The Unsophisticate's Film Review

Bridesmaids (Comedy)

2011-07-01T19:37:00.005+10:00

Why do weddings bring out the “crazy” in us? Who knows, but ‘Bridesmaids’ captures some of the hilarity and absurdity of this joyous occasion perfectly!

‘Bridesmaids’ is written by two talented and funny chicks - Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig (of Saturday night live fame), and the cast is full of comediennes including some memorable Aussies. One of the great things about this film is that its a testament to funny chicks and a great reminder that there are too few comedies written by, and starring, women. It’s like ‘Hangover’ for girls (the first ‘Hangover’ not the second one!).

Kristen Wiig plays the starring role in the film as down-on-her-luck Annie. Annie’s been asked to take on the coveted maid of honour role by her long term best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph). Despite the fact that nothing is going right in Annie’s own life, she’s determined to be a great maid of honour and make her best friend proud. Unfortunately one of the other bridesmaids, is quite obviously gutted she wasn’t given the maid of honour role and so makes it her mission to expose Annie’s inadequacies. Kristen Wiig is hilarious (albeit a little over-the-top neurotic) as Annie, whilst Aussie Rose Byrne is positively unlikeable as Maya. There are also some worthy performances from the lads - Jon Hamm (of Mad Men fame) is brilliant as Annie’s f*ck buddy and Chris O’Dowd is perfect as her new love interest.

‘Bridesmaids’ is a great laugh, with funny scenes from beginning to end (unlike many comedies where I find the funniness seems to get watered down as the movie goes on). Apparently the cast spent a few weeks improvising with each other before filming, some of which was incorporated into the movie. Unfortunately there were a couple of scenes that seemed to resort to more puerile humour. For example, I found the scene in the wedding dress shop totally cringe-worthy which I thought was a bit of a shame given the obvious intelligence and wit of the female writers.

The other thing that bugged me slightly was the way the three strong female leads were ultimately driven by insecurity and jealousy. Again, I thought a smart and sassy group of female comedians would have been able to balance out the equation a little be celebrating some of the positive aspects of female friendship. And artistic licence aside - after the way they treated each other in the lead up to the wedding - I personally found it hard to believe that any of these women managed to find a way back to friendship.

Nevertheless you’re bound to laugh out loud at ‘Bridesmaids’- it’s one of those rare films that can serve as both a chick flick and a date night flick. And there’s the added bonus of seeing Wilson Phillips perform their hit ‘Hold on’. It’ll make you want to grab your hairbrush and play air guitar as you exit down the cinema aisle. Or was that just me?! And more importantly, ‘Bridesmaids’ also manages to leave you with some heartfelt messages, for example, the importance of having faith in yourself, afterall, “don’t you know, things can change, things can go your way, if you hold on for one more day....”

Hangover Part II (Comedy)

2011-06-15T15:38:00.020+10:00

I would honestly rather wake up with a hangover than sit through ‘Hangover Part II’ again. Even though I had extremely low expectations going into this film given the reviews I’d read, I still managed to come away feeling surprised by how bad ‘Hangover Part II’ really is. I also came away feeling perplexed about why it seems to be so difficult to make a successful sequel? Clearly the answer is NOT to simply replicate the storyline from the first successful movie which is exactly whatthe producers of this film decided to do – basically ‘Hangover Part II’ is same sh*t, different location.

‘Hangover Part II’ takes place two years after the first bachelor party in Las Vegas. This time, Stu (EdHelms) is all loved up and set to get married in a gorgeous beachside setting in Thailand and he isdetermined not to let his mates ruin it. Nevertheless, the lads are back and Phil (Bradley Cooper), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) manage to give Stu a night to remember (or more aptly, a night to forget!), in spite of his insistence on a low key pre-wedding brunch in favour ofa bachelor party. Stu’s downfall begins as he finally agrees to one quiet beer by the camp fire on the beach to calm his pre-wedding day jitters. Cut to the next morning and Phil, Alan, and Stu find themselves in a sleazy Bangkok apartment with no recollection of what happened the night before.They also wake up to discover a freaky drug mule monkey, half a human finger, a missing brother-in-law, and a tattoo on the soon-to-be groom’s face.

Ken Jeong is also back as Mr Chow although this time he’s trying so hard to be funny, he totally misses the mark. As it turns out, Mr Jeong is a physician so has something to fall back on should 'movies' not work out.

I didn’t love the first one as much as most people seemed to but I really enjoyed it, and I definitely experienced many laugh out loud moments. Unfortunately, during the screening of ‘Hangover PartII’ I honestly struggled to get a smile up, let alone a belly laugh.

I wasn’t even going to bother writing this film up but it gives me the chance to award my first 1 star rating.

Sitting through this film really made me wonder about the process these blockbuster films go through before getting distributed. It blows my mind that nowhere along the way did a single producer/ editor/ actor/ friend once fess up and say – “Hey guys, this just isn’t funny”. Or perhaps they did but someone important decided they could make enough money out of it anyway by riding off the success of the first film. And they were probably right.

Only for diehard fans.......

Babies (Documentary)

2011-05-20T20:27:00.003+10:00

I was dying to see this doco at the Sydney Film Festival last year but unfortunately it sold out in a jiffy. So I was more than a little excited to learn that ‘Babies’ (or ‘Bebes’ as it was originally titled given the French director, Thomas Balmes) was going to be on short release here at a few independent cinemas.

‘Babies’ follows four babies from different parts of the world and compares and contrasts their first year of life. First of all there’s cheeky little Ponijao born into a Namibian village, then the super-relaxed Bayer from a farm in Mongolia, then feisty Mari from Tokyo, and finally little Hattie born into privilege in San Francisco. These four choices perfectly showcase the spectrum of economic, technological, and social development and the impact - if any – these aspects might have on a baby’s first year.

Trust me - you don’t need to be a parent to find this film adorable! I’m quite sure anyone with a heartbeat will enjoy and appreciate the beautiful images, the lyrical musical score, and the subtle commentary on Western society. And there is no dialogue, aside from a few ‘goo-goos’and ’ga-gas’ which makes it very easy to sit back and just focus on the visual feast.

What I found most striking was not that so many themes were universal across the four different cultures, but rather it was the few differences that really struck me. First up, you really notice how natural the process of childbirth can be vs. the medical procedure that it’s become in Western society.

‘Babies’ also really drives home how unnecessarily over protective we’ve become about routines, eating habits, cleanliness, contact with animals, etc. I delighted in watching little Bayer from Mongolia travel home from hospital on the back of his dad’s motor bike; entertain himself by climbing all over the three family goats in the middle of their pen; and take a bath while one of the goats simultaneously drinks from his bathwater. I suddenly felt quite ridiculous about the hand sanitiser I was rubbing vigorously into my hands as I was getting ready to feed my little one!

Another really salient point the film makes is how lonely and isolating child rearing has become in our society –it was so lovely to see the Namibian women hanging out in groups all day with their children, to the point where sometimes I wasn’t even sure who was the mother of which child! I never thought I would ever say this but thank god for Mother’s group!

Finally, it quietly demonstrated how so many activities are such a natural part of life in less developed societies (e.g. dance, music, language, learning etc) vs. Western society where it feels like these activities have become completely segregated and almost artificial. In fact, I felt more than a little silly as Lilliana and I sheepishly rushed out of the cinema at the end of the film to ensure that we weren’t late for our baby Einsteinz music class!

‘Babies’ is 79 minutes of love and beauty and gentleness which is such a nice distraction from the fear, and tragedy and violence that has graced our TV screens of late. There are so many beautiful moments in this film. In fact that’s exactly what this film is: a collection of beautiful moments. And who wouldn’t enjoy that?

Water for Elephants (Drama)

2011-05-14T09:29:00.005+10:00

‘Water for Elephants’, a film based on the novel by Sara Gruen, was much better than I was expecting. I realise this assessment probably isn’t very useful seeing as it’s totally relative. So ..... let me tell you what I wasn’t expecting and that might help you decide whether ‘Water for Elephants’ is worth seeing .

Firstly, I wasn’t expecting quite so much eye candy. I’d never understood what all the fuss was about when it came to Robert Pattinson. Perhaps that’s because I’ve only ever seen him looking all white and pastey and playing the same mopey character three times over in the twilight series. But RPatz (as he’s known to die-hard – and recently converted - fans) is brilliant as the leading man Jacob in ‘Water for Elephants’ who abandons his studies to join the travelling circus as it’s resident vet after a tragedy involving his parents and is brilliant. I’d read a few reviews prior to seeing the film that claimed ‘Water for Elephants’ is his best work yet and I’m inclined to agree. Did I mention he was easy on the eye?

Secondly, I wasn’t expecting to come out of this film wanting a yellow and purple pant suit so much! Reese Witherspoon plays RPatz’s leading lady, Marlena, and her wardrobe is amazing. From her skimpy, spangley circus leotards to her sexy but simple evening dresses, it made me want to go and buy up big on 1930’s fashion as soon as I got out of the cinema. Marlena is married to the very scary August, the circus owner played by Christoph Waltz, and is obviously supposed to be off limits so all hell breaks loose when a flame starts to flicker between Marlena and Jacob.

Furthermore, I really didn’t expect to feel nostalgic for a time when life was as simple as a circus being in town to totally captivate and mystify kids and adults alike. Nor did I expect to be so transported by some of the visually stimulating sets in ‘Water for Elephants’. On a number of occasions I could almost feel the sense of excitement that came with sitting on the front row bench under the yellow and red big top, pink fairy floss in hand. Sadly, I very much doubt my daughter, with all of the entertainment options she’ll have at her fingertips, will ever find a circus quite so captivating! I especially loved an early scene when RPatz discusses his employment terms with his new boss August as they run along the roof of the moving circus train, jumping carriages against a starry night sky.

Finally, I didn’t expect to come away thinking about how selfish love can be. As caught up as I was in the love story between Marlena and Jacob, it got me thinking about how many casualties there often are just so two people can be together. Obviously the casualties in this film are a little atypical but still a love affair often leaves much in its wake: ex’s who end up with their hearts broken, unsupportive friends fall be the wayside, disapproving family members become distanced.

Sometimes love has a lot to answer for!

‘Water for Elephants’ was a lot of things I wasn’t necessarily expecting but overall, it’s just a really nice, light, entertaining love story to get swept away with on a cold autumn afternoon. It’s also a nice reminder that we all need a little illusion in our lives from time to time. So go buy yourselves a ticket to the big top, treat yourself to some RPatz eye candy while you’re there, and don’t forget some Water for the Elephants.....

Brighton Rock (Crime/Thriller)

2011-05-10T10:03:00.003+10:00

This film has a number of great things going for it: acting by Helen Mirren and John Hurt; production by Paul Webster (same guy that produced Atonement); and a story based on a popular 1938 Graham Greene novel. Unfortunately, these things weren’t enough for me......

‘Brighton Rock’ is set in the sleepy English seaside town of Brighton in 1964. The story follows the rapid rise and fall of Pinkie (played by Sam Riley from the 2007 indie film ‘Control’), a teenage gangster who takes matters into his own hands when his gang gets accused of committing a revenge killing.

First of all, there were way too many characters for my liking. I was one of those annoying movie goers who keeps whispering to their friend – ‘What did he say?’, ‘Who’s that again?’, ‘Why did he do that to that other bloke?’!. .Secondly, whilst I found the performances of the main characters convincing, I had trouble empathising with their characters (for example, Pinkie seemed too young and immature to rise to any kind of significant role in an established gang and Rose, who falls for bad boy Pinkie, was too whiny and stupid to pity). Which as you know is quite unusual for me, usually I can easily find some character to project myself onto!

In summary, I was lost and bored. I was seriously tempted to leave. Now I should confess it’s not unusual that I find myself lost during gang/ crime movies so my judgement could be a little harsh but I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve found myself wanting to walk out on a movie before it’s finished. In this case, I managed to stick it out till the end and I have to admit that I’m moderately glad I stayed seeing as the ending includes a nice little twist that I found to be one of the films redeeming features. Another redeeming feature is the actress who plays Rose, the ditzy girl that falls for Pinkie – Andrea Riseborough - a newcomer to the big screen. She was incredible and was deservedly nominated for two awards at the British Independent Film Awards (best actress and most promising newcomer). Apparently Cary Mulligan was originally cast to play Rose but pulled out to do ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’.

‘Brighton Rock’ is a DVD flick at best. The original starring Richard Attenborough might be more worthy if you’re a real Grahame Greene fan but this version of ‘Brighton Rock’ is too long, over complicated, and kind of boring. The only thing it did for me was give me an overwhelming desire to wander down the Brighton Pier with an ice cream in hand.

Never Let Me Go (Drama)

2011-04-07T16:36:00.012+10:00

This movie was dark and grey and gloomy just like the rainy day I was trying to escape from. Even so, not long after the lights turned down I found myself pleasantly drifting from one melancholic experience into another.

‘Never Let me Go’ is based on the book written by Kazuo Ishiguru that I remember reading and loving way back in high school. And so I was excited to hear that it had been made into a motion picture. I was also very curious as to how the unusual subject matter would translate onto the big screen. But the impressive screenplay written by Alex Garland (who’s name you might recognise as the guy who wrote the novel ‘The Beach’) helps make the transition from book to film seamlessly.

The story kicks off with a caption explaining that a medical breakthrough in 1952 has prolonged the human lifespan to 100 years. This sets the scene for a science fiction kind of movie but don’t let that turn you off (sorry trekkies!) - unike most sci-fi movies, rather than being set in the future, ‘Never Let Me Go’ lays out an alternative to the current 20th century. The initial setting is at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic English boarding school with beautiful green grounds and lots of smiley, healthy kids running around. The film quickly becomes grim but also intriguing as we discover that these children are all orphans and are imprisoned at Hailsham as they are being raised to be human organ donors.

The main character performances are haunting – in a good way. Carey Mulligan is exceptional as Cathy H, the narrator of the film, as is Kiera Knightley in a supporting role as the outgoing and dominant Ruth. Interestingly, Carey and Kiera last appeared together in 2005 in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ when Kiera was a much bigger name but ‘Never Let Me Go’ shows Carey is more than capable of carrying the lead role. Tommy, who ends up being the pointy end of a love triangle between himself and the two girls, is movingly portrayed by Andrew Garfield.

What’s great about this movie is the way it makes you think about what it means to be human. I particularly loved the final reflection by Cathy regarding whether or not their lives were truly any different than the people they donate to e.g. “maybe none of us really understand what we’ve lived through”?!. It also touches on the notion of not having enough time to spend with those we love and how important it is to appreciate every moment and the fact that somehow this is easier to achieve when you know the end is near. This movie made me realise that since becoming a mum, I’ve had no choice but to be more present and appreciate all the little moments that make up now – which as it turns out is a beautiful gift Lilliana has given me. And here I was thinking our relationship was all one way at this point in time!

Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed this movie – and Lilliana was clearly mesmerised (see inset!) – I appreciate ‘Never Let Me Go’ probably isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I think most people will find this hard to watch and might even describe it as ‘slow’. If you haven’t read the book, and if you have other films to choose from, I don’t think I’d be putting this one at the top of my list.

However, if you loved the book, or you’re looking for a film that provokes some interesting dinner conversation, or if you’re just trying to escape a rainy day........ take a risk and add this one to your list.

Depressing Movies Rock!

2011-04-01T16:41:00.004+11:00

Maybe this public admission isn’t necessary for those who follow my blog closely but I’ve decided I can’t deny it any longer so I’m coming out of the closet – I LOVE depressing movies!

Who knows whether it’s because it makes me feel better about my own lot in life, or because it just makes me “feel” – whatever the reason I’m over justifying my film choices to friends or trying to work out why so I’m just going to going to run with it. In fact, I’m going to celebrate it.

For any of you fellow depressing film goers out there, I found an awesome list of depressing movies on IMDB, some of which I haven’t even seen so I’m paying homage to depressing movies by committing to work through this list while I’m on mat leave!

Here are a few of my faves from the list if you are in a movie watching mood and feel the need to reign in your own happiness:

#1 - Into the Wild
#4 - Gattaca
#7 - Million Dollar Baby
#13 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
#21 - American History X
#22 - Black Swan
#24 - American Beauty
#26 - Blue Valentine

I would also add Lantana, Revolutionary Road, Little Children......

Please write in as I would love to hear other suggestions....

127 Hours (Drama)

2011-03-16T16:21:00.008+11:00

Based on a little informal survey I conducted since seeing ‘127 Hours’ I know that many people wouldn’t necessarily classify this film as “entertainment” but I found it gripping. Clearly, this movie isn’t going to be every one’s cup of tea but I’m a sucker for a true story. In particular, I love true stories that make me wonder whether the hero had any particularly special attributes, or would most people simply have done the same thing when faced with the same situation?

127 Hours’ is the film based on the book by Aaron Ralston, who is probably more widely known as ‘the dude that cut off his own arm’. The film stars James Franco as Aaron, the adventurer who found himself facing death after he became wedged under a boulder during a solo hike in Blue John Canyon, Utah.

Aside from ‘gripping’, I also found this film ‘to be gruesome’. Not an adjective I employ very often in my reviews but in this case, it’s a word I keep coming back to. 127 Hours runs for one hour and 35 minutes but for me - and I suspect for most people – my memories of the film are dominated by one gruesome 10 minute scene. Personally, I think this is a bit of shame seeing as the movie turned out to be so much more but the word seems to be out already, as evidenced by the fact that I tried to elicit a number of movie going buddies to see this film with me but to no avail! So off I went with the one person that couldn’t protest - little Lilliana.

Lilliana and I were just starting to settle in to the film (I was munching on popcorn, she was munching on something else ) and we were both enjoying the fast paced music and the amazing cinematography so I was more than a bit surprised when the hero of the story became trapped in the canyon not long after we sat down. In fact, I don’t think the credits had even rolled yet?!

My first thought was – geez this is going to be a long morning… I wondered how the hell they were going to fill up the next hour or so. But the remainder of the film was surprisingly engrossing thanks to James Franco’s brilliance. Not only was this a particularly tough gig for Franco given the subject matter, but in addition it was tough because this film is essentially a one man show. There are some brief diversions as Aaron reflects on friends, family, lovers and the last two people he met before his unfortunate predicament (played by Amber Tamlyn and Kate Mara), but for the vast majority of the film, it’s just Franco’s face you see up on screen. For this reason I found Franco’s performance even more astounding.

Rest assured that Franco is a million times better actor than he is an Awards show host!

I loved the way the film was shot in that it was often split between Franco and the footage of his daily video diary he recorded on his VC. I found this really added to the sense of time and the weight of it passing. Apparently Aaron really did keep a video diary of the ordeal and Franco and the Director are the only two people outside his family and close friends that have been allowed to view it. As I was watching the film, I frequently found myself wondering whether or not Aaron would approve? I have since read that when he was asked how authentic the film was, he said, "the movie is so factually accurate it is as close to a documentary as you can get and still be a drama”.

And of course, the question you find yourself pondering in the end is : if I were in that situation, would I be able to cut my own arm off? What lengths would I go to to survive? And whilst I admit that this idea isn’t necessarily new – it does have a kind of ‘Touching the Void’ or ‘Into the Wild’ kind of feel - the way the story is told, and the story itself, is unique. Some might say that 127 Hours’ made them conclude that life is too short to spend in a dark cinema watching some dude cut his own arm off. To which I will only admit that the film could’ve been 10 or 15 minutes shorter, but otherwise, I felt like I was in the canyon with Aaron and I couldn’t have been more engaged…

Black Swan (Drama)

2011-02-28T15:59:00.012+11:00

After almost a 6 month hiatus – I’m back in front of the big screen! We have a new addition to the family to blame for my absence. But then she’s so god damn gorgeous I really can’t blame her for anything much. Nevertheless, I have been somewhat distracted by real life over the past few months and so have found myself without the time or the opportunity to escape to a quiet dark cinema to get lost in others’ fictional lives. And so I’m excited about being back watching films and feeling even more unsophisticated than when I last picked up my netbook to pen a review.

So my new movie going mate – little Lilliana – and I went to our first movie together last week. Whilst I was feeling like a bad mum for taking a little person to see a movie that definitely isn’t meant for little people, we went to a mums and bubs session and seeing as half the audience was in nappies I didn’t feel quite so guilty. Nevertheless, Black Swan was more scary and confronting than I was expecting, even for a big person!

Black Swan is directed by Darren Aronofsky who is known for his offbeat and quirky films such as Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and The Wrestler (which I loved!). He doesn’t disappoint with The Black Swan. Much of the more recent hype for this movie has been regarding the five Oscar nominations and Natalie Portman’s much deserved Golden Globe for best actress.

And as of today, I’m stoked to hear that Natalie also won the Oscar for best actress, hopefully inspiring a revival of movie goers for this film.

Natalie Portman plays the role of Nina Sayers, a ballet dancer in an NYC dance company who wins the lead role in “Swan Lake”. Nina is obsessed with ballet and everything that goes with it including structure, discipline, and control. So much so, she’s bordering on obsessive-complusive in much of her behaviour which makes her character development quite uncomfortable to watch at times. Her personality makes her perfect to play the part of the White Swan but she struggles to identify with the other part of her role – the Black Swan – given she seems to lack sensuality, a strong sense of self, and a sense of freedom or liberation.

The movie ultimately explores Nina’s journey to identify with the “black swan” in her. The relationship Nina develops with a fellow dancer named Lily who is the personification of the black swan (played by Mila Kunis) ultimately leaves her completely unhinged.

And in case you were wondering - Natalie Portman does most of her own dancing although she does have a substitute professional dancer for most of the en pointe. As a ballet lover I was hoping to see more dancing but that’s the only criticism I can offer. I thought Black Swan was dark, scary, stormy, freaky and I loved it! And the performances by the two main characters - Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis (whom I recently heard described as ‘the poor man’s Angelina Jolie’!) - were compelling and eerily convincing. It was also great to see Barbara Hershey (of ‘Beaches’ fame) back on the big screen as Nina’s equally obsessed mother. I found the movie to be a chilling insight into the world of professional ballet – part drama, part thriller, with even a little horror mixed in.

Lilliana slept through the entire movie but that’s a ringing endorsement at her age so that’s a thumbs up from both of us. Although the movie did leave me fearing that I may’ve neglected my own “black” side, particularly since becoming a mum. So must run, I’m off to find the black swan in me...

Waiting City (Drama)

2010-07-26T13:15:00.008+10:00

There seems to be a run of films on the theme of adoption at the moment and this Aussie movie is the latest. ‘Waiting City’, starring Joel Edgerton and Radha Mitchell, is a film about a couple that travel to India to adopt a child. The film tackles any issues and so I’m sure audiences will tend to focus on the most personally relevant storylines. For me, I found it to be mostly a sombre exploration of long term relationships, particularly those in which two people seem to change in different directions as they get older.

Ben (played by Edgerton) is a free spirited musician who is in no hurry to leave India and is keen to immerse himself in the Indian culture and traditions and to learn all there is to know about his daughter’s heritage. His character is contrasted sharply throughout the film against his wife, Fiona (played by Mitchell), a control freak lawyer who spends most of their trip working through case files, whilst also managing the administration of and compliance with the local adoption process.

The film is written and directed by Claire McCarthy, who is a relatively young Sydney based director. She knows a thing or two about adoption in India given her last film was a documentary following Claire and her younger sister as they spent two months volunteering at Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. The film is apparently the only Australian film shot entirely in India. The way the story is filmed, almost documentary- like, really makes you appreciate the hustle and bustle and colour of India’s capital city – Calcutta.

So much so, it made me want to travel there!

The two main actors definitely bring a richness and a realness to the characters but despite both of their impressive talents, the characters failed to really draw me in. Many times during the film I found myself wondering why these two were even bothering to stay together. It was at best a lukewarm connection, and it was hard to get a sense of any kind of closeness or affection, much less any kind of love left between them. As a result, I found it difficult to get swept up in the story, particularly their longing for a child together. The supporting performances were mixed. Samrat Chakrabati, who plays Krishna, their local guide, puts on a particularly engaging performance, while Isabel Lucas who makes an appearance as a hippy-ish musician and a distraction for Ben was physically captivating but not much else.

For me, albeit with the best intentions, this film came across as being overly ambitious. For example, the film explores the nature of long term love; the excesses associated with western vs. eastern values; the role and value of women who are unable to reproduce; and the importance of religion or spirituality particularly in modern societies. Not insignificant issues right?! But many of these themes were introduced and then not really pursued and I found myself confused about what kind of statements the writer was hoping to make with ‘Waiting City’. Not to say such issues aren’t attention grabbing – which is exactly why I thought it might’ve been nice if the film focussed on a fewer number of themes and took me on a bit more of a journey......

So in summary, ‘Waiting City’ is a good, enjoyable Aussie film set against the colourful and crowded backdrop of India, with some top Aussie actors. And given the breadth of topics covered, most people should be able to find something to grab their attention – even if it’s simply the charm and bustle of Indian street life.

Mother and Child (Drama)

2010-07-12T14:33:00.005+10:00

‘Mother and Child’ is film about adoption, and it follows the separate lives of three women each with adoption at the centre of their stories. Firstly, there is Karen (played by Annette Bening) who has a complicated relationship with her own mother and is consumed by guilt over the daughter she gave up for adoption 37 years ago. Secondly, there is beautiful, successful, and fiercely independent Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) who plays the 37 year old daughter Karen gave up for adoption and who, up until now, has shown no interest in tracking down her birth mother. And thirdly, there is Lucy, an African American woman who is married but can’t bear any children so she and her husband decide to look into adoption as an alternative. Eventually, the stories of these three women intertwine in an unpredictable and un-Hollywood kind of way.

If like me - adoption is not a storyline that you feel you can immediately relate to – there are still plenty of reasons to see this film. ‘Mother and Child’ is also a film simply about mother-child relationships which almost all of us can relate to. In particular, ‘Mother and Child’ examines mother-daughter relationships, and the complicated and overwhelming connection that seems to bring all manner of comforts and discomforts to both mother and daughter over a lifetime.

The performances are all amazing and almost every actor pulls off their emotionally mixed up characters very convincingly. Particularly Naomi Watts whose character is so chilling during most of the movie she gives you goosebumps! The performances of the support actors are also compelling, including Jimmy Smits as Paco who plays a work colleague of Karen’s; Samuel L Jackson as Elizabeth’s new boss Paul; and Kerry Washington as Lucy. The only slight drawback is Annette Bening’s performance, which I still found very convincing but the transformation that her character undergoes from the first half to the second half of the film is a bit too extreme, and consequently feels a little far-fetched.

Seeing ‘Mother and Child’ was one of those rare but rewarding movie-going experiences I have where the stories and their characters stay with me for days afterwards. But the film is not without its minor blemishes, such as the almost too dramatic switch in Annette Bening’s character part way through the film that I referred to earlier, along with a couple of slightly cheesy messages every now and then, for example that the love of a good man can fix everything (that’s a bit retro isn’t it?!). But there are plenty of new, intelligent, and not so cheesy messages to get you thinking. It does leave you wondering about missed opportunities; about the fact that for some decisions in life the only time to act is now; and about how people always seem to be happier if they can manage to soften up a little.

I really loved this film, and found it haunting and moving even though the central theme was not one that was particularly pertinent for me which I think is one of the signs of a great flick. I highly recommend ‘Mother and Child’, although it’s probably not a great pick for a hot date, and may not be the best film to catch with your mum if you’re working through any serious “issues”!

Director and writer Rodrigo Marquez is the son of Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Naomi Watts only spent 8 days filming her role
Annette Bening is actually only 10 years older than Naomi Watts, despite playing her mum in this film.

Heads up from the Unsophisticate

2010-07-06T12:41:00.005+10:00

I didn’t get around to writing a full review on this film I was lucky enough to catch at the Sydney film festival but I wanted to tell everyone to go and see ‘The Most Dangerous Man in America’ – it’s an amazing documentary about Daniel Ellsberg a US Defence analyst working at the Pentagon during the Vietnam War. This doco was also a 2010 Academy Award nominee and received several awards at various 2009/2010 film festivals.

Is it better to betray your country or your friends? Most of us won’t find ourselves needing to ponder this question during our lives although we may certainly finding ourselves having to make a call between betraying a friend or a colleague for a greater good or for a bigger cause. It’s an evocative quandary and is the central question Ellsberg wrestled with back in the late 1960s when he was involved in preparing a report on the Vietnam War commissioned by McNamara, the US Defence Secretary at the time. Despite once having been a proponent for the Vietnam war –serving as a strategist and also as a Marine Corp Commander – the burden of the truth becomes too much for him and Ellsberg makes a decision to copy and circulate the reports 47 volumes to the Press (which hence became known as the Pentagon Papers). The events that then unfold are enthralling.

The story is incredibly interesting and has many parallels to the recent Iraq War and the Bush administration. So the conclusions and the questions highlighted are still very relevant to us today. The film is full of great footage from the time, interspersed with some animation to re-enact certain events, as well as recent interviews with Ellsberg, his family members, and other political and media personalities that were involved in the controversy at the time.

For Sydneysiders, it’s playing at the Chauvel, Oxford Street in Paddo and I don’t think it will be there for long so go see it this weekend. Otherwise be sure to add it to your Quickflix/Netflix queue when it comes out!

SFF 2010 Wrap Up

2010-06-25T12:25:00.005+10:00

The Sydney Film Festival always seems to come around at exactly the right time of year doesn’t it? Summer’s over, the cold and the rain are starting to set in and just as I’m starting to feel a bit down and lost wondering what the hell us Sydneysiders ever did to fill in our weekends during last winter – the Sydney Film Festival arrives! And for almost 2 weeks in early June each year, life seems perfectly fulfilling again. The Sydney Film Festival can’t really be drawing to a close already can it? I am in denial. So what am I going to miss most?

Firstly, flipping through the SFF program and reading through each of the film summaries in eager anticipation as I wonder how on earth I’m ever going to fit in all of the films I want to see.

Secondly, the free Festival Talks in the Statement lounge that I found educational and often inspirational and a great way to fill in time before movies.

Thirdly, when time is tight between films, and the tummy is rumbling – the potato and leek soup from the State Theatre coffee cart totally hits the spot.

Fourthly, sharing thoughts and perspectives with random strangers in the bathroom queue about the film we just watched.

And finally, of course, the chance to hang out with friends and family whilst enjoying so many interesting, thought-provoking, and unique local and international films – an experience that is often hard to find in Sydney outside of festival time. The documentaries left the most lasting impression on me this year. In particular, I was enthralled by the stories and the people profiled in –

The Oath
Bill Cunningham – New York
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg & the Pentagon Papers
And in terms of feature films, I also loved, loved, loved –
Life During Wartime
If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle, and
The Refuge

So as you’ve probably gathered, I’m REALLY going to miss the festival, but just to ease the pain a little, there are definitely a few things I won’t miss: the particularly uncomfy chairs in the dress circle at the State Theatre; queuing up for the ladies at the end of a film; and spending so many hours locked up with so many flu-ridden Sydneysiders as they cough and sneeze their way through the screenings. Regardless of those little niggles, I’m already full of anticipation for next year’s festival.

And given the success of this year’s festival (66 sold out films and 20% up on takings!) there are certainly expectations for an equally successful festival next year but no doubt the SFF team will deliver again! But for now, there’s no more denying it. Sydney Film Festival 2010 is over for another year. So I’ll have to find something else to do with my time. Maybe I’ll take up smoking?

As they say on set – And that’s a wrap.

The Unsophisticates Update #7

2010-06-09T15:47:00.013+10:00

SFF Film - If I want to Whistle, I Whistle (Drama)

I wanted to whistle loudly myself after this film. Some kind of loud obnoxious wolf whistle – but I decided that probably wasn’t the best way to show my appreciation in such a refine and cultured setting! This debut feature film, from Romanian director Florin Serban, is nothing short of incredible.

‘If I want to Whistle, I Whistle’ is a raw and emotionally charged story about 18 year old Silviu who has spent the last four years in a harsh and rundown juvenile detention centre and is going to be released in a matter of days. He’s had a stellar behaviour record so far so it shouldn’t be that hard to keep it together for a few more days right? But after a visit from his little brother Marius, Silviu learns that their mother has recently returned after an eight year absence and is planning to take Marius back to Italy with her. His anger and resentment and complete lack of control over the situation leads him to take a series of risks that threaten to derail his pending release.

The film is about choices – when to make them and for what reasons. From the moment Silviu learns of his mother’s plans, I found the suspense almost unbearable as I silently pleaded with him from my theatre seat to make the “right” choices at each junction he was faced with. But as we all do, Silviu must decide for himself what is ultimately the “right” choice given the circumstances he finds himself in. The film also cleverly illustrates that it is often not just our own choices, but the choices of others that ultimately determine our destiny. In Silviu’s case, choices made by his mother (past and present), choices made by the prison warden, choices made by other inmates, will all go towards determining whether he will attain the freedom he is so close to. But if someone else is pulling all the strings, sometimes the only option left to us is take back control anyway we can get it. Just as the title says – If I want to whistle, I whistle.

The performances in this film are stunning. Indeed there is Daniel Mitulescu, the 18 year old drama student (who is now 19 as he assertively pointed out during the post film talk!) who has an extraordinary on screen presence given his limited experience (oh and his off screen presence is pretty good too!). There are also incredibly convincing performances from his fellow inmates, many of whom are apparently real inmates from a juvenile penitentiary and who were auditioned during acting workshops facilitated by the director at the prison where the story was filmed. Apparently Romanian film is experiencing somewhat of a new wave of international success, and if this film is representative, then it’s easy to understand why.

‘If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle’ is a must-see film. Deservedly so, it has already won two major awards at the recent Berlin International Film Festival. Of all the Official Competition films I’ve seen so far, this one’s got my vote – or should I say this one’s got my wolf whistle.

The Unsophisticates Update #6

2010-06-09T15:44:00.006+10:00

SFF - Lola (Drama)

‘Lola’ is the word for Grandma in Filipino. This moving film from Filipino director Brillante Mendoza, follows the journey of two grandmas, Lola Sepa and Lola Puring, as they try to come to some peace with the fact that one of their grandsons has been stabbed to death by the other’s grandson during a robbery. ‘Lola’ is a beautifully filmed story with family and loyalty at it’s heart, and with the Manila rainy season as the backdrop which adds to the beauty and the struggle inherent in the film.

The director of Lola, Brillante Mendoza definitely lives up to his namesake – he is quite simply brilliant and the rate at which he churns out top quality films must make him one of the most prolific film makers today! During the Q&A session following the film, Mendoza described his films as “truths, not box office hits” and the no frills way he shoots certainly helps reinforce that he is simply telling a real life story about real people. Right from the first scene you get a sense that Mendoza’s storytelling style is unique as the bumpy camera follows Lola Sepa and her youngest grandson on a long meander through the bustling Manila streets to find the place where her other grandson was murdered so that they can leave a burning candle in his honour. With minimal dialogue he manages to convey so much about the grief they are experiencing, the strong connection between grandmother and grandson, and the many struggles that are their life.

Aside from being a beautiful story about these two grandmas, their families, and the tragedy that they are forced to deal with, ‘Lola’ is also a commentary on the poverty that exists in a place like the Philippines and the day to day survival decisions one must make when faced with such poverty. The film also explores the justice system in such an environment, and the fact that sometimes, the notion of justice in such poverty stricken societies becomes something that is quite malleable and quite personal.

After watching ‘Lola’, it’s not at all surprising that this film has already won several awards, including the Dubai and Miami film festivals, and that it drew significant crowds at the recent Tribeca Film Festival. Firstly, the acting is brilliant and so understated that at several times during the film I thought I was watching a documentary. Secondly, the film is shot in a way that really matches the realness and the simplicity of the story and makes you feel like you are a silent observer. Thirdly, there are so many simple, beautiful and moving scenes to enjoy. For example, the scene where the two grandmas have to first confront each other at the police station. Or the scene, during which Lola Sepa comes face to face with her grandson’s murderer. Or a scene in the family house when you start to feel that the Sepa family luck might be turning as fish start appearing spontaneously in their well!

Lola is definitely worth a look. It’s an amazing insight into a culture, a way of living, and a poverty that most of us will only ever truly experience through film. But Lola is more than just educational – its heart wrenching, it’s astonishing, and it’s uplifting. And after spending a couple of hours with Lola Sepa and Lola Puring, you’ll feel like you spent the night with your own Grandma!

The Unsophisticates Update #5

2010-06-09T15:38:00.005+10:00

SFF Film - The Oath (Documentary)

Wow! Straight up I have apologise to the person who was sitting next to me seeing as I think I sat there with my mouth agape for most of the screening. This film was gripping. The title of the film - ‘the oath’ - is the name given to a brief pledge sworn by new members upon their induction into Al Qaeda. This compelling documentary tells the story of two men and a fateful encounter in 1996 that led them both to Osama Bin Laden and then onto an extraordinary course of events. The first man is Abu Jandal who was once Osama Bin Laden’s bodyguard and is now a taxi driver in Yemen. The other man is Abu’s brother in law (and Bin Laden’s former driver), Salim Hamdan, who since became a prisoner at Gauntanamo Bay and was then the first man to be taken to trial under the military tribunals that the Bush Administration devised post 9/11.

This film is directed by American director Loira Poitras. Her first Oscar nominated documentary - “My Country, My Country”- was made in occupied Iraq and explored the lead up to the 2005 Iraqi elections. For ‘The Oath’, Poitras apparently shot all of her footage alone in Yemen which she filmed over a two year period, and a dozen trips to Yemen. A brave woman you might say! Brave because of the obvious danger she puts herself in when filming as a female foreigner in war torn territories, but also brave because her documentaries put forward a perspective that is often counter to the one US promotes. Just one of the many reasons that make her latest film such a compelling watch.

She describes her approach as ‘macro-micro’ which essentially entails “following an individual story to look at the bigger questions”. The individual story that is used in ‘The Oath’ is that of Abu Jandal. The film mostly looks at the war on terror from his point of view and he’s a particularly engaging storyteller but presents with some contradictions that as a viewer, I found myself constantly trying to reconcile (e.g. he has renounced terrorism but still supports Al Qaeda). He’s articulate and full of charisma and oozes charm, which at times made me wonder if I wasn’t being seduced by him myself! The continual close ups of Abu Jandals face, as he is being interviewed or while he is driving his taxi, had the effect of making me feel a very close and personal connection with him. Whilst we do not get the same opportunity to connect with Salim Hamdan given we don’t actually get to meet him during the film, we do meet his family, and we do get to hear some of his letters from prison which all adds to the emotion in the lead up to the trial.

‘The Oath’ is really a commentary on the consequences of American foreign policy. Both during and after the screening you can’t help but wonder about the implications of deciding someone is guilty by association, about whether the human consequences of political decisions are sufficiently considered, and about the fairness of legal systems that change the rules part way through the game. In fact it seems the only thing you aren’t left wondering about, is that in these situations there is always so much more grey than black and white. Interestingly, Poitras is aiming for a post 9/11 trilogy, with the third documentary potentially exploring the controversial topic of US surveillance.

This movie definitely moved me. Regardless of your opinion on Al Qaeda and the war on terror, this is a rare opportunity to gain some insight into a perspective that isn’t often publicized and will no doubt help us all to understand the region, and the associated issues a little more and what harm could possibly come from that? I swear I was blown away by ‘The Oath’, its Oscar nomination is well deserved and I for one will be hanging out for the third installment in Poitras’ trilogy.

The Unsophisticates Update #4

2010-06-07T11:23:00.011+10:00

SFF Film - Life During Wartime (Drama/Comedy)

I can’t remember the last time I laughed at so much sadness! To be honest it felt kind of awkward at first, particularly during the opening scene of ‘Life During Wartime’ when I realized I was laughing out loud as I watched both Joy and her husband cry miserably throughout their anniversary dinner. But once I realized the rest of the State Theatre was laughing along with me, I started to feel quite relaxed about seeing the amusing side of other people’s misfortunes. And I’m quite sure the writer, Todd Solondz, wouldn’t have minded at all. In fact I think he would’ve been quite chuffed had he been sitting in the Theatre on Saturday morning with us. After all, he does use the delightful phrase – “sad comedies” - to describe his films. And whilst I totally loved all 96 minutes of this film, I did wonder at times if it could’ve been more aptly described as a “funny tragedy”.

‘Life During Wartime’ is directed and written by Todd Solondz and is the sequel to his 1998 film Happiness. In his latest film, Solondz picks up on the same characters a decade later, albeit with a completely different set of actors. And for those of you that were going to give this film a miss on account of not having seen the prequel, I would strongly suggest you revisit that decision. It’s perfectly coherent and fulfilling as a standalone film. I for one have not seen ‘Happiness’ (although I added it to my Netflix cue as soon as I got home) and I still found this film thoroughly engaging and enjoyable and at no stage during the storyline did I feel like I was missing out on some assumed prior knowledge.

‘Life During Wartime’ is about the three Jordan sisters and their complicated relationships with men, each other, and their own parents. The performances of the three sisters are all amazing. Shirley Henderson, who plays the youngest sister Joy, is so convincingly crazy I’m still having trouble reconciling the real Shirley’s character when she was introduced by Festival Director, Claire Stewart at the start of the film. Allison Janney, as the single mum Trish, is so entertaining in her honesty and frankness that I just loved every minute she was on screen. And Ally Sheedy as Helen (the arty sister who has been hooking up with Keanu) is hilarious and made me realize that it’s been way too long since the Breakfast Club! And finally the noteworthy performance of Trish’s son, Timmy (played by Dylan Riley Schnyder) – a character who is central to so much of the story as he tries to come to terms with difficult feelings towards his dad as well as his mum’s new relationship - made me think he must have been through a lot in his short life to be able to portray such a messed up little kid.

This film explores the topic of forgiveness, and the amazing capacity we have as humans to forgive people for incredible hurt caused – particularly by family members. There’s also interesting discussions about what’s ‘unforgiveable’ and it’s enlightening to watch each of the different characters wrestle with their own limits regarding what can and can’t be forgiven. The film is also a commentary on suburban American life and the fact that clean, issue-free lives and relationships might be more abnormal than normal. Yet normal still seems to be what we’re all striving for…

Whilst the subject matter is heavy and at times a little depressing, I actually found the film oddly uplifting. I think this is partly due to the hope and persistence all of the characters share about relationships, in spite of all the terrible things that seem to come from being in one. As Trish exclaims during a date early on the film, she’s just stoked to meet someone who isn’t “sicko–pervy”! The other thing about this film which helps to overshadow the tragedy, is the beauty and exactness that is evident in every shot, filled with contrasting colours and deliberately positioned backgrounds. It would’ve made for a beautiful series of still colour photographs.

Many of Solondz films have been controversial (in fact ‘Happiness’ was dropped by the initial distributor) and this latest film is likely to be no different, raising its own controversy on account of pedophilia themes, open discussions regarding rape and homosexuality, and questionable parenting styles. But better to be controversial than predictable don’t you think? ‘Life During Wartime’ certainly doesn’t bear any resemblance to conventional Hollywood storylines and as Solondz once said “I don’t think I’ll ever write a film that is meant to appeal to everyone” – but sad-comedy or funny-tragedy - it certainly appealed a whole lot to me.

The Unsophisticates Update #3

2010-06-02T12:28:00.006+10:00

The Sydney Film Festival is no longer coming soon - it's finally here!

There are many great film line-ups if you haven't yet checked out the website - including the SFF 'Sounds on Screen' program.

Whilst music may not always be at the forefront of consciousness during a film experience, a great musical score can enrich your emotional experience or help add significant context to the story. In fact, music and film are integral to each other. Afterall, would ‘Jaws’ have been as full of suspense or have felt quite so relentless without John Williams musical score? Or would the shower scene in ‘Psycho’ have felt as terrifying or as shocking without Bernard Hermann’s musical score? Or would you have recognised quite so quickly what era ‘Forrest Gump’ was experiencing without the mood swinging soundtrack? Even back in the days of silent film, Charlie Chaplin just wouldn’t have been the same without his happy, bumbling music to accompany him.

There are movies about musicians (The Doors, Walk The Line, Nowhere Boy), there are movies about music (Almost Famous, High Fidelity, The Commitments), there are musical docos (Dixie Chicks: Shut up Sing; The Rolling Stones: Gimme Shelter; Don’t Look Back: Bob Dylan), and then there are movies that aren’t about music at all but have soundtracks that end up leaving an equal, if not more lasting impression than the movie itself (Reality Bites, The Big Chill, Once). I for one can’t listen to ‘Mrs Robinson’ by Simon & Garfunkel without visualising Dustin Hoffman in ‘The Graduate’ or ‘Up Where We Belong’ by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes without feeling emotional about Debra Winger and Richard Gere in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’!

This year SFF celebrates the tradition of “Sounds on Screen” at the Playhouse with several films that totally rock. If you love music, you might want to check out all seven films in the program, but if you’re short on time, I’m most enticed by -

Lemmy – A doco about the legendary frontman of Motorhead which promises to cover the highs and lows of a real rock & roll life. Includes an amazing interview line up with self professed fans such as Metallica, Alice Cooper, and Dave Grohl.
Rock Steady: The Roots of Reggae - Just cause I love a bit of reggae and any chance to hear Bob Marley’s back up singers reminisce about the 60’s is enough to draw me in! Also followed with a live performance by Sydney band King Tide.
Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll – A film starring Andy Serkis about Ian Drury, a UK chart topper in the 60’s who’s most famous hits include ‘Hit me with your Rhythm Stick’ and ‘Sex Drugs & Rock & Roll’. Sounds like a fascinating story about a fascinating guy who suffered polio during childhood, was both a successful musician and actor, a heavy drinker, and a difficult personality. All the right ingredients for a gripping soap opera! Serkis even performs with Dury’s original band, The Blockheads.

So get involved in the 'Sounds on Screen' program at the Sydney Film Festival and tune your conciousness to focus on both the music and the film during this year's festival - it'll be sure to add to your SFF experience.

And I hope you've all got your tickets to the rest of the festival - it's opening night tonight!! Finally...0 sleeps to go!

The Unsophisticate's update # 2

2010-05-12T14:13:00.007+10:00

So the 2010 Sydney Film Festival (SFF) has been officially launched! Or I should say, it’s been ‘unleashed’ - as is the theme of this year’s festival. What a telling theme – suggests all sorts of heady experiences are in store for us in early to mid June. At the launch last week the excitement and anticipation in the room was contagious.

We got to see the previews for some of the upcoming films, a testament to the “audacious and courageous” film making (as described by Festival Director, Clare Stewart) we have to look forward to. For those of you wanting to organize tickets early – my suggested must-sees as guest blogger are online now...

It’s such a great and varied line up so there should be something for everyone. I hope to see you there.

Accidents Happen (Black comedy)

2010-05-09T20:15:00.010+10:00

I was so excited about this film, I even got us preview tickets to the Academy where Geena Davis was going to be making an appearance for a Q&A session after the film. Anyone who didn’t already find Geena Davis adorable would definitely have done so after the Q&A session. She was smart, sassy, funny and self deprecating in a very Aussie way that Americans often find hard to pull off. But apart from the Q&A session serving to revive my 90’s girl crush, I was left feeling a bit disappointed by the film. And I really wanted to love this film. It had all the right ingredients – it was quirky, full of drama, full of Geena Davis, a film about families and dealing with grief – and while I quite liked it, it just didn’t steal my heart.

‘Accidents Happen’ is a film about dysfunctional families, and the Conway family is particularly dysfunctional. After a brief introductory scene, the film cuts to life for the Conways following a tragic car accident that has lead to the death of one child and the permanent hospitalisation of another. Not surprisingly, the ramifications of the ‘accident’ on the family have been significant. And 15 year old Billy Conway seems to be the only sane one left in the family - until even he starts acting out....

Aside from Geena Davis starring as Gloria Conway, most of the other actors in ‘Accidents Happen’ are relatively unknown, particularly the younger stars who all gave standout performances in this film including Harrison Gilbertson (Billy), Harry Cook (Larry), and Joel Tobeck as the father Ray.

But despite the stellar performances, I didn’t love this film because I never got to the point where I emotionally bought in to the characters. In reflecting on this after the film, I think there were a few reasons: firstly the film is narrated (and I’m never quite sure how I feel about narrators to begin with) but in this case I think it had the effect of making one feel a bit disconnected from the characters. Secondly, I found the mix of tragedy and comedy a bit hard to swallow. Whilst I understand that this is exactly the definition of a ‘black comedy’(!), it was almost like the comedy and the tragedy were too extreme because at its heart, the story is incredibly tragic and so the comedy sometimes feels a bit forced (especially Gloria’s sharp one liners). Right from the opening scene my emotions were a bit confused as I watched Billy’s elderly neighbour accidentally incinerate himself while Billy danced around the sprinkler and the entire audience laughed out loud while Billy mused that “Despite overwhelming stupidity, his death certificate will say ‘Accident’”.

This balance between accident and stupidity is explored cleverly throughout ‘Accidents Happen’. In fact, the film is about life being full of accidents, minor ones and catastrophic ones that can change the course of your life. It made me think about people close to me who’ve experienced tragic “accidents”. And whilst I feel terrible even thinking about it, the honest truth is: if stupidity hadn’t been involved, it might’ve saved them and their loved ones a whole world of pain. It made me wonder if anything is truly an accident or if it’s just a way we make ourselves feel better about a tragic outcome? The American Senator Joe Lieberman was recently quoted in an interview about the massive oil spill off the coast of Florida as he was defending off shore drilling – “I mean, accidents happen..”. Sorry, Mr Senator did you mean to say ‘accidents’ or ‘stupidity’ happens? I’m sure you’ve all experienced similar examples? And this is essentially what makes Gloria Conway so bitter and angry: that her life has been irreparably damaged at best – by a tragic accident, or at worst - by someone else’s stupidity.

But then at the same time, the film also leaves you feeling as though, stupid or not, you are bound to be affected by an accident sooner or later because the world is just a dangerous place. And the fact that all this danger lurks in places like Connecticut - full of manicured lawns, bingo halls, and sunny days - is particularly disconcerting. As the narrator says: “Common sense is never enough to keep you safe my friends, because the world is quite simply dangerous”.

So in closing, this isn’t a film you should see by accident. It’s dark and it’s heavy, and it leaves you feeling a little bit fearful about crossing the road to get back to your car after the movie. Nevertheless, it’s a unique and thought provoking script, there are some good laughs to be had along the way (as long as you don’t feel too bad about laughing while someone accidentally burns themselves to death), and there are many beautifully deliberate sets. And the amazing performances by Geena Davis and Harrison Gilbertson are definitely no accident.

'Accidents Happen' is written by Andrew Lancaster, an Australian director who is already an acclaimed short film director, and is his feature lengthdirectorial debut.
The is set in Connecticut, USA but directed, written and shot by Australians - in fact, it was filmed in St Ives, Sydney, Australia
When Geena was questioned about why she aggreed to do the film with a virtual unknown in the feature length word, she said that after Andrew had sent her the script and agreed to meet in LA - she was blown away by how enthusiastic he was and what a vision he had for the sets and the wardrobe - that she agreed on the spot!

The Unsophisticate's update #1

2010-05-05T20:22:00.020+10:00

Have you heard? I’m going to be a Guest Blogger for the Sydney Film Festival (SFF).

I’m so excited. Some of you might think that film festivals are just for sophisticated movie goers that will debate the cinematic merit over a glass of red vino and a joint after the film. Well this is the year to challenge your assumptions and drag yourself off to at least one or two of the SFF sessions.

I’ve been a regular at the SFF for years and it’s one of the highlights of my social calendar! Even my mum’s been going to the SFF for over 20 years – in fact she’s had the same seat for most of that time. So for anyone seeing a session at the State Theatre please say hi to the lady in seat 48A.

For the rest of you, I hope I see you there. I attended the launch on Wednesday morning and got to see the previews for so many great films.

Check out the SFF website for my top picks. It’s going to be a jam packed 11 days…

Welcome (Drama)

2010-04-25T11:19:00.006+10:00

In Calais (France), illegal immigrants are anything but...welcome. “Welcome” is a French film by a French director (Phillipe Lioret) about Bilal, a 17 year old Kurdish refugee from Iraq who desperately wants to get to London. Whilst the film’s context is the highly political issue of illegal immigration, it is first and foremost a love story following two beautiful romances. And for anyone who is normally put off foreign films on account of their subtitles, both English and French versions of this film have been made, so this time you’ve got no excuse! And there’s no need to find an excuse, this film is amazing.

Bilal (played by Firat Ayverdi) has spent 3 months travelling across Europe in order to get to England to find his girlfriend Mina (romance number 1). He finally reaches Calais, to discover hundreds of illegal immigrants with the same plan who have been waiting for weeks, sometimes months to raise enough money to pay for illegal transport to London. The immigration laws and local authorities are clamping down on illegal immigrants, so Bilal decides to take up swimming lessons, in an effort to cross the bitterly cold and treacherous 32 kilometres of the English Channel. It is at his first public pool visit that he meets Simon Calat (Vincent Lindon), a middle aged swim coach who is something of a lost soul. They both need each other’s help to get where they want to go. Bilal is a hopeless swimmer and needs Simon’s coaching desperately if he has any hope of crossing the channel successfully. Simon is still reeling from losing his ex wife Marion (played by Audrey Dana), and initially agrees to train Bilal in the hope of impressing Marion who helps organise an illegal soup kitchen for the immigrants (enter romance number 2). The two men develop a friendship as Simon is shaken from his own bitterness by Bilal’s unshakeable optimism, so much so that he continues to train him after he realises Bilal’s intent, and at times, even shares his home with Bilal despite the fact that he could quite possibly face five years imprisonment.

I had rushed to the theatre from work to see this film with my mum so I could spend some “quality” time with her before I went away for the Easter long weekend. At the end of this film, my mum turned to me and said – ‘Isn’t it incredible how god damn difficult life is for some people”? But when I arrived I was flustered about the traffic, annoyed that my boyfriend had left his bike out in our kitchen again, stressed out about having to squeeze four days work into five on account of the long weekend. Yes Em, life is difficult for some people – and you’re definitely not one of them! .

Apparently the movie, which first hit French screens, did so amid significant controversy after a government minister claimed it portrayed a sympathetic view of illegal immigrants and those that offer them food and shelter. However, the film went on to elicit significant public sympathy for the harsh policies of the Sarkozy's Government and ended up being one of the biggest hits of the year with 1.2 million admissions, and several local and international awards. But the film is impactful exactly because it isn’t focussed on making a political statement. Simon’s character is particularly powerful because he is quite apolitical, he doesn’t actually care about the issue of immigration – as his ex wife says to him angrily after they powerlessly watch two young refugees being refused entry to the supermarket – “you just turn your back and go home”. Rather than the broader political context, it is Bilal’s personal story that makes Simon change his behaviour, and it is in this way that Lioret managed to make an apolitical film that elicited such public sympathy about a highly political issue.

Obviously, here in Australia, parallels can be made with the boat people and the related issues we are currently dealing with. Not that the film offers any answers, but it powerfully reminds you that there are individual dreams at stake. The power in this simple tale is that in exploring a single immigrants heartbreaking story and motivations, Lioret made me wonder about the hundreds and thousands of individual stories that exist when countries make collective decisions about the fate of immigrants. And it made me think about the fact that the people making these decisions are most often far removed from those individual stories.

I read a review that commented on how similar Bilal and Simon’s personalities were, which I found interesting given I found them to be quite different. The only similarity I observed is that they are both extremely stubborn but otherwise one man is eternally optimistic and the other is bitterly cynical; one man is trusting and the other trusts no one; one man is fundamentally happy despite the fact that the odds are stacked against him and the other is weighed down by a constant heavy sadness. For one man, he loses his love and is willing to do anything at all costs to get her back, the other loses his love and his whole life shuts down. Simon becomes painfully aware of this difference himself during one point in the film when he shamefully admits to his ex wife: “I couldn’t even cross the road to get you back”. But these differences are exactly what makes this friendship so engaging and is a reminder, that so often in life, it is not our circumstances that results in us being happy or sad, or being successful or unsuccessful, but rather it is our innate personalities.

I highly recommend “Welcome” – it’s confronting, uplifting, educational, awe inspiring, and entertaining. As far as I’m concerned, you are welcome to enjoy the flawless performances of the novice actors who play Bilal and Mina, and the raw and engaging performances of the more seasoned actors who play Simon and his ex wife. You are welcome to be inspired by one man’s optimism and determination to pursue his dream, despite that fact that the odds are completely stacked against him. You are welcome to marvel at the inhumane treatment of immigrants who have often already faced significant atrocities in the homelands that they flee and wonder about the thousands of individual stories we ignore during our public and private immigration debates. You’re welcome to feel a tinge of guilt after some much needed perspective when you realise that life IS really difficult for some people, but generally those “people” don’t sit in our socioeconomic bracket. And you are welcome to try and find fault in this film, because I couldn’t.

Lioret spend 6 weeks living with the refugees, day and night in the last two weeks. It’s no wonder the film has been complimented for its amazingly genuine portrayal of their plight.
In an interview with Lioret in Sydney recently here to promote the film, he spoke about the challenge in casting Bilal – in particularly finding a Kurd that could swim, play football, and speak English.
Apparently they first cast Derya (who plays girlfriend Mina) and so they asked her if she knew any other Kurds who would be appropriate to play Bilal. She told Lioret that her own brother “speaks English, can swim but he doesn’t care at all for acting and he’s a jerk”! Lioret has since admitted that when he came in for casting he did find her brother to be a jerk but that he was the only person who touched him with his innocence and his naturalness.
Lioret was asked by the Opposition in France if he'd agree to a screening of the film in Parliament in order to try and change the law - which he did but unfortunately the French Government, having the majority, still refused to change the law.

Alice in Wonderland (Fantasy)

2010-04-09T09:32:00.005+10:00

How good is Gold Class?! I love being greeted at the door and personally escorted to my big red comfy seat. I love flipping through the menu and deciding which unnecessary treats I’ll have brought to me and at what time. I love kicking off my shoes and reclining with a glass of red wine in anticipation of the upcoming movie. Gold Class just makes the whole movie experience more enjoyable. So much so that I may’ve found even less to enjoy about “Alice in Wonderland” had I not at least had the consolation of seeing it Gold Class style. The latest film version of Lewis Carroll’s classic fairytale, Alice in Wonderland, is directed by Tim Burton who is best known for his film noir including Edward Scissorhands and McSweeney Todd. Usually I love watching Burton films, but after seeing “Alice in Wonderland” I’ve decided he should stick to dark adult movies, fairytales Burton-style don’t really work – even in Gold Class.

“Alice in Wonderland” is essentially a sequel to Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. In this version, the 19 year old Alice (played by the Australian Mia Wazakowski) returns to the magical world of her childhood adventures. She reunites with her old friends: the White rabbit, the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the Chesire Cat, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee (both played by Matt Lucas of Little Britain fame), and the Blue Caterpillar. In Burton’s film, Alice is the daughter of a wealthy businessman who has since passed away and is now feeling trapped in a world of proper etiquette. The movie begins at a garden party that Alice soon discovers is to be her engagement party. She is set to marry a very unattractive, but wealthy ginga called Hamish (played by Leo Hill). As she’s dealing with the terribly confronting news that she is expected to marry someone she doesn’t love, Alice becomes distracted by a rabbit in a white coat. After completely embarrassing the ginga by failing to give him an answer in front of hundreds of guests, she tells him she needs a moment, runs off to follow the white rabbit and subsequently falls down a hole..

I found the storyline bizarre, but maybe that’s mostly because I was hoping for a story a bit closer to the original. Apparently Tim Burton has said that he had never felt an emotional connection with the story Alice in Wonderland because it simply felt like some girl wandering around meeting one crazy character after another. So rather than make a film about a series of random events, he wanted to make it a story. I found this particularly ironic given that I actually came away from the movie feeling like it was a series of random encounters with one strange character after another.

It’s worth mentioning that “Alice in Wonderland” is another 3D movie. I’m still not sure how I feel about 3D but apparently it’s here to stay. Like Avatar (although admittedly the effects for Avatar were a million times more impressive), I thought the whole 3D experience was amazing for the first hour or so - I even physically ducked a couple of times in my seat as Alice threw things at me – but after a while I just found it distracting and really wanted to take off those ridiculous glasses. With all the advances in technology you would think they could make some relatively cheap but not unattractive 3D glasses wouldn’t you? Personally I think the old cardboard versions with one red cellophane eye and one green one was preferable.

On a positive note, the film did include engaging and entertaining performances by several perfectly cast actors. Unfortunately, Alice wasn’t one of them. I felt she wore the same expression and tone the entire movie and found her to be quite devoid of emotion which is such a shame for the character whom the movie is named after. Johnny Depp on the other hand was incredible as the Mad Hatter – he came across as Mad as a cut snake. And maybe that’s simply because he is mad, rather than being a testament to his incredible acting talent! Either way, the screen lit up every time he appeared. Helena Bonham Carter was also awesome as the Red Queen. She was positively awful and detestable just as she was meant to be. I also particularly enjoyed Stephen Fry as the voice of the Chesire Cat and Paul Whitehouse as the March Hare.

The film also deserves credit on account of the many fun and valuable lessons for kids it effectively incorporates into the story. It even served as a great reminder for adults! For example, there’s the reminder about the power of daring to imagine, and daring to dream. I love Alice’s conversation with the Mad Hatter when she says: “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast” “That is an excellent practice” says the Hatter. I could benefit from believing a few impossible things before breakfast.

I also liked the reminder about being careful not to lose your spirit as you move through life given that expectations and obligations can start to weigh us down. Sometimes we all need someone to remind us about the childhood spirit we once had when we were free of expectations, just like the Mad Hatter does for Alice upon being reintroduced when he exclaims: “You used to be much more muchier. You’ve lost your muchness”. We could all get a little muchier.

Nevertheless, in my opinion, there were a couple of real missed opportunities in Burton’s adaptation. Firstly, there were a number of interesting things that were touched on in the script but never really developed. For example, the desirableness of madness is a theme running throughout the movie. As the Mad Hatter says several times - “Mad is best” (perhaps Burton is trying to reassure himself!). Alice’s father also fondly tells Alice that ‘all the best people are mad”. I thought this was a great underlying theme that could’ve been used to explore the character’s motivations a little deeper and help really tie the story together. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Another disappointment for me was the final battle during which Alice is prophesised to slay the Jabberwocky and overthrow the Red Queen so that Wonderland can again be free. Unfortunately the final battle scene is quite underwhelming. If it weren’t for Johnny Depp’s funderwhack dance (which even I have to admit is particularly impressive in 3D), the last scene would’ve been completely anti-climactic.

So whilst I think “Alice in Wonderland” is a reasonable good family film, is visually entertaining, full of gorgeous costumes, and includes a delightful take on some of the whimsical characters from one of my favourite childhood tales, overall I found the movie disappointing. In short: not much happens, there are too many under developed characters, and for the most part the narrative is pretty uninteresting. In conclusion, if you’ve got young kids, “Alice in Wonderland” will make for a fun family outing during the school holidays. If you’re without kids, be sure to see this film Gold Class with a big glass of vino and a cheese platter - otherwise the film alone is likely to leave you feeling underwhelmed.

“Alice in Wonderland” marks the 7^th time Johhny Depp has worked with Burton and the 6^th time for Helen Bonham Carter.
The name of Alice’s father, Charles, is thought to be a tribute to Lewis Carroll, the author of both ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’, also known as Charles Dodgson.
There are lots of references to both Alice in Wonderland and also ‘Through the Looking Glass” throughout the film. For example, the Red Queen has a rivalry with the White Queen, as she does in ‘Through the Looking Glass’ but the character in all other ways is based on the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, including her obsession with decapitation, and her love of Flamingo and Hedgehog croquet.

Brothers (Drama)

2010-03-28T21:48:00.010+11:00

As another film reviewer said: “If you like having your heart ripped out in the cinema, then this is the film for you”. For those of you that haven’t picked this up already, I LOVE having my heart ripped out at the cinema. That’s exactly why I go to the cinema! In fact if I don’t feel moved, I feel like it’s a waste of my time. And this film definitely moved me.

‘Brothers’ is a film about a troubled young man Tommy (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who steps up to look after his brother’s wife and family after his brother (Tobey Maguire) goes missing while serving in Afghanistan. Captain Sam is presumed dead, along with a fellow Marine, after an unfortunate helicopter accident. As “Uncle Tommy” begins prospering in his new role and is even starts to develop feelings for his brother’s wife Grace, Sam is discovered to have been held prisoner by the Taliban and is returned home.

Don’t let the war tag turn you off too easily, ‘Brothers’ is not a war movie per se – there are no epic battle scenes (thank God because I am over them!) – It’s a movie about the after effects of war. It’s also a film about families, and the ‘roles’ we are sometimes given by our parents at a very young age that have habit of sticking, regardless of the adults we grow up to be. Captain Sam is the perfect son, strong athlete, good grades, a marine and devoted husband and father to his two young daughters. Tommy is his complete opposite, and as the movie begins, has just been released from a stint in jail for armed robbery. Their alcoholic father makes no secret of the fact that Sam is clearly his favourite, which has detrimental effects on all of the family relationships, not least of all Sam and Tommy’s.

‘Brothers’ is an American remake of a Danish film called “Brodre”. Apparently the original film is amazing, as compared to this one which does at times have a little bit of a soap opera look-and-feel. Interestingly, “Brodre” was shot five years ago and was also centred on the Afghan war – a testament to just how long the war in Afghanistan has been going on. Eight pointless years!

Whilst this film was not without its flaws, I did think the performances in ‘Brothers’ were almost all incredible. The main characters, particularly Jake and Tobey, were compelling in their roles but it was the support crew that stole the show for me. Sam and Tommy’s father, an ex marine himself, was convincingly played by Sam Shepard (not the Aussie one – but you will recognise him from a number of Hollywood blockbusters such as ‘Black Hawk Down’, and ‘The Notebook’. Mare Winningham, who plays the boy’s step mum, is also very impressive, most recognisable from her many cameos in popular American television series such as CSI, Boston Legal, and Grey’s Anatomy (in which she plays Meredith Grey’s mother for anyone else who’s a fan!). And someone who deserves and extra special shout out is Bailee Madison who plays Sam and Grace’s eldest daughter Isabelle. She is gorgeous and shows amazing capability as she effectively portrays raw and unique emotions that she is way too young to ever have experienced herself.

So, what about the flaws? Firstly, the ending was a little bit Hollywood, everything is tied up in a neat little bow at the end which was a little hard to swallow given the tragedy that Sam experiences during his time in Afghanistan and the devastating effects it has on the whole family. Secondly, during Sam’s absence, I found Tommy’s turnaround into the perfect Uncle to be a little bit far-fetched, particularly coming from someone with such a chequered past and a seriously dysfunctional relationship with his own father. Finally, I thought Natalie Portman was mis-cast as Grace – she was just a little too beautiful and a little too perfect for the role – but I always love watching her on the big screen regardless!

Even so, there were some really engaging themes in ‘Brothers’ that made the movie worthwhile for me. In particular, I loved the examination of family life and sibling relationships and how the “weaker” sibling can become the “stronger” sibling (and vice versa) given a certain set of circumstances. It’s these kind of stories that make you wonder whether labels in families arise because they are so fitting, or simply because it’s easier for us all to make sense of our family relationships if we can say that ‘she’s the lazy one in the family’, or ‘he’s the one that can’t stick to anything’, or ‘she’s the selfish one’, or ‘he’s the smart one’. I’ve seen in my own friends and family that even positive labels can be detrimental, it can make us pursue a certain life simply because we want to live up to the label we’ve been given, a bit like poor Captain Sam. I think it’s these ‘labels’ that often cause so much unnecessary tension between siblings. It’s amazing that sibling relationships can prosper at times given the obstacles thrown at them by parents – even if that obstacle is too much love!

I also thought ‘Brothers’ can provoke you to think about what kind of events might have the power to change you forever as a person. I was intrigued by a conversation towards the end of the film between Grace and Sam when Sam asks: “Who was it that said only the dead have seen the end of war? I have seen the end of war. The question is how do I go on living?” It made me think about the “mini” wars we all no doubt will face in life : the death of a loved one, a serious illness, a betrayal – and which one of these would it take, if any, to significantly change your personality, or to change that thing that is so quintessentially you. And as we see in ‘Brothers’, how do you still love someone, and they you, even if there are parts of you that are no longer recognisable?

So - if you like having your heart ripped out at the cinema, if you’re keen to see what Tobey Maguire is capable of without his Spiderman mask on, and you know what to expect from a Hollywood remake, then I think you’ll find this film moving, enjoyable, and engaging for the duration. On the other hand, if you’re after something a little more light-hearted, or you like a film to leave a lasting impression, or you hate Hollywood endings, then this film probably isn’t for you.

The entire film is shot in New Mexico
Jake Gyllenhaal was apparently top of list to step in for Tobey Maguire in Spiderman 2 (2004) due to back injuries. So maybe them being brothers isn’t too much of a stretch.
Carey Mulligan makes a brief but impressive appearance as the other missing Marine’s wife. During an interview at Sundance she said that her scenes were shot at around 3am and were mostly improvised!

Separation City

2010-03-04T13:25:00.064+11:00

Straight after I saw this movie I sent my girlfriend a text saying - "You have to see 'Separation City', it'll totally f**k you up!" Her reply: "Um... not quite the lure I look for in a movie". Fair feedback. Her text made me laugh out loud but it also left me with a sense of twisted nostalgia for the days when we were both dark and stormy and she would've understood exactly why she needed to see this film. But fortunately for her, now it's just me who's dark and stormy and she's made like a butterfly and transformed into a happily married earth mother. But enough about us, I want to give you a better reason to see this movie than I gave to her.

And there are plenty of reasons to see this movie...

'Separation City' is a film about marriage in our generation and about the challenge of staying connected throughout the ups and downs of a long term relationship. This film exposes the harsh lesson we all learn when we become old enough to realise that falling in love is the easy part, it's staying in love that's tricky.

The film follows Simon (Joel Edgerton) and his marriage to Pam (played by the talented Danielle Cormack) who both live in a smug house in suburban Wellington with their two children. A few years into the marriage, as Simon begins to feel increasingly 'ordinary', and with their sex life on hold, he begins an infatuation with Pam's friend Katrien who is a cellist by profession (played by British actress Rhona Mitra most well known for her TV roles in 'Boston Legal' and 'Nip and Tuck'). Katrien has just split from her adulterous husband Klaus and with both their egos in need of a little stroking, Pam and Simon began some dangerous flirtation.

So, back to why you should see this film...

Reason number 1: Almost all of the performances are impressive, particularly those of Joel, Danielle, and Rhona. Their performances are genuine, raw, and believable and more than make up for the overacting from Underbelly's Les Hill who plays Simon's best mate, Harry.

Reason number 2: 'Separation City' is a topical movie about our generation and the growing disillusionment with the institution of marriage. And who doesn't wonder how their relationship is going to feel in two/five/ten years time?

I wasn't really expecting to enjoy this movie - partly because I was starting to feel a bit "movied out" since I started writing this blog, and partly because it was a kiwi movie and I always feel like I'm watching a b-grade soap opera when I hear a New Zealand accent up on the big screen (and I can say that because I live with a Kwi!). But I was hooked right from the opening scene at Simon and Pam's wedding (set in a stunning location high on a cliff in New Zealand) when Simon gazes around at the attendees and wonders whether anyone there is actually happy in their relationship. Based on happenings and opinions shared in my own social circle, I am always surprised by the statistics that suggest marriage is coming back into vogue in Australia. And after watching the film so effectively portray the seemingly inevitable decline into the routine and mundane aspects of cohabitation, I am even more perplexed.

Reason number 3: "Separation City" offers some insights into the more challenging aspects of long term relationships that people seem reluctant to discuss. My girlfriends and I call it the 'marriage code of silence' - we share every unflattering and unfair detail about 'the boyfriend' but as soon as he becomes 'the husband', any real conversation about the relationship seems to be suddenly taboo. For example, I'm often curious to ask my married friends about what happens to a relationship after you spend every night together for 5 years? Or what happens to your sex life after 2 kids and sleepless nights and lots of pooey nappies? But I always think better of it for fear of making us both uncomfortable. But what I loved about watching this film is that it allows you to be a voyeur into exactly that scenario...and the result for me was definitely discomfort!

Reason number 4: 'Separation City' cleverly explores the fact that familiarity in relationships breeds both security and insecurity. There's a great line when Simon is watching Katrien from a distance as he watches one of her concerts with his wife and he says to himself: "She was beautiful in a way that only someone you don't know can be". This is the scary paradox that familiarity brings. Through Simon and Katrien, the film explores the temptation of other people and whether a secure marriage can withstand unfaithfulness. It made me think about the fact that when it comes to unfaithfulness, people seem to worry most about the possibility that someone might come into their partner's life that is funnier, more attractive, more interesting than they are. But interestingly, the more likely scenario is that someone could come into your partner's life who simply makes them feel funnier, or feel more attractive, or feel more interesting than you make them feel. And this should give us all some comfort because this is the aspect within our control i.e. you can't control the fact that some random and gorgeous Katrien-like creature might drop into your partner's life, but you can control how self confident and comfortable he feels in his own life choices when this happens.

Reason number 5: This movie highlights the different experiences that two people can have in the same relationship. This point was perfectly illustrated when my boyfriend turned to me at the end of the movie to ask me what I thought and I said through teary eyes " that was so depressing" and he said "oh I thought it was optimistic and uplifting"! But as we talked more about the film over dinner I started to come around to his perspective - and that if going into a relationship - or god forbid a marriage - knowing all that might happen, and still being committed to find a way isn't inspiring then what is? And the power of forgiveness, of acceptance, of understanding someone else's choices even when they are hurtful, and of taking some accountability for the hurtful decisions your partner might make, is all testament to the optimism of the human spirit. Especially when it comes to relationships! And rather than focus on the sad possibility that you might fall out of love, focus on the exciting possibility that you could fall back in love with that same person over and over again.

In short, I loved this movie for all the reasons I highlighted. The drawbacks for me were minor but included some of the "over performances" I referenced, as well as the fact that at times, it felt like the film was trying a little too hard by stuffing too many witty one liners into the one scene. But as writer Tom Scott said during an interview for a NZ talk show - "This is a film for anyone who's ever been in love, ever fallen out of love, or ever been told someone is no longer in love with them" - and I tend to agree. And whilst the film covers the pretty serious and sometimes taboo subject of unhappy marriages, there are plenty of laughs to be had along the way. But be warned, for anyone who has a tendency to over analyse their own relationship - as I warned my girlfriend - this movie could seriously f*** you up!

Tom Scott (political journalist and one of New Zealand's most loved satirical cartoonists) penned the first draft of the script 20 years ago!
The producer Paul Middleditch is much more well known for producing big ads rather than big movies. Some of his more well known Australian ads include the 'big beer' ad for Carlton Draught, and the latest ad campaign for ANZ including the 'credit card fraud squad'.
Apparently stunner Rhona Mitra agreed to be in Separation City after falling in love with New Zealand when filming a previous film in NZ, she has said she got into acting for travel!

A Single Man (Drama)

2010-03-01T16:43:00.064+11:00

So I was hoping to write a lighter, more jovial review this week after Dad gave me some feedback - he loves reading my blog but always feels emotionally exhausted afterwards! So for you dad - I had planned to lighten the mood this week but it's hard to do so when the main character is meticulously planning his suicide.

Colin Firth stars as George Falconer, an English Professor who is based at an LA college but is a native Englishman. George is "a little light on his loafers" - as described by a neighbour - and has recently suffered the loss of his partner after 15 years. The film chronicles George's "last day" as he goes ahead with his typical routine and social obligations even though he plans to commit suicide at the end of day. If you haven't already drawn this conclusion yourself - George is a bit of a strange character but he's in good company - all of the characters in this film are strange. His best friend, and once girlfriend, Charley (convincingly played by Julianne Moore) is a complete drama queen and despite their close and long term friendship, is still wrestling with her unresolved feelings for George. Another notable performance is by Nicholas Hoult (who has grown into his looks considerably since he was in 'About a Boy') and plays a curious and strange student called Kenny.

If I had to use one word to describe this film I would choose 'beautiful'. Absolutely beautiful.

Now I'm aware that I might be at risk of sounding a bit 'sophisticated' with that assessment. And I promised I wouldn't comment on the more 'sophisticated' aspects of film making in this blog, such as Director's backgrounds, the artistic nature of the shots, or the musical score. But in discussing 'A Single Man' it would be remiss of me not to comment on all of the above. So bear with me for a second while I deviate from my unsophisicated ramblings to explain why. The film is Tom Ford's directorial debut and his fashion background is evident in every scene. I remember feeling frustrated at first (which I'm sure was largely due to the fact that some inconsiderate woman had decided to bring her crying baby to the cinema) but also due to the lack of conversation during the first half of the film. But before I knew it, Mr Ford had me hooked as he told the story simply through the presence and absence of music, the presence and absence of colour, and the perfectness of each shot. In fact, some of the most memorable scenes for me were those that were simply stunning to look at but during which very little happened for example, when George is at the bank and his neighbour's daughter appears in front of him in a vibrant blue dress and matching shoes. Or when Charley opens the door to George as he arrives for dinner and they meander slowly down a hallway absolutely filled with lights and flowers.

But back to my unsophisticated commentary: In some ways this film was hard for me to connect with given the weighty premise - personally I find it hard to identify with suicide at all - but this is a film about something we can all identify with. The need to connect with someone.

'A Single Man' is a reminder that no matter how down one gets, a connection with a single random person can immediately pep you up, or even completely turn things around. It made me think about how often one day can be the difference between happy and sad, between confusion and clarity, between feeling disconnected or feeling a part of something. And ironically, those days when we're less likely to engage in a conversation with the shop assistant, or to chat to the taxi driver, or to accept that invite from the next door neighbour, are the days when we're probably most in need of a connection. But George is missing one particular connection so badly, that he hardly notices how often throughout the day people try to connect with him, like the Spanish model from Madrid who tries to pick him up in the carpark of the liquor store, or his friendly neighbour, Mrs Strunk (played by Ginnifer Goodwin) who invites George over for diner despite her extremely homophobic husband.

Another part of the storyline that I think people will be able to relate to is George's search for 'clarity'. One of the less constructive characteristics of our generation is our consistent yearning for things to be clearer - Am I on the right track? Am I making the right decisions? Am I where I'm supposed to be for now? - and yet those moments when everything makes perfect sense, when everything is as it should be, are actually few and far between. And rather than feeling unfulfilled because these moments of clarity aren't more frequent, we should be grateful because that's exactly what keeps us going - the idea that tomorrow might make a bit more sense. One of my favourite speeches in the movie is a soliloquy by George as he's pondering on this apparent contradiction: "A few times in my life I've had a moment of absolute clarity....and I can feel rather than think...I have lived my life on these moments. I can never make these moments last. I cling to them but like everything they fade." This speech gave me goosebumps. Listening to George even gave me a moment of clarity. Thank you George.

Some might find 'A Single Man' a little slow, but I was so wrapped up in the music, the colour, and the fashion that I didn't notice the time go by. And while this film is definitely not for everyone, it might be worth seeing for Colin Firth's performance alone. Furthermore, the film is a great reminder that you don't need a clever, loquacious script to make an impactful movie. And whilst I really enjoyed myself while the story was being told, it was one of those movies that felt so much more powerful at the end, rather than on the way through. Which is such a fitting message for George's journey: that along the way, life can be underwhelming, but there are times where everything is so crystal clear it can be almost too beautiful.

Tom Ford financed the film himself
The film was shot in just 21 days
In his acceptance speech for the BAFTA Best Actor award in February, Colin Firth said that he was planning to turn down the part and had an email waiting in his outbox to send to Tom Ford, but then he got distracted when the fridge guy arrived which caused him to rethink his decision. He thanked "the fridge guy" in his speech!

Hurt Locker (Drama)

2010-02-21T22:11:00.028+11:00

For the first time since I've been writing this blog, I struggled to meet my self imposed weekly deadline. Not because this film didn't move me, but because it moved me in ways that I found difficult to articulate. 'The Hurt Locker' is a confronting movie about the Iraq War directed by Katheryn Bigelow (the ex wife of Avatar's director James Cameron). The opening quote from Chris Hedges (who was a war correspondent for the New York Times during the Iraq War) sets the scene perfectly - "The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug". And "War is stoopid" should've been the concluding quote I say.

'The Hurt Locker' follows an elite army bomb squad in Iraq during the chaos of war. And if watching several bomb detonation scenes in slow drawn out detail isn't enough to build suspense, the film is also shot in documentary style which contributes to the tension even more. I read somewhere that the way the camera continually zooms in and focuses on close ups of the bomb detonation is designed to have the audience focus on the detail and prevent a focus on the bigger questions such as "why war?". Interestingly, it had the opposite effect for me -watching someone obsess over the detail of a single bomb when people were dying all around him seemed to amplify the feeling that war is pointless, futile, and almost ridiculous.

The film focuses on three soldiers each with very different personality styles and comfort levels with the war. The main character is Sargaent Will James (Jeremy Renner), the leader of the squad who is called in to replace his predecessor (played by Guy Pearce who made an all too brief appearance). Will is a solo operator who is fearless, arrogant, and seems to only care about himself but he has a unique talent for defusing bombs. In fact he's a bloody genius. Then there's Sargeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), the second in charge - a brave, reliable, and honorable soldier, who at times is quite torn about the war in Iraq but even so, his loyalty to the cause is boundless. The third key member of the bomb squad is Special Agent Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) who is young, inexperienced and always scared but still performs his duties to the best of his abilities. For this reason he may be the bravest of all three. And whilst the bomb scenes are certainly gripping to watch, it is the interactions between these three very different characters that made the film so compelling to watch.

In particular, Will's character had me intrigued. Upon first impression he comes across as a reckless cowboy but as the film progresses you find yourself more and more confused about his character and what makes him tick (pardon the pun!). Is he just a reckless adrenlin junkie or is he sacrificing his own fears to save the world? Is he doing this job because he is good and selfless or is he a selfish jerk? Did it make him brave that he consistently threw himself in the face of death, or was he just too scared to face himself in normal life? And then it got me thinking about why I needed him to be one way or the other. In fact I needed him to be one way or the other so badly that I couldn't even write about it!

And then I concluded that it was because I needed him to make sense.

It made me realise how much we do a similar thing in real life. That we need to categorise people as good or bad, jobs as interesting or boring, relationships as right or wrong - because we need life to make more sense. But ironically maybe life would make more sense if we accepted that the same person can be callous in one situation and tender in another. That the same job can make you feel both energised, and exhausted. And that losing something can be make you weaker and stronger all at the same time. As the 'Hurt Locker' develops, all three characters show parts of themselves that make it more and more difficult to make sense of them and actually that's what made them so interesting.

Another interesting theme was related to fear and in particular, conquering fear. It's impossible not to admire the bravery of all three characters in 'The Hurt Locker" but while fear seemed to be paralysing for Special Agent Eldridge, it was like a lifeblood for Sargeant Will. There's a great scene towards the end of the film when Will finally makes it home and he's hanging out in a very domestic scene in the kitchen with his wife and son.

And for the first time since the film had started I felt relaxed.

He was finally safe and home! But the stability and the security of being home seemed to suck the life out of him. For his own sanity, I felt like he needed to be sent back to a place where his life was at risk. And I was almost expecting that I might be able to make sense of him once I saw him at home but even Sanborn doesn't get any closer to understanding him when at one point on their way back from battle, he turns to Will and says: "Will, how do you do it? You know, take the risk? ...and Will says "I don't know, I guess I just don't think about it".

I highly recommend 'The Hurt Locker'. Action filled war movies don't usually leave me feeling anything much after the credits roll but the Hurt Locker stayed with me for days. It makes you think about the kind of person you are - Am I a Will? Or a Sanborn? Or an Eldridge? Truth is I think I'd like to think I'm the kind of person who is energised by the excitement, the fear, and the riskiness of the choices one faces when detonating a bomb, but I think that maybe I'm the kind of person who prefers to be faced with the choices in the cereal aisle.....And for a few days that felt like an uncomfortable conclusion to write but maybe the point is to just accept the one that you most resemble, or at least get comfortable with the fact that you might be bits of both.

The film was shot in Jordan, the coutry right next door to Iraq
It was initially released straight to DVD in Brazil but after it attracted attention and several awards, it went to theatrical distribution in February 2010
Most of the actors were relatively unknown, the biggest names were each in the film for less than 10 minutes Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, and David Morse

Invictus (Drama/True Story)

2010-02-14T13:47:00.030+11:00

Invictus (meaning 'invincible' in Latin) is the name of a poem written by William Ernest Henley - an inspirational poem! 'One Team, One Country' was the Springboks motto during the 1995 World Cup - an inspirational slogan! 'Invictus' is a film about Nelson Mandela in his first term as President and tells the story of Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joining forces with the captain of South Africa's Rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to mend his fractured nation during the 1995 Rugby World Cup - a not so inspirational movie!

Now it's fair to say that movies about sport generally don't hold my attention. I even had to ask my man just prior to walking into the cinema whether they played rugby union or rugby league in the Rugby World Cup. Needless to say he was visibly distressed that I had asked such a question. I told him that the most I knew about Rugby was what my mother had taught me when we were growing up : "Honey all you need to know is that it's a game played by gentleman with odd-shaped balls". So unfortunately for this film, we were starting off on the backfoot but I was hoping the fact that Clint Eastwood (who directed and produced this film) was going to be it's salvation. Whilst Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman did put in pretty stellar performances, I found 'Invictus' even harder to get in to than I was anticipating and not just because of the rugby focus but also because I kept thinking that I had missed several poignant lines due to the faux South African accents of both Mandela and Francois. And because there was very little struggle on the road to victory, everything seemed to come too easily for both men. And finally, because I was completely distracted by Matt Damon's hair and his terrible patchy highlights.

I thought it was a shame that the overriding reaction I had to this film was disappointment, particularly given that 'Invictus' is a film based on a great story. It is Nelson Mandela's first term as the democratically elected President following his release after 27 years in captivity. The 1995 tournament was the first Rugby World Cup that South Africa was allowed to play in following the end of their international sport boycott due to the apartheid regime. The torn apart country of South Africa was screaming out to be unified again. But regardless of all this premise, the film did not live up to the greatness of the story.

And along the way there were hints of themes that peaked my interest but mostly they went nowhere. For example, there was a scene during which Mandela first invited Francois for tea and he asks him whether his previously injured ankle was holding him back. Francois says no because "We generally only play at about 85%" and Mandela says something like - "ahh in sport as in life my friend". I thought this would've been a great theme to explore further particularly given Mandela's character, as it made me think about how we often play at 85% in life to avoid getting hurt, being dissapointed, failing etc. And if this was the case then how do we inspire people (team members, work colleagues, friends etc.) to "play" at 100%? And if we make the choice ourselves to play "life" at 100%, how do we keep the damage to a minimum?

Another engaging theme that I thought the movie teased us with was in relation to 'intentions'. The characters in this movie made me think alot about their intentions and whether it was always their intention to be 'great' (most likely in Mandela's case) or whether it was a collection of circumstances that accidentally made them great. For me, Francois seemed to be one of those people who found themselves surrounded by circumstances that made him great, but he did little in the film to inspire greatness from his team. This theme reminded me of a conversation I was having with a girlfriend the other night over a glass of vino and we were discussing 'the purpose of life' i.e. what should your intentions be regarding your own lifetime achievements? (Yep, leave it to us to tackle the big questions!) Specifically we were discussing whether it was an acceptable intention in life just to want to be a good person, a good friend, a good mother, a good daughter. Or should you aim to leave a lasting impression on the world and do good in a way that buys you a place in the history books? Whilst my girlfriend was leaning towards believing the latter (and she's probably closer to it than I!), it left me feeling that if that were the case, given we can't all go down in history, then are 98% of us destined to fail?

And so, even though this film was effective at portraying Mandela as one of those rare individuals who might have achieved both intentions - he was a good man, and a man who's name went down in the history books - 'Invictus' definitely lacked something for me. I really wanted to see more of Mandela's leadership style, to obtain some insight about the tactics and strategies he used to unify people, or the struggles he went through in taking over the Presidency. But all I got was Rugby - in fact the whole second half of the movie felt like a long drawn out Rugby match. So if you are a Mandela fan - or if you're not a Rugby fan - I'd give this film a miss. In fact I think I would've preferred to have gone to a real Rugby game. And that is saying something!

Apparently Nelson Mandela himself said that only Morgan Freeman could portray him in a film
As Francois Pienaar was known for his imposing physique, when Matt Damon turned up at his door for their first dinner (as Francois had agreed to assist Matt in preparing for the role) he has said that he broke the ice by joking "I look much bigger on camera"
When filming the rugby games, there were only 2000 extras in the staduims, so the sell out crowd of 62,000 were mostly computer generated!

Up in the Air (Drama/Comedy)

2010-02-10T23:36:00.005+11:00

Just in case you needed another reason to love George Clooney his latest movie – ‘Up in the Air’ - is just that! George plays Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert who essentially gets paid by clients to help them “retrench” unwanted employees. In doing so, he is constantly on the road – or ‘up in the air’ – and living out of suitcase. And as he blatantly says, “everything the average person hates about travelling are warm reminders that I am home”.

I was really looking forward to seeing ‘Up in the Air’, partly for the George factor, but also because movies that are set in familiar American cities always make me feel a tad nostalgic or even ‘homesick’ for the country I lived in for four years. But as I watched Bingham move through airport security, sit in hotel bars alone at night, and sleep in empty hotel rooms, I felt immediately depressed as it reminded about the reality of my own working life in the United States! I remember often feeling completely disconnected from friends, from family, from the city I was supposed to be living in. I would gaze around at the many middle aged men sitting alone with me in the airport lounge late at night, or sitting alone in the hotel bar, and wonder if they were happy with that bland existence. So right from the start of this film I was hooked – I had so often wondered in my work travels whether characters like Ryan Bingham actually existed. The movie almost makes you feel like Ryan could be one of those unique individuals that are truly made happy by life on the road. He even has an apartment that looks like a hotel room complete with Hilton slippers and American Airlines peanuts!

But unfortunately for Ryan, a new up and comer named Natalie (played by Anna Kendrick) has finally discovered a way to utilise technology and cut costs by firing over the internet which causes Ryan to reevaluate his life philosophy as he becomes “grounded” indefinitely. He starts to realise that he might need to establish some more meaningful connections in his life than the one he has with lady at the American Airlines check-in desk that is paid to remember his name. And so one night in a hotel bar when he meets Alex (played by the gorgeous Vera Farmiga ) who describes herself as a female version of Ryan, he thinks he might be ready to make a connection.

I found this storyline about Alex and Ryan's relationship engaging on so many levels: whether as a female we can have a truly non emotional commitment, whether or not someone who is so non-committal is just waiting for the right time or the right person, whether two people who are so similar can ever really work together. In discussing this film with my mum I thought it was so interesting that what she took from this storyline was how often two people make massive assumptions about each other and then act upon them without ever really asking what the other wants. Whereas I took from it a slightly different perspective as I thought the rules of the game were made very clear by both Ryan and Alex and it made me think about how much two people often forge ahead in relationships based on what they want to believe even when someone is blatantly demonstrating or telling them they feel differently. I wondered if our different perspective were in large part due to our very different experiences as women from her generation to mine.

This film also really made me think about the emptiness of goal achievement. Bingham was obsessed with earning miles. There’s a haunting scene towards the end of the movie when Binhgam finally hits his goal of 10,000,000 miles and gets a visit by the pilot as recognition that he has reached the ‘American Airlines 10 million miles status’. He stares almost expressionless at the pilot and says something like 'I’ve been imagining how this conversation would go for as long as I can remember and now it’s here I’m lost for words'. I think we are all so often guilty of being so focused on striving towards something to the detriment of living our lives along the way that I really felt for Bingham during this scene.

I found this film engaging from start to finish with so much to relate to that I highly recommend it, particularly to people who inhabit corporate world. I even found myself in one of those rare moods after sitting in an uncomfy for two and a half hours where I was wishing the film had lasted just a little bit longer. And so I even stayed for the credits and was lucky enough to hear the final song …

With the exception of the famous actors, every person you see fired in the film is not an actor but a real person who has been laid off in real life
Apparently Director Jason Reitman began writing the screenplay in 2002 when the US economy was booming but it was delayed while he worked on Juno (2007) and Thank You for Smoking (2005) - ironically America then plunged into depression and the movie turned out to be much more topical

Precious (Drama)

2010-02-07T22:49:00.014+11:00

This movie ended with a dedication "For Precious girls everywhere" - I must be a little too precious as I found this film very difficult to watch. 'Precious' is a hard hitting film based on the book 'Push' by Sapphire about a young African-American teenage girl (Precious) living in Harlem, NY who is illiterate, overweight, and pregnant with her second child.

The film stars Gabourey Sidibe as Clareece "Precious" Jones who is so completely believable at times it felt more like a documentary than a movie. Also starring in Precious were a motley crew of rockstars and actors including Mo'nique (who did an unbelievable job of playing Clareece's mum), Paula Patton as Clareece' "special" teacher (who almost inspired me to go back to school), Mariah Carey (so real in her role as Mrs Weiss the social worker and so very un-Mariah thank god), and Lenny Kravitz (in his role as a gentle male nurse who befriends Clareece just when she needs it most).

Whilst I was expecting this film to be challenging - as the two chatterboxes behind reminded me just as the film was starting ("yeah I know it's going to be challenging but I've seen challenging films before, like.... Blood Diamond !?), I didn't expect it would leave me feeling quite so drab. The film essentially chronicles an accumulation of social misfortunes that Precious has to deal with, almost too many to bear in my opinion. As I said earlier, maybe I'm a little too "precious" but I thought the movie would've been equally powerful without the final additional misfortune she was dealt (which I won't reveal for the sake of not spoiling the movie).

Despite the generally dire situation that Precious found herself in, and the heartbreak that surrounded many of the characters, there were a few laughs throughout the movie which helped to offer brief moments of respite. The bright and breezy fantasy scenes that Precious frequently disappeared into when things got almost too unbearable were also much appreciated and helped you forget how bad things were just for a little while. There were also some memorable uplifting scenes and characters. I particularly loved her classmate Joann. At one stage when the girls are introducing themselves to their other class mates, Joann innocently describes her favourite colour as "flourescent beige" - I love this line as an analogy for the whole movie - anyone who can see a nice side of beige can see the good in any horrible situation.

Oprah, who is a big fan of the movie, apparently said that people might not "enjoy" but would "appreciate this experience" which sums up my own viewing experience perfectly. In my opinion, what really makes this film so deserved of all the hype and Oscar nomination talk are the actors and their respective performances - every single person was absolutely amazing, completely on the mark, and individually they all evoked the full range of emotions intended. Of particular note is Clareece' mother who I'm sure you'll will equally detest and feel sorry for by the end of the film.

I found this film so dark - which I should note was a reaction that seems to be in contrast to a number of other reviews I've read that describe the film as "uplifting", "exhilarating", "cathartic"- that it was difficult to draw too many parallels to my own life. I guess what I can draw from this film is a simple reminder that bad things can get better, that life is about the people you find along the way, that we're stronger than we think, that education should never be taken for granted, and that eating a bucket of fried chicken all in one go never did anyone any favours.

The film was shot in five weeks!
400 girls tried out for the part of Precious that went to Gabourey Sidibe just 6 weeks before shooting commenced
Helen Mirren was originally cast for the part played by Mariah Carey but then dropped out

The September Issue (Doco)

2010-02-06T19:33:00.018+11:00

"Fashion makes people nervous" is one of Anna Wintour's opening quotes. I think she means that "she" makes people nervous. Anna Wintour is referred to as one of the most influential women in America (which I think says more about America than it does about Anna!). Nevertheless, this documentary feature film about the British Editor-in-Chief at American Vogue makes for a gripping insight into an incredibly interesting woman, and an even more interesting world - the world of fashion. Some of you may recognise Anna who is said to have been the inspiration for Meryl Streep's character in "The Devil Wears Prada". Specifically, this documentary chronicles the preparations for the 2007 fall issue of US Vogue.

As a female professional, I am always on the look out for successful chicks to aspire to. Whilst I often admire super successful women for their ambition, their talent, and their success, I frequently find their emotional character less than inspirational. Again with Anna Wintour, whilst her ambition and success is highly admirable, and left me in awe wondering what it is about her that has allowed her to remain at the top of her game for so long in this increasingly competitive world, I am left disappointed by the fact that she seems to be yet another example of a successful female who is cold, tough, and in many ways, eerily "man-like".

The portrayal of Anna Wintour was gripping. They way this feature film is shot made me feel like a voyeur and any of my close friends will be quick to tell you how much I love being a voyeur. I can't have a cup of coffee with a friend, without becoming more obsessed with the conversation on the next table than the one I'm supposed to be involved in! Whilst the film no doubt set out to humanise Anna - given her reputation as cold, rude and emotionally distant - the film seemed to heighten her mysteriousness and inaccessibility for me which I loved. I was left wanting to continue to peer through a window into her life for days to come. The discomfort she obviously felt in front of the camera when she was being directly interviewed (which occurred surprisingly infrequently throughout the film) was haunting, her anxiousness and her inability to reveal anything intimate about her real self when faced with a single set of eyes was all too familiar.

The characters surrounding Anna are equally compelling to watch - her faithful Creative Director, Grace Coddington, who has been with her for two decades almost steals the show. And if it weren't for Grace, I think I would be left with the feeling that I disliked Anna. It is an absolute pleasure to watch Grace in action and the resulting photos of the many gorgeous photo shoots the film covers. She is at least as talented if not more, but is much more accessible in the way that she frequently shows real female emotions (which seems to be a big no-no in most workplaces!) including passion, frustration, pride, and loyalty. The fact that she swans around the office in comfortable shoes and baggy black outfits in stark contrast to her glammed up colleagues and the sexy models she works with makes her even more endearing.

Even if you have no interest in fashion, I thought the film was worth seeing for the many fascinating characters; for the chance to sneak a peak into a world full of colour, emotion, and art that is so far away from the structure, blandness, and rationality of my corporate world; and purely because it is full of some of the most simple but beautiful shots of New York I have ever seen.

The film leaves you wondering how Anna's reign at Vogue will ever end. Will she choose to leave? Will the Board decide it's time for a change? Will some new and ambitious young thing topple her long standing reign? It also got me thinking - what does make people move on from a job they seem to be successful at? Success is sometimes a trap that locks you into something you've lost the passion for. I love when Anna ponders this question herself and recalls having a related conversation with her father. He says something like "I knew it was time to move on when I got too angry about stuff". What a simple but invaluable test! If that's the case, it's been time for me to move on for quite some time.....

The September 2007 Issue of US Vogue weighed nearly 5 pounds (or 2.3 kgs) and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published at that time
Of the 840 pages, 727 of them were ads!
Movie making spanned over 2 and a half years with a years worth of shooting and a years worth of editing

It's Complicated (Comedy)

2010-02-04T21:30:00.050+11:00

It's Complicated is an understatement! And sadly seems to be the theme of most relationships these days. Mine not withstanding! Whilst this is a romantic comedy which definitely gave me a few laugh out loud moments, it also provoked a few serious thoughts regarding relationships and their pros and cons in today's world.

The film is written and directed by Nancy Meyers and whilst I didn't find the script and dialogue as clever as some of her previous films (such as "Something's Gotta Give" and "What Women Want") it was an enjoyable two and half hours. I always find her sets beautiful and this one does not disappoint as it is largely set in and around the main character's gorgeously decorated Santa Barbara home and the beautiful bakery she owns and runs. No doubt Nancy got much inspiration for this film from her own life as there are several similarities - Nancy herself is divorced with children, and at one stage early on in her career she even started a small cheesecake business.

Meryl Streep is amazing as always, and I loved the way they didn't glam her up too much, with many scenes in which she seems to appear wearing minimal make up and looking exactly her age. Alec Baldwin is also well cast - ever since 30 Rock he seems to be getting better and better and again, I loved the brutally honest presentation of him and his physical flaws (even though I found several scenes of him in his boxer shorts difficult to stomach so to speak!). And I love love love John Krasinki (who stars in the US version of The Office) who is understated as usual and bloody funny. Whilst the film has been criticised by some critics as being only entertaining for middle aged movie goers, I found many of the storylines applicable to relationships at any age.

The story centres around Jane (Streep) and her ex husband of ten years Jake (Baldwin), who is married to a younger woman, and their hook up during their son's college graduation. Steve Martin plays a new love interest for Jane - which makes things complicated - and it's good to see him back on the big screen. I felt a lot of empathy for Streep's character as a self reliant divorcee as she wrestles with trying to work out the upside of letting a man back into her life, given that she has successfully built a very full, and fulfilling, single life for herself. As is often the case for singletons, Jane's life doesn't seem to be lacking in anything until she gets an unfortunate taste of cosy coupledom. Then all of a sudden, life seems lonely without a man. No matter how much progress we chicks make - our self worth still seems to be rocked by a bloke's rejection.

The film also made me think about unfinished business and how often we revisit past relationships. I for one am notorious for revisiting past loves! Regardless of how infrequently this strategy seems to result in a healthy relationship with an optimistic future, it always seems like a highly rational and plausible path to happiness at the time. Although as this film demonstrates nicely, maybe it's not such a bad decision to revisit past relationships if you still have something to teach each other.

The movie also focuses on Jane & Jake's three grown children who are still getting over their parent's divorce and how they deal with the rekindled romance. As a child of divorced parents, I identified with this part of the story, it never ceases to amaze me how much of an impact divorce has on all of the family relationships and for how long the disturbances endure! Sadly, not only does it significantly impact each child's relationship with each parent which is frequently written and talked about, but it also significantly impacts relationships between siblings which is not so commonly discussed. From personal experience, as siblings we seem to punish each other for having different reactions or different loyalties to our parents following divorce. On the one hand, it seems to me to be the most simple and understandable occurrence - two adults lose the desire to spend the rest of their life together - what could be more honest and reasonable than arriving at that conclusion? But at the same time, I understand that it is the fact that it's so extremely rare for two people to arrive at that conclusion at the same time and with equal conviction that is the real explanation for most of the anger and bitterness that results.

The movie is easy to watch with some very funny scenes (the scene in which Meryl Streep and Steve Martin share a naughty cigarette is hilarious!). I did feel that in some ways this film tries to tackle too many things, for example, the storyline about Jane's youngest child leaving home is left a bit up in the air. It might have been more powerful to limit the threads of the story and more fully explore all of these. It's definitely worth a peak if you're after some light-hearted fun and a bit of escapism but this is definitely a Hollywood film with a big budget and a happy ending so if you're after something a little more challenging or intellectually stimulating you may want to reconsider your film choice.

Nevertheless, given my penchant for dark and stormy storylines, it was enjoyable to see a film that ended on an optimistic note for a change. Makes you feel like no matter what age you are, there might just be a funny guy like Steve Martin waiting around the corner to share a joint with.....

Alec Baldwin told US TV Host David Letterman that a body double was used for his nude scenes
Nancy Meyers earliest success was as a joint screenwriter and executive producer of Private Benjamin (1980) which initially was thought to be box office poison with a female lead and no male star went on to became one of the biggest box office hits of the year grossing nearly $US70m
Nancy Meyers second solo venture - "What Women Want" - was at one stage the most successful film ever directed by a women taking in $183m in the US