of the real-life internal affairs dealings with certain police departments in recent years, and successfully tackles the notion of what it means to be a police-officer, that you have to break the law to uphold it and what moral connotations this evokes for society and its rules.

In conclusion, Brooklyn’s Finest is by no means the masterpiece of its predecessors; however it is engaging enough to serve as a decent addition to the crime genre, which is ever expanding and enriched with all sources of dramatic, political, psychological, religious, philosophical, instinctual and social relevancy. It has its holes throughout and is by no means perfect, but is still sharp enough to command your attention and gut in its blood-soaked cynicism. A palatable and distinguishing average watch that serves as two hours well spent.

The Horseman

At the 2006 Queensland New Filmmaker Awards, a short film was entered by Writer/Director Steven Kastrissios in competition for the Best Independent Drama award. This particular little piece managed to not only win such award but in doing so secured the creation of a feature film which subsequently became 2008’s The Horseman (Aussie slang for the workman and a title not to be confused with the Four Horseman of Dennis Quaid). The story follows Peter Marshall as Christian, a father who has recently lost his only daughter under horrifyingly violent circumstances and as such seeks to find who is responsible, while simultaneously coming to terms with the loss of his child. Christian finds solace in an unexpected encounter with a similarly troubled young woman in the form of Alice (played by Caroline Marohasy). The pair embark on a trip of immeasurable destruction that will change both of their lives forever in the long search for answers and justice.


The Horseman is through and through Steven Kastrissios’ baby, as writer and director; this film is his debut and yet proves to sustain a consummate equilibrium between gritty amateurism and refined expertise. With flawless determination and execution Kastrissios directs as if it was himself who has lost a child, piercing the audience right into the heat and heart of every breath and punch Christian lives. This is only excelled tenfold by an astoundingly brilliant performance from protagonist Peter Marshall, who manages to deliver a lead performance to rival any Norton or Bale. This film is Australia’s answer to Shane Meadows’ Dead Man Shoes, a sequel to Chopper and tribute to The Magician and yet it is far better than all of them. However In addition to the violence, there is a strong metaphysical and touching undercurrent throughout, in it’s conveying of friendship and in its unconventional meditative pace which makes it stand out as a unique revenge thriller with a dramatic potency.

There is one scene in particular, (which I shall not name for the sake of those who have not yet had the extreme pleasure of seeing this film- all I shall say is the two brothers), in which whether you are man, beast or robot you cannot help but be affected. The sheer courage and illustration of the events in which we are shown are unlike anything else seen before. This cannot be labeled as a mere slasher movie, as it would be the equivalent of naming the Sistine chapel as a sketch. However this is the most violent film I have ever encountered and I like Japanese cinema! But it is never violent for the sake of being violent; it is never soppy or silly. It never goes near the realm of action films like the great Arnie; it is in a whole other league, a one which films such as A Bittersweet Life, A History of Violence and American History X touched upon, a truly realistic and gritty portrayal of the clumsiness and adrenaline of violence in man.

This film managed to turn my stomach through every emotion I believe I have, I was a prisoner to the screen as I could not help but be both physically and mentally engaged in every facet of the story and the characters necessity for not just revenge but closure and comprehension of the truly disgusting events in which he has been subjected to. It is not a film for the weak hearted or minded, as it has no problem in telling and showing it how it is, I am quite surprised that the usually conservative B.B.F.C allowed this to be shown, as it is nightmare for people who do not understand intelligent violence and its complete necessity for the purity of the medium. However Kastrissios should be awarded for his insanely genius direction in creating scenes in which the audience feels as if we are there, or at least watching genuine police footage of such events, which manages to bring a whole new level to independent film-making, in which amateur hap-hazard shoddiness feels a million times more real than the elaborate façade of hair and makeup Hollywood action.

Furthermore, The Horseman is not for everyone, it is unashamed to convey the truest of evils of human nature; it refuses to apologize for the subject matter and the restrictions of society in its dealings with taboos. There is one unfortunate but yet memorable scene involving a football pump and a mans genitals but still even that never feels corny or stupid, it has been moulded in intelligent hands and crafted in such a way that keeps your adrenaline and suspense at maximum throughout, and as such it is perhaps one the greatest of achievements in cinema that I have ever seen and should be mandatory viewing for anyone interested in the fragility, vulnerability and brutal circumstances that humanity can manifest itself in.

The White Ribbon

Das Weisse Band, Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte or to translate The White Ribbon is the latest offering from Funny Games man Michael Haneke. The film is set upon the eve of the First World War in a microcosmic northern German village in which Haneke utilizes his settings to comment on the psychological nature of the impending events and of society in itself. Essentially the story follows a group of families and how they inter-relate with village life together until a series of sinister events begin to upset the balance of their society. Haneke has claimed the film to be about “the origin of every kind of terrorism, be it of political or religious nature” and as his previous efforts such as Cache, Funny Games & the Piano Teacher have shown, Haneke never fails to interrogate the most taboo of subject matters with a virtuosity and delicate sensibility that ultimately makes his storytelling a completely human and compelling incarnation.


Having beaten off stiff competition from the likes of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, The White Ribbon won 2009’s Palme d’Or at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival and further won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and along with two further Oscar nominations, Haneke’s disturbing offering seems set to lead the way for World Cinema this year. There appears to be always one major international non-English film that grabs both the critics and audiences attention alike around the award season, before it has manifested with the likes of The Lives of Others & the City of God, and with this tradition continuing to prosper, it has become a staple genre and worthy category in all contemporary accolades. This is of course is an extremely positive accountancy, as foreign films can often supersede the likes of Hollywood with innovative and refreshingly original ways of film-making. The White Ribbon is certainly and deservingly prominent in this categorization.

The child actors in this film are collectively the principal antagonists, they pose the greatest threat to the fellow villagers, and yet none of this is certain, we are never shown anything, every single facet is surrendered to our imagination, leaving this film to be uniquely subjective in its room for interpretation. Haneke never dictates to you what he wants you to think or feel, he lets you decide, however every aspect of the script, casting, acting and cinematography is so zealously crafted that the intelligence of the film-maker permeates our sub-consciousness and we are ultimately forced to surrender under Haneke’s vicious and sordid spell. Haneke has almost taken the role of a magician in that, doubt is the only the certainty throughout, that we are teased with the notions of what we believe to be true and yet are never allowed to indulge. Nothing is handed to the audience, you have to work for it, and this is a rare and welcomed commodity in film-making. Hollywood is increasingly guilty of forcing everything down our throats, so much so that we have become numb to even the most extreme of issues. Haneke, however, understand the necessity for subtlety, that less is indeed more.

Furthermore, this film manages to actually make you both physically and mentally uncomfortable; it is so unnerving in its hitchcockian direction that it is impossible to not be intrigued and completely captivated in the every aspect of what you are experiencing. There are some less intense offerings in a display of some genuine and funny touches from the film’s narrator and a charming side-plot love story that manages to fluctuate around the meanderings of the principle hypothesis. However, The White Ribbon is one of the most accomplished and terrifyingly horrible films you will ever watch, without ever showing one drop of blood or psycho. Haneke is almost pornographic in his storytelling and yet paradoxically void of any aesthetics responsible for such connotations. This film manages to convey everything with suggestion without ever letting up its secrets.

In conclusion, The White Ribbon is not for intellectually challenged people or for those of you that crave Sarah Michelle Gellar’s latest attempt at remaking Japanese horror classics. This is horror of the truest nature, a film that manages to scare the living shit out of you without ever showing you anything. The horror lies within yourself and your interpretation of the events. It draws great parallels with Lars Von Trier’s Dogville in its meditation and assessment of the dark side of human nature. Haneke’s black and white drama has proven to be a true piece of art and an example of complete mastery of the medium, it is not easy viewing and it may take numerous viewings for it to digest but you will be rewarded as you enter Haneke’s misanthropic nihilistic and furiously existentialist contemplation of the nature of the human condition.